My Great Great Grandfather started over again and again in his lifetime. He had unexpected things happen that changed his financial situation many times but every time he picked himself up and started over. He is a great example of economic resilience that we can look to now in times of economic uncertainty. In fact, I find some comfort in the fact that he survived much, much more than anything I will have to now. Family ChartMasters is doing very well considering the challenges the world is having and we are feeling very blessed for that. All of our employees have easily transitioned to working from home and we are keeping in touch with the tech tools my Great Great Grandfather never could have imagined. It is amazing to imagine what he would have thought of our company today, and I'm hopeful that I have his grit and strength for whatever comes.
When Gaskell Romney was married in 1895, he and his wife Anna Amelia Pratt lived in Northern Mexico, descendants of pioneers who had survived many challenges to eek out a living in the desert. After they were married, they built a beautiful farm and became very prosperous with good livestock and a thriving door factory and lumber yard. They had a two story brick home with lovely landscaping, bountiful fruit trees and Gaskell was a leader in the community. All this came to an end when the family had to flee with little more than the clothes on their backs from the Mexican revolution led by Pancho Villa.
Gaskell took his building skills to Los Angeles for a while, but after two years of work with little to show for it, he longed to raise his family in a more rural setting. So he and his brother moved their families to Idaho and bought a small potato farm in 1913. The families worked hard to maintain the farm but with the economic effects of WWI, they were unable to make a go of it. After two years of hard work, they decided to move their family south to Salt Lake City.
Arriving in Salt Lake bankrupt and in debt, Gaskell again started over building houses. He worked hard and it took him twelve years to pay off all of the Idaho debts. They returned to Rexburg, Idaho for a few years and prospered building homes until everything changed again in 1921 when the price of farm goods collapsed and the housing market followed. Gaskell found himself bankrupt for the fourth time.
The summer of 1921 saw the family move back to Salt Lake City. Once again Gaskell put his architectural and building skills to work with the help of his sons. Within 7 years he would lose Anna and two of his sons to tragic, unexpected deaths.
Gaskell's son George Romney wrote: Even though Father was driven out of Mexico penniless, with a large family to support, went broke in Oakley, Idaho, and later Rexburg, Idaho, and then again in Salt Lake during the great Depression he never became bitter. Furthermore, he didn't make me feel poor. He never took out bankruptcy, which he could have done several times. He and his son, Maurice, eventually paid off all his creditors.
His daughter Meryl likewise said she “never felt we were hard up. Our breakfast table in the tiny kitchen was a card table. Our two other homes had had attractive breakfast rooms. Mealtime was always a happy time for there was given love and spiritual uplift for meeting the day's encounters. We never felt poor or deprived. Daddy's great love, humor and concern were in abundance."
According to all accounts, he maintained a calm and gentle
personality throughout his life. He lived with a great inner peace that
he attributed to his daily conversations with God. His great courage,
common sense and integrity are a great lesson of resilience in the face of economic reversals.
Post written by Janet Hovorka, Owner, Family Chartmasters LLC
As usual the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy was a phenomenal success and I enjoyed myself immensely. This year was even more fantastic though because Kim and I were able to take the whole week off and simply sit in class. For the last five years I've been involved with UGA and the SLIG committee in helping put on the institute, but this year I was able to just relax and be a student--enjoy it with my husband--and learn tons. Thanks so much to our employees who kept Family ChartMasters humming and to the SLIG team for making the conference such a success.
Kim and I took Blaine Bettinger's Beginning DNA for Genealogy course. If you haven't ever attended an institute, it is really something special. We were able to take 20 courses just about DNA and it's use in genealogy. Even though I knew quite a bit about DNA's use in genealogy, and we've had all of our parent's generation tested who were willing, along with all of Kim's brothers and our son, I'm really sure now that I have filled in all the holes, and have a really good understanding of the foundation of DNA research. Not only that, I have a partner now who can work with me to solve genealogy problems and extend our research. We studied YDNA, mtDNA, and atDNA and learned about all of the companies who do the testing, their pricing and databases, the third party tools that will help you interpret the data, the ways you can apply it to genealogy and the ethical considerations to be aware of. We heard case studies about how it has been used to solve complex problems, and best of all, we were able to discuss the issues with many of the leaders in the genealogy industry as we spent the week with them. I learned so much, over lunch, in the hallways and with dear friends. So so awesome. Blaine is a phenomenal teacher. I really appreciate him as a well-educated instructor and as a good friend.
As usual, I didn't think to take any pictures until the last day, and I'm shy about asking to take pictures with people anyway. Here's Kim and I extracting strawberry DNA during the last class. So fun to take the class together.
One of the highlights of the week was getting to meet Jessica Taylor of Legacy Tree Genealogists. It was great to be able to talk to someone who is running a genealogy company and dealing with many of the same issues that we are. Really competent genealogy business people are hard to come by so it is a real treasure when you find a new one. I so appreciate all of our genealogy business friends that I can bounce ideas off and learn from and I'm so excited to find a new one.
