The all-day Red Deer RootsTech Family History Fair in Alberta on Saturday, April 8 offers an opportunity to attend three genealogy presentations — and there is no cost for registration or lunch.
There are three sessions with two topics for each one.
1a. Genealogy Research in Ireland and Northern Ireland by Mary Joan Cornett
This is a presentation on how to trace your Irish ancestors. Specific topics covered will be based on the most important Irish genealogy collections: civil registration, church records, census records, census substitutes, land records, and court records. Examples will be given on how to use the records and where to find them.
1b. Successfully Navigating FamilySearch by Roxanne McCue
Do you know how to use FamilySearch Family Tree? What is the “Memories” section all about? Have you ever searched for your ancestors among the 325,000 plus digitized books? Do you know you can watch live webinars from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City? Many of them are recorded and they are later made available to watch in the comfort of your own home. Do you know how to effectively search the historical records, both those that have been indexed and those that have only been digitized? We will cover these topics and more…as time permits during this class.
2a. Danish Research 101 for Beginners by Annette Ellingson
This session will provide information for people beginning research on Danish ancestors. This will include discussion of the best sites on the internet to help begin your research in Denmark.
2b. Comparing the Big 4…Ancestry, FamilySearch, FindMyPast & MyHeritage by Roxanne McCue
Each of these websites have tools and records to help you with your family history work. Do you really need to use more than one of these sites? This class will compare some important features of each site. We will discuss subscription and free access options, family tree options within each site, searching strategies and some hidden gems.
3a. Who Were the Germans From Russia? by Diane Lewis
Do you know why your German-speaking ancestors came to North America from Russia over 125 years ago? It is definitely puzzling when one realizes that your German great great-grandparents actually lived in Russia during the 18 and 19th century. WHAT historical events were happening in Europe in the 1700’s to cause a massive migration from their homeland eastward to an unknown country? This power-point presentation will help answer some of the questions of WHO, WHEN, HOW, and WHY. It will also cover many aspects of an ancestor’s life in Russia, and why many emigrated again, looking for a better life in USA and Canada, whether they were Catholic, Protestant, Mennonites or Hutterites. A major aspect of this talk will also reflect on a number of genealogy records available on the Internet and introduce you to a number of German/Russia genealogical organizations and websites in Canada and United States
3b. Getting the Most from the Wiki at FamilySearch – and other hidden gems at FamilySearch by Peter and Linda Darby
What records are there for my ancestor in that country? Where can I find them? Did you know that there is a free online encyclopedia on how to do family history research? This session will show you how to get the most from the FamilySearch Wiki, and then share with you other hidden gems from FamilySearch.
Location, time, registration
The Red Deer RootsTech Family History Fair will take place at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Bower building, 3002 – 47th Avenue, Red Deer, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. The registration desks will open at 8:45 a.m. You are advised to go early if you would like a 20-minute one-on-one in Coaches’ Corner. The sign up sheet will open at 8:45 a.m. More info and the link to register here.
