Category: Uncategorized

June President’s Message

June 25, 2017 / relatively curious

June has slipped through our hands, and between board members travelling, working, and holidays, we’ve really gotten off our regular meeting schedule! But, we’re determined to jump right back in!

Our society meetings have been the second Sunday of the month, and July will be no exception. Everyone is welcome to our general meeting on July 9 at 5:30 p.m. at the Just Genealogy Fire Pit. We’re going to have a brief business meeting, followed by a presentation on “Using Airtable for Research Logs.”

Airtable is a completely free, incredibly useful organization tool — it’s kind of a spreadsheet, kind of a database, but better than any you’ve used before, and absolutely wonderful for genealogy research logs!

Everyone is welcome to our meetings; however, only members may vote when one is called. Membership has its privileges 🙂 Our society is a member of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, so our members have access to all of the benefits of FGS membership as well. It’s easy to join, and our dues are the lowest of any I know of. See the About section for more information on joining our society.

I look forward to seeing everyone July 9!

February President’s Message

February 13, 2017 / relatively curious

RootsTech has officially come and gone , and those of us that went are still trying to recover. What an amazing week! It was great to meet some of our members in person!

Thank you to the group members who have paid their dues and are now official members of both the SLVGS and the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS)! For those dues-paying members, we now have a private section of this website (Members) which will include the FGS newsletter and other benefits. If you are a member and would like instructions to register, see your SecondLife notices for the SLVGS group, or contact Ellington Sweeney, MilesAMeyer Resident, or me, Genie Weezles (Tami Osmer Mize) for more information. Our SecondLife Virtual Genealogical Society dues are 1200 Lindens (roughly $5 US) annually, paid in-world, and cover a full calendar year, Jan-Dec.

COMING UP!

Monday night, February 13, Clarise Beaumont is hosting a Valentines Day dance for the Genealogists in SecondLife at Just Genealogy, with our favorite DJ, Jaffee Gaffer. Everyone is invited. There will be prizes for best costumes/outfits. Please don’t hesitate to come and join in the fun. SL dances are a great time for conversation, and “dancing” is as simple as clicking on a dance-ball – no talent or coordination needed!

Next Sunday (the third Sunday of the month), February 19, at 5:30 pm, we begin our DNA study group study of the NGS book by Blaine T. Bettinger & Debbie Parker Wayne “Genetic Genealogy in Practice.” As I mentioned last month, the plan for this group is to help extreme beginners get an understanding of DNA . For me, up til now, it pretty much has stood for “Don’t kNow Anything” 🙂 If you’ve been wanting to figure it out, but felt a bit overwhelmed, join us! The book is available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle edition, and through the National Genealogical Society’s website.
Please read CHAPTER ONE thoroughly prior to the meeting so we can discuss our thoughts and learn together. We will meet on the porch of the Family History Centre for this.

The fourth Thursday of the month is the National Genealogical Society Quarterly NGSQ study group which is open to anyone, to discuss an article from the NGSQ, led by Ellington at the Fire Pit. You can find the reading list here.

The fourth Sunday of February will bring a fun, entertaining, and educational FIELD TRIP led by Ellington Sweeney. We will meet at the Fire Pit at 5:30 pm SL time, and then teleport for a short 3-5 minute tour of our SLVGS Clubhouse, and from there, on to a very cool site that Ellington has found for us to explore. The details and a Landmarks will be at the fire pit for latecomers to follow.

In March:

We will start holding our traditional “Meet & Greet,” a very informal and casual get together to help newcomers to SecondLife with basic functions – walking, clothing, focusing, etc. – on the first Sundays of each month at 5:30 pm (SL / Pacific time) at the Just Genealogy fire pit, possibly other locations in the future. Everyone is invited to bring their questions. We’ve all been newbies!

All of these events can be found on the Calendar here on the website.

Hope to see you soon! Leave a message here or on the Genealogists in SecondLife Facebook page if you’d like more information, or need some SecondLife help.

January SLVGS Meeting

December 13, 2016 / milesameyer

We hope everyone is having a great holiday season. SLVGS met on December 11 to review and adopt the official by-laws for the organization. The by-laws have now been approved and we are ready to start 2017 as an official organization. We have established a dues structure of $5 (1200L$) per year due in January. Our next meeting will be Sunday, Janury 8 at 5:30pm SLT (Pacific Time). Our topics for this meeting will be about special interest/discussion groups that members want to establish. The meeting will be held in SecondLife at the fire pit in Just Genealogy. If you need directions, log in to SecondLife and type Just Genealogy in the search bar. We invite all who are interested to attend and look forward to seeing you.

Second Life Chapter APG to Meet 13 Oct 2016

October 11, 2016 / Admin

Be sure to join us on Thursday night for the monthly meeting of the Second Life Chapter Association of Professional Genealogists (APG)!

WHEN: Thursday, October 13, 2016
TIME: 6:00 p.m. SLT (same as Pacific Time)
WHERE: Fire Pit at Just Genealogy SLurl

This month’s featured speaker will be Ron Arons, who will present “Data Visualization for Genealogy.”

For more about Ron and the Second Life Chapter APG, please visit https://slapg.wordpress.com > Latest News.

May Meeting of the SL chapter APG

May 10, 2016 / relatively curious

This Thursday night, May 12, is the monthly meeting of the award-winning SecondLife Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists. Following a short business meeting, our guest speaker will be Gena Philibert-Ortega, who will be presenting “Women’s Lives in the Newspaper.”

Women’s lives are well documented in the newspaper but how do you find mentions of your female ancestor. We’ll discuss the types of articles they can be found in and the best ways to search.

Gena holds a Master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (Psychology and Women’s Studies) and a Master’s degree in Religion. She is a popular speaker at groups across the US as well as virtually, speaking on many genealogical topics including researching female ancestors. She is the author of the books, From The Family Kitchen (F + WMedia, 2012), Cemeteries of the Eastern Sierra (Arcadia Publishing, 2007) and Putting the Pieces Together. She also writes regularly on her blogs, Gena’s Genealogy and Food.Family.Ephemera.

SL-APG meetings are regularly on the second Thursday of every month, at 6 pm SecondLife time (which is the same as Pacific Time). We meet at the Fire Pit in Just Genealogy.

If you’re new to SecondLife, you might be interested in the Tutorials section, or join our Facebook Group – Genealogists in Second Life to ask questions as well.

April’s Tech Tuesday Postponed

April 5, 2016 / relatively curious

I’m postponing Tech Tuesday to next week, Tuesday, April 12th at 6:00 pm, still at the Just Genealogy Fire Pit. What I’ve got to share is just so dang cool, and I’m not quite finished with the presentation — It’s just too neat to share half-baked! Teaser: It involves maps, family history, stories, photos, and did I mention maps??? I know you’ll love it, and thanks for your patience!

Your Genealogy Bookshelf

September 10, 2015 / relatively curious

At tonight’s Second Life chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists meeting (SL-APG), Craig R. Scott, CG, owner of Heritage Books, spoke to our group about his list of must-have volumes on any genealogy bookshelf.

The top five books, in no particular order, are:

Evidence Explained (Elizabeth Shown Mills)
Black’s Law Dictionary
North Carolina Genealogy (Helen Leary)
Professional Genealogy (edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills)
Mastering Genealogical Proof (Thomas W. Jones)

Following those books, Craig suggested other great resources for one’s collection, including:

The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy (Val Greenwood)
Ancestral Trails: The Complete Guide to British Genealogy (Mark D. Herber)
and various other How-To, topic specific books.

Craig also discussed the importance of location specific books, which would vary depending on your ancestors. You would want to not only collect books from:

The county and location that they lived in, but also
Where they migrated from, and
Where they went later

So often our ancestors traveled in groups with other relatives, neighbors, and friends!

Craig highly recommended

Carrie Eldridge’s migration atlases

as excellent sources of migration routes and patterns to help determine where folks may have come from or gone to.

Heritage Books has an online store where these and thousands of other genealogy books may be purchased. Go ahead and start your Christmas Wish List now!

APG members: Be sure to get your 15% discount code from www.apgen.org under your member benefits!

September Calendar of Events

August 30, 2015 / relatively curious

SEPTEMBER 2015

Greetings, Second Life genealogists and family history enthusiasts! Please enjoy this monthly newsletter highlighting some useful research sites, and this month’s calendar of scheduled activities and genealogy events in Second Life.

Don’t miss our end-of-summer BBQ & Dance on Monday, August 31st!!

Please contact Genie Weezles either inworld, or at relativelycurious@gmail.com.

SEPTEMBER’S INSPIRATION:

In different hours, a man represents each of several of his ancestors, as if there were seven or eight of us rolled up in each man’s skin,—seven or eight ancestors at least, and they constitute the variety of notes for that new piece of music which his life is. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

GENEALOGY RESEARCH & INFO RECOMMENDATIONS:

WEBSITE OF THE MONTH:

New York Public Library – Map Warper
The NYPL Map Warper is a tool for digitally aligning (“rectifying”) historical maps from the NYPL’s collections to match today’s precise maps.

BLOG RECOMMENDATION:

An UpBuilding Life: The Journals of Montana Pioneer Mary G. Rumping Schenk Schaffer Riordan (1878-1952).

What do you do when you come into possession of not one, but three diaries from your great grandmother, along with a “windfall” of family ephemera? You blog about it of course! http://www.anupbuildinglife.com/

TWITTER FOLLOW:

@HistoryInPix – Tweeting “Best moments in History in pictures.”

For more information about Genealogy events in Second Life

Please feel free to contact: (in-world): Genie Weezles, Clarise Beaumont, Ellington Sweeney.
See the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/GenealogistsInSL/
Follow us on Twitter: @SLGenealogy
And our blog: http://slgenealogygroup.com/
See the listings on the GeneaWebinars calendar: http://blog.geneawebinars.com/p/calendar.html

Or stop by Just Genealogy in SecondLife!

CALENDAR OF GENEALOGY EVENTS IN SECOND LIFE:

Monday, August 31

6:00pm – End of Summer BBQ and Dance. Let’s celebrate the end of summer and start of a productive fall with a social get-together in Just Genealogy. We’ll have the barbeques smoking, and the music jumping, so plan to attend and chat about your research successes and dilemmas of the summer. In Just Genealogy –

Sunday, September 6

6:00pm – Family History Chat in Second Life. Join other family historians and genealogists of all skill levels for a casual discussion on the front porch of the Family History Centre in Adam ondi Ahman. **For those watching WDYTYA – share your thoughts while you watch!** Host varies, style is both Q&A and presentation. http://bit.ly/SLFamilyHistoryCentre

Monday, September 7

6:00pm – Meet & Greet (for newbies). Meet at the Firepit at Just Genealogy for very informal meeting focusing on how to navigate and enjoy Second Life. http://bit.ly/SL_JGfirepit

Thursday, September 10

6:00 pm (new time!!) – Second Life Chapter APG Meeting. The award-winning Second Life Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists Second Life Chapter welcomes everyone to this monthly meeting, recognizing that only members may vote. Formal presentation topics will vary. Contact in-world Gtownma Deed, Chapter President or Genie Weezles, Chapter Liaison. At the Just Genealogy Firepit http://bit.ly/SL_JGfirepit

Sunday, September 13

6:00pm – Family History Chat in Second Life. Join other family historians and genealogists of all skill levels for a casual discussion on the front porch of the Family History Centre in Adam ondi Ahman. **For those watching WDYTYA – share your thoughts while you watch!** Host varies, style is both Q&A and presentation. http://bit.ly/SLFamilyHistoryCentre

Tuesday, September 15

6:00pm – Methodology. Exploring old and new research methodologies with your fellow genealogists gathering around the fire pit in Just Genealogy. Hosted this month by SL-APG chapter president, Gtownma Deed. Discussion will be on the BCG Skillbuilding article by Kay Haviland Freilich , “Background Information: An Overlooked Research Tool,” OnBoard 11 (September 2005): 17-18. Please read ahead, article can be found here –http://www.bcgcertification.org/skillbuilders/skbld059.html. at the FirePit, http://bit.ly/SL_JGfirepit.

Sunday, September 20

6:00pm – Family History Chat. Join other family historians and genealogists of all skill levels for a casual discussion on the front porch of the Family History Centre in Adam ondi Ahman. Host varies, style is both Q&A and presentation. http://bit.ly/SLFamilyHistoryCentre

Thursday, September 24

6:00pm – NGSQ Study Group. The Second Life NGSQ Study Group focuses on a specific article from the National Genealogical Society Quarterly monthly. Please feel free to attend even if you are a prospective NGSQ member. Co-hosted by Ironhide781 and Ellington Sweeney. This month’s discussion: F. Warren Bittner, “Dora Luhr’s Hannover Origin: A Case of Conflicting Evidence,” National Genealogical Society Quarterly 98 (September 2010): 165-176.
At the Firepit http://bit.ly/SL_JGfirepit

Sunday, September 27

6:00pm – Family History Chat. Join other family historians and genealogists of all skill levels for a casual discussion on the front porch of the Family History Centre in Adam ondi Ahman. Host varies, style is both Q&A and presentation. http://bit.ly/SLFamilyHistoryCentre

TO HAVE YOUR GENEALOGY EVENT IN SECOND LIFE INCLUDED IN THE NEWSLETTER,

PLEASE EMAIL GENIE WEEZLES, AT RELATIVELYCURIOUS@GMAIL.COM

A few notes…

August 19, 2015 / dearmyrtle

We had a lively discussion during Methodology Tuesday at the Just Genealogy Fire Pit in Second Life. Those who missed it are clamoring for the links we mentioned. First, here’s a sample of my very distant cousin DearMYRTLE’s research log. She superimposed the column headings she uses on the left side of this graphic.

Strategic Research Log for Ireland
https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Strategic_Research_Log_for_Ireland

Scotland Records Selection Table
https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Scotland_Record_Selection_Table

Cousin Russ’ “FamilySearch Records” Research Log (Google Sheets format) https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CXE1JFJ9HJaaGsbUPe7y0iPUX6_xnakSVL7S9XBIqUo/edit#gid=54768883

Thomas MacEntee’s Research Log (Google Sheets format) with 50+ citation formats https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1u57qU-M137mY6GuorfDTHA1wQnTQF1d7Q8qpjreYSjU/edit?usp=sharing

Colleen Greene Evernote for Genealogy: Research logs and notes
http://www.colleengreene.com/2014/01/29/evernote-for-genealogy-research-logs-and-note-links/

Colleen Greene, IBID: Top view of her research notes
https://www.flickr.com/photos/crobledo/12212360895/

Colleen Greene, IBID: Top view of her research log
https://www.flickr.com/photos/crobledo/12212556393/

Colleen Greene’s Naming convention for her record title:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/crobledo/12177567763/

Colleen Greene ‘s public link to her Evernote Template
https://www.evernote.com/shard/s18/sh/0fe714af-8884-4e63-9ac2-9de9a573e11d/6f9031b4d360af460594d0755d0084ac

Here’s a short-subject video on Research Logs from the BYU Family History Library. We got this going on our amazing new web-viewing screen at the fire pit.

FURTHER INFO

Cyndis List – Evernote for Genealogists (Be sure to look, there are templates in her listings!) http://www.cyndislist.com/evernote/

DearMYRTLE & Cousin Russ’ Information Overload video

Cousin Russ’ Genealogy Do-Over: Shaky Leaf Management
https://youtu.be/AC9TlUDOzkM?list=PLR41jOFxoDYwws6ICid09XHUj2TrxUMhy

Check out the GeneaWebinars Calendar info on upcoming Second Life genealogy events, in addition to educational experiences all over the Net.

GeneaWebinars.com Logo Gra[joc

Learn Genealogy Skills! Methodology study group

July 14, 2015 / relatively curious

Each month we will be choosing an article available online regarding genealogy research methodology to discuss together at the fire pit in Just Genealogy.

Next Tuesday, July 21 at 6:00pm SL time (Pacific), we are discussing the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) “Skillbuilding” article by Sandra MacLean Clunies, “Evaluating Web Resources“.

The article is available for free on the BCG website. Please read the article in advance of the discussion, and come prepared to share your insights and opinions.

Everyone is welcome to attend!