Pre-RootsTech Chat at the February Meeting

Join us for our February meeting, where we will hold an informal chat about what we hope to learn/see at the upcoming RootsTech Conference.

You will also have the opportunity to meet with two RootsTech speakers, Miles Meyer and Elizabeth Swanay O’Neal, who also happen to be SLVGS members and officers!

In addition, we may have time to talk about your genealogy brick walls and finds.

WHEN: Sunday, 18 February 2024
TIME: 4:30 p.m. SLT (same as Pacific Time)
WHERE: The Barn  SLurl

Note: this meeting was rescheduled from our usual second Sunday meeting day/time to avoid conflict with the Super Bowl.

A brief business meeting will be held before the speaker’s presentation.

Come and see the newly redecorated Barn, have some calorie-free (virtual) snacks, and chat with your fellow genealogists!

All levels of family history researchers are welcome at our meetings. You do not need to be a member of the SLVGS to attend, but we’d love it if you’d join!

Meet the Founder of MORI at the January Meeting

Join us for our January meeting, where we will meet Willie Williams, founder of MORI/Supergenealogy, who will share a talk titled, “The Future of the Past.”

Description:

A discussion on where several current exponential curves meet, and what it means for how we experience history.

WHEN: Sunday, 14 January 2024
TIME: 4:30 p.m. SLT (same as Pacific Time)
WHERE: The Barn  SLurl

A brief business meeting will be held before the speaker’s presentation.

Genealogists of all levels are welcome at our meetings. You do not need to be a member of the SLVGS to attend, but we’d love it if you’d join!

About The Speaker

As the founder of MORI/Supergenealogy, Willie Williams is at the forefront of revolutionizing family history through technology.

In a previous life, he was a staff engineer and product lead for Lyft’s machine learning infrastructure. He is also an alumnus of the MIT math department and a former Founder Fellow at South Park Commons.

Field Trip to the Dickens Project

The 2023 Dickens Project in Second Life is open, and we have planned a field trip to check it out!

WHEN: Sunday, 17 December 2023
TIME: 4:30 p.m. SLT (same as Pacific Time)
WHERE: The Barn  SLurl

We will meet at The Barn and head to the Dickens Project as a group. You are welcome to explore the sim on your own or to hang out with the group.

The Dickens Project is a Second Life winter holiday tradition that invites guests to walk in the steps of Ebenezer Scrooge in an environment inspired, in part, by Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella “A Christmas Carol.”

An invited community of Second Life residents, groups, and organizations will present a variety of music events, performances, tours, and story presentations. Other features include skating, sledding, a balloon ride, a horse cart tour, plenty of photo opportunities, and several new features this year.

The 2023 Dickens Project will include:

  • A themed experience featuring Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and the world of the story.
  • Two scenic regions to explore and enjoy.
  • Live music, DJ sets, spoken word, dance events and performances.
  • Dozens of performers, and presenters.
  • Both Invitational and Open Art Shows
  • Educational and interpretive content featuring different aspects of Victorian life.
  • Horse rambler tour, a hot air balloon ride, and more entertainment.

NOTE: If you would like to dress your avatar in Victorian-period clothing, you are welcome to do so, but it is not a requirement.

If you are unable to join us for the field trip on Sunday, please feel free to pop over to visit the Dickens Project whenever you are able. There are many fun and interesting events happening throughout the month.

The last day to visit the Dickens Project will be Sunday, 7 January 2024.

For more information, please visit the Dickens Project website.

Genealogists of all levels are welcome at our meetings. You do not need to be a member of the SLVGS to attend, but we’d love it if you’d join!

Holiday “Member Share” Party

Join us at The Barn for our casual Holiday “Member Share” Party!

WHEN: Sunday, 10 December 2023
TIME: 4:30 p.m. SLT (same as Pacific Time)
WHERE: The Barn  SLurl

Come sit by the fireplace where you can grab some virtual hot cocoa and delicious snacks… all calorie-free, of course!

We will be sharing our favorite genealogy success stories, websites, and resources from the past year. If we have time, we might even crowd-source a few brick walls!

Feel free to dress up or come as you are. Ugly sweaters are welcome.

A brief business meeting will be held before we start sharing.

Genealogists of all levels are welcome at our meetings. You do not need to be a member of the SLVGS in order to attend, but we’d love it if you’d join!

Meet the Author of “Buried Secrets” at the November Meeting

Join us for our November meeting, where we will meet author Anne Hanson and learn about her book, Buried Secrets: Looking for Frank and Ida.

About the Book:

Ida Hanson hated when her sons left her sight. It was almost as if this fiercely protective mother, who sacrificed everything to nurture her four young boys during the economic ruin of the 1930s Great Depression, feared she might never see them again.

