Getting excited

We had a family history consultant meeting at our house on Sunday. It was to train the other 3 youth that were called. They all had varied levels of boredom on their face. But one of the youth there thought she was going to die. She said: "Does anything about this face read excitement?" Nothing about the face did AT ALL! But she had to stay so she listened. After we had finished the instruction part it was time to actually try it. My dad was starting up a new office so we had 20 computers at our house. Everyone choose a computer and logged into FamilySearch. She still was not excited. I was worried about this, so I said a quick prayer in my mind. Minutes later we had found 6 family names for her to take to the temple. Right then her demeanor changed from please let me go home to, this is awesome! She said she was going to go around bragging at school and find names at school. My mom said: " Once you taste the spirit of Elijah, you want more." It is true. Try it for yourself.

Roots Tech 2015, call for presentations

Roots Tech is calling for presentations for 2015. Imagine being a presenter for Roots Tech and FGS!!! It would be awesome. I personally am thinking about doing a presentation  (If they'll let me). I have to talk to my parent first of course. Roots Tech is looking for many things in presentations this is the list of requirements for 2014.

All credit goes to Roots Tech:

RootsTech is a family history and technology conference “where families connect.” The fourth annual conference will be held February 6 – 8, 2014, at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, and will bring together the best in family history tools and technology to inspire attendees to discover and share their family’s connections and stories. RootsTech 2014 will reach thousands of attendees both on-site in Salt Lake City and at remote locations around the world.

Presentation proposals for RootsTech 2014 will be accepted until July 8, 2013.

Presentations should:

• Be between 50 to 60 minutes in length, which includes a question-and-answer period.
• Offer an interactive experience where attendees leave with a finished product, completed task, or next steps (what to do when I get home).
• Avoid being text-based slides and lecture only.
• Incorporate step-by-step, live demonstrations or best practices but not be infomercials.
• Provide new and innovative ideas or solutions that are technology focused. (Please do not resubmit proposals from previous years.)

We welcome presentation proposals that provide new insight, innovation, skills, and best practices in the following categories and that are geared towards attendees at a specific skill level. The bullet points below are given as possible examples. Other topics related to family history and technology will also be considered.

CATEGORY	BEGINNER EXAMPLES	INTERMEDIATE EXAMPLES	ADVANCED EXAMPLES
Find	Simple searches and records Basic online resources Collaboration techniques Living histories	Search tools and techniques Specialized online tools Optimizing websites and resources	Research techniques methodology (e.g., maps) Obscure resources and references Evidence and source evaluation
Organize	Simple solutions for paper and digital files Sources documentation	Digital file management Metadata Research logs and tools	Syncing across devices Apps, software, and tools
Preserve	Family trees Timelines	Recording devices and tools Backing up data	Audio and video solutions Digital migration
Share	Social media tools Cloud computing Simple collaboration (1-1)	Electronic publications Print publications Tools for collaboration	Public sharing options Creating wikis Community, crowd sourcing
Stories	Simple storytelling techniques Story prompts and interview techniques	Recording or writing stories Apps and tools for story capture	Book creation Traditional and e-publishing
Photos	Digital photos, tagging Enhancing stories with photos	Photo restoration Editing tools	Movies and presentations Photo enhancement
Technology	Introduction to family history technology for someone with limited computer experience	Gadgets and technology tools Genetic research, DNA	Advanced product features Technology to help break down research walls
General	General family history topics can span all skill levels, topics, and interests as they relate to family history and the industry, including market trends and analytics.
Developers	Developer topics can include the following: GPS and geo-mapping ancestral locations Applications for mobile devices Social applications Standards and APIs	Records imaging and tree visualization Gamification experiences Cloud-based solutions for saving, accessing, and sharing data

Types of Sessions

• Presentations: A classroom setting that engages participants.
• Panels or Discussions: Formal panel of experts discussing specific topics, led by a facilitator.
• Hands-on Workshops: Computer labs where attendees have hands-on experiences in a specific task or objective.
• Online Webinars: A new approach being considered for 2014 where the speaker presents from a remote location, not in Salt Lake City, or the presenter streams the presentation from Salt Lake City to a wider audience through a webinar or online hangout site.

Submission Information

To be considered, proposals must include the following:

• Speaker name, address, telephone, and email address
• Presentation title (not to exceed 15 words)
• Short presentation summary (not to exceed 40 words)
• Long presentation description or outline (not to exceed 100 words)
• Category and skill level (from chart above)
• Session type (see types in section above)
• Speaker bio (not to exceed 25 words)
• Speaker photo (high resolution, approximately 300 dpi, in one of the following formats: .jpg, .eps or .png file)
• Resume of recent presentation topics and event locations
• Whether you approve the content of the presentation to be recorded and shared online

Presentation proposals will be accepted online at rootstech.org/proposals from June 17 — July 8, 2013. Due to the volume of presentation proposals we receive, please submit no more than five proposals per speaker. Limited, late-breaking technology submissions will be accepted, upon approval, until October 1, 2013.