And to top it all off, I was completely surprised Friday night when they gave me the UGA Award of Merit for my service to the association. I had so many people come up to me and thank me and tell me I had really done great things. I was overwhelmed. And then, when I posted this picture to Facebook, the outpouring was unbelievable. I had so many comments and likes, I've got to be careful not to get a big head. Tessa Keough made my day when she commented, "
you are so positive and enthusiastic. Your company provides a great
product and you do lots of volunteer activities - people notice and see
you do things for the right reasons, furthering genealogy and family
history. You show that you can be "in it" for others and also be
successful, all with graciousness. Congratulations - well deserved." Wow. And all of this was ten times better because Kim was able to be there with me. It was so fun to introduce him to all my SLIG friends and have him to hang out with us. Thanks so much to our awesome people at Family ChartMasters for letting us go. Life is just really really good.
I don't know where to start! What a fabulous conference we just had. I'm so full of gratitude, to our clients, our friends, to this wonderful community that I get to work with and to the organizers at FamilySearch and FGS. I just said to myself over and over "This is what a genealogy conference should be like." Yea! Finally! Here are my favorite parts in no particular order:
My Family Was There. Both my aunt and uncle on my Dad's side came to the conference with their spouses, as well as my parents, my children and of course Kim. That is what it is all about isn't it? It was so fantastic to have my family there with me at a family history conference. One of the major highlights for me was all of the DNA kits we purchased. Between all of us, let's just say we took home a good portion of the 15,000 kits Ancestry sold. Yes, I'm on the cusp of a DNA overdose. I can't wait. Likewise, so many other genealogists were able to bring their family too. It was fun to meet Mothers and Fathers and kids of other genealogists. That's what it should be like.
Endorsements. The very first day, we had a very popular
genealogy figure come tell us she was ready to endorse us. She has been
careful to be fair and slow to endorse particular companies so that
made my day. I respect her opinion and we are pleased to have gained
her trust. We also had several other well-respected and well
established organizations come to us about partnerships and help with
printing and design. We take the trust we have with genealogy companies
and other genealogy entities very seriously so we were thrilled with
all of the new endorsements we gained last week. We can't wait to
solidify them and tell you about them soon.
Our FANTASTIC Family ChartMasters Team. We thought we were incredibly overstaffed but we were entirely understaffed. Our new employees, Christine Fazulyanov, and Michelle Phillips were incredible troopers and worked so hard. Erin Roudabush and Lara Orchard who have been with us for years were amazing as always. And Susan McGhie, our new sales help was great--she knew all about our processes because we recently did a fantastic chart for her--she even found some new cousins by showing it off. We even pressed Mom and Dad into service and they were a great support again. Everyone worked non-stop and we were able to help lots of people with charts and with Zap ideas for their youth. Just what we came to do. We haven't seen anything but growth over the last several years so we
are confident we are delivering a good product. We always want to hear
what you think about how we can do better. Let us know. We really want
to help you create amazing charts.
Busy, Busy Busy! From what I heard, the numbers were at 22,000. Finally, the rest of the world is
catching on to how wonderful family history is. A hearty thank you to FamilySearch for being able to spend the money to be able to grow this audience. We are so pleased to have a conference that is starting to look like Comic Con. Family History is that cool. I'm so thrilled that the rest of the world is finally figuring that out. The constant crowds of people were awesome.
Friends In Real Life. So this part was great and also not so great. We honestly have a family in the genealogy world. I really care about these friends I see at conferences and online. We've become close. So I love to see them in real life and catch up with what is going on in their lives. So many hugs. This time, several of my friends had been through huge challenges that you wouldn't share in social networking. It was heartbreaking to hear about these challenges, but I'm so glad to know the whole truth. I'm hoping I can find some small ways to help. I really appreciate that they felt they could be honest with me and hope the hugs helped a little.
My Neighbors Were There. One of my great joys was having many of my neighbors, and other friends who live in Salt Lake City show up. It was so wonderful to see people that I don't usually see at a genealogy conference being curious. I'm so excited that RootsTech has been able to reach that far. I hope the next step is to take it on the road to other parts of the country.
The RootsTech Program. I didn't catch much of it but the parts I caught were phenomenal. If the rest of the conference was as wonderful as the sessions I was in the whole thing was amazing. Great content. My favorite part was the new song and video from David Archuleta for FamilySearch and Ancestry's big move into Mexico. The video still hasn't been released here but one of the attendees posted David's second performance of the song on YouTube. Love It!
Can't wait until Studio C releases the video they played Friday night too. Great stuff. Fun to introduce my Genealogy friends to Studio C too. As if the 17,000 excited people in the room weren't enough to be happy about.