What happened in her earlier life to make this devoted mom, Anne’s grandmother, so afraid of losing her boys?

Anne Hanson’s book Buried Secrets: Looking for Frank and Ida is a real-life mystery about her quest to discover the hidden past that her grandparents Frank and Ida took to their graves. When she finally unearthed their real identities, she learned that their tales were lies invented to conceal disturbing facts. Buried Secrets is both a suspenseful drama and a true story about love, sacrifice, and family relationships. Its target audience is readers of suspense, memoir, and social history.

As well as being a tale of suspense, Buried Secrets celebrates love and family. Anne’s discoveries gave her dad the answers he had longed for his entire life. She helped to heal families that had been deeply wounded by Frank and Ida’s actions eighty years earlier. Buried Secrets explores a not-so-distant era when a young couple, thwarted by social conventions, could simply disappear and create new lives.

WHEN: Sunday, 12 November 2023
TIME: 4:30 p.m. SLT (same as Pacific Time)
WHERE: The Barn  SLurl

A brief business meeting will be held prior to the speaker’s presentation.

Genealogists of all levels are welcome at our meetings. You do not need to be a member of the SLVGS in order to attend, but we’d love it if you’d join!

About The Author

Anne Hanson, an inveterate explorer of the unknown, has always followed when her curiosity beckoned. She crossed the ocean for her African Studies degree, and as a reporter would drive endless miles across town to get the story. Finally, when investigating her grandparents’ secrets, she journeyed into a bygone century, her vehicle painstaking and detailed research. Anne has written for the Boston Globe and numerous newspapers, as well as for corporate publications and the New England Historic Genealogical Society’s American Ancestors magazine. She lives with her husband in Brookline, Massachusetts.

SLVGS Halloween Party 2023

Calling all guys and ghouls! Join us for some frightfully good fun at the 2023 SLVGS Halloween Party!

WHEN: Sunday, 29 October 2023
TIME: 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. SLT (same as Pacific Time)
WHERE: The Barn  SLurl

Our favorite DJ, Jaffee Gaffer, will be spinning the spooky tunes so you can hop on a dance ball and dance the night away (be sure to enable your media player so you can hear the music)!

Come in a costume or come as you are. A costume is more fun, of course.

All are welcome. Bring a friend or a fellow genealogist!

Get Tips From Tina at the October Meeting

Join us for our October meeting, where professional genealogist Tina Sansone will share “Genealogy Tips.”

WHEN: Sunday, 8 October 2023
TIME: 4:30 p.m. SLT (same as Pacific Time)
WHERE: The Barn  SLurl

Description

Come learn some of the tips that I have picked up as I researched over the last 10+ years. There will also be time for you to share YOUR tips that you have learned. We will share tips about databases, citations, interviews, etc., and more!

A brief business meeting will be held prior to the speaker’s presentation.

Genealogists of all levels are welcome at our meetings. You do not need to be a member of the SLVGS in order to attend, but we’d love it if you’d join!

About The Speaker

Tina Sansone is a board member of the Tennessee Genealogical Society, editor of their quarterly Ansearchin’ News, and a co-owner of Past & Present Pathways.

Tina is a member of several lineage societies and now serves as the registrar for the Watauga Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. She can be reached at tinahsansone at gmail.com.

Meet the Author of “The Blood of My Mother”

Join us for our September meeting, where genealogist Roccie Hill will be discussing her new book, The Blood of My Mother: A historical saga about one woman’s fight for survival.

WHEN: Sunday, 10 September 2023
TIME: 4:30 p.m. SLT (same as Pacific Time)
WHERE: The Barn  SLurl

A brief business meeting will be held prior to the speaker’s presentation.

Genealogists of all levels are welcome at our meetings. You do not need to be a member of the SLVGS in order to attend, but we’d love it if you’d join!

About The Speaker

Roccie None Hill, MA, Co-Owner of Past & Present Pathways, has been doing genealogy research since 1990, and professionally since 2009. She specializes in Native American research, as well as Southwestern US genealogy including tribal and borderlands.

She is fluent in French and has a working knowledge of Spanish. She has a BA from UCLA in Philosophy/History, and an MA from San Francisco State University in English/History.

She has written articles for www.genealogists.com, for the Magazine of the National Genealogical Society (December 2022), and for the Tennessee Genealogical Society Quarterly, where she is also Assistant Editor. She has lectured on military records, Native American genealogical research, land records, and has published two novels, Three Minutes on Love, 2008, and Window of Exposure, 2015 (The Permanent Press), as well as the play, Our Scars, in 2017.

