Janet Hovorka's Presentations at Jamboree 2012

Janet Hovorka, the creator and owner of Family ChartMasters, and The Chart Chick blog, made three excellent presentations at the Southern California Genealogical Society Genealogy Jamboree 2012.  They were:

1)  "Hatching Eggs: The Chart Chick Engages Her Teenage Children With Their Family History."  You can view this presentation, in Prezi format, at http://tinyurl.com/hatchingfamilyhistory

2)  "Magnifying Glass, Wide-Angle Lens or Telescope?  Charts to Visualize Your Family Tree."  You can view this presentation, in Prezi format, at http://tinyurl.com/gencharts.  There is a 30 minute video tutorial for Family ChArtist at http://www.familychartmasters.com/video.

3)  "Advocating Genealogy and Growing the Market:  Issues of the New Genealogist."  This presentation is not available online as far as I know.

I am really intrigued by the Prezi style of presentation.  I love the transitions from slide to slide and find myself trying to guess what's going to happen next.  I thought maybe it would be distracting for audience members during a presentation, but it actually enhanced my interest and curiosity about "what's coming next.

Thank you to Janet for making two of her presentations available to her audience.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/06/janet-hovorkas-presentations-at.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

Original or Derivative Source? Bible Records

I was sitting in Warren Bittner's class at the SCGS Genealogy Jamboree on Sunday morning, titled "Complex Evidence: What Is It? How Does It Work? Why Does It Matter?" and he said something I immediately disagreed with - and now I'm wondering if I've misinterpreted something in the Source, Information, Evidence, Genealogical Proof Standard discussion..

The issue in his case study was a handwritten family Bible record - Minnie Bahre Bittner recorded her own 1865 birth many years later.  Warren called it a "Derivative Source"  because the information was recorded well after the facts involved, and the fact that the Bible was printed and purchased well after the Birth event in question.

I have always considered that a handwritten document, even with information recorded well after the events recorded, was an Original Source.  So I went to my copy of Evidence! Explained to review the Sources section (Section 1.14 in the First Edition).  It says:

"SOURCES
Sources are artifacts, books, digital files, documents, film, people, photographs, recordings, websites, etc. Sources are classified according to their physical form:

"Original sources—material in its first oral or recorded form. Examples: the testimony of someone relating events that he or she personally experienced or witnessed; or an original document created by a party with firsthand knowledge of the information recorded.

"Derivative sources—material produced by copying an original or manipulating its content; e.g., abstracts, compilations, databases, extracts, transcripts, translations, and authored works such as historical monographs or family histories."

In the case of entries for children in the Births, Marriages and Deaths section of a family Bible, written in a mother's or father's hand, I have no doubt that the information recorded was based on firsthand knowledge of the informant.  But what about her own birth?  Was this record the first oral or recorded form?  I don't know - it is possible that it is the only recorded form of the information, or it may have been copied from another document that was subsequently destroyed or has not yet been found.  If it was a copy, then it may have been a Record Copy which may be treated as an Original Source.

In Warren's case study, there were church birth and baptismal records that confirmed the date of birth - those church records are also Original Sources, I think.

Of course, the names and dates in the Bible record is Secondary Information, since it was recorded in the Bible many years after the event, and the writer of the information was not a participant or eyewitness to the event.  The information in the Bible records are also Direct Evidence for the births.  

I have two sets of Bible records with family information on them.  In both cases, they provide the only source for some of the events, were written well after some of the events, and they provide the only Direct Evidence I have of the full names and births and marriages of the persons involved.  I have classified these records as Original Source, Secondary Information and Direct Evidence in my analysis and proof arguments for these families.

To me, whether the Source is Original or Derivative does not depend upon the classification of the Information or Evidence provided by the Source.  I think that it's either an Original Source or a Derivative Source based on the nature of the work itself.  

A complicating factor in this discussion is the nature of a family Bible - the printed book itself is clearly a derivative source (due to revision, translations and interpretations over thousands of years), but what about the handwritten information on the family event pages provided in the Bible?

Am I wrong here?  I would appreciate discussion and commentary on this point for my own education and that of my readers.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/06/original-or-derivative-source-bible.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday - Post 209: At Norway's Riksarchivet

 I am posting photographs from my family collections for (Not So) Wordless Wednesday (you know me, I can't go wordless!).    

