Jamboree 2017: Utah Genealogist Receives Youth Award

FROM:  Suzanne Winsor Freeman Grant Committee,
Denise May Levenick, Chair

swfgrant@gmail.com | www.theFamilyCurator.com

Utah Genealogist Receives Youth Award

The Suzanne Winsor Freeman Memorial Genealogy Grant Committee is pleased to announce that Mindy Jacox, a young genealogist from Kaysville, Utah is the 2017 recipient of the Freeman Memorial Student Genealogy Grant and Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree Scholarship.

Mindy will be introduced and presented with the award at the Saturday evening conference banquet. She receives $500 from the Freeman Memorial Grant program and 3-day registration to the Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree in Burbank, California from SCGS. This is the seventh year that the Freeman Student Genealogy Grant Program and SCGS have partnered to offer a student genealogy award.

“We are delighted to recognize young genealogists with the grant program and encourage their future in family history,” noted Denise Levenick, Grant Chair. “The Suzanne Winsor Freeman Memorial Genealogy Grant is presented in recognition of a young genealogist who is outstanding not only in her own genealogical endeavors, but also as a teacher and trainer for family historians at every skill level.

Suzanne Winsor Freeman
Genealogy Grant recipient
Mindy Jacox

Mindy Jacox is a recent graduate of the Family History program at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah with an emphasis in Germanic research and computer science. She is currently employed as a Data Analyst at FamilySearch in Salt Lake City and is Co-Director for the BYU myFamilyHistory Youth Camp.

“I love that my job combines family history research with advancing technology,” Mindy says.  “It's amazing to see how technology is accelerating family history research and I enjoy supporting these automated systems with training data.”

Mindy’s job with the myFamilyHistory Youth Camp gives her the opportunity to share her knowledge with a new generation of family historians. “There is nothing better than watching the excitement as they discover that family history research is fun and exciting!” she adds.

Mindy plans to use the $500 cash grant funds toward learning more about DNA research, attending the Jamboree DNA Day and purchasing DNA kits to put her knowledge to use.

About the Grant Program: The Suzanne Winsor Freeman Genealogy Grant Program was established in 2011 to help young family historians pursue their genealogy research and educational goals. In recognition of Suzanne Freeman’s enthusiasm for the nationally recognized Jamboree, the award is directed toward a student attending the SCGS Jamboree. Suzanne Winsor Freeman was the mother of genealogy blogger Denise Levenick, www.theFamilyCurator.com. For information about donating to the grant fund, please see SWF Grant.

About SCGS: The Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree has partnered with the grant program each year to offer complimentary conference registration to the award recipient. The annual Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree is an innovative leader in genealogy conferences offering webinars, live-streamed sessions, student registration rates, beginner education, and the DNA Day.

Jamboree - UPDATED Update on Free Live Streamed Sessions

THURSDAY 

The pay-per-view sessions from Thursday's Family History and DNA conference will also be available for viewing through July 5. If you didn't register for the live feed, you can still pay to see one, two or all of the presentations.  Your original password should work, but if you have trouble, email jamboree@scgsgenealogy.com

http://streaming.webcastandbeyond.com/scgs-ppv/

Thursday DNA - requires payment
- $30 for individual session
- $130 for all five sessions
- Available only until July 5
- Will not be available in the SCGS Webinar Archive

SATURDAY and SUNDAY

The free live-streamed Jamboree sessions from Saturday and Sunday are available online, can be viewed by anyone interested in watching them, and do not need a password. Saturday and Sunday's sessions will be available through July 5. In late summer, most of them will be available in the SCGS members' section of the website in the webinar and video archive.


http://streaming.webcastandbeyond.com/scgs/
- Saturday and Sunday sessions (total of 10 sessions)
- No payment required (but donations gratefully accepted)
- Available until July 5
- Most will be available in the SCGS Webinar Archive in late summery

FRIDAY

The 4 Friday sessions will be available on the SCGS website within the next couple of months, depending on the time it takes to do the geeky video magic. We will let you know when they can be viewed. (There is a long explanation why they aren't available immediately, but let's chalk it up to technical reasons.)

Just by way of explanation --

We had a bumpy start on Thursday because of challenges with the hotel's Internet service, which was resolved for Friday.

