I wrote several Genea-Musings posts about our vacation travels all over the United States and some foreign countries, but they are all in my "Engineer-speak" and "Just-the-facts" writing style.
One of our most memorable trips was to New York City and a Caribbean Cruise in October 2008. I wrote a summary report after the trip. I wondered if my AI-assistant Anthropic Claude could turn my "Engineer-speak" report into an engaging story about our 2008 vacation trip to the East Coast. The first part of this story is in Randy’s Memories: Our October 2008 New York City and Caribbean Vacation -- Sightseeing.
Part Two of this story is below:
(Google NotebookLM Infographic - 2008 Genealogy Cruise Highlights - Genealogy)
Our 2008 TMG Genealogy Cruise Experience -- Genealogy Summary
I embarked on what would become one of the most enriching genealogical experiences of my research career—the 2008 The Master Genealogist (TMG) cruise from New York City to the Caribbean in October. This journey combined my passion for family history research with the opportunity to learn from some of the field's most respected experts, all while sailing through stunning Caribbean waters.
The Conference Structure and Organization
The TMG Conference was masterfully organized by Bob Velke and the Wholly Genes team, and I have to say they did excellent work. According to Bob, there were about 200 people registered for the conference, which included non-genealogy spouses and companions. However, when I counted heads several times during the lectures, I saw no more than 100 people in the audience for most presentations.
The cruise and conference ran from Sunday, October 26 through Saturday, November 1, with varying schedules of presentations. The first two days at sea featured the most intensive programming, with sessions running from early morning through late evening. As we reached the Caribbean islands, the schedule lightened to accommodate shore excursions, though genealogy programming continued throughout the week.
Venue Challenges
I need to be honest about the venue situation—it was a major problem. The venues for the speaker presentations left much to be desired. The morning meetings were held in Club Fusion, a nightclub with many TV screens around. While fairly ideal for watching someone manipulate his computer, it's essentially a disco and karaoke bar with lots of TV screens. The seating and sightlines for viewing the speaker were challenging.
Some talks had to be presented in the Palm Dining Room, where they set up a small screen and put 40-60 chairs in a small area with no separation between speaker and audience. We were gathered in close to the small screen for these intimate sessions.
The Princess Theater, with about 500 seats in three levels and a big screen, should have been ideal, but I witnessed serious projection problems during Cyndi Howells' Friday presentation. The projection would skew sideways frequently—but not on the laptop she was using, so it had to be the theater setup. The problems disrupted Cyndi's presentation and our concentration as viewers, but Cyndi was a trooper and pushed through.
Several talks had to be moved from the originally scheduled venues, but everyone adapted well. Even with these venue problems, the speakers and program content were excellent, which is what really mattered.
Learning The Master Genealogist Software
As someone who had downloaded the trial TMG before leaving home and uploaded my database into TMG while in New York, I was eager to learn about this powerful but complex software.
Introduction to TMG (Bob Velke)
Monday morning at 8:15 a.m., I attended Bob Velke's "Introduction to TMG" presentation. Bob led us through TMG terminology, screen layouts, Tags, searching for people, though he didn't have time for basic data entry and sources. His clear explanations helped demystify some of the program's unique approaches.
Filtering with TMG (Bob Velke)
The second talk, "Filtering with TMG," showed us how to use filters to create groups of people—for example, all those born before 1800, or all those born between 1800 and 1900, all those with a certain source, all those with an event in a certain location, and so on. I learned a lot from these presentations and can see how TMG can be used effectively using Tags and Filters. The power of this feature for targeted research became immediately apparent.
Advanced TMG: Customizing Reports and Charts (Bob Velke)
On Wednesday, Bob presented "Advanced TMG: Customizing Reports" and "Customizing Charts." These were very useful for this novice TMG user. I followed along for awhile, and finally was able to make an ahnentafel list (just names, dates and places in ahnentafel order) from my database. Bob went over my head fairly quickly with setting flags and manipulating text reports for public consumption by controlling narrative output. He didn't get around to the Book Manager, unfortunately.
