Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog: May 2015

Friday, May 29, 2015

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for May 29, 2015

My Fab Finds for this week are (in no particular order)

Get it While You Can Genealogy: On Lost Opportunities by Debbie Mieszala, author of The Advancing Genealogist
New resources online: the Annaes da Ilha Terceira by Isabella Baltar, author of My Portuguese Gen
10 Reasons To Use CCC Records in Your Genealogy Research AND Tuesday’s Genealogy Tip – Use Vintage Cookbooks in Your Research by Lisa Lisson, author of Lisa Lisson.com
How'd She Do That?! Using Facebook to Break Though Brick Walls by Amie Bowser Tennant, author of My Kith N Kin
ANNIE SAGAN'S PIE CRUST... by Deb Gould, author of Deb Gould
Processing Genealogy Projects: My “Current Project” Shelves by Jenny Tonks, author of The Disciplined Genealogist
Are You Ready for the Big One? by Denise Levenick, author of The Family Curator
WORKDAY WEDNESDAY–What kind of work did your ancestors do? by Diane Gould Hall, author of MICHIGAN FAMILY TRAILS
Lovely records by Judy G. Russell, author of The Legal Genealogist
Tombstone Tuesday: The Search for an Irish Family Tombstone by Colleen G. Brown Pasquale, author of Leaves & Branches
Crestleaf.com’s 12 Months of Fascinating Family Finds Challenge by Crestleaf.com Blog
The Family History Guide - A New Genealogy Tool by Sue Maxwell, author of Granite Genealogy
Ancestry Up for Sale? by Sunny for Lisa Louise Cooke's Genealogy Gems
First Gravestone Photograph by Midge Frazel, author of Granite in My Blood
A detour, a U-turn, and back to the beginning. by Tami Glatz, author of Relatively Curious About Genealogy
Tuesday's Tip: Use a Research Plan by Nichelle Barra, author of Copper Leaf Genealogy
The priceless value of a sixth cousin by Vera Miller, author of Find Lost Russian & Ukrainian Family
Look Again by Mary Nunn Maki, author of Growing up in Willow Creek
FREE Live Streaming from SCGS Jamboree (5-7 June 2015) by Diane L. Richard for UPFRONT WITH NGS
Sepia Saturday: Rolling in the Dough by Wendy Mathias, author of Jollett Etc.

The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge by Amy Johnson Crow, author of No Story Too Small -

52 Ancestors Challenge 2015: Week 21 Recap

"May I Introduce To You" Interviews on GeneaBloggers.com

May I Introduce to You . . . Julie Goucher

New Blog Discoveries

In Case You Missed Them….My Contributions to the Blogosphere This Week

Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog

Official Conference Blogger ~ 2015 BYU Conference on Family History & Genealogy

Jana's Place

Temple Square in Spring

Thanks for reading!

Jana

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Official Conference Blogger ~ 2015 BYU Conference on Family History & Genealogy

Image courtesy of adamr at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I have some exciting news to share with you. Last Thursday I received an email that began with this sentence:

"On behalf of the 2015 BYU Conference on Family History & Genealogy, I would like to extend an invitation to you to attend the conference as an official conference blogger."

How awesome is that?! After talking with my husband and family about this exciting invitation, I happily accepted. And now I am an official conference blogger for the 47th annual 2015 BYU Conference on Family History & Genealogy.

The conference will be held July 28-31, 2015 at the BYU Conference Center in Provo, Utah. I've taken a look at the conference schedule and there are wonderful classes being offered.

This will be my first national genealogy conference. And it's the first time I'll be an official conference blogger. So, if you've already attended a national genealogy conference and/or have been an official conference blogger and you have any advice for me, I'd appreciate hearing from you.

The conference will begin in a little over two months. I've already booked my flight. The last time I flew in an airplane was when I was in college. And that was over thirty years ago. So, ya. It's been a long time. My husband on the other hand has flown a number of times over the years on business, including a flight to Denmark for a week. Lucky guy! That's oh so close to where my paternal ancestors were from. They were from Sweden and Norway.

Speaking of my ancestors from Sweden and Norway, the 2015 BYU Conference on Family History & Genealogy has a Scandinavian Research Track on Thursday, July 30th. I'll definitely consider adding some of those classes to my conference schedule.

