FGSCruise2015: Featured Speaker Judy Russell

The 2015 FGS Alaskan Cruise, August 28-September 4, is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A genealogy cruise is like getting the best of everything:

• A sightseeing vacation (Alaska! The inner passage…glaciers…whales…eagles!)
• A learning experience beyond compare (Elizabeth Shown Mills, David Rencher, D. Joshua Taylor and me, up close and personal, with a wide variety of topics to choose from)
• A chance to mingle with like-minded folks (who are guaranteed not to roll their eyes when you start talking about genealogy) -- all wrapped up in one package. 

Throw in the food, the entertainment, plenty to keep the non-genealogist spouse or travel companion busy and happy, and it simply doesn't get much better than that.



We'll be able to take a careful look at court records at all levels -- federal, state and county -- and how to make use of them in family history. We'll have lots of time to do some hands-on work with those records, and even learn about some of the judges who created them:  the justices of the peace.  And I'm particularly looking forward to the chance to help cruisers really understand autosomal DNA testing and how useful it can be in breaking down brick walls.

Hope to see you onboard in 2015!

--Judy Russell

Judy will be delivering four lectures during the cruise:

• Beyond X and Y: The Promise and Pitfalls of Autosomal DNA Testing
• Order in the Court: Hands-on with Court Records (2-part workshop)
• Making a Federal Case Out of It 
• The Gentlemen Judges: Justices of the Peace

The Legal Genealogist Judy G. Russell is a genealogist with a law degree. She writes, teaches and lectures on a wide variety of genealogical topics, ranging from using court records in family history to understanding DNA testing. A Colorado native with roots deep in the American south on her mother’s side and entirely in Germany on her father’s side, she is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society and numerous state and regional genealogical societies. She attended the National Institute on Genealogical Research (NIGR) at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and was a Walter Lee Sheppard Jr. prizewinner in Advanced Methodology and Evidence Analysis at the Institute of Genealogy & Historical Research (IGHR) at Samford University. Now on the faculty of IGHR as well as the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, she is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, from which she holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist℠ and Certified Genealogical Lecturer℠. She has written for the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, the National Genealogical Society Magazine and BCG’s OnBoard newsletter. Her blog, chosen as one of the American Bar Association’s top 100 in 2013, appears at The Legal Genealogist website http://www.legalgenealogist.com.

The FGS 2015 Alaskan Cruise will offer a full genealogy conference during sea days that does not encroach on time to enjoy mainland excursions.  Register for the cruise at https://www.fgsconference.org/cruise/.

Societies: Here's a Great Program Idea

Briscoe Center for American History (Credit: Caroline M. Pointer)

While compiling information on what's happening this month, I was struck by two things: 1) American Archives Month was set up to teach the public about the importance of maintaining historical records and 2) Many of the announcements regarding Family History Month events are posted online only a day before or, in many cases, the same day as the event.

The reason I mention the purpose of American Archives Month, is that it clearly shows the communication disconnect between the resource repositories we use as researchers and us. You don't have to go very far to find a campaign that shows just how generous family historians and genealogists are when they are called to preserve history: The Preserve the Pensions campaign exploded during what was to be a simple event at FGS2014 and turned into an enormous, and dare I say incredibly entertaining, success. Just read what Judy G. Russell, The Legal Genealogist, said about her experience; you can't help but smile about the effort and the outcome. While money is very important, there are so very many aspects that play into the success of a repository.

The professional archives world is working to educate us and there's plenty of education to have. There are lots of Archives that run programs for the public to help us understand what it takes to be the stewards of the materials we use. The communication disconnect happens when we don't take advantage of those programs and the repositories, or those who oversee the repositories, believe that there's no interest in the educational process or the materials.

The irony in this situation is that many genealogy societies struggle to get people to attend their meetings and/or educational sessions. It's a battle between getting people to join the Society, getting them to invest their time in being active members and finding ways to keep the members you have engaged, right?

Why not kill two birds with one stone? Contact a local repository and ask about bringing your group to see the collection that they have. This provides the opportunity for the local repository to do something they want to do (educate the public), allows your Society to do something you want to do (engage your members) and does something that many researchers would like to do (see an archives and understand what value it has for them and their research). Additionally, you could ask the archivist at the repository if they would be willing to come to your meeting to present to your group. Both of these options help to open the communication between those who care for the primary materials we need and us.

Family History Month continues with lots of programs going on across the United States. But, those programs may not have the attendance you'd like if the notices aren't posted with enough advance notice for people to get there. Why not try posting your event, with appropriate permissions of course, to local Facebook and Google+ groups? If you are a FGS Member Society, enter your event on our Upcoming Event Calendar. Announce them on Twitter with the hashtag for your location, or out on listservs for other groups, like history, historic preservation, etc. Don't forget the home schooling groups; they're a great way to get the next generation interested in joining your society!

Sponsor a Celebrity Walker in the Preserve the Pension Fun Walk at #FGS2014

Which celebrity will you sponsor?

Thank you Judy Russell. Your promotion of the Preserve the Pensions Fun Walk and the generous offers of sponsorship you have received have inspired us.

We are changing things up!

Instead of a group walk, we have four sponsored walkers for you to choose from: Judy Russell of The Legal Genealogist, D. Joshua Taylor and Kenyatta Berry on behalf of Genealogy Roadshow and Ed Donakey of Family Search.

These four walkers will be competing for your sponsorship to see which of them can raise the most funds for the Preserve The Pensions campaign.

And while we hope those of you who intended to walk will get out and enjoy all that San Antonio has to offer, we ask that you commit to sponsoring one of our celebrity walkers instead.

Judy, Josh, Kenyatta and Ed will walk Saturday morning August 30^th at 6:30am. (That’s right Judy, you’ll still have to get up early, that hasn’t changed!)

If you happen to be up at what Judy lovingly calls “oh dark thirty” I hope you’ll consider seeing them off from their starting point at the front of the Henry B Gonzales Convention Center.

Every dollar raised in support of our walkers goes directly to the Preserve The Pensions fund.  Every dollar is matched first by FGS, then again by Ancestry. Every $25.00 sponsorship becomes a $100.00 contribution to the preservation of this incredibly important collection of War of 1812 pensions.

Now all you have to decide is which of these four amazing individuals will get your support!

Details: 

Show attendees, please stop by the Preserve The Pensions booth 506, 508.

Donate $25.00 to sponsor your favorite walker and pick up your T-Shirt.  (Shirts available while they last.)

For those not attending the show, please visit our donate page at https://www.preservethepensions.org/donate

You’ll see a section marked “Honor and Tribute” where you can select the walker you’d like to sponsor. After the convention we’ll coordinate with you on T-shirt size and shipping.