Here is a picture from our recent Royal Caribbean cruise (Norway-France-Ireland-England-Scotland-Norway):

On 11 May 2012, Linda and I enjoyed an Oslo tour day with Torill Johnsen, who is a Norwegian genealogy blogger (see http://www.disnorge.no/cms/lederblogg/geneablogger-p-bes-k).  

We visited the Riksarkivet in Oslo, the National Archives of Norway.  In the book area, Torill quickly found the Voss bygdebok (farm book) and she and Linda posed for this picture.  I had, of course, extracted a great deal of information about Linda's Norwegian roots from the Voss bygdebok back in 1999 using microfilm at the San Diego Family History Center (it's still there on permanent loan, I hope!).

This visit with Torill got our European vacation off to a great start!

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/06/not-so-wordless-wednesday-post-209.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

Father's Day Contest at Genea-Musings - Win Ancestry.com Prizes

This coming Sunday is Father's Day.  I usually receive cards from my daughters and grandchildren, and a box or two of See's Candy chocolate from my wife.

Ancestry.com has graciously offered prizes for a contest on Genea-Musings, similar to (but not the same as) their package being given away on Ancestry's Facebook page (http://ancstry.me/M7zkGG).  

The prizes for the Genea-Musings contest are:

*  6-month U.S. Discovery membership to Ancestry.com
*  1-year membership to Fold3
*  Family Tree Maker (PC or Mac version)

The contest rules are:

1)  Entrants must email me at rjseaver@cox.net with their entry titled "Ancestry Contest," and providing their name, location and email address.

2)  Entrants must describe their favorite father in 25 words or less in the email.

3)  One contest entry per person.

4)  The deadline for contest entries is Sunday, 17 June 2012 at 8:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (that's 11:59 p.m. EDT, 10:59 p.m. CDT, 9:59 p.m. MDT, and 3:59 a.m. GMT on 18 June).

5)  The winner will be selected from a random drawing conducted by Randy Seaver on Monday, 18 June 2012 using a random number generator for the number of entries submitted.

6)  The winner's name and email address will be passed to Ancestry.com for awarding of the prizes by Ancestry.com.

Thank you to Ancestry.com for offering to provide prizes for this contest.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/06/fathers-day-contest-at-genea-musings.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

SCGS Genealogy Jamboree Blog Compendium

There were a number of posts about the 2012 SCGS Genealogy Jamboree events and happenings, so I'm going to do a blog compendium.

*  Jamboree: Lights, Camera, Action, Idols by Mark Olsen on the MyHeritage Blog.

*  Southern California Jamboree in Burbank - Day 1*, Southern California Jamboree - Day 2*,  Southern California Jamboree - last day* by Sandra Benward on the Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society blog.

*  SCGS Jamboree Tech Trax,  SCGS Jamboree - Friday,  SCGS Jamboree 2012 - Saturday by Karen Krugman on Karen's Genealogy Oasis blog.

*  Jamboree 2012 and Progress on My List by Sheri Fenley on The Educated Genealogist blog.

*  Jamboree 2012 Wrap-Up by Michael John Neill on the RootDig.com blog.

*  Day 1 at Jamboree, SCGS Jamboree Day #2, SCGS Genealogy Jamboree Day #3 - Saturday, Day 4 at SCGS Genealogy Jamboree - Sunday and SCGS Genealogy Jamboree Pictures - Hollywood Gala* by Randy Seaver on the Genea-Musings blog.

*  Top 40, Jamboree and Me by Valerie Craft on the Family Cherished blog.

*  SCGS12 Hollywood Gala* by Amy Coffin on The We Tree Genealogy Blog.

*  Jamboree Weekend Train and Hotel, Jamboree Day 2 Friday June 8, 2012, Jamboree Day 2, Saturday June 9 and Sunday Day 3 at Jamboree by Gwynn Socolich on the GSGenealogy blog.

*  The Day After: My Top 10 Jamboree 2012 List by Gena Ortega on Gena's Genealogy blog..

*  What I Liked Best About #SCGS12 by Caroline M. Pointer on the 4YourFamilyStory.com blog.

*  My First Jamboree - Part 1, My First Jamboree - Part 2 and My First Jamboree - Part 3 (The Finale) by Missy Corley on the Bayside Blog.