In the second hour on TMG Charts, Bob demonstrated chart elements, filtering charts and other chart options. Again, I concentrated on making a chart I wanted—a descendant or ancestor chart for a number of generations. The key is using the options to control chart content and formatting—boxes, lines, fonts, colors, etc. The Charts use the Visual Chartform program which is included in TMG. The TMG program is very powerful and flexible—the user can add boxes, frames, colors, etc. to create a custom chart.
There are sample TMG report outputs at www.whollygenes.com/samplereports.htm, which Bob referenced.
TMG Utility (John Cardinal)
Tuesday morning featured two lectures by John Cardinal on "TMG Utility," a stand-alone modification tool that fixes TMG database problems using rules and filters. It's useful for fixing problems that affect many persons. These appear to be powerful tools for maintaining database integrity.
Second Site (John Cardinal)
Cardinal also presented "Second Site," a stand-alone program that creates web pages from a TMG database. This software appears especially powerful if a TMG user wants to create a website with linked pages between people and events in a project database. I missed the advanced session, "Second Site for Advanced Users," but the basic presentation convinced me of its value.
My overall impression? I am truly convinced that TMG is a very powerful program that the user can bend to his or her will, but is it worth that effort? The learning curve is steep, and I'm still pondering whether to make the full commitment.
Research Methodology and Problem-Solving
The conference featured several presentations that transcended any single software program and addressed fundamental genealogical research principles.
Genealogical Problem Solving (Elizabeth Shown Mills)
The first Monday afternoon presentation was "Genealogical Problem Solving" by Elizabeth Shown Mills. Elizabeth used real life and imaginary (humorous) case studies to illustrate her 13 research tips. Basically, she said follow the trail of people and paperwork—what records exist, who did the people associate with, and do research in original records, not just gather names, dates and places.
Research is not looking up the answer in books or databases, research is tracking down the answer, since nobody else has solved the problem. This was a fun and informative presentation—she's the expert, of course! The case studies were fascinating—many of them from NGSQ or TAG articles. This fundamental truth resonated with me throughout the rest of the conference.
The Identity Crisis: Right Name, Wrong Man? Wrong Name, Right Man? (Elizabeth Shown Mills)
After lunch on Tuesday, Elizabeth was back for "The Identity Crisis: Right Name, Wrong Man? Wrong Name, Right Man?" She used seven case studies to illustrate her points that names can change for a number of reasons—including step-fathers and liaisons, patriarchal reasons, borrowed or alias names, taking a father or husband's given name as a surname, patronymics, "dit" names, and translated or transliterated names.
The case studies were fascinating—many of them from NGSQ or TAG articles. Elizabeth's ability to dissect complex identity problems and build convincing arguments was truly impressive.
Writing and Presenting Family History
How to Write Your Family History (John Titford)
At 10:45 a.m. Monday, John Titford presented "How to Write Your Family History." He covered the different excuses we use to avoid writing the book—for example, "I'm not finished..."; "I'm a poor writer"; "My family story is so ordinary"; etc.
He noted that writing a book requires you to make decisions on content and format, to organize your work so that you can focus on writing the book, and writing the book, which will be essentially a series of biographies in a logical order. John recommended using geographical, social and historical context to place each family in a place and time experiencing local or national events. John is a funny and enthusiastic presenter, and his practical advice was invaluable.
Migrants on the Move: "Bounce Backers" (John Titford)
Tuesday after lunch, John was up again with "Migrants on the Move: 'Bounce Backers.'" This title refers to English ancestors of John's that traveled within England, but always came back to the Bratton, Wiltshire and Frome, Somerset ancestral homes. John used five examples from his own research from 1547 to 1757.