Roccie is a member of the DAR (past 2nd & 1st Vice Regent at the Cahuilla Chapter), the National Society Colonial Dames of the XVII Century, APG Second Life (Vice President), Tennessee Genealogical Society (former Associate Editor of Ansearchin’ quarterly), Genealogical Society of Hispanic America (Chair, Marketing Committee), Association of Professional Genealogists, National Genealogical Society, Virginia Genealogical Society, NEHGS/American Ancestors, Melungeon Heritage Association, and the Palm Springs Genealogical Society.

She is a former cataloging volunteer at the Research Library of the Museum of the West in Scottsdale. She is currently a paleography volunteer for the Mellon Foundation-funded project, Native Bound Unbound, an Archive of Indigenous Americans Enslaved.

Roccie has a broad knowledge of European culture/history, having lived in England and France for over fifteen years. During that time, she organized many special and charitable events, including a private dinner at the Gloucestershire home (Highgrove) of HRH King Charles III. Roccie is also an experienced nonprofit grant writer.

Get Ready to STUMP Craig!

We haven’t had a “Stump Craig” session for a while, so we thought it would be fun to bring back guest speaker Craig Scott (a.k.a. Krag Mariner in Second Life) to see if we can “stump” him with our genealogy research questions!

WHEN: Sunday, 13 August 2023
TIME: 4:30 p.m. SLT (same as Pacific Time)
WHERE: The Barn  SLurl

Description

Craig Scott, a professional genealogical and historical researcher for more than thirty-five years, specializes in military records, problem-solving, Quakers,  and publishing (see his biography, below). He will be available to answer your most pressing – and difficult – family history questions. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to receive FREE research guidance from a seasoned professional!

Please use our Contact form if you would like to send your questions to Craig in advance.

A brief business meeting will be held prior to the speaker’s presentation.

Genealogists of all levels are welcome at our meetings. You do not need to be a member of the SLVGS in order to attend, but we’d love it if you’d join!

About The Speaker

Craig Scott

Craig Roberts Scott, MA, CG, FUGA is the author of The ‘Lost Pensions’: Settled Accounts of the Act of 6 April 1838 (Revised) and Records of the Accounting Officers of the Department of the Treasury, Inventory 14 (Revised). His most recent work is Understanding Revolutionary War and Invalid Pension Ledgers, 1818 – 1872, and the Payment Vouchers They Represent. He has authored seventeen books and several articles in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, and other genealogical publications. He is the President and CEO of Heritage Books, Inc., a genealogical publishing firm with over 9,500 titles in print.

A professional genealogical and historical researcher for more than thirty-five years, he specializes in military records, problem-solving, Quakers,  and publishing. He is a member of the Company of Military Historians and on the editorial board of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. He is a former Treasurer and Director of the Association of Professional Genealogists. He has been a faculty member or coordinator of research tracks at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, Samford University and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, and the Genealogical Institute of Pittsburgh. He is currently the Coordinator of the SLIG Guided Research and Consultation Track, helping students solve their brick wall problems. He has coordinated many Heritage Books Genealogical Conference and Cruises. He is a recipient of the Grahame T. Smallwood, Jr. Award and the UGA Silver Tray Award. He became a Fellow, Utah Genealogical Association, in 2014.

Get the Scoop from NGS at our July Meeting

Please join us at The Barn on Sunday for our monthly meeting.

Tami Mize (a.k.a. Genie Weezles) recently attended the National Genealogical Society’s (NGS) Family History Conference and will bring us the latest news from that event.

Genie also received a very special door prize to give away from our friends at Genealogical.com: a 90-day subscription to My GPC Library!1You must be present at the meeting in order to participate in this giveaway.

WHEN: Sunday, 9 July 2023
TIME: 4:30 p.m. SLT (same as Pacific Time)
WHERE: The Barn  SLurl

A brief business meeting will be held prior to Genie’s presentation.

Genealogists of all levels are welcome at our meetings. You do not need to be a member of the SLVGS in order to attend, but we’d love it if you’d join!

About The Speaker

Tami Mize (a.k.a. Genie Weezles)

Tami Mize (a.k.a. Genie Weezles) is a genealogical researcher, author, and speaker specializing in discovering and sharing creative ways to use technology, not only for quality genealogy research but to help simplify and streamline research processes. She has been a speaker, a RootsTech Influencer, and she has written numerous articles for genealogy publications. She maintains the  RelativelyCurious.com and the ConferenceKeeper.org genealogy calendar of events website.

Tami was instrumental in organizing two groundbreaking virtual genealogy societies: the Second Life Virtual Genealogical Society (SLVGS), and the Second Life Chapter Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), the first virtual APG chapter.

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