See you soon in Orange County, California?

Family History Month is coming upon us quickly. In mid-October I will be making two appearances in southern California.

Wednesday, 14 October, Yorba Linda, California
An evening presentation for the Genealogical Society of North Orange County California. The title is Research Rewards in County Courthouse and Town Hall Records. Click here for details on the society's events for Family History Month.

Saturday, 17 October, Mission Viejo, California
I will be presenting an all -day seminar Locating those Illusive Ancestors for the South Orange County California Genealogical Society. For the full flyer and registration details click here. My four topics:

• Untrodden Ground: Sources You May Not Have Encountered"

• The U.S. Federal Government: 13 Underutilized Resources"

• Genealogy On The Internet: Make It Work For You"

• Organizing Your Genealogical Materials "

March 28th, 2009, Kalamazoo, Michigan

I will be presenting a full-day seminar on March 28th for the Kalamazoo Valley Genealogical Society at Western Michigan University's Fetzer Center in Kalamazoo. The day begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 4:00 p.m. The day includes genealogical vendors and door prizes and a deli buffet lunch. For full details and registration info visit the KVGS website.

The lectures:

NUCMC & its Cousins: Keys to Lost Ancestral Records
One of the important aids since 1962 is the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections and its modern, searchable cousins. Some researchers assume that finding valuable manuscript collections is not possible. Through visuals the lecture relates the wide variety of materials to be found and the steps to find them.

Tho’ They Were Poor, They May Have Been Rich in Records
Visuals will demonstrate the extensive information which may be found. The examples span many states and time periods and both private organizations and government agencies at many levels. The family details included will astound you.

Organizing Your Genealogical Materials
How many rooms are your papers in? How tall are the stacks of your research papers? This session will help you deal with these questions, and also present easy tips to help keep you organized day-to-day.

Finding Ancestral Places of Origin
Still looking for your ancestral places of origin? This lecture shares records and research strategies which may help you identify that place whether in the U.S. or in another country.

Upcoming appearances

I took the summer off from lecturing and had planned lots of organizational and writing work. Then my son announced his wedding and I moved. So much for the organizing tasks. Now, this fall I am speaking in several states. The September seminars and conferences are:

September 3-6, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Federation of Genealogical Societies Annual Conference
www.fgsconference.org and http://www.fgsconference.org/blog/
Haven't registered yet? Online and mail registrations have closed, but you can still register at the Pennsylvania Convention Center beginning Tuesday, September 2d from 3:00-7:00 p.m.

September 12-13, Tampa, Florida
Florida Genealogical Society of Tampa Fall Seminar
Includes a Friday Evening banquet to celebrate the Society's 50th Anniversary
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~flfgs/ and http://fgstampa.blogspot.com/

September 19-20, St. Paul, Minnesota, Minnesota History Center
Star of the North 2008 Minnesota Genealogy Conference featuring several speakers
Minnesota Genealogical Society
The two day event includes a big banquet on Friday evening.
http://www.mngs.org/quarterly.shtml#meeting