94 and still going strong

Happy Birthday to my Mum, Elsie Harriet Duncan

Born 31 January 1923, Cobar NSW

Trove Tuesday - Filing

I'm feeling rather virtuous as I spent the best part of yesterday filing - a task that I usually avoid like the plague.

Trove offers some filing related advice..

1914 'FILING NEGATIVES.', Punch (Melbourne, Vic. : 1900 - 1918; 1925), 26 November, p. 3. , viewed 30 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article121087659

1949 'FILING CABINET', The Blackwood Times (Bunbury, WA : 1905 - 1920; 1945 - 1954), 22 July, p. 14. , viewed 30 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article210699436

1942 'FILING CABINET', The World's News (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 1955), 1 August, p. 24. , viewed 30 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article139908893

The original of this next article is too difficult to read so I'll share a transcription.

SPECIAL FILING EDITION.

A limited edition of the "Sydney Morn-

ing Herald" on rag-made paper is pub-

lished daily.

This edition Is intended especially for

libraries, both public and Institutional, that

wish to have files on paper of permanence.

Copies of the edition are available to the

general public

Orders for the filing edition should reach

us as early as possible. Rates will be sup-

plied on application.

JOHN FAIRFAX & SONS, LTD.

1928 'SPECIAL FILING EDITION.', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 18 October, p. 10. , viewed 30 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16502667

1949 'HENRY', The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), 23 July, p. 14. (The Argus Week-End Magazine), viewed 30 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22766573

Pile Busting

On our recent trip to Hawaii I purchased a new 4 terabyte portable hard drive.

As I'm off to Rootstech in four days and shortly after that I'll be off gallivanting with Mr GeniAus I thought it time to copy all the files from my existing portable drive to the new one. I'll then be able to take one of the drives on my journeys knowing that all my files are backed up safely at home.

Last night as I watched my hero Roger play in the Australian Open I started transferring my files in manageable chunks. I felt more confident managing this task manually. I have photos from the late 19th century to today all organised in folders by date. At this point in time I am copying over our pics from 2013. Did you know I have 33,000 images from 2012? This process is taking a while.

Multitasking

I had previously transferred some of my family history files and will finish this (if and) when the photos are done. Meanwhile I didn't want to do too many tasks on my computer that may slow down the copying process. I had to think of a job for today that didn't involve the keyboard.

About six months ago I set up a folding table in my study on to which I sorted some of the hard copy family history files I had scanned. I am kicking myself that I didn't take a picture of this mountain range of filing piles because it has now vanished. Today I have dealt with all the files for myself, Mr GeniAus and our offspring. Next task is to sort the ancestor and grandchildren's papers on to the I may take a photo of the next mountain range of files I build.

Meanwhile I am so proud of my pile busting exercise.

I know I should be ditching a lot of this paper now that it's digitised but, like most genies, I'm a hoarder.

A Positive Postbox

Are you like me when you discover something exciting about an ancestor? Sometimes I share my joy in a blog post or via social media but most times I just tell Mr GeniAus who doesn't  get too excited unless it's a story or photo related to one of his ancestors. I add the details to my tree, scan and file away the docs and photos and move on.

As I was preparing my response to my 2016 Accentuate the Positive Geneameme I had trouble remembering high spots to share. I thought of  the memory jars some people are making and figured I could do something similar for my Geneajig moments.

I'm going to find a little box or tin and some sticky notes and I'll be ready to go. I'll call this my JukeBox, because it will contain my hits for the current year.

Ready for some Sleepless Nights?

The Rootstech Live Stream Schedule has been posted. You can watch selected presentations by eminent overseas speakers from the comfort of your home, however, the time difference may be a killer!

I have heard several of these speakers and some of them are amazing.

View the schedule here:

https://www.rootstech.org/live-stream-schedule

Just 7 more sleeps

 As it's only 7 more sleeps until I fly to Salt Lake City for Rootstech I am revisiting my old Rootstech checklist. 

Two years down the track I find the list needs amending. Some items are going and others appearing. Please let me know if there's anything obvious that I've missed.