Friday was a silly miscommunication on my part with the form of the password. (You remember that upper case / lower case confusion? Well I had asked the videographer to make them lower case, and then I efficiently sent the email off to ... myself.) Will put that in the "do not do that again" file.

Some of the viewers reported hearing multiple (up to 5) streams of the talk. That happened because those viewers clicked the link multiple (up to 5) times and opened multiple (up to 5) different browsers or pages. So be patient and let the page load and you won't have that problem. If you hear more than one voice, look for an open window and close it.

Oh, and I should mention the SCGS Members Webinar / Video Archive. Almost all of the free streamed sessions will be available for on-demand viewing on the members-only section of the SCGS website. Give our IT team a while to do the geeky magic stuff and I'll drop a note when they are available. The Webinar archive holds over 100 hours of genealogical instruction, and we add sessions every month. It's only one of the benefits of membership in SCGS, and a real deal for only $35 a year.

Jamboree ANNOUNCEMENT - Winners of the 2013 GENEii Family History Writing Contest

FOR RELEASE 6 June 2014
by Pam Wiedenbeck

Congratulations to the winners of the 2013 GENEii Family History Writing Contest! Many thanks to the 59 authors who collectively contributed 79 entries, making this the largest GENEii contest ever.

All of the winning submissions will be published in The Searcher during 2014 and 2015 at the editor’s discretion; the preliminary dates of publication are indicated below. The submissions will also appear on the SCGS website after they appear in The Searcher.

Category 1: submissions from 1,000 to 2,000 words
•    First Place: "Mom's Life" -- John R. Catsis, Silver City, New Mexico
•    Second Place: "First the Chicken" -- Joyce Finn, Bluffton, South Carolina
•    Third Place: "Locked Out" -- DeVonna R. Allison, Burr Oak, Michigan
•    Runner Up: "Varrone" -- Nick Sweet, Shepherd, Texas
•    Honorable Mention: "Uncle John Burleson" -- Jim McLaughlin, Kerrville, Texas
•    Honorable Mention: "Paw Prints on Combat Soldiers' Hearts" -- Robert R. Robeson, Lincoln, Nebraska
Category 2: submissions under 1,000 words
•    First Place:  "Ground Zero" -- Jerry Eckert, Vail, Arizona
•    Second Place:  "November 22" -- Evan Guilford-Blake, Stone Mountain, Georgia
•    Third Place: "Christmas Kerfluffle" -- Marla F. Jones, Yukon, Oklahoma
•    Runner Up:  "My Grandfather's Grave" -- Thomas L. Stepp, Columbia, South Carolina
•    Honorable Mention: "A Visit to New Orleans" -- Joyce Roberson, West Hills, California
•    Honorable Mention: "A Mountain Rose" -- Felicia Johnson, Ocklawaha, Florida

The Southern California Genealogical Society sponsors its annual family history writing contest to support and encourage the writing of family history, local history, and memoirs, both by genealogists and by the public at large. The first contest was held in 2000. Since then, writers from more than nine nations have submitted entries.

The contest is dedicated to the memory of Elizabeth (Beth) Maltbie Uyehara, founder of the GENEii Family History Writing Contest. Beth served as The Searcher from 2000 to 2006 and was instrumental in launching the SCGS Writers Group.

The 2014 Family History Writing Contest will be open for submissions between November 1 and December 31, 2014. For further information on this year's contest, see the SCGS website.

Jamboree - Q&A for Monday, June 2

Q: When will you be sending the syllabus? When will I get my syllabus?

A: You will pick up the syllabus at the registration table when you check in at Jamboree. We don't mail them in advance.

The printed version of the syllabus was available for purchase until May 30. We will have a limited number of copies available at the SCGS Sales Table when the exhibit hall opens at noon.

Remember that many of the syllabus articles are available for download from the Jamboree app. You don't even need to install the app in order to get the handouts. You can get them from our page at http://m.core-apps.com/scgs2014.

Thank you to the speakers who have allowed their handouts to be made available for download before the conference.

Jamboree - Q&A for Friday, May 30 - CNN's Series about the 60s

Q: Did you know that CNN is running a special series of programs looking back at the 60s?

A: Yes! The first episode was on last night and it was a good introduction to the series. Seeing the NBC peacock and Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color splashes took me back to our Sunday visits to my grandparents, who had the only color TV in the family. It was no coincidence that our visits ended right after Tinkerbell waved her magic wand to paint the cartoon sky.

