A Day of Genealogy with the St. Mary's County Genealogical Society

The St. Mary's County (Maryland) Genealogical Society is hosting an all-day seminar on Saturday, March 28th. I will be there presenting two programs on DNA. Details on registering online, or by check, can be found on the society website. 

A Day of Genealogy  (SMCGS Monthly Meetings)

8:30 am to 4:00 pm

University System of Md at So MD, 44219 Airport Rd, California MD Bldg 1

 

DNA Inheritance Principles Explained - Genetic genealogy makes more sense if you understand the building blocks.  This lecture will revisit basic genetic principles you need to understand your results.  Presented by Shannon Combs-Bennett.

 

Road Blocks and Detours - Eva Slezak of the Enoch Pratt Library will present tips to find that missing branch or leaf on the family tree and how to avoid potential roadblocks and/or detours in your research.

 

DNA Test Comparison and What You Can Do With Your Test Results - Most people don't know exactly what they could get from DNA testing.  Shannon Combs-Bennett will discuss various DNA tests on the market, who sells them, and how you can use your results in your genealogy research.

 

21st Century Resources vs 20th Century Resources - Chuck Mason will discuss computers, the internet, search engines, databases and websites, books, CDs, microfilm, microfiche, and original records.  He will present how to develop a plan to use sources from both centuries - and then what to do if neither source works out.

  

Developing your leadership qualities

It’s been said that great leaders are born.  Like they come into the world fully formed like when Athena sprung from Zeus. Meaning either you are a leader or you are not.  What if I told you it is far from it.  Especially in our world where the young genealogist amongst us are the future.  Those fresh faces are out there hungry and eager to do more.  Would you be interested in learning how to hone those leadership traits and why it is important to our community of volunteers?

If you do not think you are a born leader those skills can be developed.  The best way is through volunteering.  For the genealogy community, volunteering comes in many forms from in-person to virtual.  Trying your hand at a variety of tasks for different groups is a great way to learn your strengths and weaknesses.  From that knowledge, you can hone in and develop the skills you need to further the mission of your group and your ability to be a great leader. 

For example, if you are a whiz at marketing maybe you take on the advertising and publicity for your group.  Your panache and way with words could be a great boon to a group who needs to attract new membership.  Or, if you are an approachable person take the lead for those in-person communications for seminars, conferences, or group outings.  Successfully leading committees like these can help show your community that your society is thriving!

So, what qualities should you develop and nurture to become a successful leader?  I bet you already have many inside of you but you just didn’t know what to do with them!

·        Respect: is not given blindly but earned by both parties.  As a leader, you will need to learn how to show people simple courtesy at times no matter what your personal feelings are.  This may be one of the more difficult things to do, pulling yourself above a fray, but it is a trait that will set you apart from others.

·        Confidence: while not a trait many come to easy, confidence comes with experience and can even be faked.  A good leader is like a duck on water.  Cool and calm above water but paddling frantically below.  You need to be confident on your decisions, ideas, and thoughts.  If something happens in the group you are leading people will look to you for reassurance.

·        Focus:  as the head of a team you need to keep the group on track and focused on the objective in front of them.  While it may feel like herding cats at times being the one who can set, and stick to, an agenda is an art in of itself.  Keep that focus together for organizational tasks (meetings, presentations, events) that need to be tackled.  Through focus and clarity, you also can break large projects down into manageable goals which are the best way to tackle large problems. 

·        Communication:  the fastest way to strife and turmoil in a group is poor communication.  Develop your communication skill in two ways: in-person and online.  Each is very different but true leaders know when a phone call trumps an email.  Being known as someone who is open to communication and interested in others feedback will be an asset to you as a leader.  Communication keeps everyone in the loop, projects on track, special interest groups flowing, and chaos from poor interpersonal interactions at bay.

·        Delegation:  so….no one can do everything, not even you.  This skill can be the hardest to grasp and take the longest to use.  Sure, you might be the fastest at doing an item, but you also have a life.  Keeping a good life/work/volunteer balance is a struggle but by simply dividing up the tasks you can keep a handle on it.  Plus, you are allowing others to contribute and hone their skills too.

·        Creativity / Intuition: while this may not seem like a skill a leader should have many of the greatest will tell you that often they use their gut and out of the box thinking to solve problems or bring new ideas to fruition.  As a leader you involve your team in the thinking process to choose the best way or develop new ways to do things.  Contrary to popular belief just because you ALWAYS do something one way does not mean it ALWAYS has to be done that way.  Change can be very good.

Speaking during the month of cotober

Fall and pumpkin-spiced everything is in the air.  While I prefer apple cider, I am very happy that fall is here.  It means that I feel the need to educate!  That is right, I am ready to read about stuff want to learn, but I am also excited to be speaking with many groups of people this month.  Below are the places I will be presenting at over the next month and I hope you will come out and join me!  Make sure to say hi if you do.  I love when I can put a name with a face.

