We aren’t surprised, as we get older, that we move a little slower, the pains are a little more painful, the limitations are becoming more limiting. For some, this includes eyesight (and accompanying eye strain), cognition (and remembering what we just read and where we read it), and even focus (more things to concern us make it harder to stay “with” a task). If we are used to doing client genealogy for hours on end, or spending days putting together the perfect presentation, it’s often frustrating to discover it’s no longer comfortable to work that way. Some even give it up. But there are ways to accommodate the limitations.
Jean Wilcox Hibben; PhD, MA, former So. Cal. college speech professor (MA – Speech Communication; PhD – Folklore), is a national speaker and author. A member of the DAR, she is the former director and current family history consultant for the Corona, CA FamilySearch Center, has worked on background research for two genealogy television programs, and was a host for podcasts on social history. A former Board-Certified genealogist with over 45 years of research experience, she is a former board member of APG and past president of its So. Cal. Chapter; 1st Vice-president of the Corona Genealogical Society, as well as webmaster for that same organization; and participant on a number of other society boards. Jean writes the “Aunty Jeff” column for the Informer, the newsletter of the Jefferson County NY Genealogical Society. Her website: circlemending.org.
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
Empowering Genealogists with Artificial Intelligence (Webinars)
Are you wondering about how AI might benefit family historians and genealogists? Can it help make records understandable or organize information that will lead to building a better family tree? This presentation will explain AI, the new consumer ChatGPT program, and the benefits and limitations of using AI and ChatGPT for genealogy. Learn how ChatGPT can enhance research efficiency and creativity by using it with OCR cleanup, data extraction, narrative report improvement, and translation.
Steve Little is the AI Program Director for the National Genealogical Society and has lifelong passions for language, technology, and genealogy. He completed graduate-level courses in applied linguistics, specializing in natural language processing and computational linguistics, two pillars of today's large language models of AI; his first career was spent in and around libraries (law, local, university, and state archives) building information systems. Steve traces his deep roots to one Appalachian county, where, by 1820, all 32 of his 3rd-great-grandparents had settled—many even earlier than that. In fact, 60 of his most recent ancestors were born, lived, and died there, in Ashe County, North Carolina. His passion lies in AI & genetic genealogy: with a keen interest in endogamy, pedigree collapse, and the art of deciphering multiple relationships through DNA segment triangulation, and an insatiable curiosity to explore beneficial uses and current limits of artificial intelligence in genealogy. Beyond genealogy, Steve wears many hats: he's a husband and a dad, a Methodist pastor, and a Virginian. His hobbies span from bird watching and sky gazing to chess and film. Additionally, he's an avid reader, writer, photographer, and regex script hacker.
Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Grip, Grippe & the Spanish Lady: The 1918 Pandemic & Your Family Records (Webinars)
The influenza outbreak came in waves that lasted almost 3 years from mid-1918 through early 1920. This presentation will place the pandemic in context of when, why, and where it occurred. This context provides genealogists with the best tools to search for records. The presentation covers what records exist, where to find them, and a few surprising sources of information.
Michelle Spencer, owner of RomaMaryGrace, is an historian & professional genealogist specializing in material culture, the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, the National Register of Historic Places, military, and government records. Throughout her career she has spoken extensively on military history and international issues, as well as genealogical methods, tools, and techniques for finding ancestors and telling their stories. She is an avid collector of ephemera and weaving the history of things, places, and events into the stories of those who have gone before us. She has conducted genealogical and property research across the Midwest and Southern States. She has co-authored more than forty successful National Register of Historic Places nominations. The Missouri native now calls Alabama home.
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
FRIENDS, ASSOCIATES, & NEIGHBORS? Your future clients are already in your circle (Webinars)
Should I advertise? Where would I advertise? Should I use Facebook or LinkedIn? I have services to offer, but how do I build my client base? Use your daily interactions and memberships in volunteer organizations to grow your list of paying clients. Consider such things as: • Word of mouth advertising • Starting conversations and probing for problems to solve • Active listening to key in on potential work • Repeat business with current clients • Show and tell by presenting to genealogy, historical, and lineage societies Learn how to “lean in” to word of mouth advertising and use everyday conversations to discover how you can offer clients solutions to their genealogy projects.