Here is the schedule for upcoming sessions:

I'm not sure if/when the first episode will be repeated, but my money would be on it being available online if not on the the broadcast schedule.

Jamboree - Flashback to the 60s - Have You Shared Your Memories?

Have you written your Flashback to the 60s and sent it to the Jamboree Committee? You have a week - until Friday noon June 6 - to submit your remembrances and be entered in the drawing for a free registration to the 2015 Jamboree.

We'll display the submissions at Jamboree so everyone has a chance to read them. Look for them in signs that are located outside of Academy 2.


Have you read the ones that have already been submitted?  If not, take a few minutes and read them here. I have really enjoyed reading the memories. One thing that struck me is that we of a certain age have a lot of shared experiences, regardless of where we lived.

Here are the guidelines:

Entries are limited to registered attendees of the 2014 Southern California Genealogy Jamboree attendees and/or members of the Southern California Genealogical Society.

Please keep your entries to 400 words or less. It can be as short as a couple of sentences.

Email entries to flashback1960@scgsgenealogy.com. Put the content directly into the email; no attachments please. Your subject line should read "Flashback 1960." Include your Name, Address, City, State, Zip, Phone number, and email address at the bottom of the email.

Any research used in the submission must be supported by end note citations. For guidelines on citation style, see Evidence, Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian, by Elizabeth Shown Mills (Genealogical Publishing Co.). End notes are not included in the word count.

Entries may be posted online and/or displayed at Jamboree. Entrants grant SCGS the one-time right to publish their memory in the SCGS journal, The Searcher; and/or the SCGS website; and/or the Jamboree app, and/or displayed in electronic or print form at Jamboree. You retain the copyright to your work.

The winner will be announced on Friday, June 6, at the banquet. Submissions will be accepted through Friday noon, June 6.

Jamboree - Q&A for Wednesday, 28 May - Scooter Rental?

Q: Do you know where I can rent a scooter for Jamboree?

A: Here is the suggestion from the Marriott Bell Captain:

Eagle Medical Supplies
922 S San Fernando Blvd.
Burbank CA 91502
(818) 559-6390

Genealogists' Declaration of Rights - Sign at Jamboree

Not coming to Jamboree? Click to sign online.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!

Calling all family historians to sign the Genealogists' Declaration of Rights next week at Jamboree.

The Board of Directors of the Southern California Genealogical Society strongly endorse this ambitious effort to protect the access to the birth, marriage, death and other records that are critical to successful searches for our ancestors.

Jamboree will dedicate an exhibit hall booth -- Booth 105, just inside the main door -- to collect signatures from California residents. Jamboree guests from other states will be encouraged to sign online.

Copies of the signature pages will be provided to the Records Preservation & Access Committee, a joint committee of the Federation of Genealogical Studies, National Genealogical Society, and the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies.

"Our goal is to collect RPAC with 1000 signatures from the genealogists and family historians who attend the Family History and DNA and Jamboree events," explained David Burde, president of the Southern California Genealogical Society.

Jordan Jones, President of the National Genealogical Society (NGS), a sponsoring member of the Records Preservation and Access Committee (RPAC), announced the Genealogists’ Declaration of Rights before a crowd of more than 2,500 genealogists attending the Opening Session of the NGS 2014 Family History Conference in Richmond, Virginia, on 7 May 2014. Jordan will be speaking at Jamboree on Friday afternoon.

Over the next few months, the Declaration will travel to the 34th IAJGS Conference on Jewish Genealogy in Salt Lake City, Utah, 27 July–1 August 2014 and the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference in San Antonio, Texas, 27–30 August 2014. Jamboree is the first to feature the Declaration at a genealogy conference since it was introduced at NGS.

Jamboree - Video and Audio Recordings Available for Pre-Order

If you're interested in purchasing a video or audio recording from Jamboree, you can place an advance order and save 10%.

Whether you're purchasing one or two sessions as an alternative to cloning so you can attend two sessions at once, or if you are purchasing all of the available videos and/or audio recordings, Conference Resource will do a high-quality recording of class sessions at the Family History and DNA and Jamboree events.

These recorded sessions will not be available in the SCGS webinar archive. Streamed sessions are not available for purchase from Conference Resource.

Download the order form and place your order early and save. You can also order online.

By the way, you can purchase recordings from earlier Jamborees too. 

