Author name: Ruth Blair

Day One at the NGS Conference in Las Vegas

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We arrived around lunch time on Tuesday and once settled in the hotel we went and registered for the conference. It was nice to have the conference bag filled with very useful information. My favourite has been the syllabus on a flash drive. I had printed off syllabus material at home of the lectures I wanted to attend but once here I considered some different lectures so it was nice to have the syllabus material to help me make that decision.

It was early to bed on Tuesday because of the early start on Wednesday morning. The Opening Session was People, Policy, and Records: The Importance of Historical Background by Marian Smith.

The Marketplace opened at 9:30 am with the help of a wonderful Mariachi band.


(C) 2013 by the National Genealogical Society, Inc. Used by permission of the National Genealogical Society and the photographer, Scott Stewart.

The first stop in the Marketplace for me and many others was the NGS booth to purchase the new Thomas W. Jones book called Mastering Genealogical Proof.

Then it was off to Lisa Louise Cooke’s lecture called How the Genealogist Can Remember Everything with Evernote. As usual Lisa did not disappoint and I can’t wait to find a quiet corner and start learning more about Evernote. I already have the program downloaded so that is a start.

After lunch it was Genealogical Writing Made Easier with Scrivener with Kimberly Powell. This is a program I have been considering downloading to see how it will help me with my genealogical writing.

The last lecture of the day was Research Ties: The Power of an Online Research Log with Jill N. Crandell, AG.

In the evening we went to Bennihana for dinner and that was quite an experience. Then it was an early night. Another big day tomorrow.

©2013 – Blair Archival Research All Rights Reserved

Archives of Ontario Vital Statistics Database at the Archives of Ontario

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On my last visit to the Archives of Ontario I had the chance to try out the new Archives of Ontario Vital Statistics Database. At the moment the only years available are: births 1915; marriages 1930 and deaths 1940. It is hoped that either later this year or early next year that they will add: births 1916, 1917; marriages 1931, 1932 and deaths 1941, 1942.

This database is only available in the Archives on the microfilm scanners. They have hooked them up to the internet and when the Archives homepage comes up you click on the star on the tool bar for Favourites. Then on the right hand side you will see a list and you can choose Archives of Ontario Vital Statistics Database.

It takes a while to load the database. You can do an advance or basic search. You can tick a specific search for birth, marriage or death or you can search all three. You are prompted to put in the first, middle and last name but only the last name is a required field.

The search results include: first, middle, last name; date of event; place of registration; type of event (if more than one is ticked on the search form); registration number; and details. The basic search gives you 10 search results per page.

When you click on details this takes you to a colour digital image of the document. If more than one page is linked to the document it will say page 1 and page 2 across the top. There is also a link to view the original index page. It is a good idea to view the index page as well.

Across the top of the digital image you get: registration number; name; event; date and place. So you would get something like “John Smith married 1/1/1930 in Hamilton.” The digital image is clear and the fact that it is in colour can help with the clarity.

There is a back to search button which takes you back to the original search page. You can’t get back to the search results so you have to keep repeating the search. So if you are looking for someone and don’t have much information on them you have to keep repeating the search every time you look at an image.

You can still view the vital statistics indexes on microfilm and get a copy of the registration from microfilm.

They are digitizing and creating a database for the Ontario Land Patent Plans but there is no timeline on when it will be released.

The printers in the reading room are gone. There are only two rows of microfilm readers that you can use to print a hard copy. You just hit print and it automatically prints out at the reception desk in the main hall. It is $.25 a copy and you can still use your copy card.

They are encouraging people to use thumb drives. I use both systems depending on the project.

©2013 – Blair Archival Research All Rights Reserved

Organizing my trip to the NGS conference in Las Vegas – Lists lots of lists!

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Conferences are great fun and I enjoy attending them. I have already set up the NGS App on my IPod and have my schedule in it. I like the fact that I don’t have to be online to use it which is helpful if you can’t get internet access. The maps are great and I have got a rough idea of where things are located. I have even marked the vendors in the marketplace that I want to visit. We also got some tickets to go and see the Donny and Marie show. I am a child of the seventies and they are considered the best show on the strip. The confirmation for the hotel has come through and the flights are booked. Now what to pack?

I am one of the in-between generation. I was not brought up with computers so I use both computers and the old fashioned pen and paper. I am slowly getting away from the paper as I find more time to learn the new programs that are available and hope to learn more about these programs at NGS. There are lectures on Evernote, Rootsmagic and Scrivener so I will be attending those.

There is a lecture entitled “Landlords and Tenants: Land and Estate Records for Irish Family History Research” with Brian Donovan. This lecture is sponsored by Findmypast.com and I am hoping to learn more about Irish land records. This lecture focuses on the tenants but I would also like to learn something about records for the landlords.

Paul Milner is presenting “Finding Ancestors through Their Lawsuits in English Chancery Court” which may help me learn more about a few of my English ancestors.

“Organizing Your Family History Electronically” is one lecture I really need to attend as I am in the process of changing things over to digital and have amassed a collection of digital files that need organizing.

One lecture I am really looking forward to hearing is “Would the Real Molly Brown Please Stand Up?” One of my favourite movies is “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” starring Debbie Reynolds and would like to know more about the real Molly Brown.

I will be attending my first NGS Banquet this year. The speakers at this event are Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak and Mark Hall-Patton of “Pawn Stars.” Mark is the Museums Administrator for the Clark County museum system.

As an Official Blogger for the NGS Conference I get no remuneration but I do get to meet new people and learn new things while at the same time sharing them with you.

Are you going to the conference in Las Vegas? If you are please come and find me and say hello. One of the best parts of a conference is meeting the people who follow my blog.

This could be one time when what happens in Vegas won’t necessarily stay in Vegas.

©2013 – Blair Archival Research All Rights Reserved