What is GeneaSpy?

GeneaSpy is an avid genealogist who attends national, regional, and local genealogical conferences, to learn about genealogy.

Saturday, May 21, 2016

NGS 2016 Fort Lauderdale: Day 4 (Last)

Last day! Always bittersweet. This will be a shorter day as classes stop earlier and the exhibition hall closes earlier so they can start packing up everything. I was supposed to go on an evening river cruise with my SLIG Marketing team, but I would have to miss the last class, which I have been waiting for, so I stayed for the class. Good thing I did! The class entitled “Tarheels and Carolina Records” by J. Mark Lowe shed light on a family mystery of mine for many, many years. Why did my ancestor move all the way from Maine down to North Carolina a few years after the Civil War? As Mr. Lowe pointed out, North Carolina was the textile hub in the South and they needed more skilled labor, so they started a recruitment campaign in northern states. And guess what occupation my ancestor was in the census? A Tailor! Then he said, after a while a lot of them moved to north Alabama. That’s exactly what my ancestor did! He moved to Birmingham, Alabama in the mid-1880’s with his family and continued his tailoring business. That little info was worth the whole price of the conference!

 Schedule Day 4: Saturday, 7 May 2016
·       “Clusters and Chains for Genealogical Success” – Shellee Morehead, PhD, CG
·       “West Florida Pre-1830: the History, the People, and the Records” – Sharon Monson
·       “Online Antebellum Research for the Early 1800’s in Florida” – James Baker, PhD, CG
·       NGS Luncheon “Light Bulbs and A-ha Moments: Tales of Learning and Understanding” – Michael G. Hait, CG
·        “Okay, I “Got the Neighbors”—Now What Do I Do With Them?!” – Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL, FASG, FNGS, FUGA

·       “Tarheels and Carolina Records” – J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA

Last Day!

Going down.

1st. class of the last day.

Superstar J. Mark Lowe!

Mind Mapping Wizard, Ron Arons.

Good friend, Peggy Lauritzen. I miss her big hats!

Dessert at the NGS Luncheon.

Michael Hait at the NGS Luncheon.

First conference I missed a Tom Jones lecture!

Three letters -- ESM!

Pack it up Charlie, we're going to Raleigh!

Closing the exhibitor hall.

Spare of the moment sign, but was very helpful!

4:00 PM --Last class of the conference.

Good friend, Lisa Alzo.

One last look from the Hilton Marina. Beautiful!

NGS 2016 Fort Lauderdale: Day 3

Friday was the day I was looking forward to because I paid extra to attend a workshop by geneticist Angie Bush on chromosome mapping. I consider myself a newbie in genetic genealogy, but wanted to see if an in-depth workshop could help me understand my DNA questions. Guess what? It did! But, of course there’s a lot more learning to do on the subject.

 Another big event this Friday was the annual NGS Banquet – Yes, I dressed up for it. Great conversation at the table with new friends, great dinner, and some great awards presented. David Rencher gave another moving lecture entitled, “It Don’t Matter”. If you’ve attended NGS conferences in the past and don’t sign up for the banquet, your missing out!

 Schedule Day 3: Friday, 6 May 2016
·       Chromosome Mapping Workshop – Angie Bush, MS
·       “Territorial Papers of the Southeastern United States (1798-1845)” – Richard G. Sayer, CG, CGL, FUGA
·       BCG Luncheon; “Three Lawyers Walk into a Luncheon: Spilling the Goods on Copyright” – Donn Devine, JD, CG, FNGS, Michael Ramage, JD, CG, Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL
·       “Eddie Wenck: The Case of a Little Lost Boy” – Julie Miller, CG
·        “Doughnut Holes and Family Skeletons: Meeting the GPS through Negative and Indirect Evidence” – Stefani Evans, CG

·       NGS Banquet “It Don’t Mater” – David E. Rencher, AG, CG, FUGA, FIGRS

*** NOTE: All class photos were before class begun and all slide shots I was granted permission by the speaker ***

Good Morning, Fort Lauderdale!

On to class!

Getting to class.

Slide Copyright 2016 Angie Bush

On to Rick Sayre's talk.

Mr. Sayre before class starts.

BCG Luncheon with Ghyxion waving.

BCG Luncheon slide.

Mr. Ramage using a telephone prop.

Mary Jane Saylor was joined by Valerie Elkins at the SLIG booth.

Good friend and author Ron Arons.

GeneaSpy and Princeton joker... LOL

A civil war buff.

NGS Banquet.

NGS awards being announced.


Friday, May 13, 2016

NGS 2016 Fort Lauderdale: Day 2

The day began with a meeting of the NextGen Genealogy Network at the Hilton hotel lobby. Today was the first full day of classes for me, totaling four 1-hour classes. I also attended the NYG&B sponsored luncheon with Elizabeth Shown Mills presenting her talk, “Lost Eyes, Whipping Posts, and Wife Swapping: Lessons from Yesteryear”. The day ended with a Florida State Genealogical Society event at the Hilton entitled, “Taste of Florida”, which coincided with Cinco de Mayo.

 Schedule Day 2: Thursday, 5 May 2016

·       NGGN Meet-up
·       “Evidence: Let’s Get All Sherlock” – Barbara Mathews, CG, FASG
·       Exhibit Hall – Scoping out different vendors.
·       “Colored Confederate Pension Applications: Original Sources for Genealogical and Ownership Information of Former Slaves” – Janis Forte
·       NYG&B Luncheon
·       “Ticks, Chiggers, and Snakes: Civil War Diaries, Letters, and Military Records in Southern Archives and Libraries” – Sara Scribner, CG
·       “Separate but Unequal: Slave Laws and their Records” – Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL
·       FSGS Event – “Taste of Florida”

·       APG Desert Reception

NGGN Meet-up with Treasurer, Barry Klein

NGGN Meet-up (L-R) Mauri Pratt, Jessica Taylor, & Danni Altman-Newell

Barbara Mathews, CG, FASG

Barbara Mathews slide (permission granted)

New NGS book by Kelvin L. Myers

Kelvin L. Meyers signing his book to me

I spy Dick Eastman & Christine Woodcock



NYG&B Luncheon


President of NYG&B, D. Joshua Taylor

Dessert at NYG&B Luncheon

Elizabeth Shown Mills at the NYG&B Luncheon

Lisa Louise Cook giving a class

3rd. floor view 

Finally met my friend, Jennifer Shoer, in person!

Two words: Permission granted!

Yes, I'm a hoarder

Fleet Week practices happening outside

View of "Taste of Florida" from 10th. floor

Happy Cinco de Mayo with Marcy!

Taste of Florida