2013 Jamboree
2012 Jamboree
2011 Jamboree

Jamboree: One-to-One Research Assistance - A Valuable Benefit of Jamboree

Click Here to Register for Assistance

Guest post by Jean Wilcox Hibben, PhD, CG


“Thanks, I don’t need any help; I’ve got this.”

I used to say that a lot when I was first getting started in genealogy. It wasn’t because I really did know everything – goodness, I certainly didn’t (still don’t)! It was because I was embarrassed to admit what I didn’t know.

I didn’t know that I could access records from my family’s native Germany (no one told me I could), so I thought such an attempt would be useless. I didn’t know that probate files for my ancestors could be viewed, so I never checked into that. I didn’t know that land records might help me sort out relationships among family members, so I didn’t ask anyone about how to find and/or read them. And so much more!

Remember being in school and the teacher asking, “Are there any questions?” How many hands went up? If your classes were anything like mine, very few. Yet, afterwards, the teacher was often (privately) besieged by students asking the questions about which they did not want to admit (publicly) ignorance. Do you feel that way still? I know I do!

I have attended genealogy lectures, certain that everyone around me had complete understanding of the concept being taught, language used, or resources mentioned. When the speaker asked, “Questions?” I, like so many others present, kept my hand down. I didn’t want others to know that I was unfamiliar with a particular repository, acronym, or website; especially since I am a professional genealogist (news flash: professional genealogists do NOT know everything about the subject, any more than an English teacher knows about every novel ever written).

If some of this sounds familiar, then the Research Assistance room in the Tech Hallway at Jamboree may be just the place for you. People who have knowledge of specific areas of the genealogical world will be available to answer questions, help guide your research, vault brick walls, or maybe just get you started. You do not need to worry about anyone looking at you strangely for not knowing what PERSI is, where Family History Centers are located, which website specializes in what types of records, etc. If the person you ask doesn’t have the answer, he/she can direct you to those who do or help you find the requested resource on the Internet.

Just think: a safe haven for all those family history queries! Sign up for a pre-arranged research consultation (as a “client”) or just drop by during the Jamboree hours. And if you can help be an advisor, the same invitation applies – we need folks who are willing to share some of their knowledge (without shaming those who ask questions that experienced genealogists thought were “common knowledge” – there is no such thing).

See you at RESEARCH ASSISTANCE sponsored by the Southern Calif. Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists!

Jean Wilcox Hibben; PhD, CG
SCCAPG past President

Jamboree - Q&A for Tuesday, 27 May

Q:  Will the exhibit hall be open to the public, without paying registration, at any time during the conference?

A:  Yes! The exhibit hall is free throughout the conference, beginning noon on Friday to 2:30 on Sunday.

What's a good time to shop? Consider coming on Sunday afternoon. The vendors are likely to be offering bargains, and you might be more lucky finding a parking spot in the Marriott lot.

Jamboree - Genealogy World Schedule Announced

(Please note - the correct time of the first Genealogy World session is 9:00am. This blog has been updated to reflect the change.)

One of the most popular activities of Jamboree occur as part of Genealogy World.  Genealogy World, a free-form round table discussion, is designed as a way for family history researchers to exchange ideas, tips and tricks that they have developed pertaining to geographic, ethnic or topic-specific challenges.

Round tables of 10 people are set up in Pavilion 1 on Friday morning during JamboFREE. Genealogy World, as well as all of the activities of JamboFREE, is open the public at no charge.

Genealogy World table hosts help keep the conversation moving and make sure that everyone has a chance to ask questions, make suggestions, or relate successful techniques that can be adopted by others.

Two Genealogy World sessions will be held in 2014. The first session runs from 9:00am to 10:15am; the second runs from 10:30am to 12:00pm. One change we've made for 2014 is to devote half of each Genealogy World session to the use of DNA. From beginner to expert, you'll find just the table you need to help work through your DNA mysteries. (DNA people, be sure to bring your passwords if you want assistance interpreting your results. The Pavilion will have WiFi access.)

Here are the table line-ups. Look for handouts, signs and volunteers to guide you to the correct table. We'll also post the table map on the app for your reference.

