Celebration Sunday~Genealogy Happy Dance!

You know the dance. You know you've done it. The one every researcher does after finding something new. The one where you want to jump up and down and shout to everyone around that you found the document, contacted a cousin who has the family Bible, made a DNA connection or found a whole new branch to your tree. The one that is met with glazed stares and eye rolls.
                                                          Celebration Sunday is a place to share your discoveries. 
This is a weekly series to enable everyone to tell about their Genealogy Happy Dance moment. This can be done by scrolling down and adding your story to the comments section. You may also put a link to a blog post.

                                                                 

My Happy Dance This Week:
 As you know, I spent a week in Raleigh, NC at the National Genealogy Society Conference. There were so many Happy Dance moments! 
My favorites? Learning about a group of high school students who shared their ancestor project with us, meeting new genfriends , catching up with old, and listening to some of the best in the genealogy community present methods to help strengthen my research skills.
 If you haven't attended a genealogy conference before, I encourage you to see what is available in your area or even across the country. There's nothing like spending time with those who understand that Happy Dance!

My Bag and Ribbons from #NGS2017GEN

                                                                                           Share your discovery!

                                                                                   Let the dancing commence!

Looking forward to reading about your Happy Dance moment!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Helping you climb your family tree,

Connecting Youth~A Tennessee High School Ancestor Project at #NGS2017GEN

NGS 2017 held in Raleigh, North Carolina last week, started out with a bang.
Keynote speaker, J. Mark Lowe, described a program he worked on with a group of high school students from Tennesee.

J. Mark Lowe
Keynote Speaker for NGS 2017

After researching their family tree, they were to choose an ancestor and create a poster to tell their story. 
Each participant then recorded in their own voice what they had discovered about the ancestor. These recordings were then added to a QR code and attached to the poster. The result is a visual and audio presentation of an ancestor's life.
The youth participating agreed to let Mark bring the posters to the conference and were on display.

Tennesee High School Student's
Ancestry Projects

We simply used an app on our phones or tablets to scan the code on the posters and then listen as ancestor's stories were told by their descendants. Marvelous! As we stood and listened we thought about the youth we could share this idea with and have them do the same.  

Thanks to Mark and each of the participants for sharing their work and allowing each of us to be a part of their Ancestry Project. 

Talking to Mark about the project.

Have you had success in connecting youth to their family history? What worked for you? We'd love to hear about it!

Thanks for stopping by!
Helping you climb your family tree,

Skill Building at #NGS2017GEN

The 2017 Putting Skills to Work session was sponsored by the BCG Education Fund and held the day before the National Genealogical Society Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina.
While I have been to NGS Conferences before, this was my first experience attending the workshop. 

Morning Session
2017 NGS Education Fund Workshop

Two classes were given. 
Making Your Case: Evidence to Solve Genealogical Problems presented by Nancy A. Peters, CG and 
Making Your Case: Conducting and Writing Proof Arguments by Sara Anne Scribner, CG.

This was not just a set of lectures, but a workshop where we learned and practiced the skills being taught. 
These included determining types of and understanding independent evidence, correlating using narratives, timelines, lists and tables and practicing writing proof statements, summaries and arguments.
At noon we were provided a nice luncheon which gave time to take a break, talk to other attendees and get a chance to discuss what we learned during the morning session.
The learning environment provided an opportunity to delve into the topics and ask questions of the presenters. 

If you have never taken advantage of these workshops held the day before an NGS Conference begins, I would recommend you do so. Topics and presenters vary each year and provide a unique opportunity to grow research skills. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Helping you climb your family tree,