Today is Friday, February 3, 2012 and here is what’s available in terms of events in the genealogy blogosphere:

Items of Note

• Happy blogiversary to the Our Scots Blog (started February 3, 2010)!

• Today is Bubble Gum Day (US), The Day The Music Died (US), and Wear Red Day.

• Look for the Genealogy Blogging Events for the Week of February 3-10, 2012 later this morning.

• Don’t forget to tune into GeneaBloggers Radio this evening for a special episode entitled: GeneaBloggers Radio Birthday Bash.

Daily Blogging Prompts

Family Recipe Friday – is an opportunity to share your family recipes with fellow bloggers and foodies alike. Whether it’s an old-fashioned recipe passed down through generations, a recipe uncovered through your family history research, or a discovered recipe that embraces your ancestral heritage share them on Family Recipe Friday. This series was suggested by Lynn Palermo of The Armchair Genealogist.

Follow Friday – create a post in which you recommend another genealogy blogger, a specific blog post, a genealogy website or a genealogy resource. Tell us why they are important to the genealogy community and why we should follow.  Follow Friday is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers and was suggested by Earline Bradt of Ancestral Notes.

Friend of Friends Friday – if you have encountered records of enslaved ancestors, whether they are your own ancestors or not, make it a point to transcribe those records and get them posted on the Internet via your blog. Friend of Friends Friday is an important service to the genealogy community – both Leslie Ann of Ancestors Live Here and Greta of Greta’s Genealogy Bog have been posting to this series for some time now and their inspiration is much appreciated.

Friday Funny – have you come across something genealogy-related that makes you laugh or smile? Post images, stories, quotes and more during Friday Funny. Friday Funny is a daily blogging prompt suggested by Jennie Pak of They Came to Montana.

Funeral Card Friday – do you have a collection of memorial cards for your ancestors or family members, the kind that funeral homes produce and give out to mourners? Post images of these cards and stories about the person memorialized during Funeral Card Friday. Funeral Card Friday has been an ongoing series by Dee at Funeral Cards & Genealogy.

To ensure that your blog post is included in the “roll-up” widgets above, include the name of the blogging theme in your post title. Examples: Black Sheep Sunday – Paige Turner; Tombstone Tuesday – Pearl E. Gates.

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If you would like your event or Daily Blogging Prompt included, please contact Geneabloggers at geneabloggers [at] gmail [dot] com.

©2012, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Post from: GeneaBloggers

Genealogy Blogging Beat – Friday, February 3, 2012

copyright 2011, Thomas MacEntee

Today is Thursday, February 2, 2012, and here is what’s available in terms of Daily Blogging Prompts and other related events in the genealogy blogosphere:

Items of Note

• Happy blogiversary to Angler’s Rest (started February 2, 2002).

• Today is Candlemas, and Groundhog Day (US).

Daily Blogging Prompts

Thankful Thursday – Create a post that expresses gratitude for a person (past or present), resource, family history tool or anything connected to you or your and family history that has had a positive impact on your life. This prompt has been suggested by Carolyn Murphy of Family Tree Gal and has been in use by Mary Warren of Mary’s Musings for the past year.

Thrifty Thursday – do you have some neat ways of saving money when it comes to genealogy? Have you located a bargain on some research resource or office supply? Post about it during Thrifty Thursday! This series has been suggested by Judy Webster of Queensland Genealogy.

Thriller Thursday – Are there murders, bizarre accidents or other thrilling stories among your family history? Tell us about them through words and pictures during Thriller Thursday. This is an ongoing series by Anne Kruszka at Gene Notes.

Those Places Thursday – do you often think back to places where you lived and worked at one time? What about those places where your ancestors spent time? Post about “those places” with photos and stories on Those Places Thursday. This has been an ongoing series by Cheryl Palmer of Heritage Happens.

Treasure Chest Thursday – create a post with the main focus being a family treasure, an heirloom or even an every-day item important to your family. A special thanks to Leslie Ann Ballou of Lost Family Treasures for suggesting Treasure Chest Thursday as a daily blogging theme!