BOTH SESSIONS
  1    Lineage Research - Diane Stephens
  2    Southern U.S. - John Hasha
  3    Land Deeds - Georgine Herd
  7    French Canadian/ New England - Suzy Goulet
13    DNA-Incorporating DNA Research into Genealogy - Dave Dowell
14    DNA-Incorporating DNA Research into Genealogy - Cheri Mello
15    DNA-in Ireland and/or Irish Caribbean Ancestry - Dr. Maurice Gleeson
16    DNA-YDNA Beginner Help, (especially those with Scottish surnames) - Jim McAuley
17    DNA- Advanced YDNA SNPs and Haplotrees - Alice Fairhurst
18    DNA-Test Company Comparisons - Angie Bush
19    DNA-Autosomal Websites and Third Party Tools - Blaine Bettinger, PhD, JD
20    DNA-Autosomal DNA Help for Beginners - Kathleen Cooper, Carol Wootton, Stacie Abney etc.
21    DNA-Autosomal Chromosome Mapping Help - Tim Janzen, MD
22    DNA-Adoptees - Doug Neslund AKA Griffeth

Rotating DNA  Consultants/Triage 
Kathy Johnston, Bonny Cook
can also answer questions about the X chromosome and mitochondrial DNA
SESSION 1 - 8:30am to 10:15am
  4    Scandinavian Research - Lynn Anderson
  5    English Research - Bill Luther
  6    Jewish Research - Jane Neff Rollins
  8    Technology and Social Media - Thomas MacEntee
  9    Chinese/Oral History - Anna Gee
10    Looking for Identity via Genealogy - Bernice Bennett
11    Mexican Research - John Schmal
12    Jewish/DNA - Daniel Horowitz

SESSION 2 - 10:30am - 12:00pm Session

  4    Nordic Research - Peggy Wishon and Lynn Anderson
  5    Irish Research - Marge Rossini
  6    Italian Research - Toni Perron
  8    Technology and Social Media - Randy Seaver
  9    African American Research - Nicka J. Smith
10    Native American Research - Paula Stuart-Warren
11    Massachusetts (Early Settlers) - Mandee Baird
12    Jewish/DNA - Schelly Talalay Dardashti


Thank you to all of the table hosts who have volunteered their time to facilitate the conversation, and to Lisa Howison who answered the call for help from Jean Hibben, Coleen Briggs, Kathy Johnston and Bonny Cook, who worked so diligently to organize the event. 

Jamboree - Advance Registration is Closed

Advance registration for the Family History and DNA - Genetic Genealogy in 2014 Conference, and the 2014 Southern California Genealogy Jamboree, is now closed.

Tickets will be sold at the door for both conferences. Walk-in registration for Family History and DNA will open at 7:00am on Thursday in the Convention Center

Walk-in registration for Jamboree will open Friday at 12:00 noon sharp inside the Convention Center at the registration kiosk. Saturday and Sunday walk-ins can register beginning at 7:30am.


What if you change your mind and want to go to one of the events?  Check with the registration kiosk in the Convention Center to see if meal tickets are available. You might get lucky. We'll also have a message board available in the foyer for "ticket wanted" or "ticket available" notes.

For those who registered in advance, if you ordered a ticket for a meal or special event, the ticket will be in your registration envelope. If by some chance it's not there, Louise at the registration kiosk can help you.

Jamboree - There's a Blog Post You Need to Read

The Ancestry Insider is one of my favorite bloggers; and even when I'm hard-pressed to find a spare minute, I make sure to take some time to keep up to date with him. Today's post, #NGS2014GEN Planning Your Time at a Conference, is terrific, for a couple of reasons.

First, he does a very good job of reviewing his use of the conference app used at the National Genealogical Society's conference that was held in early May. Before you yawn and stop reading this post because it doesn't pertain to you, let me remind you that the same developer, Core-Apps, is responsible for both the NGS and Jamboree apps. It very much pertains to you if you're on your way to Burbank in a couple of weeks.

Core-Apps seems to have become the vendor of choice for many of the genealogical conference mobile apps. They have worked with FamilySearch, IAJGS (the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies), NGS and Jamboree. When SCGS launched the first mobile app for a genealogy conference back in 2011, we selected the developer with the most experience and best product. It's gratifying to see so many other organizations using their services.

So, when the Ancestry Insider described in detail how he used the NGS app, even I got insight into how the features can best be used.  You too can learn from his experience using the schedule feature, deciding which sessions to attend, how he coordinates the schedule with his Outlook calendar.

