FamilySearch has  launched registration for the three-day RootsTech Virtual Conference, streaming live March 3-5, 2022. The world's largest family history event is FREE again next year, with access to over 1500 sessions - not just for three days but all year long. RootsTech also offers keynote speakers, a virtual Expo Hall to shop vendors, and chat groups with more than a million other people who love genealogy as much as you do. If you've always wanted to travel to Salt Lake City for RootsTech, here is your opportunity to experience the event from the comfort and safety of home.

UPDATE: This course has been cancelled.

This is a 4-session course builds on progress from Level Two.  It includes three one-hour optional coaching sessions in addition to the classes to assist students as they progress through the course

Students will build and practice skills developing a research project; taking their project idea to an actionable research plan; systematically capturing their research findings; and writing their story in the form of a project report or article. A guest speaker will present a special topic in each class.

Our friends, over at The Heritage Education Commission, present their 45th Annual Family History Workshop!

WHEN: Saturday, September 18, 2021

Make sure to check them out at: https://moorheadcommunityed.ce.eleyo.com/course/3685/fall-2021/family-history-workshop-2021

Register today for this introduction to the key resources for finding your ancestors in Ireland: most important record types, Irish geographic terms, Irish names, key Irish genealogy websites and books, and much, much more. Whether you are new to Irish genealogy or it has been a while since you dug into your Irish family roots, Tom Rice will provide you with tools and tips for tracing your folks to the Emerald Isle.

Saturday, August 7, 2021 - 10:30 AM - Noon PM CDT  

$15 for IGSI members; $20 for non-members   

Register here:

 https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4791735859177009424

 

Come to the 2021 North Star Genealogy Conference October 1-2 and enjoy everything from your own home! Yes, the 14th annual conference is going “virtual” again.

Kick off the conference with a special State Census Pre-Conference—including the upcoming 1950s Census—on Thursday evening, September 30th.

Then tune in Friday and Saturday, October 1 and 2, for plenaries with featured speaker D. Joshua Taylor and a variety of breakout sessions provided by top genealogists from Missouri, Connecticut, Kansas, Indiana, Florida, and Minnesota.

In addition, you will be able to “Ask a Genealogist,” choose your favorite photo in the Minnesota Genealogist cover photo contest, “visit” vendors, and win door prizes.

Make Friday evening, October 1, a family affair if you wish by creating your own home banquet. Watch Josh's banquet talk on “Unusual Research Destinations: Antiques, Diners, & More” and celebrate our MGS award winners.

Registration is NOW OPEN! Your registration includes access to all plenary sessions, breakout sessions, and the banquet talk plus all the “extras.” It also provides for on demand viewing of all sessions after the conference through the end of October.

Conference details and the full schedule are available on the MGS North Star page along with a link for registration. We hope to “see” you in October!

REGISTER NOW

The Awards committee is now accepting nominations!

Find out more and how to nominate someone here.

The MGS Family History Writing Competition is now accepting entries for 2021!

You can find more information located on their page here.

Full Day of Four Lectures: Members $50, Non-Members $65 (Discount code can be found in the Members Logon page.)
Single Lectures: $20 per

Schedule

8:45 am - 9:00 am	Introduction
9:00 am - 10:15 am	LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, “DNA Corroborates Oral History & Supports Documentary Evidence,” This lecture is based on a case study that utilized autosomal and  Y-DNA to bolster extensive research that pointed to the identity of an enslaved ancestor's parents. This DNA study illustrates how DNA can be particularly useful in reconstructing genealogies in communities that left few records and little direct evidence.
10:15 am - 10:45 am	Break
10:45 am - 12:00 pm	David E. Rencher, “What's New at FamilySearch and the Family History Library,” During the COVID-19 shutdown FamilySearch has continued to make numerous changes and enhancements to the FamilySearch website and the Family History Library. Learn what’s new on the website and see the new changes in the Family History Library.
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm	Lunch Break
1:00 pm - 2:15 pm	Pamela Boyer Sayre, “Murder at the Mansion,” See how a free obituary lookup for a friend led to many years of investigating the intrigue of a murder in a wealthy St. Louis family, the slave trade, lucrative participation in the California and Montana Gold Rushes, a diplomatic career in Siam (now Thailand), and connections to Susan B. Anthony, P. T. Barnum, William T. Sherman, and other prominent Americans.
2:15 pm - 2:45 pm	Break
2:45 pm - 4:00 pm	Michael D. Lacopo, “She Came from Nowhere...Case Study Approach to a Difficult Genealogical Problem,” This lecture illustrates the joys and pitfalls of Virginia research as well as employing a problem-solving approach utilizing social history, female research, and family analysis to identify the parents of Elizabeth Stith, the ancestor “from nowhere.” One need not have Virginia ancestors to see the Genealogical Proof Standard at work!

Presenters:

LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG®, CGL^(SM), is a trustee and President of the Board for Certification of Genealogists. She also serves as the Registrar General of the Sons and Daughters of the United States Middle Passage, a national lineage society that honors ancestors who were enslaved in the United States. LaBrenda earned a BA from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, and both a Law degree and a Master of Laws degree from the New York University School of Law. After working as a corporate tax attorney for thirty-five years, she retired in 2013 and turned her attention to her longtime avocation of Genealogy. She is now focused on writing and teaching about both African American Genealogy and Methodology.

David E. Rencher, AG®, CG®, FUGA, FIGRS, is employed as the Director, Family History Library and Chief Genealogical Officer for FamilySearch. He graduated from Brigham Young University in 1980 with a B.A. in Family and Local History. A professional genealogist since 1977, he is one of the rare few who have earned both credentials: Accredited Genealogist® with ICAPGen in Ireland research (1981) and Certified Genealogist® with the Board for Certification of Genealogists (2006). He serves as the Irish course coordinator and instructor for the Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research, the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, and the British Institute. He is a past-president of the Federation of Genealogical Societies and the Utah Genealogical Association. David is a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association and the Irish Genealogical Research Society, London. He serves as a director on the board of the National Genealogical Society.

 Pamela Boyer Sayre, CG, FUGA, certified since 1998, is a professional researcher, educator, author, and lecturer. She has coordinated and taught courses at Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, and Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh. She also taught in Boston University’s onsite Professional Certificate Program in Genealogy. Pam is former NGS director of education and publications, a former board member of NGS and FGS, co-author of Online Roots: How to Discover Your Family's History and Heritage with the Power of the Internet (2003) and Research in Missouri (1999, 2007), and a former editor of APGQ. She is a popular seminar presenter who has spoken at genealogy conferences and seminars nationwide and on international cruises.

Dr. Michael D. Lacopo is a retired small-animal veterinarian born and raised in northern Indiana.  He takes a scientific approach to his research as he does to his profession.  Researching since 1980, he has lectured internationally and written for numerous periodicals and journals.  A self-described “all-American mutt,” his research skills cover a broad range, including genetic genealogy, 18th-century Germanic immigration to America, Mennonites, Mid-Atlantic American research, social history, and more.