To ensure that your blog post is included in the “roll-up” widgets above, include the name of the blogging theme in your post title. Examples: Black Sheep Sunday – Anita Bath; Tombstone Tuesday – Aleta Buffet.

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If you would like your event or Daily Blogging Prompt included, please contact Geneabloggers at geneabloggers [at] gmail [dot] com.

©2012, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Post from: GeneaBloggers

Genealogy Blogging Beat – Thursday, February 2, 2012

copyright 2011, Thomas MacEntee

GeneaBloggers Radio Birthday Show

This week our show is entitled GeneaBloggers Radio Birthday Show and we’ll be celebrating one year of GeneaBloggers Radio. Our broadcast will come to you LIVE from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City during the RootsTech conference. We’ll have a fun line up of genealogy vendors and other guests stopping by to wish us happy birthday.

How To Listen To GeneaBloggers Radio

So here is how it all works:

1. Visit the GeneaBloggers page at Blog Talk Radio.
2. Click on the Upcoming Episode entitled “GeneaBloggers Radio Birthday Show“
3. Then you can sign up for updates and reminders.
4. At 8:00 pm Central on Friday, February 3, 2012, listen in at the Blog Talk Radio website. The player should start automatically – you will need to turn on your computer speakers or use your headphones.
5. If you want to call in to the show and share your thoughts and comments with the host or guests, the dial-in number is +1 (213) 286-6709. You can also use your Skype account to call in – click here for instructions.
6. There will also be a chat room on that same page where you can type and interact with other listeners. [Note: you must login with Facebook or have an account at Blog Talk Radio and sign in to access the chat room!] I often take cues and suggestions from the chat room so don’t be shy!

SPECIAL: You can now find GeneaBloggers Radio archived episodes in the iTunes store! Click here to download episodes for free!

Don’t forget – GeneaBloggers Radio is about the most fun you can have with your genealogy on a Friday night!

Disclosure:  Please see Disclosure Statements for more information on my material connection with genealogy vendors and organizations.

©2012, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Post from: GeneaBloggers

GeneaBloggers Radio – Friday Night, February 3, 2012

copyright 2011, Thomas MacEntee

So how are you doing with those genealogy resolutions for 2012?  Have you backed up your genealogy data in 2012 yet? Today is Data Backup Day, February 1, 2012.

Data Backup Resolutions

• Take inventory of what data needs to be backed up and how often backups should be performed. Make sure you include favorites and bookmarks, blog posts, website files, etc. These days our genealogy “data” is so much more than just our genealogy software databases.

• Select a backup method that works for you. Check out online services such as DropBox which not only gives you 2GB of free online storage, but also synchronizes your data changes across many devices including your netbook and smart phone or mobile device!

• Don’t put off backing up your data! You never know when a hard drive might fail or your home could be hit by fire, flood or some other disaster.

• While you’re at it, also consider securing paper documents and photos in archival acid-free and waterproof containers. And make plans to attend the next Scanfest when you can scan these items to create a digital backup.

• Help spread the word about the importance of data backups for genealogists and family historians. Place a status message on your Facebook page or using Twitter. Make a mention in your genealogical society newsletter or make the announcement in person next time you attend a meeting.

Data Backup Resources

GeneaBloggers has developed a resource list of data backup methodologies and solutions. Click here to learn how you can backup almost every aspect of your blog, your browser, your computer – even Macs!

Recent Genealogy Blogger Experiences

If you think that data loss can’t happen to you, see what your genealogy blogging colleagues have said recently:

Photo: Backup Backup Backup – And Test Restores at Flickr courtesy of Topato

©2012, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Post from: GeneaBloggers

Data Backup Day – February 1, 2012

copyright 2011, Thomas MacEntee

Today is Wednesday, February 1, 2012, and here is what’s available in terms of Daily Blogging Prompts and other related events in the genealogy blogosphere:

Items of Note

• Today is Black History Month begins (US), Data Backup Day, and National Freedom Day (US).

