The Genealogical Research Institute of Phoenix in Pittsburgh is the newest institute for genealogists. I posted updates of the 2012 institute that I was fortunate enough to attend. Now
the GRIP classes for 2013 have been posted on their web site: http://www.gripitt.org/?page_id=547. This information is more than just the title and coordinator; it's the detailed description.
You may want to put July 22 through July 26, 2013, on your calendar. Registration for 2013 will begin at NOON (Eastern Time) on Thursday 7 February 2013.
Make sure you look at all of the information on the web site. There is a tab for "Blogs" that you can check out and read about all of the bloggers listed and their comments regarding the 2012 institute.
And, as full disclosure, I have received no compensation for these comments other than being listed on the blogs page. I am commenting because I had a great time and learned so much that I'm still processing a lot of the information. So, thank you to Debbie and Elissa.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Friday, August 3, 2012
1940 Census on Family Search - Indexing DONE
I'm sure most of you received this email announcement. If not, here it is. And thank you to all who helped.
We did it!Today just before 2:00 p.m. (MDT), the very last batch of the 1940 US Census was arbitrated and submitted for publication. The indexing portion of the 1940 US Census Community Project is officially done! | |
Just look at what we accomplished:
| |
| It will take a few more weeks to complete the quality audit of the remaining states and publish them online for searching; however, the majority of the 1940 US Census records are already searchable online at the sites of the consortium members. Meanwhile, we hope the feelings you have at this moment of accomplishment are satisfying and will motivate you to continue giving. Families are being united across the generations with every name you index or arbitrate. |
Saturday, July 28, 2012
GRIP 2012 Reveiw and GRIP 2013 Preview
GRIP 2012 offered four classes while GRIP 2013 will offer 6. I believe that means that there will be room for 50-60 more students.
GRIP 2013 (July 22-26, 2013) is offering the following classes. This information is taken from the GRIP brochure.
Intermediate Genealogy: Tools for Digging Deeper with Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA.
Skills for Proof with Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS.
Bridging the 1780-1940 Gap: From New England to the Midwest with D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS.
Military Records: From Cradle to Grave with Craig R. Scott, CG.
Your Immigrant Ancestors' Stories: Writing a Quality Narrative with John P. Coletta, Ph.D., FUGA.
Advanced Research Tools: Land Records with Rick Sayre, CG and Pam Sayre, CG, CGL.
Now, aren't you going to have trouble deciding which class to take? More details will be on the GRIP web site (http://www.gripitt.org/) in the future. (It may take Debbie and Elissa a little while to recover from this first one before they get everything up for 2013.) Registration will be in February 2013.
Cafeteria food is not my favorite. But there was a very nice salad bar for both lunches and dinners. Turkey sausage was offered some mornings. I loved the steamed vegetables: beans, carrots, and zucchini. I also really liked the cooked spinach that was served. And the sweet potatoes with orange were good. The turkey for dinner one night was moist and, fortunately, there was some left over, I think, because turkey was added to the salad bar the next day. Great! Oh, yes. And I can't forget to mention the desserts. What a variety, every day.
The LaRoche College campus is beautiful. While there are slopes, none of them are too difficult to walk. I didn't make it to the labyrinth this year but I hope to get there next year. I also didn't go into the library. The chapel is lovely as is the little garden in front of it.
Suzanne, in the bookstore, was very helpful to me. And the staff working around campus were all pleasant. I never felt uneasy because the campus security was around and was visible, particularly in the evenings.
I believe that photos of GRIPitt 2012 will be posted on the Institute web site: http://www.gripitt.org/ in the near future, so you'll be able to see some of the fun we had.
Lastly, if any of you are hesitant to come to GRIP alone, without knowing any one, I would encourage you to come any way. I didn't know anyone; I flew in by myself; I took a taxi to the college on Sunday (by myself). And I went back to the airport with 2 other students. I never ate by myself, even if I was the first one to sit down at a table. So, don't hesitate to plan for GRIPitt 2013, even if you don't have a friend to go with you.
GRIP 2013 (July 22-26, 2013) is offering the following classes. This information is taken from the GRIP brochure.
Intermediate Genealogy: Tools for Digging Deeper with Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA.
Skills for Proof with Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS.
Bridging the 1780-1940 Gap: From New England to the Midwest with D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS.
Military Records: From Cradle to Grave with Craig R. Scott, CG.
