RootsTech 2018 Registration is Open!

Registration for the most popular genealogy conference is now open. Early bird pricing of $169 for a full conference pass is available until October 13, at which time the price goes up to $279. The conference will be held from February 28 to March 3, 2018, at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Four nearby hotels are offering special discounted conference pricing for out of town visitors. See the list and prices at their Hotels Near RootsTech webpage.

If you have never been to RootsTech, and don't know if it's worth it, visit their blog post 8 Reasons to Attend RootsTech 2018 to see what you've been missing. 

Bridging Generations–October 21, 2017 Family History Conference in Tempe

Registration begins soon for the FREE Family History Conference sponsored by the Mesa FamilySearch Library. We received the following press release from them:

ANNOUNCING THE 2017 Family History Conference sponsored by the Mesa FamilySearch Library on Saturday, October 21, 2017, at the Tempe Institute of Religion on the ASU Campus, 1000 South McAllister Avenue in Tempe, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:20 p.m.

This year’s conference will feature a keynote address by Lisa McBride of FamilySearch, an Accredited Genealogist, who works with area family history centers and serves on the FamilySearch Wiki Governance Council.

Our theme is “Bridging Generations” and provides a wide variety of over 50 class choices for all types of learners, from beginners to the most advanced genealogists.  Come and learn how to be more effective and efficient when doing your research.  Learn to trace your roots with DNA.  Learn to find and document your sources.  Get specific information on various ways to research in specific states and countries.  If you are new to family history, come learn the basics.  Some of the most popular classes are repeated in an effort to accommodate everyone.   Spend all day or come for a single class or two; you may attend a maximum of five classes.

Detailed conference information will become available and registration will begin online at www.mesafsl.org on Thursday, September 21, 2017.  At the time of registration, registrants will be given the opportunity to purchase lunch from Jason’s Deli.  Otherwise, the conference is FREE.  Parking is also free and convenient but registrants are reminded that cars are parked in a public facility and are urged to be cautious with their valuables. See you in October! 

In the past, you were required to select the specific classes you plan to attend during the registration. Seats for each class is limited and registration closes for that class when it is full. This conference usually fills up very quickly so don't delay in reserving seats for the classes you really wish to attend.

FREE United States and Canada Research Seminar, October 16-20, 2017

Registration is open for the upcoming week long United States and Canada Research Seminar hosted by the Family History Library in Salt Lake City on October 16-20, 2017. The seminar will be streamed online for free for those who cannot attend in person. The seminar will cover a range of topics from Border Crossings to Vital Records in both the U.S. and Canada. The classes are for beginning and intermediate genealogists interested in learning about records of U.S. and Canada localities and the Family History Library collections.

Registration is required to attend in person or online. Class descriptions, handouts, and registration is available at the FamilySearch Wiki here at this URL:    https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Family_History_Library_Classes_and_Webinars. Below is a schedule of classes (all times are in MDT, Arizona is one hour earlier):

TIME	Monday, 16 October	Tuesday, 17 October	Wednesday, 18 October	Thursday, 19 October	Friday, 20 October
9:00-10:00 AM MDT	FamilySearch Catalog	FamilySearch Wiki	FamilySearch Historical Records Collection	FamilySearch Memories	Freedman Bureau Records
10:15-11:15 AM MDT	Canada Research: Canada Census Records	Canada Research: Canada Vital Records	Canada Research: Quebec Research	Canada Research: Ontario Research	Immigration and Canadian Border Crossings
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM MDT	Are You Your Own Brick Wall: Common Genealogical Mistakes and Their Solutions	Descendancy Research	A United States Case Study	The Research Process	Ask Your United States and Canada Research Question
1:15-2:15 PM MDT	United States Vital Records	Census Techniques/Strategies	United States Land Records	Genetic Genealogy: An Introduction to DNA	Canada Research: Canada Military
2:30-3:30 PM MDT	United States Naturalization Records	United States Probate Records	Great Internet Sites for United States Research	Using LDS Church Records	Over There: World War I Over Here

What's Happening at the FGS 2017 Conference?

By Guest Blogger Nicole Dyer

The Federation of Genealogical Societies is having their national conference this week. If you're not fortunate to be able to attend in person, you can follow along on Twitter! Don't have a Twitter account? You don't need one! Using the tag #FGS2017, you can search Twitter and only see "tweets" (short updates) from people attending the conference. Many people share tips or ideas that are shared by the speakers. They may tag another Twitter user by using their Twitter handle (username). The handle for FGS is @FGSgenealogy and our society's handle is @azpimagensoc.

So, if you want to follow along with tweets about the FGS conference this week, here's how: 

1. Go to Twitter.com
2. Click on the magnifying glass to search Twitter
3. Type #FGS2017 and click enter
4. Click "Latest" to see the most recent tweets about this subject
5. Scroll down to see what's happening at the conference!
6. If you decide to create a Twitter account, make sure you follow us at @azpimagensoc to get news and updates about our society.

Have fun!