Daily Blogging Prompts

Wedding Wednesday – a great way to display those old wedding photos or scan wedding invitations and announcements! Suggested by Carol of Reflections from the Fence and in use by several genealogy bloggers.

Wednesday’s Child – Post photos of gravestones of children. A sad topic indeed but posts can give life to the stories of these young souls. This has been an ongoing series by Amy at Gravestoned.

Wisdom Wednesday – an alternative to Wordless Wednesday for those who just can’t post without words! Create a post in which you share words of wisdom about any number of things including weddings, marriage, children, work, and so on.  A post  could include such things as favorite sayings of grannies, superstitions, that sort of thing.  Words of wisdom should have their origins in the past and have been passed on from generation to generation. Wisdom Wednesday is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers suggested by Jennifer Geraghty-Gorman of On a Flesh and Bone Foundation: An Irish History.

Wordless Wednesday – a great way to share your old family photos! Create a post with the main focus being a photograph or image. Some posters also include attribute information as to the source of the image (date, location, owner, etc.). Wordless Wednesday is one of the longest running “memes” in the blogosphere and is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Workday Wednesday – a way to document your ancestors’ occupations (they weren’t all farmers), transcripts of SS-5s, photos and stories of ancestors at work, announcements of retirements, etc. This prompt has been suggested by Denise Spurlock of the Denise’s Life in the Past Lane and Reflecting on Genealogy blogs.

To ensure that your blog post is included in the “roll-up” widgets above, include the name of the blogging theme in your post title. Examples: Black Sheep Sunday – Juan Nightstand; Tombstone Tuesday – Bessie Mae Mucho.

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If you would like your event or Daily Blogging Prompt included, please contact Geneabloggers at geneabloggers [at] gmail [dot] com.

©2012, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Post from: GeneaBloggers

Genealogy Blogging Beat – Wednesday, February 1, 2012

copyright 2011, Thomas MacEntee

Today is Tuesday, January 31, 2012 and here is what’s available in terms of Daily Blogging Prompts and other related events in the genealogy blogosphere:

Items of Note

• Happy blogiversary to Roots and Stones (started January 31, 2010)!

• Today is First Social Security Check Issued 1940 (US).

Daily Blogging Prompts

Talented Tuesday – Got ancestors who had a special talent? Be it musical, comical, or any manner of skill, post at your genealogy blog through words and pictures.

Tech Tuesday – Have you stumbled upon a piece of technology or new Web-based application that would be of interest to your fellow genealogy colleagues? Post at your blog on Tech Tuesday and show us the ins and outs of this technology and how it can benefit the genealogy community.  This is a new series suggested by Donna Peterson of Hanging with Donna and in the past there have been many iterations of this series: the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) blog Narations as well as The Family Curator by Denise Levenick.

Tombstone Tuesday – To participate in Tombstone Tuesday simply create a post which includes an image of a gravestone of one or more ancestors and it may also include a brief description of the image or the ancestor. This is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Travel Tuesday – Do you have images, quotes or stories about trips your ancestors or family took during their lives? Or have to ventured out on travels to your ancestral homeland as part of your genealogy research? Travel Tuesday is a daily blogging prompt suggested by Susan Donaldson of Family History Fun.

Tuesday’s Tip – What advice would you give to another genealogist or family historian, especially someone just starting out? Remember when you were new to genealogy? Wasn’t it great to find tips and tricks that worked for others? Post your best tips at your genealogy blog on Tuesday’s Tip. This series was suggested by Susan Petersen of Long Lost Relatives and, in fact, this has been an ongoing series by Lynn Palermo at The Armchair Genealogist and by Miriam Robbins at AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors.

To ensure that your blog post is included in the “roll-up” widgets above, include the name of the blogging theme in your post title. Examples: Black Sheep Sunday – Andrea Dorea; Tombstone Tuesday – Nequelle Anne Dyme.

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If you would like your event or Daily Blogging Prompt included, please contact Geneabloggers at geneabloggers [at] gmail [dot].com.