To see the complete schedule of classes, click HERE. Just click the button for each day of the conference to view that day's class schedule. And to learn more about the 2015 BYU Conference on Family History & Genealogy, click HERE.

I'm so honored, thrilled, and excited that I was asked to be an official conference blogger for the 2015 BYU Conference on Family History & Genealogy. If you plan on attending this conference, please let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

Monday, May 25, 2015

Military Monday ~ Memorial Day 2015: A Moving Video

This very moving video was shared on Facebook and I wanted to share it with you here on my blog today.

It's called "Project Vigil: D-Day 2014, The Saluting boy on Omaha beach." In addition to teaching visitors in the American Cemetery about three paratroopers buried there, this 11-year old boy stood on Omaha beach for an hour and a half paying tribute to the soldiers who landed on Omaha beach on D-Day.

May we never forget the sacrifices of those who paid the ultimate price for our freedoms.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

Friday, May 22, 2015

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for May 22, 2015

Hello all of my wonderful readers! Fab Finds is back from its hiatus. Thank you for your patience during its absence.

My Fab Finds for this week are (in no particular order)

Make a Quick Memorial Day Facebook Collage by Denise Levenick, author of The Family Curator
Tuesday's Tip: Keep Black-and-White Negatives Separate from Color--Or Else by Marian Burk Wood, author of Climbing My Family Tree
Scam Email to GeneaBloggers’ Members from Jamie Smith at Formswift.com – DISREGARD by Thomas MacEntee, author of GeneaBloggers
THE FIFTH AMERICAN CIVIL WAR BLOGPOST CHALLENGE ROUNDUP AND TEN TIPS FOR NEW GENEABLOGGERS. by Bill West, author of West in New England
Ten Genealogy Lessons I Learned from My Mother by LISA A. ALZO, author of The Accidental Genealogist
3 Great Reasons Why Every Genealogist Should Use Flickr by Lisa Lisson, guest blogger for Crestleaf.com
Honor Roll Project by Heather Wilkinson Rojo, author of Nutfield Genealogy
Free Obituary Service by Amberly, author of The Genealogy Girl
Birth record search and reading example AND Household record search and reading example by ArkivDigital Blog
Talaasen Serendipity by Cheryl Palmer, author of My Heritage Happens
How do you spell genealogy? P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E by Janine Adams, author of Organize Your Family History
African Autosomal DNA Matching: A Feeling I Can’t Describe by Melvin J. Collier, author of Roots Revealed
Digital Journaling Solutions by Amy Archibald, author of Revealing Roots and Branches
NEW GENEAGEM: U.S. PETITIONS FOR NATURALIZATION INDEX 1791-1906 by Linda Stufflebean, author of Empty Branches on the Family Tree
SCGS Offers Two Streaming Options for Those Unable to Attend in Person (5-7 June 2015) by Diane L. Richard for UPFRONT WITH NGS
How to Use FamilySearch’s Civil War Records to Learn about Ancestors by Alison J. Herzog for FamilySearch Blog
New Frontiers: Online Access is not Enough by Marian Pierre-Louis, author of Marian's Roots & Rambles
Remembering Robert by Michelle Ganus Taggart, author of A Southern Sleuth
Tell a Story with History Lines App by Dianne Seale Guimont Nolin, author of Genealogy: Beyond the BMD
My Journey on Genealogy! Just Ask! by Robin Foster, author of Saving Stories

The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge by Amy Johnson Crow, author of No Story Too Small -

"May I Introduce To You" Interviews on GeneaBloggers.com

New Blog Discoveries

In Case You Missed Them….My Contributions to the Blogosphere Since my Last Fab Finds Post

Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog

Jana's Place

Thanks for reading!

Jana

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

My "Family History Blogs and Social Media" Class

In previous posts, I shared the news that I had been asked to teach a class at our local "Discover Your Family Day 2015." The event took place this last Saturday, May 16th. Those in charge of the event did a fantastic job. It was very well-run and organized.

My husband took this photo of me before the event began. I displayed my blog book and my Engle Family Postcards binder on the table and referred to them during my class.

Attendees of the "Discover Your Family Day 2015" received a syllabus packet and this bag filled with booklets, etc.

In addition to teaching my class, I was also asked to teach in the Exhibit Hall. There was a table set up for me with a sign behind the table that read "Family History Blogging." I prepared a separate PowerPoint presentation about how to create a blog. This is the first slide from that presentation.

