The Genealogy Show Online 2021

 

The Genealogy Show's Map of Exhibitors

I don’t usually recommend paid-for events on the Frugal Family History blog, but it’s not often you see a show reduce their ticket price!  The Genealogy Show took place last weekend, with a starting admission charge of £30/£20.  That’s now been reduced to £15, for access to all the talks, exhibitors etc (i.e. everything except the live chat) until 26^th July.  Do check it out; there were over 80 presentations on a very wide range of family history topics, including my own two talks on Scottish subjects - see my previous posts here and here for previews of those.

The presentations I’ve listened to so far have been of a really high quality, and there are plenty more for me to work my way through.  In general you’ll find that speakers at genealogy events really know their stuff, and are able to share their expertise and knowledge in an entertaining and engaging way. 

In the Exhibition Zone you can learn more about organisations and their products or membership.  These include family and local history groups and institutions, such as The Society for One-Place Studies or FamilySearch, which has some thought-provoking videos on display.  Many of the exhibition “stands” share free downloadable material that you can use to organise your family tree or build your skills (I can thoroughly recommend The Heraldry Society’s beautiful booklet), and are happy to get feedback or queries from visitors.  And look out for companies such as Family Tree Magazine who are offering trial discounts, plus a free DNA guide if you sign up for their e-newsletter.

The Show’s website is by far the most eye-catching I’ve seen in the last 18 months of everything-going-online. I was touched to find out about Parker, their mascot owl. He's named after a respected colleague of the Show, Robert Parker, who sadly passed away last year.

Learn more about The Genealogy Show at https://www.thegenealogyshowlive.com/about/

Free Family History Mini-Class 2021 : Lesson 10

For the final lesson in this series of mini-classes, I’m sharing some online tools that you may find helpful as you continue with your research, whether that’s just beginning, or is a long-term project.  These ideas can build your skills as well as your family tree – and like everything else in this course, they are completely free.

☙  Try a spot of descendant research, using the intriguing Puzzilla app that connects to your FamilySearch Tree.

☙  Have FT Analyzer check out your GEDCOM file for potential lines of research or problems. Family Tree Magazine’s Rachel Bellerby gave it a test drive and you can read her review here.

☙  Mind mapping for genealogy – use this study idea to organise your research, and perhaps download the free software it suggests. 

  

☙  Choose some of these PDF family tree charts to organise and display your genealogy. Scroll down to find the freebies!

☙  And finally, sign in to RootsTech Connect to access all the classes and resources. You can do this with your FamilySearch account, if you have one - if you don't, check out the benefits here.

Thanks for taking my mini-classes! You can review them 

here on the Frugal Family History blog, or share them with your genealogy buddies – and come back soon to check out 

what else is new here.

Three Essentials of Scottish Research - Church, Civil, and Census records

Edinburgh, Home to Scotland's Records

 

Are you trying to work out which records are most likely to feature your Scottish ancestors?  Do you hit a brick wall when you look for a birth or death certificate? If you’re in need of a boost or some tips to get your research going, I may have just the thing for you.

At The Genealogy Show, this year online and available wherever you are, I’ll be sharing some pointers and showing you how to search for and interpret civil, census, and church records – without having to make the journey to Edinburgh. 

Tune in to my talk “Three Essentials of Scottish Research” - but don’t be put off by the early start time if you’re in the UK!  The 80+ presentations are all pre-recorded, and once they're broadcast, your show ticket gives you access to them for 30 days afterwards, so you can pick the ones you want to watch, when you want to watch them.

And check out a sneak preview of my other Show presentation, A Grand (Virtual) Tour of Scotland's Archives.

A Grand (Virtual) Tour of Scotland’s Archives

Archives around the country are beginning to reopen, albeit with limited hours and document access, but in the meantime, come with me on a tour of some of their online offerings, courtesy of The Genealogy Show 2021.

In my presentation at the Show, I’ll be (virtually) roaming the archives of the Scottish islands, highlands, and lowlands from Kirkwall to Motherwell via Stornoway, Perth, and Edinburgh to name just a few, and checking out what genealogical goodies they share through their websites, blogs, and social media channels.

Archives are now taking greater advantage of these avenues to showcase the treasures they hold, allowing researchers to access certain resources from home.  I’ll also be sharing some tips for identifying the most suitable archives for your research purposes. 

The Genealogy Show launches online on Friday 25th June, with my Grand Tour airing at 6pm on Saturday 26th.  Tickets to the Show give you access to over 80 presentations, including on-demand keynote speakers, and you can also book a one-to-one consultation with an expert, or chat to genealogy exhibitors and family history societies.  Plus you’ll have access to all the talks for 30 days after the event.

Watch out for another post coming up soon about my presentation at the Show on Scottish research...

(Map credit: Created with Pictramap)