The Kids. There has been a little bit of online banter about whether or not all the kids who descended on RootsTech Saturday were actually all that interested. They may not be interested yet, but if we can make RootsTech fun, offer swag and some bags of candy, a little Studio C, hopefully they'll come along. Count me in to do everything I can to help make this their first step. Hopefully they'll progress towards the strong identities, resilience and self esteem they'll find as they learn more about family history. Again, this is absolutely what a family history conference should be like. We need this next generation desperately. It should be a family endeavor. If, as a genealogy vendor you felt like this wasn't your market, you need to make it your market. New market is good. Let's grow! RootsTech has delivered this next generation to us and we all need to do everything we can to make sure they love family history. I'm all in.
The one thing I wasn't thrilled about was my lectures. Even though I was really well prepared, after days of go go go, I don't think I was at the top of my game. I really appreciate the people who came up afterward and said they
liked what I had to say. They taped the "6 Steps to Choreograph Your
Research Across The Internet" but I'm not sure when it will be
available. If you want to see the lecture, a better option would
probably be to sign up for the SCGS webinar on this coming Wednesday where I am giving it again. I will have had more sleep so I think there won't be as many "ums" Either way though, I hope the lectures helped some people organize their research more.
Another drawback was that there just wasn't enough time to really talk to our friends and partners enough. We did more of our great Outside the Box sessions with Lisa Louise Cooke, Maureen Taylor, and Family Tree Magazine. (Another Highlight)
But I hardly got to see them--we were all going 10 different directions. Thanks to Family Tree Magazine for the great dinner we had, and for everyone who we got to eat with at other times during the conference. It was so good to have time to chat. That is always a favorite part of any genealogy conference.
All in all, I think our Ancestors are pleased. The genealogy community is stronger and our family relationships are tighter. All is good in the world.
With Rootstech hot on our heels, I hope you will look over my Pocket Guide to Salt Lake City for great tips on where to stay, where to eat, and where to play. An absolute fun place to eat and play in downtown Salt Lake, and just a stone's throw from Rootstech, is City Creek Center. It really is the new shining gem in the downtown landscape and it has some great features you should be aware of before coming into town. You'll definitely want to put it on your "To-Do" list, even if you are only into window shopping or grabbing a quick bite at the food court.
Here is the new section of the Guide about the City Creek Center.
City Creek Centeris the newest addition to downtown’s wonderful shopping options. Located at 50 South Main Street, it is the closest/best food and relaxation break from the library. In the winter months the mall is all indoors, but when the warmer months arrive, the mall’s retractable roof creates an open air shopping experience. It is the first mall in the United States to have a retractable roof in place, which is not only unique but beautiful. The roof allows for open air flow, increased light, and reduced need for air conditioning in warmer months but also protection from inclement weather conditions in the harsher winter months. Either way, roof open or closed, the natural light and natural stone walkways with recreated historic City Creek (which originally was a main source of water for original settlers and farmers new in the Salt Lake Valley) create a lovely shopping environment, unlike most big city malls. And an excellent Winter season perk is that the exterior walkways of the Center have a heated snow-melt system within them. This allows shoppers to enter and exit City Creek, as well as navigate it's exterior courtyards, without slipping on ice or walking over salt and ice-melt. Every thought was taken to make visiting City Creek a pleasure, year round and in every kind of weather.
City Creek Center is a genuinely beautiful place to experience, shop, and dine. The recreation of the original City Creek runs straight through the middle of the entire shopping center. And it has live fish, swimming right through it. In addition to this namesake water feature, the shopping center also plays stage to several water fountains, including three by WET Design, makers of the famous Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas. Two water features include a fire-and-water shows, one choreographed to music. The shows are fun and the pyrotechnics are a boon of warmth in the Winter months. A definite must see if you have a free evening. Speaking of warmth, the shopping center boasts a large, four-sided fireplace in an outdoor courtyard area that makes for a cozy place to sit and sip a warm drink and visit with friends and family. If you get lucky enough to be by the fireplace when a light sprinkling of snow comes along, it's really almost magical to experience. Among the various water features, be sure to look for the art and sculptures spread throughout and see if you can identify the animal tracks located here and there in the walkways. All in all, City Creek is just a beautiful place.
The mall itself is in two sections, divided by Main Street, which can be easily crossed by an indoor pedestrian sky bridge. The sky bridge spans 140 feet with no columns or supports. The glass of the skybridge is etched with 3-D leaf patterns and creates an interesting dappled shadow below when the sunlight shines through the bridge. It's a scenic and seamless way to get from one side of the shopping center to the other, so much so that it's easy to forget your crossing over a major thoroughfare as you walk over the skybridge. And from the center of the bridge, you can get a very nice view of not only Main Street, but also nearby Ensign Peak. And for those who enjoy history, be sure to take a look at the bronze floor plaque, depicting the original Salt Lake City map plat.