The lesson here, for me, was that people were not always static—they moved about, up to 100 miles or more sometimes. In addition to the standard parish registers and wills, he showed that there are other resources that can be used to find information about persons in this time frame. This challenged my assumptions about early colonial ancestor mobility.
Specialized Record Types and Research Strategies
Working the Land: Tracing Land Ownership (Barbara Vines Little)
Barbara Vines Little presented "Working the Land: Tracing Land Ownership." She also used case studies to illustrate the methods. Barbara covered deed terminology and some inheritance laws and noted that the researcher needs to know what laws apply when. She suggested using an in-out chart to track land transactions by a person, paying attention to parcels that are not bought but are sold by the person, and using platting techniques to find parcel locations and neighbors.
She noted that indexes may have only names that affect land titles, and some property exchanges, or leases or mortgages, may be in the deed books but not in the indexes. A good lecture with practical applications for my own research.
Femme Covert or Femme Sole: Women and the Law (Barbara Vines Little)
Wednesday's noon lecture was "Femme Covert or Femme Sole: Women and the Law" by Barbara Vines Little. Barbara covered how the English Common Law concerning women and property was applied in the colonial times. She had many examples that demonstrated how single and married females fared in property transactions, and discussed many of the intricate details involved.
I must have missed a bit of this talk while reading the syllabus (or zzzzz, I don't know...), because it seemed to go pretty fast. But the material on coverture and women's legal status was eye-opening.
Military Records Research
Researching Your Revolutionary War Ancestors (Craig R. Scott)
Craig R. Scott presented "Researching Your Revolutionary War Ancestors." Craig is an expert in military records, and it shines through in this talk. His counsel was to check all of the papers in Compiled Military Service Records and Pension Applications—including those of other members of the soldier's company and regiment.
He noted that not all soldiers have a Compiled Military Service Record, and that there may be records in State Archives, the Library of Congress and the National Archives. Craig noted that http://www.footnote.com/ has the compiled military service records, Continental Congress papers, RevWar rolls, and RevWar Pension files online—indexed and searchable. He warned that HeritageQuestOnline has only selected pension papers online, not the complete pension file.
Did Your Ancestor Serve in the Civil War? (Tony Burroughs)
The last presentation on Tuesday was by Tony Burroughs on "Did Your Ancestor Serve in the Civil War?" He started out with an excellent summary of how to find if you have a Civil War ancestor—to use interviews with relatives, family papers and records, cemetery records, birth, death and marriage records, and census records to work your way back to 1870 in order to determine which males might have served in the Civil War (essentially those aged 23 to 53 in 1870).
Then check the 1910 census (Column 30), the 1890 Union veterans census and the online NPS Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System at www.nps.gov/cwss/soldiers.htm to determine if they were Union soldiers. Tony covered records available for Union soldiers and seamen, Confederate soldiers, and African-American soldiers. He provided an excellent bibliography.
Beyond Pension Research: You Stopped Too Soon (Craig Scott)
Wednesday afternoon, Craig Scott presented "Beyond Pension Research: You Stopped Too Soon." Craig really knows this military and NARA stuff well. He said that it is important to know and understand the federal pension laws over time—from 1818 to 1873 and beyond. He also said that there is more to pension research than just finding and obtaining the pension application.
The additional records available for Revolutionary War pensions are found at National Archives branches. They include the Pension Office Ledgers and Payment Cards, and the Final Payment vouchers and Settled Accounts records. Craig had many examples of these records and the information they hold. He said that copies of pension applications on www.Footnote.com are of better quality than the original paper copies available on microfilm at NARA.
I missed quite a bit of this talk due to an irresistible urge to nap—I'm just glad I didn't snore. But what I caught was invaluable.
Military Records Round Table (David Lambert)
On Sunday evening at 9:30 p.m., I went up to Café Caribe for David Lambert's round table talk about military records. Craig Scott shared quite a bit also, and between the two of them answered many questions from the floor. I talked to Claire afterward about Philadelphia records that my colleague Joan is seeking—Claire had some good suggestions.