*  Jamboree 2012 - Friday,  Jamboree 2012 - Saturday by Cheryl Palmer on the Heritage Happens blog.

*  Surreal Southern California Genealogy Jamboree by the writer of The Ancestry Insider blog.

*  Don't Miss the Author of Annie's Ghost #scgs12 Streaming Video,   A Good Time Was Had By All @scgs12, and  Elyse Doerflinger and A.C. Ivory Receive Suzanne Winsor Freeman Student Scholarship Grants by Denise Levenick on The Family Curator blog.

*  Genealogy Firsts - Merit Badge, Conference, Autographs and Cemetery Picture-Taking by Geoff Rasmussen on the Legacy News blog.

*  Jamboree: Crowds, the Census and a Red Carpet! by Schelly Dardashti on the MyHeritage Blog.

*  Southern California Genealogical Society's Successful 2012 Jamboree by Tom Kemp on the GenealogyBank Blog.

*  Southern California Genealogy Jamboree 2012 Recap by Amanda on the Geni Blog.

*  SCGS Jamboree in Oregon 2012 by Susan LeBlanc on the Gopher Genealogy blog.

*  At the Genealogy Jamboree 2012 and   Saturday at SCGS Jamboree - Fun and Discoveries by Donna Wendt on the Another Day With Donna blog.

If I missed one or more of your blog posts about events at SCGS 2012, please let me know in comments or email.

Last updated Thursday, 14 June 2012, 1 p.m.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/06/scgs-genealogy-jamboree-compendium.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

Tuesday's Tip - Use the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Site

This week's Tuesday's Tip is:  Use the National Park Service's website (http://www.nps.gov/civilwar/index.htm) to search for information about the war, Union and Confederate Soldiers and Sailors, prisoners, regimental histories, and more.

Here is the Home Page for the site:

The tabs at the top of the page (green background) are NPS links for "Find a Park," "Discover History," "Explore Nature," "Get Involved," "Working with Communities," "Teachers," "Kids" and  "About Us."

Down the left side of the screen above are links to the Civil War site, including "Home," "Stories," "People," "Places," "Collections," "Preservation," "Facts," and "150 Years: Maryland campaign."

On the "People" page, there is a l ink for the "Soldiers and Sailors Database" (http://www.nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-database.html):

A user can search for people who might have served in the War using this database.  There are different search fields for "Soldiers," "Sailors," "Regiments," "Cemeteries," "Battles," Prisoners," "Medals of Honor" and "Monuments."

I chose "Soldiers," and in the search box, I put in Last Name = 'seaver' and selected "Union" as shown below:

The options in the search fields included:  "By Keyword," "By Last Name," "By First Name," "By Side," "By State," "Rank In," "rank Out," and "By Function."

There were 205 Union Soldiers with the last name of Seaver:

I scrolled down until I found Isaac Seaver.  Here is what his screen said:

There was a link to his regiment which provided information about the regiment:

The best use of this site is as a starting point to find further records for your ancestors.  If they aren't included here, then they probably did not serve in the Civil War.  If they are included, then the user should pursue the different records (Service Record, Pension File, etc.).

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/06/tuesdays-tip-use-civil-war-soldiers-and.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

SCGS Genealogy Jamboree Pictures - Hollywood Gala

Because of the problem I had on my laptop at the Jamboree with Blogger using Internet Explorer 8 (Blogger.com has problems with IE8), I was unable to post pictures to Genea-Musings.  I did post some to Facebook.

Here are some of my pictures from the Hollywood Gala on Friday night at the SCGS Genealogy Jamboree:

1)  SCGS Jamboree co-chair Paula Hinkel (wearing her tiara) and her husband Pieter:

2)  Leo Myers (in his black suit and shirt with white tie and black hat) at the podium making announcements.  There weren't enough tables, so people sat on the edge of the stage to eat.

