Summit of Excellence: Online Research Track

 

• The Summit of Excellence is a multi-track conference (Thursday - Saturday) with more than 50 presentations covering methodology, records types, DNA, professional topics, technology, international and ethnic research, and more. The full conference schedule can be viewed here

Act Now! Registration closes September 11th!

To register for the Summit of Excellence, click here

Online Research Track

Untangling Sticky Problems in Family Tree 

by Kathryn Grant - 17 September, 9 AM

Have you ever found a tangle in FamilySearch Family Tree and wondered how to unravel it?

There are no magic wands, but there are principles and processes that will untangle these sticky

problems.

After years of watching from the sidelines, Kathryn dove into family history and has discovered

a new passion. She specializes in helping new family historians find success. With the right

guidance, she believes that everyone can find the joy in family history.

Kathryn teaches at the BYU Family History Library and presents at various family history events.

She's also a regular contributor to the FamilySearch blog. She is a technical writer and

instructional designer with a focus on usability and process improvement. She develops training

for use on mobile devices. She loves uplifting music, thought-provoking books, and clever puns.

Shaky Leaf Syndrome: Using Website-Generated Hints More Effectively 

by Sara Cochran - 17 September, 10:30 AM

New computer tools make finding obscure family records easier than ever. Indexing, optical

character recognition have improved the game. But computers can’t distinguish between

people with the same name who lived in different places or at different times. In this class we

will practice evaluating hints and attach the keepers to our trees.

Sara is a professional genealogist with more than 28 years of experience. Her research has

taken her into nearly state in the US, and many countries in Europe, including Ireland, Italy,

Austria and Britain. She especially enjoys breaking down brick walls for clients and discovering

stories of black sheep ancestors. She specializes in preserving photographic legacies.

She has a genealogical research certificate from Boston University, a bachelor’s degree in

library science, and is an alumnus of the ProGen Study Group, and a regular attendee at SLIG,

SLIG Academy GRIP and IGHR institutes.

Traveling Back in Time Using Google Earth Pro 

by Marie Palmer - 17 September, 1 PM

Discover how to visually wow friends and relatives with your family history research. Google

Earth Pro is a free program that offers a sophisticated way to map out your ancestors’ lives with

as many visuals and text as you can find. Organizing research within Google Earth Pro lets you

view findings through a unique lens, prompting new questions and further avenues of research.

It also offers a fresh way to share research and how its interactive nature appeals to many,

especially the younger generation. This session will demonstrate the exciting features of Google

Earth Pro by using genealogical case studies.

Marie Palmer is a professional genealogist, speaker, and writer based in Canada. She specializes

in United Kingdom and genetic genealogy research and she is passionate about helping others

share stories of their ancestors through writing and using technologies such as Google Earth

Pro. In addition to a Master of Science in information science and library management, Marie

holds bachelor degrees in Education and Engineering, a Certificate in Genealogical Research

from Boston University, and is the co-chair of her ProGen study group. Marie has taught

extensively over the past 20 years and most recently worked for Legacy Tree Genealogists.

A Hop, a Skip, and a Jump: How to Navigate FamilySearch's Browse-Only Collections More Effectively 

by Alice Childs, AG - 17 September, 2:30 PM

Collections marked “browse only” can be daunting. This lecture will present strategies to help

you navigate like a pro. Your new-found confidence will have you skipping through the records

in no time.

Alice Childs is an Accredited Genealogist® specializing in U.S. Research, specifically the Mid-

Atlantic states of New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and Delaware. She has a

passion for helping others connect with their ancestors. In addition to client work, Alice enjoys

serving as a mentor for the Research Like a Pro and ICAPGen Study Groups. She also volunteers

in her community, helping beginning genealogists learn more about their family history. When

she’s not researching, Alice enjoys spending time with her family, reading historical fiction,

quilting, and gardening.

Community Research Using the National Register of Historic Places and the Historical Marker

by Peggy Clemens Lauritzen - 17 September, 3:45 PM

Summit of Excellence: Writing and Storytelling Track

• The Summit of Excellence is a multi-track conference (Thursday - Saturday) with more than 50 presentations covering methodology, records types, DNA, professional topics, technology, international and ethnic research, and more. The full conference schedule can be viewed here

To register for the Summit of Excellence, click here

From a Box in the Closet to a Treasured Family Heirloom

By Sarah Cochran - 15 September, 9AM

Sara Cochran has faced the insurmountable brick wall that very beginner genealogist faces. After 28 years of professional experience, she’s learned to break down that wall, brick by meaningful brick.

“If you’re overwhelmed by the collection of photos accumulated by your family,” she says. Take heart, “you are not alone.”

In this course, Sara provides a brief history of photography, then reviews various organizing techniques, while explaining digitization basics and ideas on how to preserve photos so they can be enjoyed by generations to come, “instead of collecting dust in the box.” Sara’s research has taken her into nearly every state in the U.S. and many countries like Ireland, Italy, Austria and Great Britain.She has a penchant for discovering the stories of black sheep ancestors and helping people preserve their photographic legacy.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Library Science, a certificate of Genealogical Research from Boston University and is an alumnus of the ProGen Study Group. She is a regular attendee at the SLIG, SLIG Academy, GRIP and IGHR institutes.

Publishing Your Family History

By Diane Henriks - 15 September, 10:30 AM

Diane Henriks, coyly dubbed the “Descendant Detective,” considers history to be a social science, where everyone, without exception, is involved. “As we learn about our family members and their experiences,” she says, “we should share their stories with others.”  

