Are you in the Los Angeles area this Saturday, October 25th?

I wish I could be in the Lost Angeles area this Saturday, October 25th. The 3rd annual L.A. As Subject archives bazaar, Archives Live!, will be held at the University of Southern California Davidson Conference Center.

It is a full day devoted to showing off Los Angeles history “whether they are working on a scholarly project or family genealogy.” [I always cringe at such a differentiation as do many other genealogists.]

Among the exhibitors are many of the city's archives and libraries. These include collections such as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Autry National Center, Los Angeles City Archives, Los Angeles Public Library, and UCLA Library Special Collections. Also represented will be the Boyle Heights Historical Society; Chinese Historical Society of Southern California; Filipino-American Library; Japanese American National Museum; LA84 Foundation--Sports Library; Mayme A. Clayton Library and Museum; ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives; Orange Empire Railway Museum; Society of California Archivists and the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Library and Archive and many others.

The bazaar will also include screenings of films, presentations on genealogy, teaching sessions and book signings by several authors.

And to make this special day during Archives Month even better, the event is free, but parking is not. [I am guessing that there must be some big sponsors and that the cost to be an exhibitor is high.]

For more information:

http://www.usc.edu/libraries/archives/arc/lasubject/

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/2008/10/coming-attracti.html

http://www.usc.edu/libraries/archives/arc/lasubject/documents/ARCHIVESLIVEFINALPROGRAM.pdf

Have Ancestors in the Southwest Germanic Areas?

From the GGS E-Connect, Newsletter of the Minnesota based Germanic Genealogy Society (GGS)

Sunday, October 26
Southwest Germanic Regional Workshop
Covering the areas of Alsace-Lorraine, Baden-Wùrttemberg, Hesse, Luxembourg, Palatinate (Pfalz) Rhineland, Saar, Switzerland.

Place: Concordia University Library Technology Center
Near the corner of Hamline Ave. and Concordia Ave., St. Paul, Minnesota
Room 214 (above the library) [This is where the GGS extensive library is housed]

For a map, go to http://concordia.csp.edu/Library/about/mapdirections.html
Free parking on the north and west sides of the building on weekends

Time: 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Concordia Library is open from 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Sunday for extended personal research.)

Cost: $5 (to cover the cost of the room)

What to expect: At this session, you can....

* Get individual help with questions on this Germanic area
* View resources to help you locate ancestral villages and answer immigration questions
* Examine additional resources in the GGS library collection
* Get help with the Meyers-Orts gazetteer
* See examples of findings from various areas
* Talk to other researchers in your areas of interest

Tagged by another blogger

Kathy Brady-Blake, CG, of Kathy's Genealogy Blog tagged me. It is basically a challenge to respond with my own answers and tag other Bloggers to do likewise. Here goes:

***10 Years Ago I........

Was beginning work on the FGS 2001 Quad Cities Conference
Lost my gallbladder
Was awaiting the birth of my daughter’s first child
Was renewing friendships with some people from New England
Was on an extended research trip to NARA in DC for a client


***5 Things on Today's To-Do List......

1. Write on my blog
2. Call my Dad
3. Tons of TMG data entry for a client
4. Vacuum
5. Remind SLIG instructors that syllabus material is due to me November 8th


***5 Snacks I Enjoy........

1. Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate
2. Soft Serve chocolate & vanilla twist ice cream in a cup
3. Strawberries
4. Anything mint
5. Diet Cherry Limeade from Sonic


***5 Places I Have Lived......

1. St. Paul, Minnesota (7 addresses)
2. Mountain View, California (3 addresses)
3. Zimmerman, Minnesota (1 address)
4. Eden Prairie, Minnesota (1 address)
5. That’s all folks


***5 Jobs I Have Had.....

1. Candy Girl and Ticket Sales at Highland Movie Theater, St. Paul
2. Shipping and Receiving at Feldman’s in Highland Park, St. Paul
3. Office help at Hart Ski Manufacturing in St. Paul
4. Day Care Provider
5. Genealogical researcher/lecturer/writer/consultant