©2012, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Post from: GeneaBloggers

Genealogy Blogging Beat – Tuesday, January 31, 2012

copyright 2011, Thomas MacEntee

I have the great pleasure of introducing you to Amanda Pape and her blog, ABT UNK, described as, “. . .  It’s mostly my family history, but some local history as well (‘local’ being wherever I happen to be at the time).”

How Amanda Got Started in Genealogy

Amanda was born in Evanston, Illinois, where her dad’s family is rooted and grew up in Houston, Texas, where her mom’s family is rooted. She has lived in College Station, Washington-on-the-Brazos, San Antonio, and now lives about 30 miles from Fort Worth, Texas. Amanda also lived in the Seattle area for 21 years.

Amanda has been working on her family history since about 1986, when her son was born, “ . . . I think the birth of the next generation was a motivator, but my parents also got me interested. Dad obtained a number of family photos when his father passed away in 1970. Mom was a history major and has been researching our families for many years.

I downloaded PAF (Personal Ancestral File) back in the late 1980’s and started entering the information they’d collected in order to print out nice pedigree charts! It’s just expanded from there. While in library school, I did my practicum with the genealogy librarian at the local public library, so now I help others with their research too.

I’m the Special Services Librarian at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. That simply means I’m in charge of everything on the lower level of the library, which includes our local history/genealogy room. For some reason, the university has the county’s old records, not the local public library. Our librarian who is the local history expert retires at the end of January, so I will be completely responsible for this area. I’m excited, but I also have a lot to learn.”

Amanda’s Family and Her Blog

“I am blessed to still have my 83-year-old parents, but Mom doesn’t use the computer at all, and Dad pretty much just uses it for e-mail and spreadsheets. Therefore, they didn’t read my blog. For Christmas this last year, I made them blog books using Blurb.com’s BookSmart software (very easy to use, by the way, but if you’re a perfectionist like me about layout – I’m a former yearbook newsletter editor – it can be time-consuming). Dad’s book had the posts for his ancestors, and Mom’s book had the posts for her ancestors, and I split the posts about my growing-up years between their books. Two years worth of posts made two 120-page books, and they just love them!”

Amanda’s Thoughts on Blogging

Amanda wanted a blog name that began with A, “Like my name so it would appear near the top in most lists (since most are alphabetical). With a first name of Amanda, I’ve found that being near the top of the list is often advantageous!

I’d had a book review blog for a couple of years and participated in a group book review blog, as well as a couple group blogs at work. Amy Coffin is a fellow librarian and friend, and I’d been following her LiveJournal and We Tree blogs for some time. Through the latter, I discovered, Thomas MacEntee’s GeneaBloggers site. The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories prompts intrigued me, so I started my blog on December 1, 2009, in order to participate.

ABT and UNK are abbreviations commonly used in family trees, for ‘about’ (when you’re not sure of the date) and ‘unknown’ (when you don’t know a name or location).

Finally, blogging can really help with your research and with connecting with family. In my two years of blogging, twice so far, my blog has come up in searches by others, who have then sent me photographs of kin and other information, which provides more material for me to feature on my blog! I figure if I can get one great find like that a year, it’s all worth it!”

How Amanda Follows the Rest of Us

“I use the reader built into Blogger Dashboard (which is based on Google Reader). I’m currently following about 50 genealogy/family history blogs.”

Amanda’s most loyal follower is a co-worker and friend, Tracy, “I try to encourage my sisters and sister-in-law, niece, nephews, offspring, aunts, and cousins on Facebook to read posts by ‘sharing’ them on Facebook.”

What Amanda Loves Most About Genealogy

“What I love the most about doing my genealogy/family history are the interesting stories about my ancestors! I also enjoy the research process, and trying to figure out when and where a photograph was taken and who is in it from contextual clues.”

Amanda’s Time Capsule Message

“Identify the people and places in your photographs, and date them! Future generations will thank you!”

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Please take a moment to head on over to Amanda’s blog. Leave a comment to let her know you stopped by. Welcome Amanda, it’s great to have you here!

