BCG Skillbuilding at NGS: Certification Seminar

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Post by Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL

It was with great pleasure that I, along with Warren Bittner, CG, and David McDonald, CG, presented a double-session for the certification seminar. The advantage of the sessions held at every national conference over the one-hour video on the BCG website is that attendees can ask questions. And what good questions they were!

Clarification between certification and a certificate program, and how to go about the various aspects of preparing a portfolio were all discussed. In addition those who are actively “on the clock” and getting their portfolios ready gathered for a photo (see below).

Attendees also heard from current BCG associates about their reasons and various pathways to certification from Michael Hait, CG, Craig Scott, CG, and Dawne Slater-Putt, CG.

The double session was audio recorded by JAMB-Inc.com and will appear for sale on their website under session T211 of the NGS 2013 conference.

BCG President Elissa Powell and Executive Director Nicki Birch flank preliminary applicants who are “on the clock”

BCG Ed Fund Leary Distinguished Lecture: Elizabeth Mills on “Can Trousers, Beds, and Other ‘Trivial Details’ Solve Genealogical Problems?”

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Please welcome guest blogger Diane Gravel, CGSM.

As genealogical researchers, we routinely pore through records in pursuit of elusive ancestors, grabbing at apparent minutia, anything that might give us the answers we seek. But are we really gleaning all of the information and clues that lie buried in each document before moving on to the next record?

As interpreters of facts, nitpickers of every detail, innovators of new ways to understand records and apply data, we must spend the majority of our time analyzing every document we retrieve. The careful eye scrutinizes each scrap of paper in an estate accounting, noting the date of an order of velvet and fine pants, recognizing it as a likely death record. The careful eye scrutinizes tax rolls for clues of kinship among the neighbors. These are only a few of the examples used by Mills in demonstrating the fine art of record analysis.

This lecture, used with the syllabus material, easily stands alone as a course in evidence analysis. It’s one of those presentations that will be played and replayed, each time inspiring the listener to take another look at their own brick walls, in search of all those missed clues!

This session has been taped. During the conference you can buy it from the JAMB-INC booth in the main conference hall. After the conference, it will be available online at http://www.jamb-inc.com/category/genealogy. This is session F312 under the heading 2013 NGS Conference/Las Vegas, NV.

From Diane’s profile at APG:

Diane is a full-time professional genealogist and lecturer, with emphasis on New Hampshire research. She is a graduate (with honors) of NGS’s American Genealogy: A Basic Course, and attended both the Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research (Advanced Methodology and Military Records) at Samford University and the National Institute on Genealogical Research at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

 

BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: Richard Sayre on “Genealogical Applications of Historical Geographical Information Systems”

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Putting historical context into our family stories is impossible until we know the geography of their lives. Over what paths did they migrate? Where did they live? The term “geographical information system” is daunting, but Rick Sayre shepherded us through the details. He showed us that we don’t have to be GIS professionals to use these tools in our research.

Google Earth is a tool geared to the non-GIS professional. Rick showed us several examples in which historic maps were linked to the Google mapping system. That was just one of more than a half dozen such systems Rick demonstrated. One beautiful use of GIS is the Arlington National Cemetery’s system, available for browsers and smartphones at http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/GravesiteLocator/GravesiteLocator.aspx.

Once we look at visual mapping of geography, there are a myriad of resources. You don’t have to create GIS from scratch. Rick’s syllabus material included three pages listing websites to help us map ancestors around the world. The tools and techniques that Rick shared were just the thing for my family stories.

This session has been taped. During the conference you can buy it from the JAMB-INC booth in the main conference hall. After the conference, it will be available online at http://www.jamb-inc.com/category/genealogy. This is session F321 under the heading 2013 NGS Conference/Las Vegas, NV.

 

 

BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: Pamela Boyer Sayre on “Enough is Enough! Or Is It?”

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Pam Sayre’s lecture took place in the last time slot of the last day of the convention. The title certainly fit the time slot although she asserted that it was created long before the schedule was made. Pam’s sense of humor lifted our spirits after four intense days of learning.

The lecture covered three topic areas. Pam made sure that we understood the fundamental concepts of document analysis. She stepped us through the process of writing about what we find as soon as we find it. She also brought us on her trip of discovery, showing us how to make a research plan and revise it as we find documents.

What resonated in Pam’s presentation was the tenacity and will to keep on researching when the first few tries come up empty. Just because a county is burned doesn’t mean that there aren’t records. Just because a person was dishonorably discharged doesn’t mean there isn’t a pension application record. Just because there is no gravestone doesn’t mean there are no funeral home records. With every disappointment, Pam showed us how to re-engage with our research.

This session has been taped. During the conference you can buy it from the JAMB-INC booth in the main conference hall. After the conference, it will be available online at http://www.jamb-inc.com/category/genealogy. This is session S451 under the heading 2013 NGS Conference/Las Vegas, NV.

BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: Barbara Mathews on “Not Quite Right: Recognizing Errors”

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© 2013 by the National Genealogical Society, Inc. Used by permission of the National Genealogical Society and the photographer, Scott Stewart.