City Creek Center also has a top-notch concierge service desk. If you live more than 50 miles away from City Creek Center, just stop by the Visitors Center to receive your free "Passport to Shopping," a coupon book offering discounts and special offers at over 60 retail shops within City Creek Center. If you opt to do some shopping with your discount book, be sure to take your same day receipts of $150 or more back to the Visitors Center to receive your complimentary City Creek Signature bag. Your driver's license or passport is required for both of these visitor perks. In addition to this, the Visitors Center offers several other amenities. Stop by to inquire about free wheelchair rentals, valet parking, Trax and bus routes, local attractions and events, and more. There is also a real time travel board with constantly updated flight information for Salt Lake International Airport. This is particularly helpful if you are doing a bit of shopping or dining the day you leave town and want to keep track of your flight status. The visitors Center is located on level 1, just outside of Macy's.
Some
of Salt Lake’s best top end shops and dining can be found here.Everything from Tiffany & Co.,
Anthropologie, Michael Kors, Coach, Lush, Rolex, and many more high end
retailers are nestled in this beautiful mall.It also contains some great options if you need a technology fix, with The
Apple Store, Microsoft, AT&T, Sprint and Bose, to name just a few.There is an ample food court with everything
from Chic-Fil-A to McDonald’s, your standard pizza and hibachi, but also you
can’t miss the Red Iguana’s counter service location and some treasures like the
Cuban pork sandwich at Bocata and the Utah Sushi at Mr. Sushi.If you would like a nicer sit-down dining
option, I already mentioned the genealogist’s favorite, Blue Lemon.I’ve also had some brilliant genealogy
discussions with friends at BRIO, and at Texas de Brazil Churrascaria, as well
as some of the other sit down options.Kneaders
is another excellent local favorite that I frequent at their location near my
home.I love the Mushroom Brie Soup and my
kids love the all you can eat breakfast of pancakes and French toast with truly magical buttermilk syrup. Kneaders is the best place to pick up a big gift basket
to take home to your family so that they forgive you for abandoning them in
your family history pursuits. And, away
from the food court, but just outside of Macy's, is Farr's Ice Cream, which
offers self-served ice cream, yogurt, and frozen custard, in addition to hand
scooped ice cream. You can sit inside Farr's or in the writer's cafe
attached to it, in front of Macy's. It's a nice quiet area, with big open
windows facing Temple Square, to let you people watch or work with a tasty
treat in hand. Be
sure to take a stroll through City Creek, if you get a moment.With its indoor creek and relaxed pace, it’s
a nice break from research when you need one.Being only a quick walking distance from the Family History Library,
the Salt Palace, and several hotels, it's definitely the closest place to find
what you need during your time in the city.
A couple of years ago, my friend Thomas MacEntee, encouraged me to put together a local's guide to Salt Lake City. Seeing as Salt Lake City is the Genealogy Mecca, eventually most folks researching their family history end up here. Either for conferences or to spend a few days in the Family History Library, it's kind of the place to be. I have spent a good deal of my life here in Utah and I really love it. Some genealogists choose to live in Salt Lake City because of all of the great genealogical resources, but I love it for many reasons beyond that great perk. First and foremost, you cannot beat the scenery. The mountain vistas are breathtaking. And I love the clean lifestyle here too. Clean streets, air, and water. It very fresh and refreshing to be a resident here with wonderful access to all of nature's grand showcases.
You also cannot beat the people. Hands down, Utah is one of the friendliest places I have ever lived. In fact, at the 2002 Olympics, people from all over the world marveled at the friendly and helpful nature of Utah's locals. Even a few years ago, on one of the American Idol search tours, the judges were bowled over by the friendly nature of our residents. American Idol did a montage of over a dozen hopeful contestants saying "thank you" for the opportunity to be rejected (and the actual rejection itself). At one point, I think it was Paula Abdul who made a comment to the general effect of "What's in the water and can I get some of it?" Which, while completely hilarious, I can assure you: people really are just that nice around here. And I love it! Hopefully in your travels out our way, you get to experience that welcome attitude. Don't be afraid to strike up a conversation while you are out and about--you'll make a new friend in no time flat. I just really love it here. And I want you to enjoy yourself when you come and visit. So for that reason I wanted to make sure you have the insider track on the best visit possible. There is nothing worse than hitting a new town and not knowing where to stay or eat or play. Problem solved.
So with the opening of the APG Professional Management Conference today, and with the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy starting next week, and with RootsTech just around the corner, I thought now would be the time to update my Salt Lake Guide. If you are planning a trip to Salt Lake City any time soon, be sure to download Family ChartMasters's free Salt Lake City travel guide. I have included over 150 links to the best places to stay and eat, sights to see, shopping guides, genealogical and library resources, transportation options, and more. The .pdf is twenty three pages of great information all geared to the genealogist's experience. And you can purchase a hard copy to pick up at our booth at RootsTech (or be shipped to you). It's newly updated with all of the best spots and their information. And did I mention it's free? A city guide, from a local, with tried and true resources. You honestly can't beat it. And once you download it and try out a few of my suggestions, be sure to let me know what you think.
It has taken me three weeks to recover. What a party. If you missed it, you'll want to catch the video archive and mark your calendars for next year. RootsTech has become the biggest family history conference in the world.