© 2012, copyright Gini Webb

Gini Webb lives in San Diego, California and manages her own blog, Ginisology, while also researching her own German heritage, recently retired, enjoying life with wonderful husband Steve and visiting with her now seven grandchildren!

Are you a genealogy blogger who would like to be interviewed for the “May I Introduce To You . . .” series? If so, contact Gini Webb via e-mail.

Post from: GeneaBloggers

May I Introduce To You . . . Amanda Pape

copyright 2011, Thomas MacEntee

[Editor's note: I found out about The Genealogy Event after its organizer, genealogist Bridget Bray, followed me on Twitter.  Since then I've had many inquiries from members of the online genealogy community since genealogy events of this size in the New York metro area - let alone New York City - are rare.  See below for more details!]

About THE GENEALOGY EVENT

“Uncover a Mystery, Discover your History” ™

THE GENEALOGY EVENT will be held October 26 & 27 2012 at the Metropolitan Pavilion, New York.  The ONLY event of its kind in 2012, THE GENEALOGY EVENT will feature a wide variety of exhibitors, sessions, one on one expert sessions plus much more!

Set in a city with a rich history, THE GENEALOGY EVENT will be a destination point during October’s Family History Month for those interested in genealogy and family history.

Visit www.thegenealogyevent.com for more information or email info@bbnygroup.com

• Interested in Attending? Registration opens April 26 2012!

• Interested in Exhibiting?  Early booking offers until April 30 2012!

• Interested in Speaking? Request for speakers opens February 6 2012!

About the Organizer – Bridget Bray | BBNY Group LLC

It may be said that it began with an Irish great grandfather about whom nothing much was known.  Simply: he was born somewhere in Ireland, died in England and had one of the most common surnames in Ireland.  To further compound the challenge Bridget had to deal predominantly with dead people – and found they did not tend to speak up.  So armed with fierce determination and extraordinary impatience Bridget embarked on a journey: one that led to many discoveries, pay per views, subscriptions, trips, memberships, courses, conferences, friendships but most importantly a desire to be immersed in genealogy.

In 2009 she formed the New York Irish / British Genealogy Group.  This group – a membership network at various stages of experience – gather to share tips, stories, join in lectures and trips.

Then leveraging her 18 years of combined event management and business development experience and coupled with a passion for genealogy Bridget developed THE GENEALOGY EVENT.  The goal: to create a New York based genealogy event inspiring individuals of all ages to start or to continue researching their roots and family history.

Visit www.thegenealogyevent.com for more information.

©2012, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Post from: GeneaBloggers

The Genealogy Event – New York City, October 26 & 27, 2012

copyright 2011, Thomas MacEntee

[Editor's Note: we received the following information from our friends at RootsMagic and GeneaBloggers is proud to participate in the RootsMagic Treasure Hunt.  See below for more information on how you can win!]

It’s been a tremendous last few months here at RootsMagic. We’ve been busy with the new releases of Personal Historian 2 and RootsMagic 5. We’re also excited to participate in one of the largest genealogy events in North America- RootsTech!

We want to celebrate these momentous events with you, our loyal users! And what better way to celebrate than with a treasure hunt where you could win one of many prizes including an iPad 2!

Online Treasure Hunt

We’ve partnered with 15 of the best and brightest genealogy bloggers who will be reporting at the RootsTech conference. Each blogger will place one of 15 clue words on their website

From Thursday, February 2 through Wednesday, February 8, 2012, visit http://www.rootsmagic.com/treasure for a complete list of the blogs where the 15 clue words can be found. Visit each blog, collect all 15 clue words, and you could win software, prizes, or an iPad 2!

Enter at RootsTech or at Home

Once you’ve collected the clues there are two ways to enter. The first is at the RootsTech conference itself. Pick up an entry card at the RootsMagic booth (#224) in the Exhibit Hall. Write the clue words on the back of the card and return it to the RootsMagic booth in the Exhibit Hall by Saturday, February 4 at 1:20 pm. At that time, we will hold the prize drawings. You must be present to win.