This coming Wednesday 7 October I am presenting a webinar titled "Engaging the Next Generation" to the Minnesota Genealogical Society.  It is my first time speaking with this group and I am super excited to do so.  They seem like a great bunch of people and I am happy to be participating in their first year of webinars.

I will be spending the morning of Saturday, October 10^th with my local society, the Fredericksburg Regional Genealogical Society,  for their Fall Lecture Series.  There I will present 2 lectures, "Tips and Tricks to using FamilySearch.org" and "Introduction to DNA Testing for Genealogy.”  Registration is required and snacks will be provided so please check out the website if you are interested in attending.

In the vein of helping out local groups, I am assisting a local Daughters of the American Revolution Chapter with their Beginning Genealogy Workshop on 14 October 2015. I will admit this is my first all day workshop so I am more than a bit nervous.  Registration closed on the 2^nd, however, if you message me ‘cause you really want to come I can see if there is room still available. 

I end the month where I began it with another lecture on the topic of "Engaging the Next Generation."  This will be on October 21st for the Shenandoah Valley Genealogical Society (SVGS) in Winchester, VA.  If you can’t see a theme yet I do have a couple passions in my line of work.  One of them is making sure we actively engage, promote, and sustain the youth in our community.  That, by the way, is a blog post in of itself coming your way later this month.

Ok everyone, I am off to batten down the hatches and hope that the hurricane doesn’t hit us too hard here in the metro DC area.  Yay, hurricane season!  

Observations from the edge: multi-generational needs in genealogy

Starting with RootsTech a few months back I have seen more and more traffic among genealogy blogs and forums about the need for outreach to younger genealogists.  To me, a border line Gen X / Gen Y (now a Gen C?) person, this is a wonderful and amazing thing.    Just in the last month there has been an upswing in the chatter on this subject culminating in the formation of a new society with its focus on promoting the next generation of genealogists.  

If you have read this blog for any amount of time you already know that I had a late start to the game.  Or at least in my mind.  In fact, I had not even heard of the word genealogy until I started to do research.  Maybe I had, but I was much younger and didn’t understand what exactly it meant.  However, I think if I had known what it was, that you could make a career out of it, or had been encouraged more as a child and young adult it would not have taken me until my mid-30s to come to where I am today.  Lost years, too many lost years, and lost family members along the way.

I obviously didn’t look hard enough for this field, I know, but I was focused on becoming a scientist.  Many of you probably understand. When you are in school trying to survive and get a degree, then get married, start a family, plus everything that comes with being young you sometimes don’t know which way is up.  I had the stories my family told me.  At that time in my life I thought that was enough.  Yes, I had Cousin Charlie who talked to everyone about my mother’s family and my dad’s mom also.  When they died I didn’t even think immediately about what happened to their stuff, and while I missed the updates I didn’t know what to do but go on with my life. 

Granted, I knew what a family tree was.  I had to do the time honored family tree in elementary school.  In college I filled out pedigree charts in biology class. Later I filled out family medical history charts with doctors.  Even then, I didn't stop and think to myself things like "wonder if I could follow a paper trail" or "how did they know what the line back was."  I had this notion in my head that all that was to be found had been and if I wanted to know more I just had to get a book. You know, because stuff back then wasn't kept like it is today.  Well, at least in my family that was the way of the world.

There was a veil in front of my eyes so to speak. A mystery that obviously only a few knew and only those in the know could pull back.  Or, at least that is what it felt like.  There had to be a way to find out more, but I did not have the tools or the education to do it.   Remember… biologist here…I knew all about that type of stuff not much about anything else.

Over the last several years a whole new world has opened up to me.  I have come to realize that it is easier now than it would have been a decade or more ago because of the internet.  Fast and easy accessibility was the key to get me started and hooked.  How else would a stay at home mom with 2 kids be able to carve out time to do research?  It would have been nearly impossible for me to do what I am doing now in the pre-computer/internet age.

It seems that those who get into genealogy as children or young adults had a family member help them at the start.  Those lucky few have more experience under their belt in their 20s than many of us late starters.  They are leading the next wave of genealogists and I don’t want anyone with a passion for family history, no matter how young, to be left out.  Mentoring the younger generations and giving them the opportunity to start on their own journey should be a concern to us all.

How many of you wish you parents/grandparents/siblings/cousins/etc. were still alive so you could ask those nagging questions?

Imagine what would happen if we encourage those already in university studying history, library science, sociology  or other related disciplines to look into genealogy as an aspect to their field.  How could we enrich them with what we know?  Even better, think about the ways they could enrich us with their knowledge of today.  

On the even younger scale, I don’t know how many of you have tweens in your life who watch the Disney Channel.  If you do you may have caught their segments My Family Tree.  These short pieces follow kids (I would guess middle school aged) as they discover aspects of their family history with their parents. They originally aired in 2010-11, but they are still being shown.  If you haven't seen them, some of the segments are on YouTube.  After my kids have watched an episode they always have questions about the show, if we have common themes in our family, and so many more questions.  If a 2 minute program can get kids attention…imagine what could happen to the future of our community if we harnessed this innate curiosity.