 

Join Diane to learn how to organize family stories and disseminate them to the family, the public, and most of all, to future generations.

She is a professional genealogist who shares her passion for family history as speaker, author and investigator. She uses advanced deductive reasoning and logical constructs to investigate a case. Her specialty is finding descendants in family trees and brick wall research. As a super sleuth of genealogy she works with private investigators to find living people, while assisting in background investigations in civil and criminal cases. What started as a small hobby for Diane has become a consuming obsession.

Breathing New Life into Your Boring Ancestors

By Melissa Barker - 15 September, 1 PM

Many say they have boring ancestors, says Melissa Barker, but “there is no such thing as a boring ancestor,” just a researcher who hasn’t found the records or information that will give life and breath to them.

In this course you will learn from a seasoned and tempered genealogist of 17 years how to find the information that will tell the drama of your ancestors and bring their struggle to life.

Melissa is a Certified Archives manager who currently works in the Houston County, Tennessee Archives and Museum. For her prowess, she’s affectionately known as The Archive Lady. She is a featured lecturer and teacher, who writes a popular blog titled A Genealogist in the Archives. She is also a well-known published book reviewer. Her expertise is Tennessee records. After 32 years, she’s still digging deeper into her own family history.

Write and Format Your Genealogy in a Research Report

By Lianne Kruger - 15 September, 2:30 PM

This session details how to create a research report, the basis of good genealogical writing. Lianne Kruger will draw from her vast experience to share examples of how to format headings and sections, and how to create tables for census records, as well as bullet points and lists in Microsoft Word.

Lianne is a professional genealogist and speaker who specializes in Canada, U.S., and Canadian homesteading. She is an expert in video recording of family history using technology such as Google Maps, Google Drive, Microsoft Office and Evernote.

She’s spoken at RootsTech, NGS, Legacy Family Tree Webinars, Ancestry, FamilyRoots, THE Genealogy Show, Vivid Pix, Ontario Ancestors, AGS and BIFHSGO, live and webinars. She’s published articles in BYU Studies Quarterly, FamilySearch, Ancestry, SK Translations and ISBGFH.

After earning a degree in computer science, she’s taught computer software courses since 1982. She recently earned associate and bachelor degrees in Family History Research from Brigham Young University-Idaho.

How to Do Oral History Interviews

By Rhonda Lauritzen - 15 September, 3:45 PM

Capturing authentic voices and real stories may be the most important family history activity to be undertaken, says Rhonda Lauritzen. This session in conducting oral history interviews is one-part practical, and one-part inspirational. “It is one of the easiest, most rewarding ways to approach a life story,” she says.

Learn about the significant advancements made in transcription tools in the last three years, such as digital recorders, voice recording apps, and microphones. Rhonda will share some of the best free applications and paid services.

The presentation will touch on how to combine oral history videos with written narratives, as well as a list of effective questions to ask in an interview and teach how to help an interviewee feel at ease.

Finally, learn the power of intensive, empathetic listening to draw out the depth of emotion. This course will help attendees feel confident to conduct their first interview.

Rhonda Lauritzen is a professional biographer who specializes in writing life stories, collecting oral histories and historical storytelling. She is an acclaimed author of multiple books. She does client work, including building nominations to the National Register of Historic Places and writing client family history stories. She believes that when you tell a story, it changes the ending. She is a passionate teacher, coach and presenter at conferences. Before founding Evalogue.Life, she served as a college vice president and corporate CEO.

• The Summit of Excellence is a multi-track conference (Thursday - Saturday) with more than 50 presentations covering methodology, records types, DNA, professional topics, technology, international and ethnic research, and more. The full conference schedule can be viewed here

To register for the Summit of Excellence, click here

 

Summit of Excellence: Tune into Basecamp Day for Free!

 

For those with an itch to learn genealogy but hesitate to take the deep plunge into genealogical

research, Basecamp Day is designed just for you. On this day before the Summit of Excellence,

you’ll receive tempered instruction in those foundational classes that build confidence and will

set you on a course for success—all for free.

Classes on this day are designed to help you taste early success. Soon you’ll be ascending the

heights of joy that come by connecting with ancestors.

Register for Basecamp Day at the following link: 

https://registration.ugagenealogy.org/

Note: If this is your first time attending a UGA sponsored conference, you will need to create a free UGA registration account to register for the event.

Basecamp Day Schedule

Wednesday September 14, 2022

Summit of Excellence Speaker Highlight: Tristan L. Tolman

Are you ready to share your family's history? Do you have a family story begging to be told? Let professional author, editor, and publisher Tristan Tolman reveal the blueprint for your success! Because we all have a story to tell, this is a class you don't want to miss!!!

Tristan will present the following at the Summit of Excellence held virtually, September 15-18, 2021:

Writing and Publishing

Learn tips for writing and publishing a family history, personal history, business history, or autobiography for yourself, your family, or a client. Full session description here.

Learn more about Tristan L. Tolman and all of our amazing speakers here.

View the full schedule for the UGA Summit of Excellence here.

Join Us in September!

The 2021 UGA Summit of Excellence celebrates UGA's 50th year. This exciting virtual conference, held September 15-18, 2021, is a four-day event with multiple tracks offering a premier educational opportunity at an extremely reasonable price. Each track features a different record set or research area such as legal records, methodology, technology, or DNA. 

Learn more about the Summit of Excellence or register to attend. Questions may be directed to the registrar: registrar@ugagenealogy.org.