Cynthia K. Patton is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel residing in Leavenworth, Kansas. For 12 years she owned Patton Leadership Consulting, providing support to the US Army and helping businesses with time management, organization, and leadership skills. She is a part-time professional genealogist. She holds a certificate in genealogical research from Boston University. Cynthia serves as the Registrar of a local DAR chapter and is a member of numerous local historical and genealogical societies.
Coordinating a course for a genealogical institute can be a rewarding experience, but how do we break into that world? This presentation looks at the many institutes operating today and what’s required to put together a successful proposal to bring your idea for a course to reality.
Annette Burke Lyttle owns Heritage Detective, LLC, providing professional genealogical services in research, education, and writing. She speaks on a variety of genealogical topics from the international to the local level and loves helping people uncover and share their family stories. Annette leads Best Practices Study Groups for a number of organizations, providing in-depth education on the genealogical research process in an interactive setting. She is coordinator of the Fall Virtual Intermediate Foundations course for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) and has been an instructor in other institute courses on migration, Quaker research, and federal records for SLIG and the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP). Her articles have been published in NGS Magazine, FGS Forum, and the APG Quarterly, among others. Annette is president of the Association of Professional Genealogists and editor of The Florida Genealogist.
Jean Wilcox Hibben; PhD, MA, former So. Cal. college speech professor (MA – Speech Communication; PhD – Folklore), is a national speaker and author. A member of the DAR, she is the former director and current family history consultant for the Corona, CA FamilySearch Center, has worked on background research for two genealogy television programs, and was a host for podcasts on social history. A former Board-Certified genealogist with over 45 years of research experience, she is a former board member of APG and past president of its So. Cal. Chapter; 1st Vice-president of the Corona Genealogical Society, as well as webmaster for that same organization; and participant on a number of other society boards. Jean writes the “Aunty Jeff” column for the Informer, the newsletter of the Jefferson County NY Genealogical Society. Her website: circlemending.org.
Steve Little is the AI Program Director for the National Genealogical Society and has lifelong passions for language, technology, and genealogy. He completed graduate-level courses in applied linguistics, specializing in natural language processing and computational linguistics, two pillars of today's large language models of AI; his first career was spent in and around libraries (law, local, university, and state archives) building information systems. Steve traces his deep roots to one Appalachian county, where, by 1820, all 32 of his 3rd-great-grandparents had settled—many even earlier than that. In fact, 60 of his most recent ancestors were born, lived, and died there, in Ashe County, North Carolina. His passion lies in AI & genetic genealogy: with a keen interest in endogamy, pedigree collapse, and the art of deciphering multiple relationships through DNA segment triangulation, and an insatiable curiosity to explore beneficial uses and current limits of artificial intelligence in genealogy. Beyond genealogy, Steve wears many hats: he's a husband and a dad, a Methodist pastor, and a Virginian. His hobbies span from bird watching and sky gazing to chess and film. Additionally, he's an avid reader, writer, photographer, and regex script hacker.
Michelle Spencer, owner of RomaMaryGrace, is an historian & professional genealogist specializing in material culture, the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, the National Register of Historic Places, military, and government records. Throughout her career she has spoken extensively on military history and international issues, as well as genealogical methods, tools, and techniques for finding ancestors and telling their stories. She is an avid collector of ephemera and weaving the history of things, places, and events into the stories of those who have gone before us. She has conducted genealogical and property research across the Midwest and Southern States. She has co-authored more than forty successful National Register of Historic Places nominations. The Missouri native now calls Alabama home.
Cynthia K. Patton is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel residing in Leavenworth, Kansas. For 12 years she owned Patton Leadership Consulting, providing support to the US Army and helping businesses with time management, organization, and leadership skills. She is a part-time professional genealogist. She holds a certificate in genealogical research from Boston University. Cynthia serves as the Registrar of a local DAR chapter and is a member of numerous local historical and genealogical societies.
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Annette Burke Lyttle owns Heritage Detective, LLC, providing professional genealogical services in research, education, and writing. She speaks on a variety of genealogical topics from the international to the local level and loves helping people uncover and share their family stories. Annette leads Best Practices Study Groups for a number of organizations, providing in-depth education on the genealogical research process in an interactive setting. She is coordinator of the Fall Virtual Intermediate Foundations course for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) and has been an instructor in other institute courses on migration, Quaker research, and federal records for SLIG and the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP). Her articles have been published in NGS Magazine, FGS Forum, and the APG Quarterly, among others. Annette is president of the Association of Professional Genealogists and editor of The Florida Genealogist.