Your Immigrant Ancestors' Stories: Writing a Quality Narrative with John P. Coletta, Ph.D., FUGA.
Advanced Research Tools: Land Records with Rick Sayre, CG and Pam Sayre, CG, CGL.
Now, aren't you going to have trouble deciding which class to take? More details will be on the GRIP web site (http://www.gripitt.org/) in the future. (It may take Debbie and Elissa a little while to recover from this first one before they get everything up for 2013.) Registration will be in February 2013.
Cafeteria food is not my favorite. But there was a very nice salad bar for both lunches and dinners. Turkey sausage was offered some mornings. I loved the steamed vegetables: beans, carrots, and zucchini. I also really liked the cooked spinach that was served. And the sweet potatoes with orange were good. The turkey for dinner one night was moist and, fortunately, there was some left over, I think, because turkey was added to the salad bar the next day. Great! Oh, yes. And I can't forget to mention the desserts. What a variety, every day.
The LaRoche College campus is beautiful. While there are slopes, none of them are too difficult to walk. I didn't make it to the labyrinth this year but I hope to get there next year. I also didn't go into the library. The chapel is lovely as is the little garden in front of it.
Suzanne, in the bookstore, was very helpful to me. And the staff working around campus were all pleasant. I never felt uneasy because the campus security was around and was visible, particularly in the evenings.
I believe that photos of GRIPitt 2012 will be posted on the Institute web site: http://www.gripitt.org/ in the near future, so you'll be able to see some of the fun we had.
Lastly, if any of you are hesitant to come to GRIP alone, without knowing any one, I would encourage you to come any way. I didn't know anyone; I flew in by myself; I took a taxi to the college on Sunday (by myself). And I went back to the airport with 2 other students. I never ate by myself, even if I was the first one to sit down at a table. So, don't hesitate to plan for GRIPitt 2013, even if you don't have a friend to go with you.
GRIP - Friday
First, I'm home. With a 3 hour time difference between Pittsburgh and home, I work up VERY early this morning. Of course, I stayed up as late as possible to watch the opening ceremony of the Olympics. (I just love watching all of the athletes walk in and I'm always amazed at where some of the countries are located; how small they are; or how many islands make up one country, etc.)
Friday was only a half day of classes. I believe this was a very wise idea. So many of us (most of us?) talked about how tired we were. During lunch it was fun to have one last visit with all of our new friends before leaving. I just loved the opportunity to visit with both those in my class but those other special people I met who were in other classes. (Did anyone notice that the cafeteria noise seemed to be higher Friday lunch even though there were fewer of us in there than on Sunday night?)
Many of us in Paula's Intermediate Genealogy class also appreciated the fact that she passed out the certificates one at a time so we could more easily identify the other class members (particularly those from the other side of the room, or from the front, or back); those we didn't have as much opportunity to get to know.
Friday morning we had classes on finding US resources to help us "cross the pond" and then probate. Honestly, I wasn't too excited about the first one, since I am not anywhere near finding out where or when my ancestors arrived in this country, or from where. BUT, we should never discount something too soon. There were so many different types of records mentioned and examples shown that will help me, just because they list locations. So what if they don't list another country? It's a location. That's what is important! Thank you, Paula.
Of course probate records are really important for all of us to look at. We never know what other types of information will be found in these records. This is an area of records that I have not used at all. I'm just really need to get out of my comfort zone and jump in.
I'll write a separate post listing next year's classes and summarizing a few things about this year. But I will say now that I am SOOO glad I went. Thank you Debbie and Elissa, all of the instructors and all of the other students.
Friday was only a half day of classes. I believe this was a very wise idea. So many of us (most of us?) talked about how tired we were. During lunch it was fun to have one last visit with all of our new friends before leaving. I just loved the opportunity to visit with both those in my class but those other special people I met who were in other classes. (Did anyone notice that the cafeteria noise seemed to be higher Friday lunch even though there were fewer of us in there than on Sunday night?)
Many of us in Paula's Intermediate Genealogy class also appreciated the fact that she passed out the certificates one at a time so we could more easily identify the other class members (particularly those from the other side of the room, or from the front, or back); those we didn't have as much opportunity to get to know.
Friday morning we had classes on finding US resources to help us "cross the pond" and then probate. Honestly, I wasn't too excited about the first one, since I am not anywhere near finding out where or when my ancestors arrived in this country, or from where. BUT, we should never discount something too soon. There were so many different types of records mentioned and examples shown that will help me, just because they list locations. So what if they don't list another country? It's a location. That's what is important! Thank you, Paula.