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Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved
Over the past 10 years, I have traveled with my company, Family ChartMasters, to conferences across North America and Europe. To date, the largest family history conference has been Who Do You Think You Are Live
in London, England. But this year, with the online streaming
attendees, and record registrations, Salt Lake City was the host for
what has become the largest Family History event in the world.
RootsTech was held at the Salt Palace and was sponsored by
FamilySearch. Attendees traveled from 49 states (if you are in South
Dakota you need to come next year) and 32 countries.
2014 Intellectual
Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved
Speakers
presented workshops on a wide range of family history topics including
social networking and archiving photos, DNA and storytelling and etc,
and etc,. The presentations included a wide range of beginner to more
advanced topics. Computer labs gave attendees hands on experience with
the latest technologies. And the keynote presentations each morning
came from a wide range of popular presenters. My favorite lecture was
the keynote Friday with Judy Russell.
She is a crowd-pleasing genealogy speaker who talked about how quickly
family history information is lost and how important it is to
effectively pass it down. Follow the link to listen to her inspiring
presentation.
2014 Intellectual
Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved
On top of the great classes, the vendor's hall
was the biggest I've ever seen--and so much fun. With a demo theater,
free giveaways and lots of hands on exhibits, you could spend the whole
day in the vendors hall and learn enough to keep you busy throughout the
next year. Experts from genealogy companies around the world were on
hand to solve your family history problems and help you learn more about
your ancestors.
RootsTech continues to grow and improve each
year and I'm sure next year will be even better. Mark your calendars
for February 12-14th 2015 and plan to join us and have lots of fun
learning about who you are and where you came from. You'll be able to register this fall at rootstech.org. I'll see you there.
Thanks to Paul Nauta at FamilySearch for the great pictures. I was so busy I only got a few. It was such a whirlwind I was only able to post to facebook a little. It was so fun to see everyone and we never get enough time to talk during the short three days. But it is so much excitement packed into such a short amount of time I don't know that I could do it for much longer. For more info on my lecture and my son's lecture see my post over on my Zap The Grandma Gap Blog. We had a great time.
Some of the country’s best genealogical educators are gathering to help you gain expertise in a flash at the Utah Genealogy Association’s Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, held 13-17 Jan 2014 in Salt Lake City. If you are looking for advanced skills, you can’t afford to miss this wonderful opportunity to learn from the professionals. Students are welcome to bring their own research projects and brick wall problems to work on during the week. Small classes and hands-on research with convenient access to Salt Lake City’s Family History Library guarantees that each attendee will receive excellent training to become a better genealogist.
SLIG was established in 1996 by the Utah Genealogical Association, and has become one of the premier genealogy education experiences in the country. Classes are taught in the mornings and finish in the afternoons leaving time for research at the Family History Library. Classes range from beginning to advanced. Attendees can choose between 10 tracks including:
American Research and Records: Focus on Families,
New York Research,
Research in the South,
Advanced Research Tools: Land Records,
Credentialing: Accreditation, Certification, or Both?,
Producing a Quality Family Narrative
Researching in Eastern Europe
Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum
Advanced Genealogical Methods
and
Problem Solving, the 10th track is a hands on experience working on your own family history with advice from professional researchers.
I've registered for the Advanced Genealogical Methods class and I'm so excited. I've been able to attend SLIG the last couple of years and I have been completely blown away by the amazing instructors and the wealth of knowledge I've gained each time. Course outlines and registration information can be found at www.ugagenealogy.org. Registration is limited and classes fill fast. Come strengthen your skills to discover your roots.
Another president of the Utah Genealogical Association will be voted in at our board meeting tomorrow night. As I come to the end of my term as president of UGA I’ve had some time for reflection. I’ve been so privileged to be able to serve as president of this great organization. I’m lucky to be the president who has been able to actually serve longer than the maximum 2 years—because of the change in our fiscal year last year, I’ve been able to serve 27 months. It has been a joy. I believe strongly in what UGA is trying to accomplish and every minute I’ve spent serving here has been a great blessing to me. As I wrote about in my last president’s message for UGA's Crossroads Magazine, I’d like to tell you how UGA has blessed my life and why I’m so thankful to have been able to serve as the president.
1) I’ve broadened my circle in genealogy. When I first became active in UGA, I was constantly amazed at how many people I didn’t know who worked in the field of genealogy. I had been going to genealogy conferences, speaking, and running a company for eight years and I thought I really knew a lot of people in our community. But I found that there are several circles in this community that don’t see much of each other. There are the professional genealogists and librarians, the FamilySearch employees, the Ancestry employees, the conference goers, the FamilySearch Center volunteers, the vendors, the hobbyists and the zealots, people inside and outside of Utah who all get to brush shoulders in the activities that UGA sponsors. I’ve gotten to know a myriad of people who I probably wouldn’t have run into otherwise and they have enriched my life and my research immensely.
2) I’ve made dear, dear friends. Many of the people I’ve worked closely with have become lifelong friends who I turn to when I need support and who know that they will always find support from me. It is such a blessing to have good friends who are as passionate about family history as I am. My neighbors don’t always understand my passion, but through UGA I’ve found a network of people who get it. They know the soul satisfying journey of finding out where you are from and I’ve been so privileged to be able to share that journey with them.