Please welcome guest blogger ____, CGSM

No, that welcome message is not a mistake. I put out two email calls to Board-certified genealogists requesting guest bloggers. Instantly many people stepped forward and scooped up speeches by Tom Jones, Judy Russell, and Elizabeth Shown Mills. My own presentation waited and waited … {{shaking head in embarrassment}}.

It’s not quite fair for me to review my presentation. I’m not unbiased, am I? I thought about putting a third frantic request out to the Board-certified associates, but then I decided to blog about what it is like to give a speech at a big genealogy conference. It seemed a better route to take than to risk a third rejection.

The process began more than a year earlier, when I answered the Call for Proposals from NGS. I used the “console” to enter the required data, from my contact information, biography, and experience as a speaker to the title, an outline, and a brief description of the speech itself. I then waited until I was contacted by the Program Chair several months later. I had to sign a contract. I also decided to approve having the sessions recorded by JAMB-Inc.

There were two more milestones. About three months before the conference, I had to send in my handout/syllabus material. I made sure to format it as required to fit properly in the syllabus, and to email a pdf version. That gave me time to polish my speeches using PowerPoint software.

The final milestone was to show up and deliver the speeches. This meant packing my own projector and computer, including lugging them through airport security and stuffing them into storage bins on the packed airplane. I made my own flight booking, but NGS booked two room nights for me. I extended that booking to include the full conference. I invested in flight costs and five nights at the hotel. The trip meant adding on other costs, such as parking in Boston, taxis to and from the Las Vegas hotel, and meals. On the plus side, my convention registration was gratis and I got a check for both speeches. In total, I will have to spend more money that I take in, but the overall conference costs are reduced because my speeches were accepted for the program.

Butterflies in my stomach? Totally. I used the nervous energy to go over the PowerPoint slides and to reread the speeches — as well as to arrive in plenty of time for each speech. I set up my projector, set up my computer, and used the convention center’s built-in cabling to connect them. The Las Vegas Hotel Convention Center supplied an A/V specialist who checked in with me before each speech to ensure that all was in working order. In addition, JAMB-Inc sent a man to double-check the recording device and put in a fresh CD. Once I got the thumbs-up from him, I was free to begin.

The errors speech needed tuning up the week of the convention. I wanted to make sure that the discussion of sources, information, and evidence was in parallel with a newly published book on genealogical proof.[1] There were about 50 or 60 people there to hear the lecture. They took notes earnestly, so I felt that the revision effort was well worth it. Once it was over, I packed as quickly as I could so that the next presenter could set up.

My speech on recognizing errors is meant for those beginning to work with the terminology used for sources, information, and evidence. I went over the various terms carefully, explaining what each meant and how it is useful to document analysis and evidence evaluation.

This session has been taped. During the conference you can buy it from the JAMB-INC booth in the main conference hall. After the conference, it will be available online at http://www.jamb-inc.com/category/genealogy. This is session S441 under the heading 2013 NGS Conference/Las Vegas, NV.

 

[1] Thomas W. Jones, Mastering Genealogical Proof (Arlington, Va.: National Genealogical Society, 2013). It can be ordered online http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/mastering_genealogical_proof from the National Genealogical Society. It is a workbook. You read a chapter on a topic and then work on the questions at the end of the chapter. The topics I discussed are in Chapter 2.

BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: Julie Miller on “Using Emigrant Guides for Genealogical Research”

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Today Julie Miller, CGSM, opened my eyes to a whole group of sources that I had missed in documenting my family’s westward migration, the Emigrant Guides. They could be published in English or in the immigrant’s original language. Often steamship companies published the guides. There are guides for people contemplating moving to the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. There are reverse guides as well, for people in the British Commonwealth contemplating moving to the U.K.

When my mother and I planned our trip to Sweden and Denmark in 1978, we asked Grandma Anderson where the family came from. She said Minnesota. Inspired by Julie, I located an early Minnesota Emigrant Guide. Many of the great information Julie discussed is there. Chapter 16 discusses why people move to the “northwest.” Chapters 17 and 18 are about buying land there. I guess I have some reading planned after I get home.

This session has been taped. During the conference you can buy it from the JAMB-INC booth in the main conference hall. After the conference, it will be available online at http://www.jamb-inc.com/category/genealogy. This is session S411 under the heading 2013 NGS Conference/Las Vegas, NV.

BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: Elissa Scalise Powell on “Baker’s Dozen Steps to Writing Research Reports”

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Who should be writing research reports? Elissa Scalise Powell, CGSM, CGLSM, gave the audience four choices:

  1. Professional genealogists?
  2. Family historians?
  3. Hobbyists?
  4. All of the above!

And the answer is “All of us!” By putting the documents we find into a logical structure, they make it more likely that the discoveries we have made will be understood by researchers in the generations to come.

Elissa gave us not one but two baker’s dozens of delightful sweets. She showed us the thirteen elements that comprise a complete research report. Then she took us through thirteen steps to complete that report. She advocates combining writing and researching as-you-go and showed us why this worked so well for professionals in particular.