Granted, not all people will be interested in genealogy.  Just like I had neighbors at one point who didn’t understand why anyone would ever want to leave the tri-county area and a trip to the “City” 2 hours away was a huge deal.  We all have different interests, we all have different needs, and we all need someone to pick up where we leave off.  Wouldn't it be great if that someone was in the family?

Why should we wait until people are older to join in on the hunt? 

Coming together at the genealogy table will not happen overnight. Walls, age prejudice, thought patterns, and teaching will have to be addressed.  I have high hopes for our future with a multi-generational community that can learn and grow together.

However, to end on a funny note, add in a cat meme and I think this comic has it.

Two presentations this Saturday in Fredericksburg, Virginia

Advertisment from the CRRL Newsletter
Library Point, May 2013, page 3

This Saturday 11 May 2013 I will be making two presentations to the public in Fredericksburg, Virginia.  The first is an introduction to genetic genealogy and the second is on lineage societies.  If you are in the neighborhood, I hope to see you there!

From the Central Rappahannock Regional Library Website:

Introductory Genealogy and Beyond 

Branch:  Moved to the Free-Lance Star Building

Age Level:  Adults

Description: CRRL and the Fredericksburg Regional Genealogical Society invite you to meet with the experts and learn everything you need to know about doing the family tree! Free! Sign up required. Call or email Kris Jankovits of FRGS 540-226-9280 or findkaj@hotmail.com 

May 11: DNA in Genealogy and Lineage Societies--Shannon Bennett, Fredericksburg Regional Genealogy Society

Time:  Saturday, May 11, 2013 - 9:00am - 11:00am

Synopsis of presentation on Genetic Genealogy:

This is a general overview of genetics and how it relates to genealogy.  Topics discussed will include basic terminology, the types of testing offered, and how to use it in conjunction with your genealogy research. A knowledge of genetics is not required to attend.

Synopsis of presentation on Lineage Societies:

This presentation will focus on what individuals can do with their research.  Lineage Societies are numerous and not only are a way to honor your heritage but also to connect with other people who share the same history and passions as you.  Participants will be guided through how to select and find a society to what are the best types of documents to submit.

Week 48 of Abundant Genealogy

Week 48: Genealogy Society Member. Genealogy society members are a vital part of the family history community. We’ve made many acquaintances this way and we all benefit from their friendship, support and expertise. Share with us a genealogy society member that has left a memorable impression on you.

I have not met a person at a meeting, yet, who has not left a favorable impression on me.  Everyone has been friendly, warm, welcoming, and genuinely happy to see someone new.  In my experience, not all organizations are like this.  Too often in the past I have been left in the cold and made to feel like an outsider at a groups meeting.  Thankfully, like I said, not at a genealogy meeting.

To pick one person would be so hard.  Everyone I have become friends with has helped, guided, and encouraged me in my endeavors.  I have learned a lot from them, and I hope that I have possibly taught them something in exchange.  The level of enthusiasm from these women and men is contagious and I always leave meetings feeling re-energized and rearing to go again.

Lesson for the day:  If you haven’t joined a local society then run, don’t walk, to your nearest one and sign the membership form.  You won’t be disappointed! 

photo credit: rickz via photopin cc

Local Meeting Sucess

Last night I attended a local genealogical society meeting.  Awesome huh?  I had tried to begin attending last year; however their meeting nights conflicted with another activity I was required to attend.  It was very exciting to be able to attend something in the local area with people who enjoy genealogy.

I found out about it yesterday morning from a new genealogy friend who lives in the same housing complex I do.  We met at the Fairfax County Genealogical Societies Fall Fair nearly a month ago.  I was asking questions about becoming a member when the nice lady I was talking to, Ole Myrtle herself, exclaimed that there was another person in the room from the same town I was.  We chatted briefly and talk about riding up to meetings in Fairfax together.  Need to do that, but the timing didn’t work out for this month.  Just one more reason I need to find reliable child care… again.

It was great to get a phone call yesterday morning from her letting me know that 20 minutes from my house there was going to be a meeting of the Fredericksburg Regional Genealogical Society.  After I fed my boys dinner we jumped into the car and headed out to the meeting at the Salem Church Library in Fredericksburg, VA.  My youngest played with LEGOS throughout the meeting, but my oldest sat in rapt attention during the guest speaker’s presentation.

The guest for the evening was Ray Maki and he spoke about finding female ancestors.  I picked up some good tips, heard wonderful family stories, learned of some great new resources for New York, and enjoyed watching my oldest son with great big eyes learn about documenting your research.  He particularly thought the wills were the “most awesome” thing he had ever seen.

They are a nice group of people, I even saw a woman from the chapter of the DAR I am joining, and I think I will enjoy being with them.  My helium hand stayed down, for now, and I did not leave the meeting with a job.  I did however leave the meeting with an invitation to speak in the future on a couple subjects.  Gulp…
 

photo credit: de sata1 via photopin cc