Geniaus' Rootstech Checklist

• International return flight Australia to SLC - Booked.
• Airport transfers in SLC - No worries - Shuttles/taxis can be organised at airport in SLC. 
• Hotel Accommodation - Booked at the Marriott - most convenient hotel to Salt Palace and City Creek shops. 
• Passport - Have a new one with lots of blank pages. 
• ESTA (Visa) - Renewed.
• Travel insurance - Renewed.

• Conference Registration - Done.

• Respond to invitations - Done.
• Download the Rootstech App - Done, classes selected and friends made. If more people made their profiles public I would be able to make even more friends. 
• Download Rootstech syllabus papers of interest - Ongoing Task. 
• Compile list of Familysearch films to check in Family History Library - In progress in my Family Historian Database.
• Make list of geneashopping to be done while in the US - Need to prune list.

• Find out names of Aussies who are travelling to Rootstech - Have around a dozen names. No-one from Tasmania, Western Australia or the Northern Territory yet. 
• Set a date for a casual pre-conference dinner for members of the British Commonwealth attending Rootstech - Done. Details here.

• Aussie pins/stickers/badges to hand out -  waiting for post Australia Day sales.
•  GeniAus Business Cards to hand out -Yes, still have supplies. 
• GeniAus ribbons - Awaiting pickup on Salt Lake City. Thanks DearMyrtle. 
• Purchase breakfast bars and healthy snacks for quick meals - have been to supermarket.
• Start gathering up my Geneabling to wear at the event - do I really want to take this stuff? 
• Organise my technology for the trip - That's for next week.
• Pack my Bag - I need to know what I'm taking first. Maybe I need a packing list.

Geneabling

GAGs - GeniAus Gems - 27 January 2017

Yesterday, Australia Day, I spent most of my time setting up profiles on FTDNA and Gedmatch for three fab family members who took DNA tests for me.

In the evening we celebrated Australia Day with some of the family. We enjoyed a Barbie by the pool and then, in the cool of the evening, the more energetic took to the tennis court for a set or two while the kids happily played on their bikes and scooters.


I feel quite guilty that I didn't write an Australia Day post so I am going to fill this post with links to posts with an Australia Day theme written by mates I follow in my RSS feed reader .

1. A verse from Chris.
http://thebackfenceofgenealogy-crissouli.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/im-happy-to-know.html

2. The Clan MacFarlane Society.
http://clanmacfarlane.org.au/australia-day-victoria-peoples-march-26-january-2017/

3. Pauleen reflects on her immigrant ancestors.
https://cassmob.wordpress.com/2017/01/26/australia-day-and-my-immigrant-ancestors/

4. Alona remembers the Hannafords.
http://www.lonetester.com/2017/01/my-first-hannaford-family-in-australia/

5. The Australian National Maritime Museum.
https://anmm.wordpress.com/2017/01/26/one-day-many-meanings/

6. Australian Cuisine from the Cook and the Curator.
http://blogs.hht.net.au/cook/australian-tastes/

7. James O'Brien spent the day in Parramatta.
https://jamesobrien.id.au/2017/01/26/the-countrys-first-mcmansion/

8. The Australia Day Awardees in Hornsby Shire include Genealogist, Carol Liston.
https://hornsbysfhg.wordpress.com/2017/01/26/its-an-honour/

It's a short list this year probably because no-one organised a blogging event. I promise that I will coordinate an Australia Day Geneameme in 2018.

We're Related

I'm having a DNA day today. Dribbling in from FTDNA this week have been some DNA results for tests taken by three of my family members. This blog post is to show them and other curious cousins how we match.

This is how the matches show up in my profile on FTDNA (I have deleted the names for privacy). After my Mum they are my three closest matches.

The match with 1,620 Shared Centimorgans is with my grandson, the match with 1,271 is with a double first cousin (our fathers were siblings, our mothers were siblings) and the match with 815 is with a first cousin on the paternal side. Being able to access these results will help me identify shared ancestors. I appreciate the generosity of these three who happily gave up some cheek scrapings for me.

I don't understand a lot about DNA but I know that we have 23 chromosomes and that we share more common segments on each chromosome with close relatives than with more distant relatives. This pretty chromosome map displays graphically which segments I share with each of my four closest matches.

