FREE SCOTLANDSPEOPLE CREDITS FOR ViC REGISTRANTS

ScotlandsPeople is graciously providing 26 FREE credits for everyone who registers for the Scottish ViC. These can be added to your account and used, if you wish, to retrieve a couple of wills (10 credits each) after you learn from Margaret Fox about the rich details that are contained within these important documents.

To register: https://www.genealogyvic.com/

No Resolutions, Just a List

I don't DO resolutions. I have never done well with goal setting. Goals seem so clinical to me. Maybe because they were such an integral part of my work over 35+ years.

But I do like lists. When I was working I would make a list of things to get done today, this week and this month. And I would work my way through them. In a world of social services where so much of our impact is unseen, these lists were like widgets and I could actually see I was making progress.

My list for 2020 is fairly simple:

Organize my photos. As most of you will know I use Forever storage for my photos, documents and videos. It is a good fit for me as a genealogist. I can organize everything into albums, keep them safe and secure (and not deteriorating) for future generations and share as I choose. I set the privacy and I maintain copyright. That said, I need to work my way through adding descriptors to my photos so that future generations will understand why I saved the photos and why they are important.

I plan to make more photo books. These are a great way to share with others. They evoke memories, which in turn results in stories being shared. They also evoke emotion because of the feelings associated with the photos.

Photo books can also be a way of sharing why we have held onto artifacts. My mother saved nothing. I was over the top when it came to saving things for my kids. My daughter recently purchased a house and so is about to inherit her "treasure box" I have created a photo book to explain some of the things in her treasure box and why they are important enough to have been saved. I have given her permission to rid herself of anything she doesn't want to keep but she will still have a record of those treasures in the photo book.

In 2020 I plan to create books for the things I have in my china cabinets that have been saved for a generation or two.

Also on my list is working to add more information to the "notes" section of my family tree software. I have the notes in hard copy but I want to add that into my tree so that the stories will be carried forward.

What about YOU? What things are on your To-Do list for 2020?

Gearing Up for 2020!

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2020

JANUARY 25th - the third annual Scottish ViC. This is the only virtual conference dedicated to Scottish research. https://www.genealogyvic.com/

MARCH 16-19th - the first Virtual Institute - this one covers research in 4 Commonwealth countries - Canada, South Africa, British India and Australia.

https://isbgfh.wildapricot.org/Virtual-Institute

APRIL 18th - I will be presenting 4 talks on Scottish research for the Wisconsin Historical Society

APRIL 29 - MAY 2 I will be speaking at the Ohio Genealogical Society's annual conference. https://www.ogsconference.org/

MAY 16-23 I will host a genealogy research tour in EDINBURGH. Because the majority of participants are returning for  a second or third (or fourth) tour, we have built in some extras for this tour. I am looking forward to the learning, the sharing and the "OMG" moments as participants uncover the stories of their ancestors. 

MAY 24-31 I will host an ORKNEY research and history tour. This is a special, one-off and one that I am very excited about. I can't wait to share the history of these magnificent islands with the tour participants. 

AUGUST - I am ticking an item off my bucket list with a genealogy cruise to Alaska. Interested in joining me? https://genealogycruises.com/alaska-cruise-2020/

SEPTEMBER 13-20 sees another genealogy research tour in EDINBURGH followed by a one-off research tour in the SCOTTISH BORDERS from Sept 20-27th. I am looking forward to being back on my family's home turf. 

Other events are yet to be confirmed but so far the year is turning out to be a very busy one. 

A Look Back at 2019

As I do every year, I look back on the genealogy events of the year. 2019 was a busy one!

JANUARY was the annual Scottish Virtual Conference with 7 presentations on Scottish genealogy research topics. 

FEBRUARY was RootsTech and all that comes with it. The learning, the networking, the travel and the exhaustion. 

MARCH saw the opportunity of a lifetime as I embarked on a whirlwind tour of the Mayflower400 sites and learned of all that has been planned for the 400th anniversary celebrations. 