Of course probate records are really important for all of us to look at. We never know what other types of information will be found in these records. This is an area of records that I have not used at all. I'm just really need to get out of my comfort zone and jump in.
I'll write a separate post listing next year's classes and summarizing a few things about this year. But I will say now that I am SOOO glad I went. Thank you Debbie and Elissa, all of the instructors and all of the other students.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
GRIP - Thursday evening
I can't believe that it's Thursday evening already. Except that I'm tired. Definitely not tired of genealogy. Definitely not tired of the amazing conversations. Definitely not tired of the sessions. BUT, yes, my mind is tired of trying to process and use all of this wonderful new information, etc.
I forgot to mention that I met Amanda of http://www.amandasathenaeum.com at lunch yesterday and took the time to read some of her earlier postings as well as those about GRIP. Then, Bob sent me an email about saying hi. It's funny. We've talked numerous times but I never mentioned my blog and so I'll have to make sure to specifically say Hi tomorrow.
Sometimes I wish there was a way to slow down Josh. He gave us some great ideas about organizing digitally. Unfortunately, some of it has taken him almost 5 years, and I'm not sure I'll do that. (I'd rather research). But some of his ideas are so simple that it's too bad I didn't think of them. sooner.
Paula spoke on state archives, government records and newspapers. It seems a shame to only put titles to 3 seventy-five minutes talk, but I have so many notes that I just can't summarize them easily tonight. You'll just have to hear Paula some other time; or catch me after I've recovered from the information "stuffed" head.
Dinner tonight was with some friends I made this week and then Elissa Powell (one of the GRIP organizers/directors) sat at our table. I was able to "grill" her about SLIG, Samford, and Boston U, as well as talk about next year's GRIP sessions. Since this was my first institute, I appreciated her time and the information she provided in answer to my questions. I'll write about next year's schedule in the near future. Just not tonight.
I forgot to mention that I met Amanda of http://www.amandasathenaeum.com at lunch yesterday and took the time to read some of her earlier postings as well as those about GRIP. Then, Bob sent me an email about saying hi. It's funny. We've talked numerous times but I never mentioned my blog and so I'll have to make sure to specifically say Hi tomorrow.
Sometimes I wish there was a way to slow down Josh. He gave us some great ideas about organizing digitally. Unfortunately, some of it has taken him almost 5 years, and I'm not sure I'll do that. (I'd rather research). But some of his ideas are so simple that it's too bad I didn't think of them. sooner.
Paula spoke on state archives, government records and newspapers. It seems a shame to only put titles to 3 seventy-five minutes talk, but I have so many notes that I just can't summarize them easily tonight. You'll just have to hear Paula some other time; or catch me after I've recovered from the information "stuffed" head.
Dinner tonight was with some friends I made this week and then Elissa Powell (one of the GRIP organizers/directors) sat at our table. I was able to "grill" her about SLIG, Samford, and Boston U, as well as talk about next year's GRIP sessions. Since this was my first institute, I appreciated her time and the information she provided in answer to my questions. I'll write about next year's schedule in the near future. Just not tonight.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
GRIP - Wednesday evening
Today was another busy day.
While this is my first institute, I understand from talking with other students, that they are similiar in that you get up, have breakfast, go to class, have lunch, go to class, have dinner, go to evening program, and go to bed. Of course during all of this you are talking, and talking, and talking genealogy, if you aren't listening, listening, listening. And these classrooms are great since we have power to each table and internet access, so we can go online at the same time we are trying to listen, etc. Chaos!!! No, not really. Tiring? Yes, to a point. Exhilarating? Absolutely!!!
Today, Josh and Paula were in our room (remember Intermediate Genealogy: Tools for Digging Deeper) for two sessions each. Paula spoke on court and military records. Oh, my, are there a lot of different names for the same type of court, depending upon where you are looking. So it's important to know the correct name for the locale in order to be able to get the information you are seeking. With military records, Paula showed us why it's so very important to look at more than just pension files. And there are such a huge variety of resources in so many different places. While I don't know of many ancestors who served in the military, I now have a great number of places to look to find out more about them.