Orange represents my mother
Blue is my grandson
Green is my double first cousin
Pink is my paternal first cousin

I've spent a couple of hours setting up these people's profiles on FTDNA and uploading their raw data to Gedmatch which will allow us to compare results with folk who have tested with other testing companies. Now I'm off to do some cousin hunting..

Trove Tuesday - Heatwave

As Sydney swelters in summer heat and I sit indoors in air-conditioned comfort I wondered how earlier generations coped in our steamy summers. Trove was the obvious place to seek some answers. Here is what I found.

"HEAT-WAVE MOTORING" Goulburn Evening Post (NSW : 1940 - 1954) 29 November 1949: 8 (Daily and Evening). Web. 24 Jan 2017 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article104532776>.

1952 'Heat-Wave Conditions Leave People Gasping', The Forbes Advocate (NSW : 1911 - 1954), 25 January, p. 1. , viewed 24 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article219130081

1960 'Precautions Advised For Babies', The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 28 January, p. 1. , viewed 24 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article105900746

1927 'Hints for Hot Days', Call (Perth, WA : 1920 - 1927), 9 December, p. 3. , viewed 24 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article210800656

Music, it runs in the Family - at Rootstech

I first saw the Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform live in the early 1990s when we had a stopover in Salt Lake City en route to Yellowstone National Park. Since then I have been enthralled by their music. I was thrilled to discover that, once again, the Choir will be performing at Rootstech. I look forward to hearing them perfor once more.

There has been some confusion about tickets for this Opening Event with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. As a Rootstech Ambassador I sought out an answer. Thanks to Amy Ohms Archibald, Rootstech Ambassador Coordinator for her prompt responses.

The response I got was "Jill, if you indicated your attendance during registration, you will have a ticket available to you when you check in for RootsTech."

And further to the above a follow up message: "Jill, you were able to select additional tickets for guests. And you needed to indicate your own attendance. Check your registration to make sure that it has a separate line for:"RootsTech Opening Event - "Music, It Runs in the Family" -Thursday".

Amy followed up with "Also, the tickets available though LDS Events are for those who were not registering through RootsTech but were interested in attending the event."

If you fall into this category you can go here for further information. 

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir - Rootstech 2013.

Family Crest

One of the grandchildren recently made a family crest. I think it is a most fitting crest for all generations (although I may be tempted to replace chocolate with something more adult).

What would your crest look like?

GAGs - GeniAus' Gems - 20 January 2017

The early bird catches the worm! It's 5:00pm on Thursday afternoon and I am selecting my GAGs list a bit early because I have an important date tomorrow at The Society of Australian Genealogists and I won't be around to write a post.

I am hoping that by next week I will have some new geneabloggers to introduce to you as my gig tomorrow is presenting a Handson Blogging for Genealogy workshop at the Society. With 14 attendees the workshop is fully subscribed, teaching a small group who have demonstrated a commitment by signing up and paying to attend should be a pleasurable experience. I imagine it will be less of a challenge than in my working years when I tried to teach computing skills to high school students in a lab of 24 computers.

And here are a few of the posts I enjoyed up until 4:00pm on 19/1/2017.

1. For those of you still in holiday reading mode  some suggestions from Sutherland Library.
http://blog.sutherlandlibrary.com/2017/01/criminally-good-reads-january.html

2. And as we're on a bookish theme here's a review from Shauna.
http://www.shaunahicks.com.au/writing-up-the-family-history-with-carol-baxter/

3. I was/am a Beatles fan. I cna see this weeks list being overrun with reviews.
https://residentjudge.wordpress.com/2017/01/14/looking-through-you-rare-and-unseen-photographs-from-the-beatles-book-archive-by-leslie-brice/

4. Katrina tries her hand at creative writing.
https://pastlinks.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/kilbahahere-and-there.html

5. I'm not fond of poetry but a good old Bush Ballad draws e in. Thanks Moya.
http://www.outbackfamilyhistoryblog.com/2017/01/18/bulletin-hotel-henry-lawson/

6. Images of summer.
http://littlewanderingwren.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/summer-is-here.html

7. Lynda writes of a geneajourney.
https://mccollierheritage.wordpress.com/2017/01/17/mcknights-gregg-dunlopsdelap-from-raphoe-co-donegal/