3. Type #FGS2017 in the search box and click enter

4. Click "Latest" to see the most recent tweets about this subject

FREE Nordic Family History Conference, September 11-15, 2017

Registration is open for the upcoming week long Nordic Family History Conference hosted by the Family History Library in Salt Lake City on September 11-15, 2017. The conference will be streamed online for free for those who cannot attend in person. The conference will cover a range of topics from Arkiv Digital to Danish tax records. The classes are for beginning and intermediate genealogists interested in learning about records of Nordic localities and the Family History Library collections.

Registration is required to attend in person or online. Class descriptions, handouts, and registration is available at the FamilySearch Wiki here at this URL: https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Nordic_Family_History_Conference. Below is a schedule of classes (all times are in MDT, Arizona is one hour earlier):

TIME	Monday, 11 September	Tuesday, 12 September	Wednesday, 13 September	Thursday, 14 September	Friday, 15 September
9:00-10:00 AM MDT	2017 Is the Year of Nordic Records! Learn What's Coming!	What's New in Arkiv Digital	Probate Laws and Records for Swedish Genealogy	Norwegian Church Records	Danish Estates
10:15-11:15 AM MDT	Panel Q&A: The Who, What, Where, Why, and How of Nordic Records on FamilySearch	Name Searchable Databases in Arkiv Digital	Databases for Swedish Genealogy	Norway: We're Getting Married! Traditions and Records.	Little Used Records on the "Arkivalieronline"
1:15-2:15 PM MDT	Exploring the Feast-Day Calendars for Norway, Denmark, and Sweden	Swedish Naming Customs	Introduction to Icelandic Church and Census Records	"Lensrekneskapsbøker" in Norway	Painting a Picture of Your Danish Ancestors Through Their Tax Records
2:30-3:30 PM MDT	Scandinavian-American Resources	Military Records in Arkiv Digital	“Finnish Immigration and Methodology: How to tackle Finnish challenges”	Norwegian Migration and Immigration	Research in Copenhagen

2017 FGS National Conference Registration is Now Open

Online registration is now open for the 2017 FGS National Conference in Pittsburgh.

FGS conferences are open to all. Whether you are just beginning your journey into your family history or have been doing it for decades, join fellow genealogists and family historians August 30 - September 2, 2017, in Pittsburgh.

This year's theme is "Building Bridges to the Past." An early-bird discount is available until July 1, 2017.Visit the FGS Voice blog at http://voice.fgs.org/2017/04/2017-fgs-conference-registration-is-open.html for details and registration information.

Registration for Family History Conference in Glendale is now open

The Mesa, Arizona, FamilySearch Library is sponsoring a FREE Family History Conference in Glendale. The conference will be held on Saturday, February 25, 2017, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. at the Glendale Arizona Stake Center, 8602 N. 31st Avenue in Phoenix/Glendale.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Duane Roen from ASU, a respected guru in family history writing. Attendees can choose from multiple classes each hour. Register online at http://mesafsl.org/MyExpo/Conference2017/GSC/homepage.html.

Putting It All Together -- October 29, 2016 Family History Conference in Tempe

Registration for the 2016 Family History Conference sponsored by the Mesa AZ FamilySearch Library in Tempe is now open! We received the following press release from them:

ANNOUNCING THE 2016 Family History Conference sponsored by the Mesa AZ FamilySearch Library on Saturday, October 29, 2016, at the Tempe Institute of Religion on the ASU Campus, 1000 South McAllister Avenue in Tempe, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:10 p.m.

This year’s conference will feature a keynote address by James Tanner, a friend to our conference and respected family history guru.

Our theme is “Putting It All Together” and provides a wide variety of over 50 class choices for all types of learners, from beginners to the most advanced genealogists.  Come and learn how to be more effective and efficient when doing your research.  Learn to trace your roots with DNA.  Learn to document your sources.  Get specific information on various ways to research in specific countries.  If you are new to family history, come learn the basics.  Some of the most popular classes are repeated in an effort to accommodate everyone.   Spend all day or come for a single class or two; you may attend a maximum of five classes.

Registration will begin online at www.mesafsl.org on Wednesday, September 14, 2016.  At the time of registration, registrants will be given the opportunity to purchase lunch from Jason’s Deli.  Otherwise, the conference is FREE.  See you in October!

In the past, you were required to select the specific classes you plan to attend during the registration. Seats for each class is limited and registration closes for that class when it is full. This conference usually fills up very quickly so don't delay in reserving seats for the classes you really want to attend.

Putting It All Together -- October 29, 2016 Family History Conference in Tempe

Registration for the 2016 Family History Conference sponsored by the Mesa AZ FamilySearch Library in Tempe begins soon! We received the following press release from them:

ANNOUNCING THE 2016 Family History Conference sponsored by the Mesa AZ FamilySearch Library on Saturday, October 29, 2016, at the Tempe Institute of Religion on the ASU Campus, 1000 South McAllister Avenue in Tempe, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:10 p.m.

This year’s conference will feature a keynote address by James Tanner, a friend to our conference and respected family history guru.