Take a few minutes and read what he had to say. You'll learn a lot about using the Jamboree app. You might not agree with his method of selecting one session over another, but you'll get a good tutorial on how to make use of the features.

Now for the second reason that I love what he wrote. It has to do with conference handouts. Specifically, this:

Sometimes a session lacks a handout, demonstrating the presenter’s lack of respect for attendees...

Yeah. That.

AI, thanks for putting this into words. We have had blank pages in the syllabus in prior years, and we have some this year. We've had one-page outlines that could have been texted while the speaker waiting in the drive-thru at Starbucks. It makes the speaker look bad, it makes the speaker's organization or business look bad, and it makes our conference look bad. I wish more speakers understood that.

One feature that AI didn't mention on the app is the speaker evaluation. Our attendees are going to have a chance to provide feedback about the syllabus materials, as well as other aspects of speaker performance, for every class session. The speakers will get scanned copies of hand-written evaluation forms, and we will provide them with digital copies of the app comments.

I hope everyone takes the comments to heart.

Jamboree - Q&A for Thursday - What's Fer Lunch, Ma?

The last day to purchase a meal ticket is Saturday, so we wanted to entice you with menus for all the meals and party.  Click on the link to order a ticket if you don't already have one.

Thursday, June 5 - 12:30pm
Family History and DNA Conference luncheon 
"Peering into the Future of Genetic Genealogy" Panel discussion
VIP Bread Basket
Wedge Salad
Baby iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, bacon crumbles, blue cheese and creamy blue cheese dressing
Roast chicken breast with roast corn salsa cilantro lime rice, and grilled zucchini
Three chocolate mousse cup
Coffee, decaf, hot tea, iced tea

Vegetarian selection - Stuffed Yellow Tomatoes
Yellow tomatoes stuffed with grilled wild mushroom and
Parmesan cheese on savory polenta

Friday, June 6 - 7:30pm
John P. Colletta Friday banquet
"The Keepers of the Records and I: Tales of Accessing Historical Sources"
Baby Mixed Greens with dried cherries, Gorgonzola cheese, spiced pecans and raspberry vinaigrette
Warm rolls and butter
Prime Rib of Beef with garlic-horseradish crust
Served with rosemary jus
Red skinned mashed potatoes
Honey glazed carrots
Chocolate Grand Marnier cake
Regular and decaf coffee and teas
Cash bar

Vegetarian selection -
Vegetable Lasagna with spinach, broccoli, carrots, zucchini
Topped with Béchamel sauce, Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese

Saturday, June 7 - 7:00am
FamilySearch Breakfast with Michael Provard
"Tips and Tricks for Using Family Search"
Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice and Cranberry Juice
Sliced seasonal fruits
Assortment of pastries and breads, butter and fruit preserves
Scrambled Eggs
Sausage and Smoked Bacon
Breakfast potatoes
Regular and decaf coffee and teas

Saturday, June 7 - 7:00pm
Katherine York Saturday Banquet
"San Francisco:  In Search of Gold and Rainbows"
Boston Bibb lettuce wedge, tomato, Blue cheese and bacon crumbles, chives and Roquefort vinaigrette
Warm Rolls and butter
Chicken breast roulade - lightly breaded chicken breast with spinach, sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts, feta and fontina cheeses with mushroom sauce
Parmesan mashed potatoes
Braised seasonal vegetables
White chocolate cheesecake round
Regular and decaf coffee and teas
Cash bar

Vegetarian selection – 10
Grilled Vegetable Napoleon - mozzarella, tomato pesto, herbs and tomato coulis with crispy filo crust

Saturday, June 7 - 9:00pm - 11:00pm
New Year's Eve Party "Ring Out the Old, Ring in the New"

Dessert Extravaganza - dessert pastries, cakes, pies, mousses, tarts and gourmet cookies
Regular and decaf coffee and teas
Cash bar

Sunday, June 8 - 7:00am
NEHGS Breakfast - "Tales of an NEHGS Genealogist" with Rhonda McClure
Scholarship Breakfast with findmypast.com - Gena Philibert-Ortega "Of Elephants, Gold and Dashed Dreams: Researching the California Gold Rush"
Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice and Cranberry Juice
Sliced seasonal fruits
Pastries and breads, butter and fruit preserves
Scrambled eggs
Sausage and smoked bacon
Breakfast potatoes
Regular and decaf coffee and teas

Jamboree - Exhibitor Guest Post - Writemeaning.com

This is a guest post by Nancy Douglas of Writemeaning.com

Your Ancestors’ Handwriting Has A Story to Tell

Do you get excited when you unearth a new fragment of information about one of your long lost relatives? If you are like most of us family history enthusiasts, any new scrap of information is cause for celebration. What did they do? Where did they live? When did they die and how?