8. I can so relate with this crime shared by Anne.
http://ayfamilyhistory.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/trove-tuesday-discreditable-conduct-in.html

9 Alona's been a busy girl.
http://www.lonetester.com/2017/01/update-facebook-for-australian-history-and-genealogy-2/

10. A fitting name for this townhouse. We need to apply similar creativity when naming our blogs.
http://ontheconvicttrail.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/bellkirk-hobart.html

11. A facelift for Maggie's ancestors.
http://blog.iwikiwi.com/2017/01/17/george-elizabeth-tunnecliff-all-spruced-up-tombstone-tuesday/

12. Genealogist Chris doesn't blog much abut genealogy but her travelogues are fantastic. this is just one post.
http://coolgarra-trips.blogspot.com.au/2016/12/snowy-river-drive-to-jindabyne-day-38.html

A Convict Success Story

While my convict ancestors were an ordinary bunch many other convicts became successful business men and women. James Squire was one success story.

I spotted this clever advertising in the city today.

Trove Tuesday - Posting elsewhere

Lest my readers think that I have forgotten about the Trove Tuesday blogging prompt I want to assure you it is alive and well in the GeniAus blogisphere. My issue is that I need to spread the love around the blogs I maintain.

Already in 2017 I have posted some Trove Tuesday items..

You can see some 2017 posts here:

https://hornsbysfhg.wordpress.com/2017/01/17/trove-tuesday-parklands-road/

https://hornsbysfhg.wordpress.com/2017/01/10/trove-tuesday-conrad-von-hagen/

https://curryaus.wordpress.com/2017/01/17/trove-tuesday-pam-curry/

https://curryaus.wordpress.com/2017/01/10/trove-tuesday-curryaus-list/

Calling Members of the Commonwealth at Rootstech

Commonwealth People - 2016 Dinner

For the past few years I have coordinated a casual dinner for people from the British Commonwealth attending Rootstech. This gathering gives us a chance to make a few friends prior to the big event. In previous years it event has taken place on the Tuesday evening prior to Rootstech. This year, however, we will have a change of day and venue as Rootstech Ambassadors have an Ambassador gig to attend on Tuesday evening.

In previous years we have had attendees from Australia, Bermuda, Canada, England, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa and Wales. I would be beaut to meet reps from Antigua or Zimbabwe or any Commonwealth country in between.

Commonwealth folk please accept this post as your invitation. 

You are invited to a casual "People from the Commonwealth" get together

 at the 

Blue Lemon, 55 West South Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84111 

from

 6:00pm - 9:00pm on Monday 6th February 2017. 

RSVP By email to jillballau@gmail.com or via a comment on this post

As the restaurant closes at 9:00pm please arrive in plenty of time to dine and chat. We will gather at the rear of the restaurant so we won't cause too much disturbance to other patrons. After closing time new found friends may wish to adjourn to a neighbourhood bar to continue their conversations.

Blue Lemon Location 

Cool Aussies after the 2016 Commonwealth Dinner

GAGs - GeniAus' Gems - 13 January 2017

We're having a heatwave here in Sydney - the perfect environment for sitting inside with the a/c blowing and concentrating on blogging business. I haven't managed to read many overseas blogs this week but have faithfully read all the downunder ones to which I subscribe.

As I have previously mentioned my GAGs selections are subjective, I prefer posts with nice photos, ones that aren't too long-winded and I mostly steer clear of  theme posts (they get coverage in other ways) except TroveTuesday because Trove deserves recognition. I am biased towards posts from my local area and about places that have some personal connection. I'm also fond of a bit of scandal or a touch of humour. Boy bloggers (a rare breed) get special consideration).

I work very hard to keep my list to about a dozen suggestions so I have to disregard many worthy posts. I like to keep my list Short and Sweet. 