This session has been taped. During the conference you can buy it from the JAMB-INC booth in the main conference hall. After the conference, it will be available online at http://www.jamb-inc.com/category/genealogy. This is session S401 under the heading 2013 NGS Conference/Las Vegas, NV.

BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: Warren Bittner on “Proof Arguments: How and Why?”

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Please welcome guest blogger Judy G. Russell, CGSM, CGLSM 

If we fail to establish identity and prove relationships, then — says F. Warren Bittner, CG — “all other family history goals and activities are a waste.” And if this critical goal is met, then the genealogist “owes it to herself and future generations to write down the reasoning that led to that conclusion.”

In his presentation “Proof Arguments: How And Why” in the BCG Skillbuilding track, Warren explained that the reasoning that ties people together by identity and relationships is set out in a proof argument, that key written summary of our evidentiary conclusions that allows us to complete the Genealogical Proof Standard.

Reviewing in passing the various formats in which a proof conclusion may be written, he concentrated on how to write a proof argument — the steps that can be used as a model to guide us through to a competent written presentation, and a checklist of questions we need to answer.

The evidence-based conclusion, he warns, must include our analyses and correlations of evidence and our resolutions of conflicting evidence. “These arguments tie life events together and allow us to establish relationships through the evidence, and set out our mental processes as to why we believe the conclusions follow from that evidence,” he explains.

A proof argument can be as short as a single sentence and as long as it needs to be depending on the complexity of the evidence. But without it, we doom future generations to repeat the research again and again.

This session has been taped. During the conference you can buy it from the JAMB-INC booth in the main conference hall. After the conference, it will be available online at http://www.jamb-inc.com/category/genealogy. This is session S421 under the heading 2013 NGS Conference/Las Vegas, NV.

Judy’s website provides the following about her:

A Certified GenealogistSM and Certified Genealogical LecturerSM with a law degree, The Legal Genealogist Judy G. Russell is a lecturer, educator and writer who enjoys helping others understand a wide variety of genealogical issues, including the interplay between genealogy and the law.

 

 


BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: Harold Henderson on “Are We There Yet? Proof and the Genealogy Police”

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Please welcome guest blogger Judy G. Russell, CGSM, CGLSM 

Harold Henderson, CG, an Indiana-based professional genealogist, used a case study involving a disappearing husband from Chicago to drive home seven lessons of the story that work just as well as landmarks of research.

In his presentation “Are We There Yet? Proof and the Genealogy Police,” Henderson traced Blanche Chilcote’s Husband Early 1900s Chicago to find his origins. Harold emphasized these principles:

1. Start with what you know, where you know it.
2. Get the most out of every record.
3. Learn the records landscape.
4. Stay indecisive! (Know when to take a flying leap.
5. Don’t be afraid to look twice at the same record.
6. Don’t knock off work too early.
7. Remember: the past always leaves a trace.

It’s a mark of how well Harold told the story that drove home his points that even with the room audio fading in and out, the audience was riveted from start to finish. We won’t give away what happened to Blanche’s husband, since the audio taping wasn’t affected by the room audio issues.

This session has been taped. During the conference you can buy it from the JAMB-INC booth in the main conference hall. After the conference, it will be available online at http://www.jamb-inc.com/category/genealogy. This is session F351 under the heading 2013 NGS Conference/Las Vegas, NV.

 

Judy’s website provides the following about her:

A Certified GenealogistSM and Certified Genealogical LecturerSM with a law degree, The Legal Genealogist Judy G. Russell is a lecturer, educator and writer who enjoys helping others understand a wide variety of genealogical issues, including the interplay between genealogy and the law.

BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: David Rencher on “Treasures in the Records of the U.S. Congress”

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Please welcome guest blogger Nancy A. Peters, CGSM

The story began with a letter from a U.S. Senator to his great-grandmother Charlotte Jensen. The search for meaning and historical context took David Rencher on a genealogical treasure hunt through the records of the U.S. Congress. Charlotte and her husband, Peter Jensen, settled in Northern Arizona in the 1880s and struggled to cultivate the land and eke out a living for their family. What David found was a heart-breaking tale of how their tiny community was abruptly removed from their land and the reasons behind the action. David uncovered details of his family’s life found nowhere else.

In his usual clear, authoritative, and entertaining lecture style, David provided tips on how to access the records of the U.S. Congress and strategies for finding people, including those with common surnames. He showed examples of information you might find such as details of birth, marriage, and death, occupations, and names of heirs. In his Jensen family case study he explained how ten bills for relief spanning more than a decade led him to other sources within the National Archives.

If you think that your ancestors wouldn’t be included in these records because they lived ordinary, mundane lives, listening to David will convince you otherwise. Genealogists are always looking for new sources of information about their ancestors. Senate and Congressional records can satisfy that craving with a wealth of genealogically rich material.

This session has been taped. During the conference you can buy it from the JAMB-INC booth in the main conference hall. After the conference, it will be available online at http://www.jamb-inc.com/category/genealogy. This is session F341 under the heading 2013 NGS Conference/Las Vegas, NV.

Nancy A. Peters, CGSM, is a full-time genealogist specializing in South Carolina and English research. She also volunteers as a collection care assistant at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History in Columbia.