The Armchair Genealogist

Writing Family History – Check Out Their Blogs

2012-02-14T11:03:00.000-05:00

Some of the members of the Family History Writing Challenge are also writing about their experience in their own personal blogs. I rounded-up a list for those who have shared their links with me. If you would like to follow their journey throughout these 29 Days drop by their blogs. If there is anyone else blogging about the challenge that I missed please leave me your link so you can be added to the list. We are crossing the half-way mark this week, so I encourage you to stop by their...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

Monday Morning Mentions

2012-02-12T23:55:00.000-05:00

Monday Morning Mentions is an opportunity to reflect on the events of the week at the Armchair Genealogist and in the blogging and book community. Over my morning cappuccino, I will take the opportunity to share with you some of my favourite blogs posts this week and give a nod to my peers. You can also find me on Facebook. Stop by and leave a message. I often will link some great finds there as well. You can also follow me on twitter at @LynnPal or my twitter paperThe Armchair Genealogist...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

Seven Tips to Meet the Challenge

2012-02-09T23:55:00.000-05:00

(This is a guest post by Linda Gartz for The Family History Writing Challenge) Linda GartzLinda cut her journalistic teeth in the television business—researching, producing, and writing documentaries that have aired nationally on CBS, ABC, NBC, and PBS and have been syndicated on cable nation-wide. Linda has published article in magazines, literary journals, and newspapers nationwide. Linda is the Family Archaeologist, digging deep into twentieth century history as unearthed through...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

The Many Faces of Rootstech

2012-02-08T23:55:00.000-05:00

Little did I know when I signed up for Rootstech the magnitude of the learning that was about to take place. Sure, I knew there would be plenty of classes and plenty of traditional learning. However, I didn’t anticipate the connections I would make with a cross-section of the 4000 attendees. Little did I know what I would learn from them. Nancy Shively from Gathering Stories Thomas and Dear Myrtle First, I had the honour of attending The Official Blogger Dinner. It was...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

Ontario Roman Catholic Church Records - Now Online

2012-02-07T23:55:00.000-05:00

A significant number of Roman Catholic Church Records for the province of Ontario has recently been added to FamilySearch website. As of January 2012, 126,534 records for the Roman Catholic Church for 1760-1923 for what was then known as Upper Canada and Canada West are now available for viewing. Within the collection you can find baptisms, marriages, deaths and some confirmation records. These records are not indexed but are sorted by county, city/town, and churches. I personally...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

The Family History Writing Challenge - A One Week Update

2012-02-07T11:00:00.000-05:00

On February 1st, 138 members began The Family History Writing Challenge. We have 58 members in the forum where we are sharing successes and struggles and supporting each other. I'm so proud to see the wonderful support and interaction taking place in the forum and very happy with those who have enthusiastically taken on the challenge of writing their family history. I asked members to post the number of words they are pledging to write daily. I am happy to report...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

Tuesday’s Tip – Rootstech Learning Continues

2012-02-06T23:55:00.000-05:00

If you were among the 4200 attendees at the Rootstech conference this past week in Salt Lake City Utah then you are well aware of just how busy these 3 days were for all involved. Many times I found myself in the dilemma of wondering which lecture to take in and just how to absorb all this information. There were so many wonderful opportunities to learn and many of them occurred at conflicting times. Regardless of whether you attend Rootstech, the learning continues, and there are 3 ways...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

Road Trip to Rootstech - Day 1

2012-02-02T13:59:00.000-05:00

So far I had a exciting and action packed morning. I toured the facilities with some of my fellow bloggers before it opened to the masses at 7:30am this morning. You gotta love genealogy to get up that early and be functioning. We got reserved seating for the opening Keynote address, Paul Nuata is doing a great job of making us feel special. I hoped you were watching on the live-streaming. It was an inspirational keynote address by Jay offering up the ideal scenario of where we could be...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

Many Hands Make Quick Work

2012-02-01T23:42:00.000-05:00

That was the message tonight at the Official Blogger Dinner on the eve before Rootstech goes full throttle tomorrow morning. Family Search needs your help indexing the 1940 U.S. Census beginning April 2. More news as the week unfolds. Off to bed so I can rest up for a full day tomorrow. I enjoyed meeting many of my fellow bloggers tonight and having some wonderful conversations with the Family Search Staff.