MAY was the Glagow Research Tour. A very busy week of discovering as much as we could about our Glasgow ancestors while also taking in events that helped us learn about the history and social history of the city. 

JUNE saw the first (hopefully of many) Caledonia Celtic Festival in Caledonia. It is always so special to immerse in Scottish culture and to catch up with many of the diaspora. 

JULY & AUGUST saw a break from travel and allowed me to set the schedule of webinars for the ISBGFH winter webinar series, organize and plan the presentations for the Scottish ViC 2020, and write an article on the Mayflower400 tour. 

SEPTEMBER offered a short little break when I met with a group of past tour participants to work on scrapbooking our memories.

OCTOBER was a full week of learning and research at the British Institute in Salt Lake City where I taught the Scottish course. Such an incredibly fun week!

As always, the year flew by and provided some incredible opportunities. I am so very grateful for each and every one of them. I have enjoyed the "down time" that comes with late fall. This time allows me to get caught up on webinars, articles, blogs and scrapbooks. I am so looking forward to another very busy year in 2020 and am thankful to have had this time to re-charge. 

Need a Last Minute Gift for a Genealogist on Your List?

Need a Last Minute Gift for the Genealogist on Your List? Give them the gift of learning. Give them insight into the records where they might find their Scottish ancestors. Help them to understand the social and historic events during which their ancestors lived. Register them for the Scottish ViC. https://www.genealogyvic.com/  Topics for 2020: Glasgow and the Caribbean Slave Trade Death, Burial and Cemetery Records Prison Registers Asylum Registers Wills and Testaments Scottish Newspapers Scottish Emigration to Canada

Schedule for the Scottish ViC January 25th 2020

All of the presentations for the Scottish ViC have now been recorded and I am thrilled with the level of learning that is being offered again this year. The Scottish ViC is unique in that it is the only virtual learning opportunity dedicated to Scottish genealogy/history. 

The day begins at 8 am with the first presentation at 8:30. We break at 12:30 for lunch and the day wraps up at 5 pm. Following the conclusion of each presentation, the presenter will be available live in a closed Facebook group to answer questions. 

Based on past experiences, it is a fast paced, information packed day. While it sounds like an eternity in front of a computer, you will actually wonder how the time passed so quickly. The day is always an inspiration to kick start those who have not researched in a while. It provides new and renewed energy for those who are "stuck" or stagnant in their Scottish research. And it is a fantastic way to start a new genealogical year. 

Here's the line up for the day: 

8:30        HISTORIAN STEPHEN MULLENS: GLASGOW AND THE SLAVE TRADE

                               

9:45        ARCHIVIST IRENE O’BRIEN: DEATH AND BURIAL

                               

10:50     AOIFE O’CONNOR: BRITISH NEWSPAPER ARCHIVES

                               

11:45     GENEALOGIST EMMA MAXWELL: ASYLUM RECORDS

                               

12:30-1:15          

                               

1:15        ARCHIVIST MARGARET FOX: WILLS AND TESTAMENTS

                               

2:50       GENEALOGIST EMMA MAXWELL: PRISON RECORDS

                               

3:40        CHRISITNE WOODCOCK CANADA: LAND & OPPORTUNITY

5:00      WRAP UP

To register: https://www.genealogyvic.com/

Scottish Genealogy Research January 25, 2020

Scotland is where my story begins

Scotland is the home of my ancestors. I have a deep and abiding connection to them. There is a never-ending yearning to learn more of their story so that I can better understand my own.

To learn more about your Scottish ancestors, join us on Saturday, January 25th, 2020 for a day of virtual learning. Learn about record sets that contain information about the lives of your ancestors:

Death and burial, Wills and Testaments, Prison, Asylum, Emigration, Newspapers. For more details: https://www.genealogyvic.com/PRESENTERS

One low fee, seven presentations by six presenters. Access until February 25th to allow for time zone challenges. All from the comfort of home. No travel expense. No time away from family, friends, work or home. No accommodation expense. No meal expenses. Stay warm, stay in your jammies. Engage with others and learn from the best.

To register: https://www.genealogyvic.com/