Our theme is “Putting It All Together” and provides a wide variety of over 50 class choices for all types of learners, from beginners to the most advanced genealogists.  Come and learn how to be more effective and efficient when doing your research.  Learn to trace your roots with DNA.  Learn to document your sources.  Get specific information on various ways to research in specific countries.  If you are new to family history, come learn the basics.  Some of the most popular classes are repeated in an effort to accommodate everyone.   Spend all day or come for a single class or two; you may attend a maximum of five classes.

Registration will begin online at www.mesafsl.org on Wednesday, September 14, 2016.  At the time of registration, registrants will be given the opportunity to purchase lunch from Jason’s Deli.  Otherwise, the conference is FREE.  See you in October!

In the past, you were required to select the specific classes you plan to attend during the registration. Seats for each class is limited and registration closes for that class when it is full. As of this writing (September 14 @ 9:50 a.m.), registration had not yet been opened. However, this conference fills up very quickly so keep checking often in order to reserve a seat for the classes you really want to attend.

National Archives Virtual Genealogy Fair

On October 26 & 27, 2016 (Wednesday & Thursday), the National Archives is hosting a two-day, virtual Genealogy Fair via webcast. Viewers have the opportunity to participate with the presenters and other family historians during the live event on YouTube. All of the session videos and handouts will be available from the National Archives Virtual Genealogy Fair web page free of charge. You can watch the sessions and download the materials at your convenience. Registration is not required. Visit their web page at http://www.archives.gov/calendar/genealogy-fair/ for the class schedule and links to watch the free conference. You can also get materials from past conferences from their web page.

Announcing Local Seminars, Conferences, and Educational Opportunities

February and March have always been busy months for genealogists in Southern Arizona. The Pima County Genealogy Society received notification of two conferences and one seminar coming up. All of these events require registration and have a registration deadline.

The Mesa FamilySearch Library is offering two mini-Family History conferences in response to our "need for more training." Below is the announcement:

The Mesa AZ FamilySearch Library is pleased to announce two Family History Conferences coming up in February and March, 2016.  The first conference will be held on Saturday, February 20, at the Red Mountain Institute building on the Maricopa Community College Red Mountain campus.  This facility is located near the 202 and McKellips Road, at 7126 E McKellips Road, Mesa.  The second conference will be held on Saturday, March 12, at the Peoria North LDS Stake Center on 22034 North 83^rd Avenue in Peoria.  Both conferences will offer classes from morning through late afternoon.  Lunches may be purchased.  Register online now for the February 20^th conference at www.mesafsl.org.  Registration for the March 12^th conference will be available in mid-February.  Please join us.

The following is a press release from the West Valley Genealogical Society about their upcoming seminar:

The West Valley Genealogical Society & Library will hold their annual seminar on February 27, 2016: 9:00 AM-3:30 PM at Lakeview United Methodist Church,10298 W. Thunderbird  Blvd, Sun City.  Rick and Pam Sayre will be the featured speakers.  They are both Certified Genealogists and Lecturers and are Fellows of Utah Genealogical Association. This dynamic duo will present their exclusive "Maps, Wonderful Maps" in an interactive session covering everything you need to know about using maps for family research.  An additional topic, "The Serial Set, American State Papers, and Territorial Papers" explores the foundation publications of the United States government and how to use these documents in an effective research plan.  With “Our National Treasure: The Library of Congress” we’ll learn how to research the vast holdings of our government….all without leaving home!  This is an all-inclusive seminar with breakfast, lunch, grand door prizes, and fabulous raffle baskets. The Society will also hold their Annual Duplicate Book Sale offering valuable, gently used, genealogy titles covering a wide range of topics…payment by cash or check. Please join us.  This premier event promises to have something for everyone from the novice to advanced researcher!  See www.azwvgs.org click Events or Store to register by February 18, 2016.

In addition, the West Valley Genealogical Society announced the following educational opportunities:

The West Valley Genealogical Society, 12222 N. 111 Ave, Youngtown, is offering the following educational opportunities.  Registration is required: see www.azwvgs.org click Store or Events/Classes for more details. PH; 623-9334945.

March 4, 2016: Family History Research in Salt Lake City, 10:00 AM - 12 Noon. This class covers everything you need to know about preparing for a research trip to the Family History Library.  In addition to covering an overview of the facility and its vast resources, you'll learn: what items to take and best practices for setting research objectives. If you don't have immediate plans to travel to the Family History Library, you're still welcome to attend this informative class in order to prepare for a future family research trip.

March 9, 16, 23, 30, 2016: Research Techniques II, 1:00 - 3:00 PM. This four session class is open to everyone, however, it is designed to build on your existing research skills.  An experienced genealogist will guide you through in-depth research using multiple resources such as land, church, immigration and naturalization records.  Also covers military and probate records and much more.

March 15, 2016: What to do with Your Genealogy Research, 1:00 - 3:00 PM.  This class centers on gathering and organizing your personal genealogical collection such as family heirlooms and books.  Also covers the importance of designating assignment to your heirs and why you should write your own obituary!   Learn how to find your way through estate auctions and to understand the heirloom appraisal process.