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.

Access Fold3 Black History Records Free

Fold3 is making the records in its Black History collection available for free during the month of February. The Black History collection gives you access to more than a million documents, records, and photos in these collections:

• Slavery
• Civil War
• Reconstruction & Jim Crow Laws
• World War I and II
• The Civil Rights Movement

Visit their blog post  Black History Month 2016 - Access the Black History Records for more details and links to the free collections. These collections are free for the entire month of February.

Get a Taste of RootsTech from Home

It seems like the whole world of genealogists are at RootsTech 2016 in Salt Lake City right now. Except us. We're missing out on all the fun. But wait. We can still be part of the fun, and do it from our own homes, and it won't cost us a penny.

As in years past, RootsTech 2016 will stream several sessions live on the RootsTech.org home page. And after the conference, recording of those sessions will be posted on the website for a limited time.

Below is the streaming schedule (all times are in MST):

Day	Time	Class Title	Speaker
Thursday	8:30 -10:00 a.m.	Thursday General Session	Steve Rockwood Paula Madison Bruce Feiler
	11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.	7 Unique Technologies for Genealogy Discoveries	Mike Mansfield
	1:30 - 2:30 p.m.	Best Websites and Apps for Local History	Amy Crow
	3:00 - 4:00 p.m.	What’s New in Family Tree in 2016	Ron Tanner
	4:30 - 5:30 p.m.	Virtual Family Reunions	Joseph Richardson
Friday	8:30 - 10:00 a.m.	Friday General Session	Josh and Naomi Davis (Love Taza) David Isay
	10:30 - 11:30 a.m.	RootsTech Innovator Showdown Finals
	1:30 - 2:30 p.m.	Proven Methodology for Using Google for Genealogy	Lisa Louise Cooke
	3:00 - 4:00 p.m.	Finding Elusive Records on FamilySearch.org	Robert Kehrer
	4:30 - 5:30 p.m.	My Ancestors Are from Britain—What Do I Do Next?	Myko Clelland
Saturday	8:30  - 10:00 a.m.	Saturday General Session	Michael Leavitt
	11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m..	Photos—Emerging Technologies in Photography	Jens Nielsen
	1:30 - 2:30 p.m.	Become a Master Searcher on Ancestry	Anne Mitchell
	3:00 - 4:00 p.m.	Homespun and Calico: Researching our Foremothers	Peggy Lauritzen
	4:30 - 5:30 p.m.	Using the Genealogical Proof Standard for Success	James Ison

Just go to the RootsTech home page at https://www.rootstech.org and watch on your computer, laptop, or tablet. The stream will automatically refresh at the befinning of each session. If it does not, you will need to refresh by clicking the Refresh button on your browser.

So, grab your favorite beverage, prop your feet up, and join the fun at RootsTech. You can even wear your pajamas and bunny slippers.

Return of Family Tree Maker

Ancestry.com made the following exciting announcement on their blog:

New Family Tree Maker Options
Posted by Kendall Hulet on February 2, 2016 in Family Tree Maker

Since our Family Tree Maker announcement last December, we have continued to actively explore ways to develop and support Family Tree Maker and ensure you have choices to preserve your work in ways that matter to you.

Today, I am pleased to announce two options for desktop software that will work with Ancestry.

Software MacKiev

Software MacKiev, with whom we have a long-standing relationship, is acquiring the Family Tree Maker software line as publisher for both Mac and Windows versions. Software MacKiev has been the developer of Family Tree Maker for Mac for more than six years and is thrilled at the opportunity to publish future versions of Family Tree Maker for Mac and Windows.

This new agreement means you will receive software updates and new versions from Software MacKiev, and have the ability to purchase new versions of Family Tree Maker from Software MacKiev as they are released. You will have continued access to Ancestry Hints, Ancestry searches, and be able to save your tree on Ancestry with Family Tree Maker moving forward.

RootsMagic

We have made an agreement with RootsMagic, a leading genealogy desktop software program publisher, to connect Ancestry with the RootsMagic software by the end of 2016. With this new relationship, RootsMagic can serve as your desktop family tree software, while having access to Ancestry hints, Ancestry searches, and the ability to save your tree on Ancestry.

These new agreements will make it possible to preserve your work on Ancestry and Family Tree Maker, and enable future features and benefits to help you discover your family history. Be assured that Ancestry, in cooperation with Software MacKiev and RootsMagic, will continue to support you as you discover your family history.

We ask for your patience as we work diligently through all the details to make these solutions available. Be sure to check back here on our blog as we share more information about Family Tree Maker in the next few months.

For more information on Software MacKiev and RootsMagic, click below:

    Software MacKiev: http://www.mackiev.com/
    RootsMagic: http://www.rootsmagic.com/

To read more about how RootsMagic plans to handle the migration of Family Tree Maker and the upgrade to search and sync with Ancestry, visit their blog post RootsMagic and Ancestry: Working Together at Last.  To get more information about the transition of Family Tree Maker to MacKiev, visit their FTM webpage at http://mackiev.com/ftm/index.html.

I imagine there are thousands of Family Tree Maker and RootsMagic users who feel like this right now:

Fold3 Anniversary Sale

Fold3 is celebrating their 9th anniversary by offering a 40% discount on their website until January 31, 2016.

Fold3 has many military records you won't find anywhere else. They have the complete Revolutionary War Service & Pension Records and Confederate Civil War Service Records. They also have:

• Union civil War Service Records
• Civil War Widows Records
• War of 1812 Pension Applications & Service Records
• Mexican War Service Records
• World War II Photos & Records
• Holocaust Collection
• Naturalization Records
• Native American Records

And much, much more. A one year membership is currently $47.95, a 40% discount from their regular price. This offer expires January 31, 2016. Click here to go to the fold3 website to get started.