DNA and Genetic Genealogy
Beyond Y-DNA: Your Genetic Genealogy Options (Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak)
The 12 noon presentation on Monday was "Beyond Y-DNA: Your Genetic Genealogy Options" by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak. This was the first presentation I've heard from Megan. She described the basics of mitochondrial DNA, Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP), Ethnic DNA tests, BioGeographical/Admixture (DNAPrint), the Genographic Project, SMGF tests and studies, and Multi-Purpose DNA Tests (deCODEme and 23andme).
Megan is an excellent speaker and presenter. The presentation opened my eyes to testing options beyond the basic Y-DNA and mtDNA tests I was familiar with. There were about 100 attending this talk.
DNA Research Round Table (David Lambert)
Friday evening's 9:30 p.m. meeting in Café Caribe featured David Lambert hosting a discussion group on DNA testing and research. He has had Y-DNA, mtDNA and genomic testing done, and told stories about each of them.
Several attendees described their experiences—Hal W. has run a surname project that found no links between three colonial New England immigrants with variants of his surname. I spoke briefly about my mtDNA test and finding exact matches, but have had no contact yet with them.
David would like to have a project that collects Y-DNA or mtDNA sequences for specific colonial New England ancestors. He encouraged all to get tested, and to find near or distant cousins that can help fill out a genetic signature family tree. This was a very spirited discussion with many good experiences and ideas. David is very irreverent and humorous, which I appreciate and enjoy.
Regional and Ethnic Research
The Naming of the Green: Irish Place Names and Surnames (John Grenham)
I missed this Monday evening lecture by John Grenham, but the syllabus has an excellent text for this lecture. My loss for being too exhausted from the day's sessions.
Irish Genealogy on the Internet (John Grenham)
Wednesday afternoon, John Grenham presented "Irish Genealogy on the Internet." John noted that the major sources of Irish genealogy information are census records, the civil BMD records, Church records and property records. There are other records, such as wills, estates, newspapers, and directories.
He discussed the online information available for each of these record types. The 1901 and 1911 census records are partially available on several websites, some commercial and some free. General Register Office records for some years are online, as are some church records. Property records online are Griffith's Valuation and the Tithe Applotment records from the 1830's.
More records have come online in the past year, but several repositories are slow in adding record images due to their worry about losing walk-in customers—they are putting indexes online, but to obtain the images you have to either pay a significant fee or go to the repository. This was a very useful talk for me—I have not done any Irish research, but have wondered about it.
Atlantic Canada Round Table (David Lambert)
Thursday evening's Group Discussion at 9:30 p.m. covered "Atlantic Canada." There were about 30 of us around a table in Café Caribe and David described the records available for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. He has ancestry in most of those provinces, and has done extensive research at NEHGS and other repositories. Later, he answered questions from the audience.
Even at the late hour, the conversation was lively, and David really knows his material. He passed around a book titled "Atlantic Canada Research" by Terrence Punch and George Sanborn published by NEHGS in 1997 that looks like a good one to have.
City Directories and Local Research
Finding Your Ancestors in City Directories (Tony Burroughs)
The last lecture on Wednesday was Tony Burroughs on "Finding Your Ancestors in City Directories." Tony discussed the information that can be found in City Directories, and displayed many excellent examples from his own family research in Chicago and Chattanooga.
He focused on finding information in between census years to find residences, occupations, spouse's names, etc. He said that locating houses may be hampered by changes in street names, changes in house numbering systems, etc. One of the most useful parts of city directories is the reverse directory—listed by street address rather than by name.
Tony listed some online resources for city directories and repositories that have significant collections. He suggested using www.Worldcat.org to find specific city and year publications held by repositories. I really enjoyed Tony Burroughs' infectious laugh and enthusiasm for his subjects.