I brought my blog book and Engle Family Postcards binder that I used in my class and set them on the table in the Exhibit Hall.

Many of the attendees were quite interested in my blog book. Some picked it up and looked through its pages and I was asked who printed the book. I happily told them I used Blurb.com.

Here are a few of my PowerPoint slides from my class presentation.

I had submitted my syllabus several weeks before the event, as requested. Since that time, however, I added more information and links. I also thought it would be helpful to provide my syllabus as a live-link document. So, I included a PDF version of my updated syllabus on my new Weebly website. I shared this with my class. And I'll share the link to my syllabus here as well.

Here are the instructions on how to access my syllabus on my new website ~ Jana's Genealogy and Social Media Hub.

Here's the homepage for my website.

From the Family History tab, click on "My Presentations" in the drop down menu.

Click on "Download File" to download my updated syllabus PDF file.

I'm grateful for the opportunity I had to teach my class and to participate in the Exhibit Hall at the "Discover Your Family Day 2015."

Thanks for reading!

Jana

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Great-Grandma Rosalia's Baptism Record

My maternal grandmother, Sarah Vasques Madeira, was born in Brazil. Sarah's mother, and my great-grandmother, Rosalia Rodrigues Vasques, was also born in Brazil.

Rosalia was born on 4 September 1857 in Rio Grande, Rio Grand do Sul, Brazil to her parents Mathias Rodrigues Vasques and Margarida De Farias Vasques. I was able to find Rosalia's baptism record on FamilySearch.¹

The really wonderful thing about this and other Brazilian baptism records in this record set on FamilySearch is this - not only do these records list the parents of the infant being baptized, they also list the infant's maternal and paternal grandparents as well. How awesome is that? If I didn't already have that information, I would be able to go back another generation on my family tree.

If you have Brazilian ancestry, I encourage you to check out these wonderful records by clicking HERE.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

1 "Brasil Batismos, 1688-1935," index, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 13 May 2015), Rosalia Vasques, 04 Sep 1857; citing reference p 184; FHL microfilm 1284647.^↩

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

My New Website

Yes, I've done it. I've created another website. But this one isn't a blog. I already have three of those. This new website is a place to organize and share the places I can be found online.

I used Weebly to create my new website. I really like Weebly's drop-down menu feature. And it was interesting to learn how to use another website/blogging platform. I had a lot of fun choosing the photos to use as my page and tab headers. I used my own photos for all page and tab headers except for the home page.

Here are a few screenshots from my new Weebly website.

Ancestor Photos Tab

My Blogs Page

My Presentations Tab

Social Media Links Page

I hope you'll check out my new website, Jana's Genealogy and Social Media Hub by clicking HERE. And please tell me what you think of it. Thank you so much!

Thanks for reading!

Jana

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Fun Times in Utah

I thought I'd write a quick blog post to share with you why my blog was so quiet last week. The reason was that my husband and I traveled to Utah to attend our son-in-law's graduation from BYU-Provo. He graduated with a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Accounting. We're so proud of him!

On our way home, we visited Zion National Park. We'd never been there before. Wow! What a stunningly beautiful place!

We spent part of Monday, April 27th and most of Tuesday, April 28th in the park. We didn't even see all there is to see though. We'll definitely need to go back some day.

The shuttle service within the park was wonderful and very well-run. The shuttles travel along the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. Including the Visitor Center, there are nine shuttle stops along the Drive.

I took this photo at the Court of the Patriarchs shuttle stop.

This informational plaque tells visitors about these stunning sandstone cliffs.

In case it's difficult to read this plaque, here's what it says:

"Named for three towering figures of the Old Testament, these sandstone cliffs hold court over Birch Creek Canyon and this section of the Virgin River. In 1916 Frederick Vining Fisher, a Methodist minister, gave the religious names to the peaks. Today it is not hard to imagine how the grandeur of this view could inspire such reverence."

At the Zion Lodge stop, we hiked on the Emerald Pools Trail.

Here are a couple of photos I took while walking along this gorgeous trail.

I took so many photos during our visit to Zion National Park that I filled up two memory cards and part of a third card! Don't worry, I won't be sharing all of the pictures here though. I will be sharing more photos from our trip on my Jana's Place blog in the future.

Thanks for reading!

Jana