First thing this morning Josh spoke on tax and land records. No, we definitely didn't go back to sleep. He reminded us that our ancestor may have paid taxes even if he didn't own land. To me one of the most important points regarding land was that we need to account for ALL of the land our ancestor owned, and follow it at least two land exchanges before and two after our ancestor owned the land. And the last date could be decades after our ancestor either died or moved out of the area. Good things to remember.
For me the most unusual session today was the last one, by Josh, "Building a Locality Profile." Now, at dinner tonight, I heard some current and past ProGen students talk about doing this for one for one of their assignments. But I had never heard of this idea before. Yes, I have collected a little information about repositories in the area, but nothing to the extent that Josh described. But I can definitely see the advantages. Of course, he kept reminding us that while we were putting together this locality profile, we weren't supposed to be researching. (How many of us will be able to do that completely?) After listening to Josh guide us through items to include in our profile, and places to find the information, many of us went online and looked at some counties. There is a lot more information regarding research opportunities than I ever knew. I think I'm going to have to commit to doing at least one county (or locale) a week, or something like that. It just makes so much sense.
We have completed 12 sessions (3 days, 4 sessions each day). We have 6 more to do since we only have a half day on Friday. By then I think I'm going to have so much information "stuffed" in my head that I would be unable to find room for any more. But oh, am I glad I came.
Now I'm going to see if I can find anything to help a fellow student with a "brick" wall before finish up with some other homework stuff.
While this is my first institute, I understand from talking with other students, that they are similiar in that you get up, have breakfast, go to class, have lunch, go to class, have dinner, go to evening program, and go to bed. Of course during all of this you are talking, and talking, and talking genealogy, if you aren't listening, listening, listening. And these classrooms are great since we have power to each table and internet access, so we can go online at the same time we are trying to listen, etc. Chaos!!! No, not really. Tiring? Yes, to a point. Exhilarating? Absolutely!!!
Today, Josh and Paula were in our room (remember Intermediate Genealogy: Tools for Digging Deeper) for two sessions each. Paula spoke on court and military records. Oh, my, are there a lot of different names for the same type of court, depending upon where you are looking. So it's important to know the correct name for the locale in order to be able to get the information you are seeking. With military records, Paula showed us why it's so very important to look at more than just pension files. And there are such a huge variety of resources in so many different places. While I don't know of many ancestors who served in the military, I now have a great number of places to look to find out more about them.
First thing this morning Josh spoke on tax and land records. No, we definitely didn't go back to sleep. He reminded us that our ancestor may have paid taxes even if he didn't own land. To me one of the most important points regarding land was that we need to account for ALL of the land our ancestor owned, and follow it at least two land exchanges before and two after our ancestor owned the land. And the last date could be decades after our ancestor either died or moved out of the area. Good things to remember.
For me the most unusual session today was the last one, by Josh, "Building a Locality Profile." Now, at dinner tonight, I heard some current and past ProGen students talk about doing this for one for one of their assignments. But I had never heard of this idea before. Yes, I have collected a little information about repositories in the area, but nothing to the extent that Josh described. But I can definitely see the advantages. Of course, he kept reminding us that while we were putting together this locality profile, we weren't supposed to be researching. (How many of us will be able to do that completely?) After listening to Josh guide us through items to include in our profile, and places to find the information, many of us went online and looked at some counties. There is a lot more information regarding research opportunities than I ever knew. I think I'm going to have to commit to doing at least one county (or locale) a week, or something like that. It just makes so much sense.
We have completed 12 sessions (3 days, 4 sessions each day). We have 6 more to do since we only have a half day on Friday. By then I think I'm going to have so much information "stuffed" in my head that I would be unable to find room for any more. But oh, am I glad I came.
Now I'm going to see if I can find anything to help a fellow student with a "brick" wall before finish up with some other homework stuff.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
GRIP - Tuesday evening
First I need to talk about last night's "extra" session. Pam Stone Eagleson spoke for about an hour about writing. WOW!!! I had an opportunity to talk with her at breakfast today and told her that she made the process seem simple but not easy. The basic steps are simple enough for each of us to follow. The difficult part is going to research, after the family facts research, that is necessary to make an interesting narrative. I still need to do a little more fact research before I think about writing. Of course, I need to do a lot more other research also.
Well, Maia's books to the rescue. Martha set up books for us just outside the cafeteria. She had so many different types, but there were a few that are going to give me some historical perspective. I know I have a few at home also, that I haven't read yet. Now I have more motivation. So I just have to find the time.