3)  "Big Hair Blonde" Amy Coffin with uber-geneablogger Thomas MacEntee and someone else (who 'dat?):

4)  Lisa Alzo and Kim von Aspern smiling for the camera:

5)  Kathryn Doyle, Jeffrey Vaillant and Kim Cotton, all of California Genealogical Society:

6)  San Diego Genealogical Society ladies Pamela Journey, Phyllis Quarg, and Gloria Osborn, plus lots of geneablogger backs behind them):

7)  Lovely ladies from the North Orange County Genealogical Society, Lois Pecora, Jamie Mayhew and Nancy Peralta:

8)  The DAR contingent - Elizabeth Swanay O'Neal and Sue Barry:

9)  Denise Levenick (dressed as the lovely Miss Penelope Dreadful) and A.C. Ivory, who received one of the Suzanne Freeman scholarships (Suzanne was Denise's mother):

10)  Denise Levenick with Elyse Doerflinger, another Suzanne Freeman scholarship recipient.

11)  Tonia Kendrick (beautiful in blue) with the CGS folks conversing in the background:

12)  Miss Penelope Dreadful, Sheri Fenley and Jeffrey Vaillant:

13)  The MyHeritage crew dressing up - I think Mark Olson, Shelly Dardashti and Daniel Horowitz are hiding in this photo:

14)  Geneabloggers gone wild - Amy Coffin, Susan Kitchens, Caroline Pointer, Penelope Dreadful and Kathryn Doyle acting naturally:

Other geneabloggers may have more pictures!!

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/06/scgs-genealogy-jamboree-pictures.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

MyHeritage Announces Record Matching Feature

I just finished watching the MyHeritage press conference (on a webinar - watch it at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-4BHNCJb6o) with Gilad Japhet.  Dick Eastman has a copy of the "MyHeritage Hits One Billion Profiles" press release here.

During the conference, MyHeritage announced a new feature called Record Matching.  Here is a screen shot of the slide with details:

The slide notes:

*  This technology will be released in July 2012 to all MyHeritage users.

*  Record Matching intelligently and automatically compares the 1 billion family tree profiles on MyHeritage to the 4+ billion historical records to find matches.

*  The site will translate names between languages and apply synonyms to find record matches.

*  This is the first record matching service to find matches in newspapers, yearbooks and other true text documents.

*  Record Matching has 98% accuracy and an average of 15 matches per 100 people. 

I was first shown the idea for this technology in February by Gilad while we were at RootsTech.  He asked if they could use my tree on MyHeritage to find record matches to demonstrate the technology.  I said "YES!!!" because I saw the potential.  Last month, Gilad emailed me telling me some of the matches they had found, and he asked me if I would consent to some of my matches being used in the press conference presentation today.  Again, I said "Yes" being the semi-famous yet unassuming genealogy publicity seeker that I am.

The first match was for my first cousin, twice removed, Frederick Thomas Blanchard, a university professor.  The Record Match system found his wedding announcement in an Oakland (CA) newspaper:

The system also found a college yearbook summary of his achievements:

Gilad used two other examples for persons in my database, and several examples from his own tree.

In Gilad's recent email to me, he noted that there are 3,925 Record Matches for persons in my MyHeritage tree, and they include 825 newsletter articles and over 1,700 cemetery records.  I have a lot of work to do!

I asked the question (via chat):  "How will the Record Matching be delivered to a user?"  The response was via a weekly email with links to the matches in the record collections, and by links on the MyHeritage tree (website or on mobile).  Users will be able to filter the results by criteria and sort them by confidence level.

While it wasn't explicitly mentioned, I think that only MyHeritage subscribers will be able to use the Record Matching feature, and only subscribers to the WorldVitalRecords.com site will be able to access the historical records (including the newspapers) on that site.

I do want to correct Gilad's description of my database as "... a meticulously documented tree ... with a source for each and every fact."  That isn't exactly true... I do have many sourced facts for many of my ancestral families, but not as many for the collateral lines in my 40,000 person tree.

I look forward to trying out the Record Matching feature when it becomes available on MyHeritage.

My thanks to Gilad Japhet for using my family tree for some of his examples.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/06/myheritage-announces-record-matching.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

Amanuensis Monday - the will of Joseph Collins (1643-1724) of Lynn, Mass.

Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog) started his own Monday blog theme many months ago called Amanuensis Monday. What does "amanuensis" mean? John offers this definition:

"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."