***5 Blogs I tag to play.....

David at David Lambert Blog
Alvie at Alvie's Genealogy Spot
Steve Danko at Steve's Genealogy Blog
Drew and George at Genealogy Guys Podcast
Miriam at AnceStories

Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, January 12-16, 2009

I have received a couple of questions asking me to explain the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG). An institute is not the same as a seminar or conference which may have multiple individual sessions from which to choose. An institute, such as SLIG, has five (5) full days of learning. Registrants choose one five-day course and attend all the sessions that course offers. It's not a pick and choose for each hour. One of the advantages is getting to know your fellow registrants and the instructors better, thus allowing for better learning, networking, and Q&A time. Registrants come from all over the U.S. and some from Canada.

Each course has twenty (20) total hours of sessions. I coordinate and teach in an intermediate level course titled American Records and Research: Focusing on Localities.

In this course we have 22 hours for the same fee as the other courses. There are 16 hours of classroom instruction and 6 hours of Family History Library Lab. During those FHL hours, three of your instructors are on hand to give tours of the FHL, for one-on-one consultations, or whatever assistance you need during that FHL Lab time. Need to learn how to use the technological equipment, how to make a good copy from a microfilm or transfer it to a flash drive or CD? Does one branch of your family stymie you more than others? Need to become acquainted with the library catalog or the in-house finding aids? This is the course to help you with that. I am one of those consultants and am joined by Birdie Monk Holsclaw, CG, and D. Joshua Taylor, both of whom were great consultants in 2008.

Other in-the-classroom instructors are John Philip Colletta, PhD, Thomas W. Jones, CG, J. Mark Lowe, CG, and Kory L. Meyerink, AG. This assemblage of instructors is reason enough for taking the course. Add the lectures, syllabus, and library consultations and you have an exceptional week.

This 2009 course alternates in the even years with "Focus on Families" which has completely different class sessions.

If you have any questions about this course, please don't hesitate to contact me at PaulaStuartWarren@gmail.com. Visit the Utah Genealogical Association's website to learn about all the courses and individual classes. All have excellent coordinators and instructors. Online registration is easy. See you in January in SLC where the weather is never bad enough to stop genealogists. SLC sidewalks are amazingly clear for walking.

Register by October 30th and save $25.00 off the full price. Check out the list of evening classes that SLIG offers, too. These can be taken individually.

See you in SLC!

Black Americans in Congress

The first African Americans to serve in Congress did so in 1870. An extensive website tells more about Black Americans in Congress. Based on a book, Black Americans in Congress, 1870-2007, it tells the story of the painful and also successful road over time as these elected officials moved in and out of Congress. The site includes historical essays about black Congressional members, educational tools, historical data, member profiles, and digitized images of political ephemera and artifacts.

The member profiles give the name of each person, whether serving currently or a former member of Congress, Senator or Representative, state served from, and which political party. Clicking on each name leads to a long and interesting biographical essay about the person, citations to articles and books, and a citation to the papers of the member, if they exist.

American Archives Month

October is American Archives month. Important? That would be an emphatic yes for family historians. Where would our research be without our local, county, state, and federal archives? What about archives devoted to specific topics? When you research at one of these archives in October, be sure to thank the staff for being there for you. Archivists are not a highly paid group and most archives have had major budget cuts for several years.

That registration certificate for Grandpa's first car, Uncle Manny's naturalization record, a probate file for Grandma's father, the case file for a divorce, great grandpa's Union or Confederate pension, grasshopper relief applications, tax records, bankruptcies, and more are found in archives.

Here are some links to important articles and archival websites archives that will help demonstrate the value. Some of these share info on special activities for Archives Month. Many archives have website that include indexes, finding aids, catalogs, and other helpful information.

Arkansas History Commission
Minnesota State Archives
Pennsylvania State Archives
Texas State Library and Archives
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
Utah State Archives
Washington State Archives