RootsTech 2017 recap to be theme of Roswell meeting

RootsTech 2017 was Feb. 8-11 in Salt Lake City and, lucky for those who could not attend, there will be a recap of the major lectures and new technologies on April 8 in Roswell. The 4th Annual Roswell RootsTech Conference will be held at the Family History Center at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 500 Norcross St., Roswell, from 9 a. m. until 1 p. m. Free, no registration, but for further information call Linda at 404-805-7739 or ga_ roswell@ldsmail.net.

Classes include “Creating Google Alerts for Your Genealogy,” “How to be a Researcher,” “DNA: The Glue that Holds Families Together,” “Comparing the Big Four: Ancestry, Findmypast, FamilySearch, and My Heritage,” and “Crossing the Atlantic with Religious Records,” as well as beginner classes. Four classes will be held each hour.

It’s well worth attending. The Genealogical Computer Society of Georgia will be meeting the same day at the same location for their monthly meeting, in conjunction with the recap. Their society’s monthly meetings cover a variety of topics, as well as the latest in computer genealogy information. For more about them, see gencomputer.org. Their regular meetings normally start at 9:30 a. m. but will begin that Saturday at 9 a. m. in conjunction with the RootsTech recap event.

Library of Virginia hours

A while back we reported that the Library of Virginia (their State Archives) had their hours reduced and staff cuts. Now we learn that some funding has been restored by their legislature, and, while that is good news that a grass roots effort was successful, the money will not be available until July 1.

After that, research hours will be back to six days a week. Check their website, lva.virginia.gov for updates and all the wonderful resources you can research on that site, especially court records and Bibles, as well as requesting through your local public library the interlibrary loan of county records on microfilm.

Find a grave is worth checking frequently

Find A Grave is a free site, although now linked to Ancestry.com, which is worth checking for any family you are researching. You may find that someone unknown to you has posted information along with the burial markers of your ancestors.

Many have included copies of original public documents, family papers, photographs and obituaries. If you have not signed up to post information yourself, do so.

It would be another way for people to contact you. Some people have created virtual cemeteries for those for whom no burial spot is known or marked to honor and document their ancestors. Just one of many ways the site is useful. See findagrave.com.