3) I’ve become a better genealogist. The resources that UGA sponsors are tremendous. We had an amazing week at SLIG this year, as we always do, and it always blows my socks off what I didn’t know. The Virtual Chapter has been a great resource to our community, and the various other conferences and events UGA holds always teach me something new. Our conference next weekend is slated to be another world class education opportunity. Committee meetings and emails back and forth with volunteers have even taught me amazing things that have helped my research. The more active you become in UGA, the more brick walls will just seem like research you didn’t know how to do. I promise.
4) I’ve had an opportunity for service. It is very easy in today’s fast world to become concerned only about your own world and how things affect you. Volunteer service is important to help you become less selfish, to be able to clearly see the needs of other people, and to keep a broad perspective on things. I love this quote by George Bernard Shaw : This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of being a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no 'brief candle' to me. It is a splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.
I really think my service in UGA has softened my heart, helped me see areas of myself that need improvement and helped me care more about my fellow man. My time in UGA has been a refining experience and I am better for it. Some might ask if spending untold hours working for UGA might have been better spent on something else—perhaps something that would bring in income. I’ve spent much of my time at UGA actually paying employees for doing things I should be doing. But I honestly feel that the sacrifice of my time here has brought great blessings into my family, my company, and my life. And I am very thankful for that.
So while I'll have more time for blogging again, I know I will continue to take full advantage of all the great education resources UGA offers. And I hope to see you there as well.
One of the best things about my affiliation with the Utah Genealogical Association comes this time every year. It has been another wonderful week at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. This is such a fantastic program for really digging in deep to learn all that you can about your family history.The country’s best genealogical educators--the rock stars of genealogy--gather to help you gain expertise in an amazing condensed format and in a fantastic venue. It is the most wonderful way to get intense genealogy education and experience. Different than a regular genealogy conference where you take one hour classes on a multitude of subjects, SLIG is an institute where you take 20 hours of in depth instruction on one topic, such as Advanced Methodologies, Researching in Washington DC, How to Write a Compelling Personal History, Advanced German, etc.
This year I've been taking the British Records course "Researching your British Ancestors: Beyond the Parish Registry." We've learned about everything from court and land records to the East India Company and Non Conformist church records. Apryl Cox, Barbara Baker, John Kitzmiller and Alan Mann have done such a fantastic job I've even loved the classes that haven't directly related to my British ancestors. I've learned alot that I'm going to put into practice when I go back to Who Do You Think You Are Live next month and head back out to the Somerset Record Office. I have all sorts of ideas about what I want to get done before I go and what I'm looking for once I get there. I've learned so much it is hard to sit still in class. You want to be trying out all these great new ideas.
That's why it is brilliant that institute is so close to the library. There are so many things that I would have loved to have run over and tried out, but it was not to be this year. I have been needed at home for various things and my family needed to come first this year since I am traveling so much this spring. But I'm sure I'll be a SLIG attendee for life. I'll be there for many years to come and I'll have lots of opportunities to utilize the library to solidify my SLIG knowledge in the future. And best of all I'll get to see all my great friends that are all Institute junkies too. Everybody always makes good new friends at SLIG.
The Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy was established in 1996 by the Utah
Genealogical Association, and has become one of the premier genealogy education
experiences in the country. Classes are
taught in the mornings and finish in the afternoons leaving time for research
at the Family History Library. A dozen or so optional
evening classes round out the offerings providing a deep educational experience
in only five days. Evening Classes are included for
conference participants but also available to the public for $10 per
class. So, if you aren’t able to come
during the day, evening classes provide a great option for learning the latest techniques
in a quick and easy format.
The new classes for next year will be announced at the final banquet tomorrow night. You can watch for them on the UGA blog. The hard part is just going to be which one to choose. Registration opens the first week of June. I'm glad I've got until then to decide. Congratulations to Christy Fillerup and her fantastic team, Kimberly Powell, Luana Wentz Darby, Bret Petersen, Peg A Ivanyo, Sherry Stevens, Jill Woodbury, and Valerie Hansen for having everything running so smoothly.
My family and I recently used our Visit Salt Lake Connect Passes to explore the spectacular new Natural History Museum of Utah. What an impressive place! The building is beautiful and captures so much of the structure and beauty of this amazing state. Visitors are greeted at the beginning with an huge hall, built to represent a canyon, with arches reaching from gallery to gallery. In the side of the canyon wall is a glass case stretching up with pieces of each part of the museum collection, an artistic kaleidoscope of the history and nature of Utah.
I tried to capture the magnificent dinosaur exhibits but you just can't fit it all into the camera lens. We aren't big dinosaur aficionados in our family but you couldn't help but be impressed. The exhibits taught us all sorts of things about the way dinosaurs are interpreted by modern archeologists trying to figure out what life was like. We were fascinated, but we were only getting started in this huge place.