But what about an even better question? Who were these people? As in…their personality, their temperament, their intellect, and what made them tick? You can find out all of this and more from your ancestors’ handwriting. Old letters, documents, diaries, journals, ledgers, and Bibles can reveal the real story of who your relatives were.

Did Great-Great Grandma have a good sense of humor? Was she smart or adventurous or argumentative or all three? Was she and warm and friendly, or someone who kept to herself? And, here’s another fun question – have those personality traits been handed down in your family? With the help of Nancy Douglas, Certified Handwriting Analyst with writemeaning.com, you might find yourself saying…”I got my blue eyes and my keen intellect from Great-Great Grandma!”

To find out who your ancestors really were, consider bringing some of your documents with you to the Jamboree for analysis. Come visit Nancy Douglas of writemeaning at Jamboree Booth #133. Feel free to contact her in advance by email at nancy@writemeaning.com, or visiting the website at www.writemeaning.com.

Jamboree - Streamed Video Schedule Announced

   

Click on the Register button above to sign up for live streamed sessions.

With just over two weeks before we open the doors to Jamboree, it's time to make our Next Big Announcement. We are pleased to announce the sessions that will be live streamed during the Family History and DNA Conference and the 45th Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree.

You'll find a complete list of the sessions, with links to the registration pages and as well as registration information on the Jamboree website and also on the right hand column of this blog.

Here are the specifics:

Family History and DNA Conference - June 5, 2014
-Five streamed sessions, 10:00am to 6:00pm PDT
-Pay for view, $30 per session
-All-Day Pass $130 includes complete DNA syllabus
-Requires a two-step registration process
-Sessions available for 30 days after initial webcast
-Sessions will not be available in the SCGS webinar archive

• CeCe Moore: "Real World Stories from the Desk of a Genealogy DNA Detective"
• Diahan Southard: "Lab Tour: How Your Data is Generated"
• Blaine Bettinger, PhD, JD: "Using Autosomal DNA to Explore Your Ancestry"
• Dr. Maurice Gleeson: "Which DNA is Best for You?"
• Tim Janzen, MD: "Advanced Techniques for Use of Autosomal DNA Tests to Break Through Genealogical Brick Walls"

Southern California Genealogy Jamboree - June 6-8, 2014
-14 streamed sessions over three days
-Initial webcast provided free of charge
-Cost is partially underwritten by Diamond Sponsor Ancestry.com
-Many sessions will eventually be available in the SCGS webinar archive for viewing by members

Friday, June 6 - Four sessions 1:00pm to 6:30pm PDT

• Judy G. Russell JD, CG, CGL - "Dowered or Bound Out: Records of Widows and Orphans"
• Blaine Bettinger PhD, JD - "DNA and the Genealogical Proof Standard"
• Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FUGA - "Manuscript Finding Aids: Locating Migrating Family Records"
• F. Warren Bittner, CG - "Proof Arguments: How and Why"

Saturday, June 7 - Six sessions 8:30am to 6:00pm PDT

• F. Warren Bittner, CG - "Elusive Immigrant!"
• Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL - "Staying out of Trouble: The Rights and Responsibilities of Today's Genealogist"
• Michael Leclerc - "Researching Your New England Ancestors"
• Bennett Greenspan - "The Future of Genetic Genealogy"
• Dr. Maurice Gleeson - "Researching Your Irish Ancestry"
• Cyndi Ingle - "The Internet: A Genealogist's Printing Press"

Sunday, June 8 - Four sessions 8:30am to 3:30pm PDT

• D. Joshua Taylor - "Resources of the DAR: Beyond Revolutionary War Soldiers"
• Dawn Thurston - "How to Write a Personal History that Captures your Interesting Life"
• Dr. Maurice Gleeson - "Ireland and the Slave Trade"
• Denise Levenick - "Dirty Pictures: Save Your Family Photos from Ruin"

Providing remote access to classes is an important part of SCGS' mission. During the year, the SCGS Jamboree Webinar Series provides twice-monthly webinar sessions with a variety of topics taught by professional genealogists. The webinar sessions are provided free of charge for the initial live webcast, and recordings are archived on the website as a benefit of membership. Upcoming webinars are listed on the SCGS website.