We didn’t want those who aren’t able to attend RootsTech in person to feel left out so we’re holding a second drawing and giving away more prizes including a second iPad 2. To enter this drawing, visit http://www.rootsmagic.com/treasure anytime between Thursday, February 2 and midnight MST on Wednesday, February 8, 2012. Fill out the online form to be entered into the second drawing. You may enter both drawings but one entry per person, per drawing. Winners will be picked at random and notified via e-mail by Friday, February 10, 2012.

Remember, the treasure hunt doesn’t begin until this Thursday. Good luck!

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Disclosure:  Please see Disclosure Statements for more information on my material connection with genealogy vendors and organizations.

Post from: GeneaBloggers

RootsMagic Treasure Hunt

copyright 2011, Thomas MacEntee

Today is Monday, January 30, 2012 and here is what’s available in terms of Daily Blogging Prompts and other related events in the genealogy blogosphere:

Items of Note

• Happy blogiversary to Genealogie Tagebuch (started January 30, 2007)!

• Today is Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day.

• Check back this afternoon for our series May I Introduce To You with an interview of genealogy blogger Amanda Pape of the ABT UNK blog.

Daily Blogging Prompts

Amanuensis Monday – An Amanuensis is a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another. Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin – some we never met – others we see a time in their life before we knew them. A fuller explanation can be found here.

Amanuensis Monday is a popular ongoing series created by John Newmark at Transylvanian Dutch.

Madness Monday – create a post with the main focus being an ancestor who either suffered some form of mental illness or an ancestor who might be hard to locate and drives you mad. This is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Mappy Monday – do maps, deeds and land records factor in to your family history? Join us for Mappy Monday where you can post map images and how they relate to your research or discuss other aspects of land ownership and your ancestors. Several members of GeneaBloggers suggested this type of theme and in fact Holly Spencer of Ravenna Area Historical Society Blog has been using this theme since March 2009.

Maritime Monday – Post about anything to do with the sea: ancestors who were sailors, shipwrights, fishermen, or coastguards including images, records and links. Maritime Monday is an ongoing series created by Ros Haywood at the GenWestUK blog.

Matrilineal Monday – Post about the female line of one of your families you are researching. Matrilineal Monday is an ongoing series by Jennifer Geraghty-Gorman of ‘On a flesh and bone foundation’: An Irish History.

Military Monday – We all have ancestors who have served in the military. Military Monday is a place to post their images, stories and records of their service in various branches of the military. Military Monday is an ongoing series by Cindy at Everything’s Relative – Researching Your Family History.

Mobile Monday – Do you use mobile applications on a SmartPhone to assist with your genealogy research? Post a review of any applications you’ve used or post about what you’d like to see in a mobile application related to genealogy. This is an ongoing series created by A.C. Ivory of the Find My Ancestor blog.

Motivation Monday – do you have a set of genealogy-related goals you want to tackle? Do you have tips on getting motivated? Whether you want to lend advice or you need advice, participate in Motivation Monday at your blog and tell us what’s on your genealogical plate. This is an ongoing series created by Dionne Kurti at Finding Josephine.

Mystery Monday – Closely related to Madness Monday only these missing ancestors might not cause madness! Mystery Monday is where you can post about mystery ancestors or mystery records – anything in your genealogy and family history research which is currently unsolved. This is a great way to get your fellow genealogy bloggers to lend their eyes to what you’ve found so far and possibly help solve the mystery. Several genealogy bloggers have been using Mystery Monday as an ongoing series including Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings, Kathleen Moore of The Misadventures of a Genealogist and Betty Tartas of Betty’s Boneyard Genealogy Blog.

To ensure that your blog post is included in the “roll-up” widgets below, include the name of the blogging theme in your post title. Examples: Black Sheep Sunday – Honey Dijon; Tombstone Tuesday – Ida Slapter.

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If you would like your event or Daily Blogging Prompt included, please contact Geneabloggers at geneabloggers [at] gmail [dot] com.

©2012, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Post from: GeneaBloggers

Genealogy Blogging Beat – Monday, January 30, 2012

copyright 2011, Thomas MacEntee