Mapping and Online Tools
Plotting, Scheming and Mapping Online (Cyndi Howells)
Thursday evening, the only speaker was Cyndi Howells on "Plotting, Scheming and Mapping Online." Cyndi is an excellent speaker, and covered her Ten Quick Tips about maps in 30 minutes, using many examples to illustrate her points. She also discussed finding maps on Migration Trails in detail, and showed some online map creation tools like Google Earth and Earth Point.
Her syllabus has many URLs to explore. This was a great lecture—very helpful and informative.
Virtual Cousin Research Project (Cyndi Howells)
Friday's presentation, "Virtual Cousin Research Project," was one of the best lectures on the conference. Cyndi had major troubles with the projector hookup, but she was a trooper.
Cyndi suggested that the Internet can be used very effectively to conduct a research project among a cousin network by using blogs, websites, wikis, Google Tools, instant messaging, etc. A project requires a scope definition, a project administrator, a To-Do list, and cousins willing to contribute to and support the efforts.
She suggested the project concentrate on a surname, or descendants of a person, or a locality. A blog, either open to everyone or open to only the cousins, can be used as a newsletter and coordination for the project. Google Tools can be used for email to the project members, a home page for coordination and news, saving online documents in Google docs, etc.
Cyndi used Terry Thornton's Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi as an example of a locality blog. Everything she mentioned is free to the users and can be organized to include all of the project members—whether two or a hundred people. This presentation gave me ideas I'm still thinking about implementing.
Case Studies and Inspirational Stories
Right Annie, Wrong Annie (Megan Smolenyak)
Tuesday morning, Megan Smolenyak presented "Right Annie, Wrong Annie" about the search for Annie Moore and the ensuing family reunion, NYGBS presentation, the plays in DC and Ireland, and the dedication of the monument in Calvary Cemetery in Queens.
Megan showed the research performed to prove the wrong Annie wasn't the right one, and the research done by several contributors to find Annie Schayer in Manhattan, and her unmarked cemetery plot. This talk was the SCGS Jamboree dinner talk that I missed, so I was happy to hear it. Linda came to this talk and was moved by it.
This talk really brings out the best in genealogy, I think. Megan wore her Annie Moore T-shirt and I got a picture with her after the presentation.
One-on-One Consultations: The Conference Highlight
The one-on-one consultations on Saturday night were, for me, the absolute highlight of the conference. I brought summaries of my "elusive ancestor" problems and got expert guidance from three different perspectives.
Consultation with David Lambert
My first "One-on-One" was at 8:30 p.m. with David Lambert of NEHGS. I decided to ask for help on my elusive Thomas J. Newton of ME, MA and VT. Dave had some great suggestions for records I don't normally think of—unpublished church records, War of 1812 veterans, 1798 Direct Tax for MA/ME, and divorce records which might be in the Massachusetts State Archives. He even took my writeup to see if he could think of more things to look up.
We had a little more time, so he looked over my Elizabeth Horton Dill (1794?-1869) birth parents problem too. His practical suggestions opened new research avenues I hadn't considered.
Consultation with Elizabeth Shown Mills
My second "One-on-One" was with Elizabeth Shown Mills, one of the most skilled genealogists on the planet. Elizabeth dissected my Elizabeth Horton Dill problem several ways, and didn't even comment on my poor source citations for several records.
She gave me several excellent ideas for further research in original records—not transcripts or abstracts—like the later Barnstable County Deeds and probates, and probates for the sons of Thomas and Hannah (Horton) Dill. We discussed my hypotheses about the conflicts in the evidence I already have—and agreed they might be correct, but that I need much more data to build a solid case. I wish I had a steel-trap mind like she does! Impressive.
Consultation with Sandra Hewlett
My third "One-on-One" was with Sandra Hewlett, who lives in Pennsylvania. I chose her so that I could discuss my elusive Mary Hoax (ca 1768-1850), wife of Martin Carringer. Sandy noted that I didn't really know where Hempfield township was in Westmoreland County, and that I need to consider deeds and probates for the Hoax/Hokes/etc. families in Westmoreland from 1773, and in Bedford County from 1771-1773, and in Cumberland County PA before that.