I really enjoyed the Great Salt Lake gallery with interpretive displays on the way the lake is changing and how diverse the landscape and the animals are there. There were exhibits on the ways the lake is used and preserved and hands on exhibits about the water flow through the valley. The Land gallery was fascinating too with interesting exhibits on how areas of the state have changed and about the fault line running through the Wasatch Front. In the Life gallery were some fantastic exhibits about dna and speciation. The hands on exhibits were fantastic throughout with pottery shards to reassemble and cell structures to put back together.
But when we got to the top of the building, I was really moved by the Native Voices exhibit. As I've been writing about in my blog, I've been working hard lately to instill in my teenage children a sense of their history: a connection with the inspirational stories of their ancestors, and an understanding of the positive and negative traits that have passed through our family. I found in this Native Voices exhibit, the same longings. I have a very different background from those exhibited here, but the quest for grounding was the same. So much of what they've said in this exhibit is so close to what I've been writing. That sense of who you are is so deep, such a hunger.
"Ever since I grew up, I've always been told that I am Paiute and should be proud of who I am. Now research says that the more an Indian child knows about his culture, his history, the better he's going to be academically--and if they are well-versed in their language then that's even better. And so that's why I think it's really important for our people to know our culture --Karma Grayman, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah"
I found a profound similarity between my reaching to preserve for my kids who we are, and what they can have pride in. And yet with each passing generation in this melting pot nation, we become more and more diverse. I am Swiss and British, my husband is Czech and Swedish. So while I identify with certain immigrants, my children identify with twice as many. They are becoming more and more removed from our past.
"The full blood, now, like us, we're slowly dying off. And what we have here now is, blonde hair, red hair, blue eyes, gray eyes, those are our young generation. And who's going to believe them when they say, "I'm a Northwestern Shoshone?" They have to be speaking their Native language for them to believe them. That's their disadvantage. So we better hurry up quickly and try to teach 'em. --Helen Timbimboo, Northwestern Band of Shoshone."
It is so important to preserve our history, and to give our children a strong sense of their heritage. I'm so thankful for the people who have preserved my family's stories.
"My sister and I have so many ideas on how to bring the bear dance, circle dance, and quail dance. My dad preserved all that he knew about the dances; I have old recordings that he'd done back in the '60s of all these old people that have passed away, so we can relearn it. It's not dead yet, I know a lot of songs...
--Shanan Martineau, Shivwits Band, Paiute."
When you have time, go see this exhibit. And then go teach someone in the next generation of your family about your heritage.
If you've ever been out of the country at Thanksgiving or through December, you've probably noticed how the rest of the world only celebrates "the holidays" from Christmas to New Years. But in the US, we get to celebrate for an additional couple of weeks starting with Thanksgiving in November. Americans celebrate with parties the whole month, stretching out the enjoyment of the season for weeks.
In Utah, we have that same luck in the summer because the patriotic/historical season lasts an extra couple of weeks. When you are in Utah at the end of July, you simply must do as the locals do--Celebrate the 24th of July. We get extra fireworks and parades and everything. Known as Pioneer Day or the Days of '47, it is a celebration of the arrival of the first pioneer settlers in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24th 1847. It is a founder's day celebration of sorts--only bigger than you've probably seen other places. There are great parades, family barbeques and and events across the state. Everyone takes a break and enjoys another summer holiday.
In Salt Lake many families will grab the blankets and sleeping bags and camp out the night before with the huge slumber party that happens along the parade route. Then at 9am on the morning of the 24th, the parade starts, with great floats, bands, antique cars and thousands of people celebrating. The map of the route can be found at the official parade site.
That evening, the place to be is the Maverik Center at the Days of 47 Rodeo. Nationally known professional cowboys compete for prizes in several different events. The rodeo actually goes for several nights (starting this year on the 19th) culminating in the last evening on the 24th. Tickets can be purchase at the rodeo website.
But I think the best way to celebrate the 24th is with a visit to This Is The Place State Park. They celebrate Pioneer Days with special events, including a breakfast at the Huntsman Hotel, a flag ceremony, pioneer games, the watermelon eating contest, the candy cannon and lots of pony rides and special craft projects. You can really get into the pioneer spirit learning more about the settlers to the area amid the historical buildings and talented interpreters.
Of course the 24th of July is special to me because it is my Dad's birthday. He always said the fireworks were for his birthday, not the holiday. This year he won't be in Utah for his birthday. We'll have to do the celebrating for him I guess. Have a fun and safe 24th of July.
So the kids have caught wind that I'm thinking about writing a book. I haven't particularly told them the book is going to be about them. I don't want to spoil the unpredictable element of our teenage experiment. But they know I've been blogging about them. And I think they are starting to figure it out.
That's another reason to be thankful to Thomas MacEntee for making me rework my blog posts into a book about visiting Salt Lake City. I think it will fake them out and they'll forget that I'm writing about them in this blog. I've told them all about my new "book." And I'm hoping that will help them relax about the family history projects we've been doing.