1. A local family builds a house
https://berowralivinghistory.com/2017/01/13/the-flat-roofed-home-in-waratah-road/

2. Betty takes us out in Melbourne.
http://gumleaves.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/summer-visit-to-city.html

3. Yvonne's post convinced me to join this challenge.
https://stumblingpast.com/2017/01/10/noise-newcastle-and-the-challenge/

4. This blog should be on your reading list each week not just when I share a link to a single post.
https://diaryofanaustraliangenealogist.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/genealogy-good-habits-geneamemes-new.html

5. Katrina's love for her Grandmother.
https://pastlinks.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/getting-to-know-grandma.html

6. A scandal in Jennifer's lines.
https://jonesfamilyhistory.wordpress.com/2017/01/11/kennedy-v-lowe-breach-of-promise/

7. Jess highlights the usefulness of advertisements.
https://ancestrysearch.wordpress.com/2017/01/10/trove-tuesday-utilising-advertising/

8. Newspapers don't always get it right.
http://www.outbackfamilyhistoryblog.com/2017/01/06/a-strange-coincidence/

9. Inheritance in Susan's family.
http://susansfamilytales.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/the-partridge-inheritance.html

10. Alona attends her 3x great grandma's birthday party - thanks to Trove.
http://www.lonetester.com/2017/01/95-and-what-a-birthday-it-was/

11. Vicki tells us about the Old Bailey where many of our ancestors had their dayatios in court.
http://connectingthefamily.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/the-old-bailey.html

12. Congratulations to Glynn and his team on 2,000 returns.
http://lostmedalsaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/ernest-davies-our-2000th-return.html

50 blogs you need to read - the Stayers

Way back in Mid 2013 I compiled this list for Inside History Magazine.

I saw someone recommend the list in a blog post recently and wondered how the blogs were progressing. As blogs come and go I thought it would be a good exercise to see which blogs are still going strong at the same URLs. As I would expect good blogs to publish a post every month or so I am omitting blogs that haven't posted in the last eight weeks (a couple just made it).

I would not necessarily include all of these blogs on a listing today but I congratulate those 33 stayers below that have lasted the distance.

1. Archives Outside, State Records NSW, archivesoutside.records.nsw.gov.au
2. Australian War Memorial, www.awm.gov.au/blog
3. Dictionary of Sydney, trust.dictionaryofsydney.org/category/blog
4. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, blogs.slq.qld.gov.au/jol
5. Kintalk, Auckland City Libraries, kintalkfamilyhistory.blogspot.com
6. Manly Families, Manly Library, manlyfamilies.blogspot.com
7. Moonee Valley Family and Local History, mooneevalleyfamilylocalhistory.blogspot.com.au
9. Public Record Office Victoria, prov.vic.gov.au/publications/blog
11. The National Archives, blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk
14. FamilySearch, familysearch.org/blog
15. findmypast.com, blog.findmypast.com
16. Geneanet Genealogy Blog, genealogyblog.geneanet.org
17. Gould Genealogy and History News, www.gouldgenealogy.com
18. Legacy Family Tree, news.legacyfamilytree.com
19. MyHeritage Blog, blog.myheritage.com
21. Local History Newslink, Maitland NSW, localhistorynews.blogspot.com
22. The Empire Called and I Answered, empirecall.blogspot.com
23. Genealogy World, Genealogical Society of Victoria, genealogyworld.blogspot.com.au
25. Anglo-Celtic Connections, anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com
28. Australian Genealogy Journeys, ausgenjourneys.blogspot.com
29. Backtracking, boobookbacktracks.blogspot.com.au
31. Dear Myrtle, blog.dearmyrtle.com
32. Family History Across the Seas, cassmob.wordpress.com
33. Family History Fun, scotsue-familyhistoryfun.blogspot.com
35. Genealogy’s Star, genealogysstar.blogspot.com
36. Geniaus, geniaus.blogspot.com 
39. Lonetester HQ, lonetester.com
43. Stumbling Through the Past, stumblingpast.wordpress.com
44. Western District Families, mywdfamilies.wordpress.com
45. British Genes, britishgenes.blogspot.com
46. Diary of an Australian Genealogist, diaryofanaustraliangenealogist.blogspot.com
47. Geneabloggers, geneabloggers.com
48. Irish Genealogy News, irish-genealogy-news.blogspot.com

Maybe it's time for Inside History Magazine to repeat this exercise.

Getting Started Classes at Rootstech

Admission to the Getting Started Classes at Rootstech has changed for 2017.

The "Getting Started" classes are only available to "Getting Started" pass holders. This is different from previous years where the "RootsTech" pass would allow access to the Getting Started classes. 

