Webinars about genealogy free to the public

Friday, March 10, 2017

It comes to mind that a volunteer's job is never done. McCook happens to have some of the best and they work very hard to make this little burg in Southwest Nebraska the best it can be.

Tom Corey, SWNGS President, and Chris Christensen have finished the installation of a big screen and sound bar at the library. Everything is up and running and just in time for our society to offer to the public an opportunity to watch webinars being presented by Family Tree this month.

First webinar on the schedule is: "Why Irish are Records so Weird? by John Grenham. We will be presenting it on Wednesday, March 15 at 1 p.m., 110 west C, Suite M-3. If you are like me, there isn't a computer screen large enough for me to comfortably watch webinars on, that is why this big screen is so handy. There is room for at least 8-10 people to sit comfortably and a member will be there to help answer any questions or guide your research.

I missed the initial webinar, "Apprentices, Indentured Servants, and Redemptioners-White Slavery in America" which aired on March 1 but other members assure me that it will be available at a later date perhaps through YouTube. I have done some research along this line trying to trace a very early relative that I believe came over and then was sold into indentured servitude for the price of his passage on the ship that brought him to America. Most of what I have found does not in any way marginalize the suffering caused by African slave ships but rather studies the other enslaved groups which included European and Native American persons in colonial times.

Another acknowledgement of the quality of SWNGS members is the fact that Tom Corey will be presenting at the Nebraska State Genealogical Society's 40th Annual Conference on Friday and Saturday, April 28-29, at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel, Lincoln. NE. Tom will lecture on: "Genetic (DNA) and Genealogy Family Tree Connections.

D. Joshua Taylor will be the featured speaker at this event. He is the President of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society and the Past President of the Federation of Genealogical Societies but if you don't run in those circles, you might just recognize him from the Genealogy Road Show on PBS where he is featured.

Two of his topics that I don't plan on missing are: "The Modern Genealogist: Time Saving Research Tips" (perhaps he can teach me to stay on point), and "Putting it together: A Case Study". Additional classes featuring Joshua will cover on line searching, records at societies and organizing research electronically.

The conference will also cover Roadshow Case Studies; Dating Wedding Styles; Germans from Russia; Homesteading and Scandinavian Research, just to name a few. Registration is due by April 10th and you can register online at www.NSGS.org. On Thursday, April 27th and Sunday, April 29th, there will be tours and research opportunities including an Open House at the Lincoln Lancaster County Genealogy Library. Reservations are required to attend this open house and can be obtained by contacting Judi Cook at judiology41@gmail.com.

Wednesdays remain our winter open library day with hours from 1-4 p.m. Chris Christensen has finished digitalizing the Ash Creek Church Register and it soon will be online at our website: www.swngs.org. If your church has early registries that could be shared with us, we photocopy the books and then provide you with a digitalized copy upon returning the books.

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