Monday, November 29, 2010

Musings on a Munday

Earlier this fall I spent many hours at the Midwest Genealogy Center reviewing microfilm of church records from Kelpsau, Baden, Germany from the 1600's - 1800's.  Initially, I was printing the documents that I was interested in but soon realized that they were just not very readable.  I started taking photos, with my digital camera, of the images as they were displayed on the microfilm screen.  This method worked best when the lights in the room were very dim or off and the flash on my camera was turned off.

Once I downloaded the pictures from my camera, I was able to use my photo software to lighten, darken and sharpen as needed.  I took over 200 photos of images and almost all of them are readable.  One of the images I photographed is in this earlier blog post.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Musings on a Munday

How many of you have recorded a podcast or a video cast of a research tip or method that you particularly like?  Even if you knew you were never going to publish it for others to view/listen to, it might be fun to try.  I mean even Lisa, George & Drew had a first time and look where they are now.  I keep saying I'm going to do this and one day I just might.  Of course, I will share it on my blog...maybe...if I do not totally embarrass myself!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Ancestral Occupations

Have you found an unusual occupation listed for one of your ancestors? Here is a listing of ancestral occupations that may help you find out what they did for a living.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Musings on a Munday

In 2010 I attended four conferences that included exhibit halls.  Two of the four were genealogical conferences and at two of the four I was an exhibitor.  In the past year I have spent many hours on improving my exhibit knowledge and techniques.  The result is a long list of tips to share with other exhibitors.  Here are my top two.

1.  Do not stand behind your exhibit table.  By doing so you are putting a barrier between yourself and those that you need to engage with.  Situate the table at the back of your booth area and welcome attendees into your space.  This will get them out of the aisle where they may feel pushed to keep moving with the flow.

2.  No chairs allowed!  Many booth spaces now come with the chairs as part of the booth package, simply ask conference management to remove them from your space. You, the exhibitor, are supposed to be the authority. It is hard to be viewed as such when attendees are looking down at you. If you must have chairs in your booth space, offer them to an attendee to use as you demonstrate your product.

Successful exhibiting takes more than a tablecloth and stacks of products.  You have the chance to meet hundreds of potential clients face-to-face at trade shows.  Take the time to make sure you are presenting yourself and your products in the best way possible.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Friday, November 12, 2010

German Family History: Finding Your German Town

German Family History: Finding Your German Town: "Need help finding your ancestor in Germany? Teresa Steinkamp McMillan presents a helpful online tutorial about finding a German ancestor's town of origin.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Not So Wordless Wednesday Germany 1868 Caricature Map

This map collection is absolutely stunning. I love the artistry of each one.

Germany_1868_Caricature_Map
Library Of Congress Geography and Map Division

See the entire 12 map collection of various European counties in a 1868 atlas: Caricature map from the Library of Congress, American Memory collection.


Monday, November 8, 2010

Musings on a Munday

I have noticed in several county history books that while the names in the text are indexed, the names in the photo captions are not.  Do not rely on the index only, you may miss something important.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Musings on a Munday

As a general rule do county or small, local library systems put an emphasis on training their staff in the area of genealogy research?  With so many free resources available lack of funds should not be an issue.  Below is a very brief list of the options I am familiar with.  Cyndi's List has a more complete list available.

Family Search - Education & Training

Genealogy Research Associates -  Online lessons

Genealogy Gems - Podcasts & Videos