Please help us spread the word about this outstanding educational opportunity for family historians and genealogists from around the globe. Share this news with your cousins, friends, society members, and followers.

Calling Jamboree Attendees: Ancestry Needs You!

Ancestry depends on user input to help mold the future generation of their offerings. A range of opportunities are being planned in Burbank for participants to share their impressions of upcoming Ancestry features across multiple products.  These will include both focus groups and individual interviews all three days of Jamboree and during the Family Tree and DNA conference on Thursday.

Ancestry is looking for subscribers of all levels of expertise, membership tenure, and tree size. To be considered, please fill out the following online questionnaire. Members of Ancestry’s User Research team will reach out to you for scheduling. Incentives will include the latest version of FTM for Mac or PC, an AncestryDNA kit, or a 6 month subscription extensions to your membership.

Please access the survey here: http://ancestry.az1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_5gn6n5glPfQA76B


Please note that SCGS and Jamboree has no involvement in this research effort other than to assist Ancestry with inviting people to participate. If you are interested in helping to shape the future for users of Ancestry, we encourage you to sign up.

Jamboree - Deadline Alert: 24 May Last Day for Advance Registration

We are just one week away from the cutoff for advance registration for the Family Tree and DNA conference and the 45th Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree.

What's that mean to you?

Well if you have already registered, it means that you're relaxed, looking forward to seeing your friends and learning all about the best techniques and secrets about searching for ancestors. We hope you've taken the time to review the schedule and planned out the first-choice and second-choice sessions, just in case.

You've checked out the various meals and bought your tickets. You've RSVPd for the Saturday evening New Year's Eve Party; remember that SCGS members and Jamboree volunteers are invited as guests. You just need to register in advance.

But...

If you've waited until the deadline, beware.  It's almost here. The last day for advance registration is Saturday, May 24.

And if you wait until May 25th: 

• You will miss the meals and banquets, including the amazing John Philip Colletta's presentation on Friday night. I've heard from friends who saw the presentation last year at FGS that it was "a scream" and "hilarious." 

• The Family History and DNA luncheon features a panel discussion with representatives from the large testing companies (Bennett Greenspan from Family Tree DNA, Joanna Mountain PhD from 23andme, and Jake Byrnes PhD from AncestryDNA), as well as Genetic Genealogy Consultant Diahan Southard and moderator Blaine Bettinger PhD, JD.

• You'll lose the chance to order the 2014 printed syllabus. You might be able to purchase one at Jamboree, but if it's really important that you have one, you should order in advance. We plan to order just a limited quantity available for sale at the conference.

• You'll have to stand in line to pay when you register. It won't be a smooth process of just going to the table and picking up your registration materials.

• And... you'll pay more.

You don't want to miss out and you don't want to pay more.

So register. Today.

Current and new SCGS members

Nonmembers

Jamboree - Getting the Most out of a Genealogy Conference

Whether you are a long-time veteran of large genealogy conferences like NGS, FGS or Jamboree, or if this is your first time venturing to an event, you can benefit from experiences of other family historians.
You'll find lots of how-to articles in a Google search, but we'll save you that work. Here are some blog posts and articles that will help you know what to expect.

Here is a series of posts from the Jamboree blog:
Getting the Most out of Jamboree Part 1
Early Planning = Success

Getting the Most out of Jamboree Part 2
If you Can't be in 10 Places at Once
Attacking the Exhibit Hall
What to Pack

Getting the Most out of Jamboree Part 3
At the Conference

More insights:
Don't Be a Wallflower at Your First Genealogy Conference! by The Armchair Genealogist

What is a Genealogy Conference Anyway? by Kimberly Powell


Preparing for a Genealogical Conference by Michael John Neill
 
Getting the Most from Genealogy Conferences by Karin D. Berry

Getting the Most out of Genealogical Conferences Redux by Gena Philibert-Ortega

10 Reasons to Attend a Genealogy Conference - Terri from Findingourancestors.com

Prepare Before Attending a Genealogy Conference - Granite Genealogy Blog