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

Family History Writing Challenge- Last Call

2012-01-30T23:55:00.000-05:00

We are just about ready to start The Family History Writing Challenge, with only a couple of days left, there is still time to join. If you are not aware of the challenge then jump over to The Family History Writing Challenge website, you can find everything you need to get started. The sign up form, posts to help start planning and organizing your writing, directions to the forum where we will chat about our struggles and triumphs along the way. I’m proud to announce that there are...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

Monday Morning Mentions

2012-01-29T23:55:00.000-05:00

Monday Morning Mentions is an opportunity to reflect on the events of the week at the Armchair Genealogist and in the blogging and book community. Over my morning cappuccino, I will take the opportunity to share with you some of my favourite blogs posts this week and give a nod to my peers. You can also find me on Facebook. Stop by and leave a message. I often will link some great finds there as well. You can also follow me on twitter at @LynnPal or my twitter...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

Guess Who’s Coming to the Party?

2012-01-26T23:55:00.000-05:00

What party you say? No not Rootstech! The other party, The Family History Writing Challenge. The month long event where family history writers will get busy writing their stories. So far the month is shaping up to be quite the event. We are over 60 strong presently, with membership coming in every day. We’ve got The Family History Writing Challenge website established where all the posts will be published once the month begins. You can also sign up there and find the link to the...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

Road Trip To Rootstech – The Countdown Begins

2012-01-25T23:55:00.000-05:00

We are exactly one week away from Rootstech. I think I’m finally got all my ducks in a row. Airline tickets are booked. We will be flying out of Detroit early on Wed morning, putting us in Salt Lake by 10:30 am, fingers crossed all goes well. I forked out the extra $$$ for a direct flight, being winter I didn’t want to chance been stranded in another hub. We will head to Detroit the night before, stay in an airport hotel where we will leave the car. That’s the plan. Since we last...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

RootsTech: Live-Streaming Schedule

2012-01-25T10:56:00.000-05:00

RootsTech has announced the live-streaming schedule for this year's conference. I attended the live streaming last year and I encourage you to attend from the comfort of your armchair. This is a fantastic online learning opportunity for genealogists of all levels of experience. You will not be disappointed. The live-streaming will cover all lectures taking place in Room 155. Keep in mind that the times of these lectures are Mountain Standard Time, be sure to convert to your timezone.Use...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

Let’s Be Honest

2012-01-23T23:55:00.000-05:00

I have a confession. I have on occasion allowed a myriad of thoughts to overtake my brain and create chaos in my head. That dark dispirited voice nags at me over and over again. The voice cries: "What if my writing isn’t good enough? What if my family doesn’t like my writing? The harshest critics can be my family, if they don’t like my writing…they don’t like me. What if people discover I really don’t know what I’m doing?" See you’re not alone. It's not as dark...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

Monday Morning Mentions

2012-01-22T23:55:00.000-05:00

Monday Morning Mentions is an opportunity to reflect on the events of the week at the Armchair Genealogist and in the blogging and book community. Over my morning cappuccino, I will take the opportunity to share with you some of my favourite blogs posts this week and give a nod to my peers. You can also find me on Facebook. Stop by and leave a message. I often will link some great finds there as well. You can also follow me on twitter at @LynnPal or my twitter...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

Take the Challenge – Write Your Family History in 29 Days!