In 2017,  "Getting Started" classes will only be accessible to those with the "Getting Started" pass.

Dragging the Chain - Accentuate the Positive 2016

Quite a number of my genimates have already responded to this meme while I have been fussing about. I started off well by composing most of my responses while on an aeroplane ride last week but then life got in the way.

1.  An elusive ancestor I found was none that I an remember but through DNA I have been able to confirm that I am on track with most lines in my traditional research. Additionally via DNA I have found quite a few new previously unknown cousins.

2.  A precious family photo I found was a poor photocopy of our first picture of Mr Geniaus’ Great-Grandparents online in a My Heritage tree. The clues therein enabled us to track down some previously unknown second cousins who had emigrated to Australia  in the 1970s We intend to meet up and get a good copy of the original photo in 2017.

3.  An ancestor's grave I found was none but the Australian Cemeteries Index has provided with the locations of many Australian graves to visit.

4.  An important vital record I found was via the new English Birth and Marriage indexes that give mothers’ maiden names. I have been able to order the correct certificates for several ancestors, these confirm I was on the right track with my research.

5.  A newly found family member shared photos and stories of Mr GeniAus’ paternal side. We had an enjoyable meet up with cousin Shirley in October. We were able to swap information with Shirley and give her the location of her grandmother's unmarked grave in Liverpool Cemetery  that she had been trying to find for thirty years. Mr GeniAus has organised for a marker to be placed on the grave so that Emily will be more easily found.

6.  A geneasurprise I received was being voted as The Australian and New Zealand Gold Medal Genealogy Rockstar for 2016. Thanks to my followers and genimates for this honour.

7.   My 2016 blog post that I was particularly proud of was the series of posts I wrote on my CurryAus blog for the blogging challenge. This activity was hard work that kickstarted my Surname Study.

8.   I made a new genimate who I'm singling out - Danielle Lautrec, Education Officer at The Society of Australian Genealogists. I am sure that Danielle has contributed in a major way to the improvement in the Society's educational offerings.

9.  A new piece of software I mastered (well not quite) was Double Match Triangulator by Louis Kessler. This has the potential to help genetic genealigusts make sense of the avalanche if matches they find through DNA testing.

10. A social media tool I enjoyed using for genealogy was… I never thought I'd  say this but it's Facebook. I particularly learn a lot from fellow genies who, like me, are trying to get their heads around DNA in The Using DNA for Genealogy - Australia & NZ Group set up by Louise Coakley from Cairns.

11. A genealogy conference/seminar/webinar from which I learnt something new was...it has to be Rootstech - the greatest geneashow on earth. I also enjoy many of the member presentations at our local FHG, it's wonderful to see genies standing on their feet for the first time to share their stories in a safe, positive environment.

12. I am proud of the presentations I gave as webinars for The Society of Australian Genealogists. Although I prefer face to face interaction this mode of delivery can deliver learning to a diverse and distant audience.

13. A journal/magazine article I had published was my regular column in The Surname Scribbler, the online newsletter of The Surname Society.

14. I taught more than one friend how to get started in family history. At our local FHG it has been a privilege to introduce some longtime genealogists to online tools. I love infecting people with the geneabug.

15. A genealogy book that taught me something new was Blaine Bettinger's "The Family Tree Guide to DNA testing and Genetic Genealogy."

16. A great repository/archive/library I visited was The Kilkenny  Archaeological Society at Rothe House in Kilkenny, Ireland. The volunteers were so knowledgeable and helpful.  

17. A new genealogy/history book I enjoyed was Getting the most from Family Historian 6.

18. It was exciting to be invited to judge the Rootstech Innovator Showdown semi-finals. It was a challenge selecting my top ten from the list of entries. I was thrilled that I was able to convince the judges to include my fave app in the list.

19. A geneadventure I enjoyed was a trip to Ireland in search of my paternal ancestors. Although I didn't  solve any mysteries I enjoyed following in the footsteps of my forefathers. I have been inspired to return again next year.

20. Another positive I would like to share is ...the satisfaction I get from my membership and participation  in local, state and an international society. I have made so many new friends in our local fhg which now has over 100 members, I am so proud of the progress we have made.

Getting close to the ancestors in Muckalee