Northern California Family History Expo Day 2

(A recap of day 1 can be found here.)


Unfortunately, I started the day not feeling great and it got worse as the day went on.  It is the reason I missed the first session of classes, which disappointed me because I had wanted to attend Stephen P. Morse's Genealogy Beyond the Y Chromosome: Autosomes Exposed.

I did arrive in time for the second session, which was Arlene H. Eakle's Migrations Within the United Kingdom and Ireland.  As always, I learned a lot.  Some things that especially stuck in my mind: 1) our ancestors were far more mobile than we give them credit for being, 2) even the humblest of families could have a servant (who was probably a relative there to learn a trade), 3) records of the poor were recorded separately in the parish registers.  That last one was especially important to me because I have at least one ancestor who I know died in a poor house in 1847.

After this it was lunch time.  My mom came by and we had the (very good) buffet that the hotel put on.  I wasn't expecting the hotel to offer lunch but was so glad they did as it meant I didn't have to go far and possibly miss the next class session.

After lunch, the third class I went to was one put on by RootsMagic's Michael Booth called RootsMagic: Sharing and Publishing Your Family Tree.  I've listened to many RootsMagic webinars, which is why I think I didn't get much out of the class.  I did learn more about the book making feature and how to create a shareable CD though.  I do think if you are brand new to RootsMagic or thinking about getting it, it would be a valuable presentation to attend and Michael Booth was a good instructor.

The last session I attended was a last minute decision.  Arlene Eakle had another class at this time, but I thought I should "diversify" so I went to James L. Tanner's Ancestry.com for Experienced Users.  I had really high hopes for this class as Ancestry.com presentations I had seen before seemed to be geared towards beginners.  But, I guess I'm too "experienced" because I didn't end up learning much new information.  One thing I did like was that he used Ancestry's new search throughout the presentation.  That is one thing I need to get used to and learn to love.  I do think it was a valuable class and James Tanner was an excellent instructor, I just think it should have been called Ancestry.com for Intermediate Users.


The migraine I had been fighting all day finally got the better of me during this last session.  I thought I could make it through the closing keynote but left about fifteen minutes in when I realized I still had a thirty minute drive in 100 degree heat to make.  The expo itself was just as wonderful the second day, I just wish I had been able to enjoy it more!

Disclosure:  I am a Blogger of Honor for the event, see here to learn what this entails.  I have no affiliation with any person or company mentioned in this post.  I purchased RootsMagic 5 last year, use it, and like it.  Beyond what I received from Family History Expos, Inc. I received no further remuneration of any kind from anyone for writing this post.

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