Preparing for FGS/RootsTech 2015 Conference

13 days until I board a jet plane and head to Salt Lake City, UT, to attend the 2015 FGS/RootsTech Conference. I've been busy. I'm finally updating my RootsMagic database with all the copied and downloaded files I've had for my German immigrant great-great-grandfather, Andreas Ramminger.

I took a German genealogy course through the Genealogical Studies program. So glad I did. Of course I wish I hadn't signed up during December/January, made things really hectic. Working through my assignments I found the Andreas with his first wife and six children in the New York Passenger List on Ancestry.com. I now have the port of departure, Rotterdam, and the date they arrived in United States, 6 July 1852.

I have such a feeling of accomplishment. I've been dutifully citing all my sources. I can then file all those pieces of paper in my permanent file folders.

 After I've updated the database I want to generate reports, save them as PDFs and import them to my tablet computer. This way I won't have to carry all the papers on the trip.

 I've been checking the weather for Salt Lake and making notes on my trip check list. This time next week I'll break-out my suitcase and start throwing in the items I'll need.

© 2015, Gayle Ficarra Wolcott

Roots Magic User Group meeting

Today I attended the Roots Magic User Group monthly meeting. I'm a member of Southern California Genealogical Society (SCGS), the meetings are held at their library. Since the library is in Burbank, I have almost an hours drive to get there.

I've been using Roots Magic for the past year, these user meetings have been so helpful. I really love the program and feel I have "tech support" every month. Today's meeting was a recap of Sources and Citations. The woman who was teaching is just wonderful. She's a grad student home for the Thanksgiving holiday studing in Boston.

I'm currently the publicity chairman for my local genealogy society. I need to get our monthly newsletter out this week, but have put it off to put in some genealogy time for myself. Busy week ahead.