Speakers selected to present at RootsTech 2014 will be notified by August 2, 2013. Syllabus materials (PDF file) for selected presentations will be due by November 1, 2013. Speakers who don’t submit syllabus materials on time may be removed from the schedule.

Presenters participating in RootsTech 2014 will receive a complimentary conference registration and access to all syllabus materials. Out-of-state speakers selected to present three or more presentations will also receive hotel accommodations. There is no monetary compensation for presenting at this conference.

Questions can be emailed to the attention of the RootsTech Speaker Selection Committee at info@rootstech.org.

Humor + Genealogy

I love genealogy, but I also love to have a laugh. So, if I don't have time to do an in depth search, I just read the genealogy jokes. They are the best and are SO TRUE! So here you go:

The Elusive Ancestor

I went searching for an ancestor, I can not find him still
He moved around from place to place and did not leave a will
He married where the courthouse burned. He mended all his fences
He avoided any man who came to take the U.S. census

He always kept his luggage packed, this man who had no fame
and every 20 years or so, this rascal changed his name
His parents came from europe, they should be on some list
of passengers to U.S.A., but somehow they got missed

And no one else in the world is searching for this man
So, I play geneasolitare to find him if i can
I'm told he's buried in a plot, with a tombstone he was blessed
But the weather took engravings and some vandals took the rest

He died before the county clerks decided to keep records
No family bible has emerged, in spite of all my efforts
To top it off, this ancestor, who's caused me many groans
Just to give me one more pain, betrothed a girl name jones
 

Genealogists say the funniest things!!
These quotes are actual correspondences received by the lds church

***We are sending you 5 children in a separate envelope.
***My grandfather died at the age of 3.
***Will you please send me the name of my first wife? I have forgotten her name.
***The wife of 22 could not be found. somebody suggested that she might have been stillborn-what do you think?
***Further research will be necessary to eliminate one of the parents.
***He and his daughter are listed as not being born.
***Iwould like to find out it i have any living relatives or dead relatives or ancestors in my family.
***A 14 year old boy wrote: "I do not want you to do the research for me. Will you please send me all the material on the Welch line, in the US, England, and Scotland countries? I will do the research".
***We lost our grandmother, will you send us a copy?
 

Only a genealogist would understand.........

*Geneology is not a hobby.....it's an obsession.
*Give me your tired, your poor......they're genealogists!
*I've been researching my family tree......apparently I don't exist!
*I use to have a life.....then I started genealogy!
*My family tree must have been used for fire wood.
*Only a genealogist regards a step backwards as progress.
*What do you mean my grandparents didn't have any children!?!
*Who ever said "Seek and you shall find" was not a genealogist!
Credit to: 

http://www.blueriver.net/~ckgooden/fun.html

Making Buttons

One of the classes I take is CTE. CTE teaches you many skills. The CTE class I'm in is the one that focus's on technology and today we get to make buttons. I decided to base mine on family history. I'm not quite sure how to incorporate it, but I am going to try. I'm actually writing this in class right now while I wait for him to start us on making buttons. Its time now, I'll finish this later.

Okay. I made the buttons and it was awesome! I put a picture of my great-great grandmother Ruby on one button, and a picture of my great-great grandmother Ruby from the other side of the family on the other button. If I read my teachers expression correctly, he  was a little bit surprised to see black and white photos. He asked me if they were my ancestors and I said yes. I felt them there after school. They were pleased that I had chosen to put them on the only buttons I will most likely make in my life. I felt the spirit so strongly, and when I pick up the buttons, I know that they are there.

People will help you

Be ready for the shortest post in the world, but I feel it is important. I have had many experiences where I want more information. People share a snippet, but not the whole picture. I never knew what to do. That is until now. I figured out when people share sources, their email shows up. I emailed people, twice. It works wonders. I have found, two books and two great people who are just like me, looking for info. Email people and hold on tight, because there is a great miracle waiting to happen.

Where did your ancestors come from?

Where did your ancestors come from? There is an easy answer to it. Roots mapper. Roots mapper lets you see where your family came from and where they immigrated too. Roots Mapper is on Apple to. It is called Family Map. It is slightly different than the website. The URL is: https://rootsmapper.com/       Here are some screen shots of Roots Mapper:
                                                                                                                                             




This is the first screen you see, it shows a map.



This lets you choose how many generations you want to see.



In this I wanted to see five generations.





The mobile app is like this:



This is the page you see when you open it.


This is showing eight generations. Sadly, you can't choose how many generations.


Roots Mapper is awesome! It is really cool to see where your ancestors came from, two were born in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

John Atlantic Burr

John Atlantic Burr is one of my ancestors. I had to write a paper on an ancestor at school (that unit was awesome! I got an A) So I choose him. I thought I'd show you it. If you are by chance, part of the Burr family you should check out this book, that is by Wesley R. Burr and his wife Ruth J. Burr. It is called a history of the Burr pioneers.