The subject today is the probate file of Joseph Collins (1643-1724) of Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts, one of my 8th great-grandfathers.  Joseph Collins had two wives and a total of 16 children.  He married (1) Sarah Silsbee (1646-1682) before 1669, and they had seven children:  Sara Collins (1669-1669); Joseph Collins (1671-1695); Henry Collins (1673-1721); Ann Collins (1675-1754); Dorothy Collins (1676-1730): Sarah Collins (1678-1757) and Ester Collins (1680-????).  Joseph Collins married (2) in 1684 to Mariah Smith (1664-after 1724), and they had nine children:  Ruth Collins (1685-1715); Mary Collins (1688-????); William Collins (1690-1767); Elizabeth Collins (1692-1736); Joseph Collins (1695-1734); Ezekiel Collins (1698-1765); Martha Collins (1700-1731); Ebenezer Collins (1702-after 1730); and Daniel Collins (1704-after 1729).

The will of Joseph Collins was written 16 May 1724, and was attested, approved and allowed by the Court in Ipswich on 2 November 1724.  It reads (probate court clerk copy, transcribed from Essex County Probate Records, Volume 315, pages 143-4, accessed on FHL Microfilm 0,875,129):

"In the Name of God Amen.  I Joseph Collins of Lynn in the county of Essex in the Province of Massachusetts Bay in New England House carpenter being aged and weak in body but of Perfect mind and memory thanks be to God Do take this Oportunity to make this my Last Will and Testament as followeth.  first I committ my Soul to the Lord Jesus Christ my blessed Redeemer and my body to the Earth to be buried in Deacent Christian Manner att the Direction of my Execr hereafter Named, and as touching my worldly Estate itt hath Pleased God to give me I give and Dispose of the same as followeth.

"Impr.  That all my Just Debts and funerall charges be paid by My Executor hereafter Named, Item, I give and bequath to my beloved Wife Merryah Collins all my Indoor moveables of what Kind soever to be att her own Disposeing and the Improvement of all the Rest of my Estate both Reall and Personall Dureing her Naturall Life All which to be in Lew of Consideration of her thirds or Right of Dower in my Estate Shee accepting thereof.

"Item I give to my three sons Namely William Collins Joseph Collins and Ezekiell Collins Each of them one Shilling they haveing received their Portions by what I have given to them and Done for them in times past.

"It.  I give to my son Daniel Collins Ten Pounds and that together with what I have already Done for him to be his Portion.

"It. I give to my Daughter Ann Ingols Twelve Pounds, I give to my Daughter Dorothy Gray Six Pounds and unto my Daughter Sarah Richards Six Pounds.

"It.  I give to My other three Daughters, Namely Mary Farrar, Elizabeth Graves and Martha Odell each of them Twelve Pounds.  And to my Grandaughter Ruth Graves One shilling haveing given her Deced Mother her Portion in times past.  All which aforesd gifts to my aforementioned Daughters together with what I have already done for them to be there Portions, Ordering my Executor hereafter Named to Pay all the Severall Giffts and Legaceys to the aforenamed Parties within three years after my Wives Decease.

"It.  I give to my Son Ebenezer Collins and to his heires and assignes forever all my Estate both Reall and Personall of what kind soever Excepting what is before given, and my Indoor moveables, before given to my Wife, he Paying and Performing as before Directed.  Lastly My Will is and I do hereby ordain and appoint my aforenamed Son Ebenezer Collins to be my Lawfull and sole Executor to this my Last Will and Testament and for confirmation of the same, I the before Named Joseph Collins have hereunto affixed my hand and Seale on the Sixteenth Day of May Anno Dom: One thousand Seven hundred and twenty four.
......................................................................................... Joseph Collins

"  Signed Sealed Published and Declared in Presence of us
Theophilus Burrell,  John Lewis,  Joseph Mansfield."

Some of the heirs filed an affidavit stating that their legacies from the estate of their honoured father, Joseph Collins, housewright of Lynn, had been received to their full satisfaction.  Separate affidavits were filed by Dorothy and Robert Gray, Sarah and Crispus Richards, Anne and Nehemiah Ingals, Elizabeth and Samuel Graves, Mary and John Farrar, Martha and William Odell during the period of 10 November to 15 November 1727 (Essex County Probate Records, Volume 316, pages 015-016, accessed on FHL Microfilm 0,875,129).

One of my descents from Joseph Collins is through his daughter, Sarah (1678-1757) who married Crispus Richards (1681-1763).  The second is through his daughter, Ruth (1685-1715) who married Thomas Graves (1686-1756), whose daughter, Ruth Graves, is mentioned in the will above.