Now on to today, Tuesday's sessions. Our Intermediate class began at 8:30 with Paula walking us through citations. Yes, we all have some experience with them, but we had some good discussions about how to handle unusual situations. I haven't been very diligent about recording when I accessed a record, particularly an online one. Paula, and others, explained why this is important. I'm definitely going to be more careful with this; and with my software program, it's really not that hard. I've just been "neglecting" that box, thinking that it wasn't really that important. I'm not going to any more.
The next morning session, Josh Taylor came in and gave us great information about JSTOR. I had never heard of it and I need to work with it a lot more before I understand it, but it's a great resource for academic writings on 55 (I think Josh said) different topics. Most of us in the class were able to acccess JSTOR through the LaRoche College library site. Lucky us. There are a few places in Arizona that have JSTOR. I just need to find out which ones and see if there are any I can access remotely also. (I love researching "after hours".)
Original Manuscripts was Paula's first session after lunch. Oh, I hope I can find some great things my ancestors left. I'm lucky to have some, but it's really amazing what is available and at so many different repositories. Manuscripts regarding mid-American ancestors are at repositories from the University of Virginia to Bancroft Library at the University of California and many places in between. A major point I learned is to not limit my search of documents to just the locations where I thought my ancestors lived. Original manuscripts can be anywhere AND since they are one of a kind, we can't just find them locally.
Last for today was Paula talking about Government Records. I must admit that I was really brain-tired by 3:30, so I didn't process as much information as I would have liked. But with the syllabus and my notes, and some rest, I'm sure I will be able to research some of the wide variety of records that the federal government keeps and has stored in repositories all over the country. I did remember that we need to look at libraries/repositories that are not just NARA facilities. Many university libraries, as well as perhaps a few others, are federal repositories, so these places also have records that we may be able to access. Great information but I'm going to have to do some good searching before I use these.
I have a little homework for tonight, and I'll see if I can get the timeline with surnames done. It feels funny not being able to do it all online and then just printing out a copy. Oh, well. (Should I try to bring a printer with me next year?) I'll have to think about it.
Well, Maia's books to the rescue. Martha set up books for us just outside the cafeteria. She had so many different types, but there were a few that are going to give me some historical perspective. I know I have a few at home also, that I haven't read yet. Now I have more motivation. So I just have to find the time.
Now on to today, Tuesday's sessions. Our Intermediate class began at 8:30 with Paula walking us through citations. Yes, we all have some experience with them, but we had some good discussions about how to handle unusual situations. I haven't been very diligent about recording when I accessed a record, particularly an online one. Paula, and others, explained why this is important. I'm definitely going to be more careful with this; and with my software program, it's really not that hard. I've just been "neglecting" that box, thinking that it wasn't really that important. I'm not going to any more.
The next morning session, Josh Taylor came in and gave us great information about JSTOR. I had never heard of it and I need to work with it a lot more before I understand it, but it's a great resource for academic writings on 55 (I think Josh said) different topics. Most of us in the class were able to acccess JSTOR through the LaRoche College library site. Lucky us. There are a few places in Arizona that have JSTOR. I just need to find out which ones and see if there are any I can access remotely also. (I love researching "after hours".)
Original Manuscripts was Paula's first session after lunch. Oh, I hope I can find some great things my ancestors left. I'm lucky to have some, but it's really amazing what is available and at so many different repositories. Manuscripts regarding mid-American ancestors are at repositories from the University of Virginia to Bancroft Library at the University of California and many places in between. A major point I learned is to not limit my search of documents to just the locations where I thought my ancestors lived. Original manuscripts can be anywhere AND since they are one of a kind, we can't just find them locally.
Last for today was Paula talking about Government Records. I must admit that I was really brain-tired by 3:30, so I didn't process as much information as I would have liked. But with the syllabus and my notes, and some rest, I'm sure I will be able to research some of the wide variety of records that the federal government keeps and has stored in repositories all over the country. I did remember that we need to look at libraries/repositories that are not just NARA facilities. Many university libraries, as well as perhaps a few others, are federal repositories, so these places also have records that we may be able to access. Great information but I'm going to have to do some good searching before I use these.
I have a little homework for tonight, and I'll see if I can get the timeline with surnames done. It feels funny not being able to do it all online and then just printing out a copy. Oh, well. (Should I try to bring a printer with me next year?) I'll have to think about it.
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