Would you like to attend the Federation of Genealogical Societies conference August 31-September 3, 2016? We’re looking for students who would like to help in our Exhibit Hall booth in exchange for a conference registration (a $250 value). Requirements? Assist with answering questions between presentations. All you need is a friendly, outgoing personality and your passion for genealogy education! Interested? Email us at admin@genealogicalstudies.com
21-23 OCTOBER 2016 | Courtyard by Marriott Brampton Derived out of a passion for family history, three Canadian genealogists banded together to develop a conference structure which has a mission to promote Canadian genealogists by providing them a platform to showcase their talents as well as share their knowledge and passion for genealogy with others. Those three Canadian genealogists are: Christine Woodcock of Genealogy Tours of Scotland. Kathryn Lake Hogan of Looking4Ancestors, and Dominion Genealogist, UELAC. Mike Quackenbush, professional genealogist specializing in English and Canadian research. The summit will feature five research tracks of interest to Canadian family history researchers: Canadian, English, Irish, Scottish, and French-Canadian. Other options include a pre-summit day at the Archives of Ontario and a Loyalist workshop with the Dominion Genealogist of the United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada. Opening Keynote Speaker is Jennifer Debruin, author of the soon to be published book Daughter of Conflict. With deep ancestral roots in New France/Quebec, Upper Canada/Ontario, and colonial America, Jennifer is interested in exploring the human story within this rich history. Combining her passion and experience in writing, education, history, and genealogy, she writes fact-based historical fiction. In addition to Christine, Kathryn and Mike, session speakers will feature: Ruth Blair, PLCGS of Blair Archival Research. Ruth is a Canadian professional genealogist specializing in Irish research. Louise St. Denis, PLCGS is the Director of the National Institute for Genealogical Research. Louise is home-grown French-Canadian and specializes in genealogical methodology and French-Canadian research. Closing Keynote Speaker is The Armchair Genealogist. Lynn is a popular…
By Shannon Combs-Bennett, Student The next few modules (6, 7, and 8) confused me at first. I wondered why they would be covered in a course about paleography. I mean, how does learning about the church, social life, surnames, or Latin have anything to do with the study of writing? Well, maybe Latin, but the rest I was a bit skeptical of. I did had to think about the meaning of paleography though. Remember my first blog post where I included the definition, as the study of ancient writings and inscriptions? It seems that paleography covers a lot more than what I originally thought it did. More importantly I appreciate that our instructor went through the various documents we would find with each associated section, common words we should know, as well as basic history for a better understanding and appreciation of the bigger picture. I don’t know about you, but I love getting background information on what it was like during the times my ancestors lived. Those aspects of social history, and being able to place them in a bigger historical context, really helps with my research. As well as making it very easy to relate to them as a real person. For instance, there is an extensive list of occupations listed which you may come across in historical records. I know I have read manuscripts before and was left totally flummoxed when I would see a word with no idea what it meant. For instance, have you ever…
By Shannon-Combs-Bennett, Student Oh dear… math. I am not a math person, and the next three modules of Palaeography: Reading & Understanding Historical Documents proved it. That being said, please understand that numbers, money, and measurements are very important to reading and analyzing manuscripts. So, I muddled through the best I could. Even if it meant I consulted with my husband who has a math degree (and tutored me in several math classes in school) to get me through it. Now, don’t freak out on me. This is important information, I can just be a bit thick when it comes to numbers. You may have an easier time than me. Especially when making change in the old English way. You know, before they went to the current decimal system. I bow down to those of you who made change the old fashioned way! This skill, unfortunately, is one that I need to nail down. I read quite a bit of colonial Virginia documents. Guess what? They use the pound / shilling / pence model for taxes and inventories up through the first decade of the 19th century. Now, after the Revolution you can find both the English system and the American dollar and cents shown next to each other in many cases. Fascinating as that may be, I admit that I will be going back to figure out conversion rates and check the math now that I really know how. I particularly enjoyed Module 5 which covered weights and measurements. There…
By Shannon Combs-Bennett, Student Ah, the stuff I LOVE. Calligraphy and old handwriting. Many people might find reading and deciphering (let alone attempting to write) old handwriting a daunting task. I was very excited that our instructor in Palaeography: Reading & Understanding Historical Documents jumped right in with the basics straight away. She even goes through the various types of writing materials, instruments, and even covers watermarks in the first few pages. These are all important things to consider and observe when you are researching. Recently I have pulled military land bounty warrants from the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Most of the time I see a variety of types of paper in the files. Then, on occasion, I get to see a document that was created on vellum. For those of you who don’t know about vellum, it is animal skin that is prepared in a specific way for writing on. It can be fragile if not cared for correctly, but it is superior in many ways to paper made from wood pulp in its longevity. Holding original documents made from vellum is an amazing thing. Of course, more important than identifying paper and styles of handwriting, our instructor also covered common shorthand used over the years. Hopefully, you didn’t think modern writers were the only ones with a set of shorthand abbreviations to make writing quicker. If you did, well, then you need to pay attention to this section, and take Palaeography: Reading & Understanding Historical Documents! There are…