2012-01-17T14:21:00.001-05:00

Life can get in the way of some of the best laid plans. Too often, we have very good intentions but somehow we never quite get it done, and often we are overwhelmed that we never even start. The Family History Writing Challenge is an opportunity for all genealogists, to set some valuable time aside for the next 29 days and commit to writing their family history stories. No more excuses. There are so many benefits to writing your family history. First for yourself, assembling...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

Tuesday’s Tip – Geneablogger’s Radio

2012-01-16T23:55:00.000-05:00

What is Geneablogger’s Radio and how can it help my family history research? If you haven’t heard about Geneablogger’s Radio then you are missing out on one of the greatest learning tools on the internet. Once a week, genealogists gather together to listen to a genealogy radio show and exchange information and ideas over on Blog Talk Radio. GeneaBloggers Radio is hosted by Thomas MacEntee. Thomas is a professional genealogist who has galvanized the genealogy blogging community...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

Monday Morning Mentions

2012-01-15T23:55:00.000-05:00

Monday Morning Mentions is an opportunity to reflect on the events of the week at the Armchair Genealogist and in the blogging and book community. Over my morning cappuccino, I will take the opportunity to share with you some of my favourite blogs posts this week and give a nod to my peers. You can also find me on Facebook. Stop by and leave a message. I often will link some great finds there as well. You can also follow me on twitter at @LynnPal or my twitter...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

Family Recipe Friday – Fish Chowder

2012-01-12T23:55:00.000-05:00

My love of fish chowder is influenced by my French-Canadian ancestors as well as my husband’s Italian heritage. In Canada, fish chowder originates from New England. The recipe was brought by the Empire Loyalists who settled in Quebec after the American War of Independence. My Quebec ancestors who lived along the St. Lawrence River would have served fish chowder to their families. In those regions, many people earned their living as fishermen and fish chowder would have most certainly...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

Road Trip to RootsTech

2012-01-10T23:55:00.000-05:00

I’m heading to RootsTech in Salt Lake City, Utah in 22 days.(can you hear the squeal of excitement.) I have registered for the conference, booked my hotel room and this week my must do is book the airline tickets. I’m excited about this conference. As someone who watched from the sidelines last year, I was really compelled to attend this year. I love the forward thinking of this conference, and since my budget for conferences is limited I had to think long and hard before I made the...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

My 2012 Mantra

2012-01-09T23:55:00.000-05:00

In know, I know, I’m a little late to the party…but…really I do have a good reason. This year instead of writing a list of goals, with good intentions, I actually took the time to put some thought in to how I was actually going to follow through on these goals. Where are my weaknesses when it comes to fulfilling my resolutions? Why do I and so many others fall down on this task? Goals are not hard for me to set, I’m a big goal setter my nature. I set goals daily, weekly and monthly. I...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

Monday Morning Mentions

2012-01-08T23:55:00.000-05:00

Monday Morning Mentions is an opportunity to reflect on the events of the week at the Armchair Genealogist and in the blogging and book community. Over my morning cappuccino, I will take the opportunity to share with you some of my favourite blogs posts this week and give a nod to my peers. You can also find me on Facebook. Stop by and leave a message. I often will link some great finds there as well. You can also follow me on twitter at @LynnPal or my twitter...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

2012 Genealogy Conferences

2012-01-03T23:55:00.000-05:00

A New Year, brings new genealogy plans. Many of us will be adding a genealogy conference or two on our list of to-dos for 2012. Therefore, it's time to update the 2012 Conference schedule. If there is conference you organize or one you plan on attending that is not on the list, drop me a line, I will be happy to add it. If you're having trouble deciding on which conference to attend, be sure to read Genealogy Conferences- Who Deserves Your Money? We discuss all the elements to...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.

Monday Morning Mentions: Resolutions

2012-01-01T23:55:00.000-05:00

This week's Monday Morning Mentions comes with a theme, resolutions. There has been plenty posted this week about New Year's Resolutions. Therefore, this weeks picks are based on their contribution to getting us moving in the right direction with our New Year's goals. Monday Morning Mentions is an opportunity to reflect on the events of the week at the Armchair Genealogist and in the blogging and book community. Over my morning cappuccino, I will take the opportunity to share...

We got a fresh new look, come check it out at The Armchair Genealogist.