She had a great book called Pennsylvania Line which had a complete listing of all towns, townships and counties, including maps showing how county boundaries changed. She also suggested checking records such as the 1773 and 1783 tax/census lists, Pennsylvania state RevWar muster rolls online at the PA State Archives site, and obtaining Martin Carringer's Bounty Land Warrant from NARA.
All I can say about this conference's "top-notch faculty" is WOW—they are excellent speakers and have a wealth of genealogy research knowledge. The depth and breadth of these folks is tremendous. I really appreciate their sharing with us, especially in the "one-on-ones." That was challenging and fun.
Social Aspects and Networking
Throughout the week, Linda and I had many opportunities to connect with fellow genealogists. We ate dinner with several TMG Conference attendees, and I shared conversations about genealogy during meals, at the pool, and walking around the ship.
I had a great time talking to Happy Dae at this conference—he has been reading Genea-Musings for a long time, which I really appreciate! I ate lunch with Joanne from Oregon and Lorna from New Zealand, both TMG devotees. We shared research experiences over several meals.
The Sunday cocktail party and Saturday "last night" cocktail party were great times—in fact, almost the only time I saw many of the speakers together. The end of the Saturday party was the assembled geneaholics singing "I'm My Own Grandpa" led by John Titford. Apparently, this is a tradition, and it was tremendous fun.
Cyndi Howells is such a neat person to talk to—she is so fun and friendly. I had never met her before, but it seemed like we were instant friends.
Unanswered Questions
This Wholly Genes genea-cruiser wants to know: Where did all of the speakers hang out when they didn't have talks to give? Did anyone see any of them at the pool or in the casino, or in the lounges? Or even at dinner? I saw Dick Eastman at the ice cream stand—gotcha, Dick!
Does David Lambert ever breathe when he talks? How can his brain work faster than his mouth? But it does, obviously!
Is there anything that Craig Scott doesn't know about military records?
What did Robert Charles Anderson do on this cruise besides one-on-ones?
Why weren't the hosted breakfasts and one-on-ones fully subscribed by the attendees? People really missed out if they didn't participate in these.
Do any of these speakers ever stammer, forget what they are about to say, or speak in less than complete sentences? I didn't notice any glitches like this at all over 20 presentations and 4 round tables. Impressive.
Final Reflections
This genealogy cruise successfully combined intensive learning with leisure travel in a way I'd never experienced before. The conference provided cutting-edge instruction on genealogy software, research methodology, specialized record types, and emerging technologies like DNA testing—all while sailing through beautiful Caribbean waters.
The speakers were universally excellent, patient with venue problems, and generous with their time and expertise. The one-on-one consultations alone were worth the price of admission, providing personalized guidance on my most challenging research problems.
While The Master Genealogist software remains complex with a steep learning curve, I gained tremendous respect for its power and flexibility. More importantly, the research methodology sessions—particularly Elizabeth Shown Mills' emphasis on following the trail of people and paperwork in original records—reinforced fundamental principles that transcend any particular software platform.
The networking opportunities, from formal round tables to casual conversations over meals, enriched the experience immeasurably. Connecting with fellow researchers who share the same passion for family history created a sense of community that extended well beyond the conference sessions.
Would I recommend a genealogy cruise? Absolutely. Despite the venue challenges and the inherent complications of holding a conference on a moving ship, the quality of instruction, the caliber of speakers, and the unique combination of learning and leisure created an unforgettable experience that advanced my genealogical skills while providing much-needed relaxation.
Links to my blog posts about using Artificial Intelligence are on my Randy's AI and Genealogy page. Links to AI information and articles about Artificial Intelligence in Genealogy by other genealogists are on my AI and Genealogy Compendium page.
Copyright (c) 2026, Randall J. Seaver
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