Thank you to everyone who has been interested in my little Salt Lake Book. We've had over 300 downloads and I have a few copies of the printed book that you can get from us at the Family ChartMasters booth at conferences. It's still available at www.familychartmasters.com/slc.
To help you with your trip to RootsTech and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, I've been hard at work revising and updating my earlier blog posts about Salt Lake City into a quick and easy guide that will make your trip more enjoyable.
Introducing:
The Chart Chick's Quick Insider's Guide to Salt Lake City.
Thanks to Thomas MacEntee for encouraging me to get this out there. I hope you all enjoy it. Stop by the Family ChartMasters' booth and let me know what you tried out and how you liked it. We'll see you soon.
I wanted to make sure that you knew about the wonderful tour being put on by UGA about the pioneer trails east of Salt Lake City. I'm really excited to learn more about this area and this is the only day of the year you can explore Cache Cave. My family and I will be there. Ticket sales close soon.
Utah Genealogical Association Mormon Trails CHAPTER presents the Echo Canyon Tour.
Saturday, June 18, 2011 @ 7:30AM (Registration deadline extended to Midnight, June 5, 2011. Lunch can be purchased with tour ticket)
The Mormon Trails Chapter of the Utah Genealogical Association is thrilled to offer a memorable trek back into history and to tour and experience the beauty of majestic Echo Canyon.
John Eldredge will be the guide for this tour. Mr. Eldredge has written the book, “The Illustrated Emigrant’s Guide,” a booklet written for the 2005 Oregon California Trails Association Convention. You will find Eldredge’s historical knowledge remarkable and appreciate his ability to tell about the artefacts among the ledges and emigrant trail.
To join UGA visit our website. Membership is just $35.00 per year. Members will also have access to all archived virtual chapter meeting presentations, UGA Genealogy Teaching and Training videos, discounts for registration to the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, a free subscription to our quarterly journal Crossroads, and more.
I spent some time this summer getting ready for my workshops at SLCC this fall. I'm teaching two sets of workshops.
1) the Genealogy Classes: All workshops are held on Thursdays at the SLCC Miller Campus in MPDC 118, 5:30 pm - 7:20 pm. Cost $20 More Information and Registration.
September 9th and September 16th Comparing Genealogy Software Programs. Class compares PAF & Family Insight, RootsMagic, Legacy Family Tree, Ancestral Quest, Family Tree Maker & the Master Genealogist. Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of each so that you can find one that fits your needs.
September 23rd and September 30th Making New FamilySearch easier with certified genealogy software programs. Learn which genealogy software companies are working with New FamilySearch, and the advantages of using certified software.
October 21st and October 28th The New FamilySearch Affiliate Program. Learn about the New FamilySearch Affiliate program, which genealogy companies are working with New FamilySearch (other than desktop software companies).
November 4th Social Networking for the Genealogist. Learn how to use various social networking applications such as blogging, facebook, twitter, videos, podcasts, etc to connect with other genealogists.
November 18th Introduction to Genealogy Resources on the Internet. Learn about subscription and free websites available for family history research, as well as how to evaluate & record information found on the internet using genealogy standards for source citations.
2) the Social Media Marketing Classes:
Whether you are a large business seeking to engage your consumer base, a small business looking for an inexpensive way to market, or an individual looking for a date, a mate, or a job, Social Media can change the way you interact with your world and make you more successful. In this set of classes, students will gain experience with 6 kinds of social media and learn about the new rules of marketing. The level playing field for social interaction applies to everyone from corporate entities to individuals.
Mode of Instruction: Each session has two parts of direct instruction and then two parts of guided practice. The first ½ hour of the class will be instruction and demonstration on a social media technology. In the second ½ hour, students will gain hands on experience in the technology for that session. The third ½ hour will be spent discussing marketing concepts that apply to social networking. And the fourth ½ hour will be spent on action items regarding the marketing concepts introduced.
September 14th Blogging and Social Media Community Rules, Social Capital/Whuffie
September 21st Facebook and Twitter, and How to stand out in the social media crowd
September 28th Podcasts, and How to reach out to create more social media contacts
October 5th Youtube, and Finding social media communities
October 12th Webinars, and Creating a marketing strategy, Evaluating ROI, R&D using Social Media
October 19th Newsletters and Integrating the technologies together, Time management for Social Networking.
To sign up for the social media classes,contact Kathy Jonsson at 801-957-5383, or email her at kathy.jonsson(at)slcc.edu. These workshops are held on Tuesdays at the SLCC Miller Campus in MPDC 118, 5:30 pm - 7:20 pm. Cost $20
Arriving in Salt Lake bankrupt and in debt, Gaskell again started over building houses. He worked hard and it took him twelve years to pay off all of the Idaho debts. They returned to Rexburg, Idaho for a few years and prospered building homes until everything changed again in 1921 when the price of farm goods collapsed and the housing market followed. Gaskell found himself bankrupt for the fourth time. 