Anyways, here is the easiest assignment ever:

John Atlantic Burr

John Atlantic Burr’s father lived in New York. He had a great life going then, Charles worked on his father’s farm as a youth. It was a very large farm, with amazing crops, animals, and orchards. When he was four a little girl, whose name was Sarah was born in Jefferson.  She was over 100 miles away from Charles, but fate brought them together. They were married December 28,1843. They had their first son on October 26,1844, his name was Charles E. W. Burr.

Not long after they were married, the Book of Mormon was introduced to them. Two years later they were pregnant again, and moving west with the Saints. They were one of the families that took the USS Brooklyn. John Atlantic Burr was born in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, hence the middle name. John’s early months were on a ship. Those months were treacherous for John. Sarah Sloat and Charles Clark Burr almost never saw their baby boy grow. The journals of people from the USS Brooklyn say that it is a miracle that he survived. With little provisions onboard  it was a miracle. It is assumed he must have also been nourished by some of the other women in the party. Sarah and Charles were very grateful for the love and kindness their baby received. When they made it to California their journey was not yet over. They stayed in California till they had enough money to move to Utah. They moved to Payson where Charles started a sawmill to make a living.

They lived in Salt Lake until 12 year old John and his father were sustained as a missionaries to settle Payson. They moved to Payson where Charles started a sawmill up Peeteneet canyon, now known as Payson canyon. It was built about a mile north of Maple Dell. While living in Payson John fell in love with a pretty girl named Angeline. Angeline and John were married on November 7,1868. Their first child was born December 14,1869. John was a nomadic person. He hated to sit still. He did many things in his life. He started the burr trail, as a cow herding trail. People now use it as a hiking trail, it takes into a beautiful wilderness. He started a ferry at Lake Powell, it lasted until 1930 then sank. It was replaced around the 1940’s as a memorial to him. He lived in many places in his life, they include: Atlantic Ocean, Salt Lake, Payson Utah, Muddy River, Glenwood, anywhere between Sevier county and Payson Utah, Burrville, Park city, Loa, Teasdale, Escalante, Salina, 4 corners, Provo, Monticello, Moab, Cortez Colorado, Fruitland, New Mexico, Burr Desert, Lake Powell, and California. I think John Atlantic Burr was a man who followed his spirit, but I would not want to be in his shoes. Moving all the time with 5 children!

   

Pictures

I am so glad they took this picture. The person may have died but the memory never did.

Extreme Genes Family History Radio

I love the Extreme Genes family history radio. I discovered it when I realized. It was March. Our youth were challenged to act like missionarys for a month. Some of the requirements were:

• No electronics for non gospel related things
• No non gospel books
• Do your own laundry
• Make a meal every week
• Random act of service everyday
• Fast on fast Sunday (that meant twice because of conference)

 

I realized the book I was listening to while I was running was not a gospel book

So I wound up listening to Extreme Genes. Sure March is over but I still listen to it. It is really interesting. Fisher, the host has a website, be sure to look it up! I love Extreme genes, it is very inspiring. 

LDS general conference, Saturday

I was out on a run for the Saturday morning session, (I'm training for a marathon) But I heard it was good. I did get some good things about genealogy during the afternoon session. Cook's talk was especially good.

At the beginning of the conference the choir sang, "I lived in Heaven". One line stuck out to me "eternal salvation for man" Family history is about eternal salvation for the dead, family history/genealogy is included in our Heavenly Fathers Plan of Salvation. Which makes family history even more important, if it is included in the plan of salvation. Matt. 16:19 says: "whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven" If we do the work on earth, it will last in heaven.

One of the speakers, I think it was Cook, basically said the mission statement of genealogy, The hearts of the fathers will be turned to the children and the children to their fathers. It is wha. t happens when the spirit of Elijah touches, each of our hearts. Mal. 4:6 says: "Turn the heart of the fathers to the children" It is basically the same thing that Cook said.

Another reason family history is important is because Heaven, is based off of families. Sealing's are so important because "whatsoever thou shalt  bind on earth shall be bound in heaven" Matt. 16:19. We want to be with our families forever. Those people in my tree aren't just names. They are real people and I want to be with them forever. I do the work so we can meet face to face. I have already met them in spirit. I can't wait till I can meet all of them. Especially the two ladies I was named after. Ruby Huish and Ruby Nielson.

Don't underestimate the influence of dead people. Cook is correct. Don't underestimate the influence. They will help you. I have felt it. They can help you break through your brick wall to discover them. They will help you in all that is good.

He also said "without our roots and branches we cannot be saved." A tree without it's roots will die, a tree with no branches produces no food. If you have your roots, but no branches, you get no fruit. You need your fruit to survive. Take the chance and find your fruit and harvest new branches.