The URL of this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/06/amanuensis-monday-will-of-joseph.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

Day 4 at SCGS Genealogy Jamboree - Sunday

I think I set a personal best for number of classes attended in a day at a multi-day conference.  Also for number of classes attended on the last day of a conference.  Three.  I know that sounds low, and it is, but that's my record.  I get too busy in the exhibit hall or doing blogger things to attend classes.

We're home now...by 8:45 p.m. so I need to write this and go off to bed.

*  We were out for breakfast in the lounge at 7:30 a.m., and sat with several bloggers.  I decided that I wanted to go hear Warren Bittner on "Complex Evidence" at 8:30 to see how a pro presents the GPS and a case study to illustrate its application.  He didn't disappoint, although I disagreed with several of his Original vs Derivative source assignments.  I'll blog about that later, I think.  I tweeted throughout this talk hitting highlights for me, and they can be found on Twitter (@rjseaver) and on Facebook.

*   After walking through the exhibit hall, I landed in Lisa Lee's talk on "Speling Dusn't Cownt' And Why Wild Cards Are the Best Thing Since Sliced Bread."  I agree about the spelling, and the wild cards, but was disappointed that Lisa used only "Old Search" on Ancestry.com to demonstrate searching.  She spoke highly of Heritage Quest Online which has become a forgotten resource for many of us.  I was impressed by the live searches for persons in the census solicited from the audience - very brave!  And successful, I thought.

*  At 11 a.m. I rushed out and got a hot dog and chocolate chip cookies for lunch, then went up to the room to get Linda and our suitcases, and we checked out of the hotel.  I went over to Subway to get Linda a sandwich for lunch and both of us a sandwich for dinner.

*  I was back in time to take a stroll through the exhibit hall again, and wound up in Jana Broglin's talk on "Diggin in the Dirt : A Discussion of Deeds."  Jana sure knows this topic well!  She had a very impressive command of the facts on a complex subject with great examples to illustrate her points.

*  After three talks, I still had some exhibit hall to cover, so I went and bought the two books I've been eying at the NEHGS table, then talked to Brian Speickart at the FindMyPast booth, Chris Whitten, Liann Lavoie and Elyse Doerflinger at the WikiTree booth, and rested my feet at Janet Hovorka's FamilyChartMasters booth.  Janet let me play her descendants chart game - she gave me the hardest one and I figured it out after several minutes.  The card she picked for me was to find someone's second cousin once removed.  Two of the young teens at the conference did almost all of the cards.  I think Emma (Gini's granddaughter) and Brandon (Gena's son) have a great future as genealogists!

*  At 2:45 p.m. I waved goodbye to my exhibit hall friends, saw Tom Underhill briefly, and met Linda in the lobby.  We said goodbye to several blogger friends, and went outside at 3:15 p.m. to catch the shuttle to the train station, along with about 40 others.  We managed to get on the 3:40 shuttle and were on the train platform when the 4:22 train arrived several minutes early.  I'm not sure that everyone at the hotel that wanted to catch that train made it.  I hope so.  There was only one shuttle running today - usually there are two.

*  The train ride was uneventful in the last car where we rode downstairs - I read my Harlan Coben book, ate my sandwich, took a short doze, watched the OC and SD beaches go by and the sun set, and we were to San Diego at 7:50 p.m.  Barbara was waiting for us, and we were home by 8:40 p.m.

This Genealogy Jamboree was somewhat different from the recent RootsTech, FGS, and NGS Conferences I've attended.  There was no Media Hub for bloggers, no special briefings or dinners for bloggers, and no swag bag.  We did meet in the lounge off the lobby, but there was not the tremendous concentration of 30 or 40 like in past years.  There were also side meetings in the bar in the afternoons... As many have said before, being a part of the Geneabloggers group is special and fun - we have a group of like-minded, enthusiastic, friendly, loving, funny and encouraging people.  I appreciate the talents and creativity of each one of them - it seems to me like this body is more than the sum of its parts.

Lastly, thank you to Paula Hinkel and Leo Myers, and their team of SCGS volunteers, who continue to put on a first-class event with yearly improvements, and to Janet Hovorka for providing the blogger beads this year.  I wore mine all the way home.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/06/day-4-at-scgs-genealogy-jamboree-sunday.html

copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver