NGS 2024 Virtual

   I attended the 2024 National Genealogical Society's Virtual Family History Conference "Expanding Possibilities" this weekend. It was very fun and informative as usual. Even though it was virtual, I saw a lot of friends and familial faces again. I am glad that all the classes were recorded so I can see the ones that I missed while attending the live classes I chose for each day.

“LIVE” 2024 NGS Sessions Attended:

Thursday

• Virtual Tour: International African American History Museum
• SLAM! Idea Showcase and Expo Hall Opening


Friday

• PLENARY SESSION: Artificial Intelligence and Genealogy: The First Year and Onward! - Steve Little
• Irish Immigration-Digging Deeper - David E. Rencher, AG, CG, FUGA, FIGSRS
• Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools for Land Records Analysis - David M. McCorkle
• In Their Own Words: Women and the War of 1812 - Julia A. Anderson, MA, AG
• Using Social and Historical Context to Support Indirect Evidence - LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG, CGL, FASG
• Using Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to Solve a Misattributed-Parentage Case in America’s Colonial Era - Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, FASG, FUGA, FNGS


Saturday

• PLENARY SESSION: Artificial Intelligence and Genealogy: A Discussion of Issues and Concerns - Blaine T. Bettinger, PhD, JD, and others
• Assembling Cryptic Bits of Documentary Evidence and DNA to Answer Major Genealogical Questions - Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, FASG, FUGA, FNGS
• Hand-written Text Recognition: Harnessing the Power of Artificial Intelligence to Transcribe and Search Documents - Yvette Hoitink, CG, QG
• Research Planning: The First Step to Solving Tough Problems - Jill Morelli, CG, CGL
• Finding Frances: A German American Case Study in Community, Illegitimacy, Immigration, and Interstate Migration - Nancy A. Peters, CG, CGL
• Using Land Records to Prove Ancestral Connections - Barbara Vines Little, CG, FNGS, FUGA, FVGS







I am so looking forward to NGS 2025 when it will be in-person in Louisville, Kentucky! 😀


LINK to NGS: https://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/

On the 125th. Anniversary of my Grandfather’s Birth - James Boardman Hawthorne

On the 125th. Anniversary of my Grandfather’s Birth - James Boardman Hawthorne 

On a cold Thursday, 12 days after the New Year, in 1899, my grandfather was born in Greenville, Alabama. His mother, Kathryn Ann (Albertson) Hawthorne, was the daughter of a Danish immigrant. His father, Alexander Travis Hawthorne, was the son of a Major in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Boardman, as his family called him, was named after his father’s uncle, Rev. Dr. J. B. Hawthorne, a famous Baptist preacher in the South. 

Boardman with his mother Kathryn
Greenville, Alabama ca. 1900

Boardman's father, Alex Hawthorne

   When I asked him about his birth, he said that it was snowing, and the snow would blow into the house from the cracks in the shutters. His mother had to make sure he was covered up with blankets. Decades later, I researched old weather maps and news articles to see if this happened… and sure enough, it did!  The blizzard of 1899 started in February 1899 (a month after he was born) and covered all of Alabama and down into Florida.

Temperature map of the United States during the storm

   According to the 1900 US Federal Census, his father was a farmer, and his mother was at home with the children: Boardman 1, Etta Mae 4, and Travis 8. Another child who was born in 1889, named Ethel, did not survive past that year. 

  Boardman had many aunts, uncles, and cousins who lived in Greenville as a child, and more in nearby Camden. His Danish grandfather lived in Manhattan, New York at the time, and his 64-year-old grandmother, Clara (Ford) Hawthorne, was living in Greenville. 

Boardman's grandmother, Clara (Ford) Hawthorne

   My grandfather instilled love and compassion in his own family, which has been carried down through the generations. Boardman has 42 living descendants as of January 2024, with more on the way. 

Boardman with wife Myrtle and their children.

Boardman's legacy lives on...

NGS 2022 Sacramento: Day 4 - Last Day

Saturday, 28 May 2022

 

   Day 4 – Last Day! Saturday… One last day to get in some quality learning. This conference has been a success in every way, from accommodations and food to the volunteers and organization. The local host, the California Genealogical Society, has been incredibly helpful throughout the conference. I’ve encountered no problems to speak of. How is this so? I think everyone involved, including the attendees, wanted to make this go smooth after a two-year hiatus. Lots of happy smiling faces and people wanting to make new friends is just the icing on the cake. As NGS moves forward year after year with new conferences in different cities, I shall return to attend.

 

Today’s Classes

·      Finding Migrating Families: Tracing Elusive Ancestors Using Cluster Research with Nancy A. Peters, CG, CGL

·      Filling in the Blanks: Identifying Mary and Sweet Baby James with Amy Larner Giroux, Ph.D., CG, CGL

·      Organize Like an Archivist with Nancy E. Loe, MA, MLS

·      NGS LUNCHEON -- Colored Citizens of Coloma and the Life of Rufus Burgess with Jonathan Burgess

·      Following Land and Slaves: Analyzing Original Deeds from a Burned, Extinct County with Amy Larner Giroux, Ph.D., CG, CGL

·      Linking Generations: Using Court and Land Records with Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL

 

  

Got Photos? I do…

 

Last day!

Got NGS? I do!

My first time hearing Amy Giroux speak!

I sat in the back corner of almost every class

Good friend Nancy Loe with long hair!

NGS Luncheon

Friend Jim Beidler signing his book to me

The spacious lobby

An impromptu meeting of Genealogists

My new friend Connie Knox!

The great Judy Russell

Farewell Sacramento!

Beautiful Sacramento

 

 

 

Thank you to the National Genealogical Society!

See you next year!

NGS 2022 Sacramento: Day 3

 Friday, 27 May 2022

 

   Day 3! Friday seems to be the highlight of every NGS conference. With the anticipation of the big banquet and awards given out later in the evening, the fact that we’re all adjusted to class times, and the layout of the conference center, everyone seems to be more in-tune and cheerful. At the banquet, I chose a far-off corner with no one there yet, and then, one by one, my friends started showing up!

 

Today’s Classes

·      Narrative Genealogies, Lineages, Pedigrees with LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG, CGL, FASG

·      Write it Now, Get it Right Later: Start-to-Finish Tips for Genealogy Writing with J. H. "Jay" Fonkert, CG

·      What’s in a Name: Name Changes and the Law with Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL

·      PALATINES TO AMERICA LUNCHEON -- Bullion Bend: Confederate Stagecoach Robbers in California—Oh My! with William E. "Bill" Cole

·      Historical Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Mapping Tools for Genealogical Research with Rick Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA

·      From South to West: The Southern Diaspora in The United States with Cheri Hudson Passey

·      NGS Banquet and Reception with Andre Kearns on Revealing Our Full American Mosaic with Andre Kearns

 

  

Got Photos? I do…

Another black shirt; Remembering Russ Worthington

A chart I made with my ancestor's birthplaces

Just to confuse everyone

Rick Sayer's class

A documentary showing at the conference

Cheri Hudson Passey's class

My good friend Cheri Hudson Passey

 

 

 

Selfie Corner

Katherine Willson, Cheri Passy, & moi

With good friend Kathleen Kaldis

Around the exhibition hall...

My friend Jim Beidler manning the PA desk

From Janet Hovorka's company, Family Chart Masters

Last day next...

NGS 2022 Sacramento: Day 2

Thursday, 26 May 2022

 

   Day 2! My morning has a routine now… Shower, Starbucks, and social media. Then, check the Whova app for updates and my class schedule, and head to class across the street. No rental cars, no Uber, just walk… Love it!

 

A working breakfast

Ready, set, go...

Today’s Classes

·      Assembling Research Results with LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG, CGL, FASG

·      Appreciating Conflicting Evidence: Analysis and Resolution Develops Broader Research with Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL

·      Follow the Trail of Records and DNA from Ireland to Oregon (1810-1860) with Karen Stanbary, MA, LCSW, CG

·      BCG LUNCHEON -- Exploring Family History Around the Globe with David Ouimette, CG, CGL

·      Finding Sophia’s Family: A Case of Fratricide and Forgotten Identity with Nancy A. Peters, CG, CGL

·      Margaret’s Mother: Using DNA to Solve a Mystery with Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL

 

   Why do I always choose the most challenging lectures? Well, you either sink or swim, right? I tend to just tread water, though. I am just thankful for the syllabus to re-read when I get home. Today was the first time to hear Judy Russell in-person since Raleigh in 2017, 5 years ago! She did not disappoint! Yes, I like all the speakers, but Judy takes the cake.   

 

   As you can see, in my blog posts I do not critique the lectures or even recap them. Why? Education is personal for me. Did I get as much out of the session than my friend sitting right next to me? Maybe, maybe more, or maybe less. It’s personal. If you want to know “the secrets”, book your next flight to NGS in Richmond.

 

 

Got Photos? I do…

Let the day begin!

I spy my friend, Ron Arons keeping his lead in check

Speaker Rebecca Koford

Rebecca Koford's advice

Karen Stanbary's title screen

The BCG luncheon I attended

David Ouimette speaking during the BCG luncheon 

Nancy Peters' title screen

Judy Russell's title screen

 

 

 

Selfie Corner

My 5th. cousin, Nathan White

My friend Deborah Sweeney

My friend Ari Wilkins

My friend Daniel Horowitz

My new friend Angela Breidenbach

In the conference hall...

The SLIG booth with Kristy Sexton and Liz Miller

New President & CEO Angela Breidenbach

A meeting of the minds

Daniel Horowitz and MyHeritage

The ICAPGen booth with Connie Knox gathering info

Dinner time...

I love room service and quiet!

Day 3 next...