Ogden FamilySearch Center 2017 Conference Class Descriptions

This page is the Class Descriptions for the Conference.  To return to the Conference home page click HERE

Analysis Strategies for Brick Wall Ancestors
After you attend this class you will know how to overcome roadblocks in your research. You will enjoy learning how to use some new tech tools for the tenacious researcher. (This is an advanced class).

Click HERE for the Syllabus

Beginning Scandinavian Research
Dive into your Scandinavian heritage. This class is an introduction to the records, language, handwriting, and research strategies of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.

Danish Research on the Internet
Researching Danish is difficult, but Annie Strawn's 30 years experience can help point you to those missing record which are actually available today on the internet.

Descendant Research:  Find and Add Distant Cousins to your Tree
More than surfing Family Tree for temple opportunities, this class will focus on how to research records to find the descendants of your ancestors using sound genealogical research practices. A system of keeping track of where you are and what you have completed will be demonstrated. Examples and the case study involve English research; but the techniques shown could be adapted to research anywhere. Emphasis is not on finding names already in FamilyTree,  but adding people that have not yet been found. Reserving LDS temple ordinances will be discussed.

DNA is the link to the past; What it is and how you use it
We carry with us in our DNA a history of who we are and how we are connected to all the people of the world. This lecture will focus on how we use DNA to discover these connections and how they can be used to reconstruct our unique genealogy.

Family History Blesses the Living
Particular to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), this session utilizes LDS scriptures, and quotes and videos from LDS prophets and apostles.

Understand the “WHY” of family history and temple work. Learn the doctrine of redemption and where it is found in the scriptures. Understand the importance of knowing where the spirit world is and the activities that take place there. Recognize your own responsibilities and blessings in family history and temple work. After this session, you will be ready to learn the “HOW” of family history.

FamilySearch for Beginners (offered twice)
Offered twice. New to FamilySearch? Do you think you would benefit from a “hands on” experience? We are offering a lab class this year for you. If you have an LDS or Familysearch account, you are ready to attend. Volunteers in our One-on-One Circle of Service can help you register with FamilySearch during the conference (you would need to be able to access e-mail there to complete the registration), or visit the Ogden FamilySearch Library before the day of the conference.

Click HERE for the syllabus

Find out how to bring your pictures to life using QR code technology.
Make slide shows and interact with your T.V. This is an amazing way to share your information and get others interested.

Finding German Places of Origin
The objective of this class is to understand record types in the United States and Germany that can lead you to your German immigrant ancestor’s hometown.

Click HERE for the Syllabus

Finding Your Relatives that are Ready for Temple Work
This class will explore ways to glean relatives from Family Tree using the Descendant view, Family Search and the Hope Chest which are already available for you and your family to request Temple Ordinances.

Genealogy Standards for Beginners, part 1: The Basics
Let’s take a detailed look at each of the guidelines and policies that every beginning researcher should know in order to avoid having to “do it all over again” later. This class will cover data entry standards, research tracking, basic research guidelines, and temple ordinance reservation policies.

Click HERE for the Syllabus

Audience Level:  Beginner.

Genealogy Standards for Beginners, part II: Making the Grade
Let’s take a look at the broadly accepted standards and practices that make it possible for us to actually “prove” a relationship, produce credible work, and publish accurate findings. This class will cover the Genealogical Proof Standard, writing and citation techniques, and standards for working with DNA results.

Click HERE for the syllabus

Audience Level:  Beginner

Germanic Research for Beginners
The objective of this class is to learn the basics needed to begin researching ancestors in German speaking areas.

Click HERE for the Syllabus

How to Start Your Family History
This course is designed for those beginning their family history journey. We will discuss an organized approach to finding information, including finding records in your own home, interviewing family members, and organizing the information you find into a detective kit. We will explore how to find the online records and physical records that will help you find your family, use a research log, and record and evaluate your findings and sources.

How to think Logically for Beginners and Intermediate Researchers: Work Smarter, not Harder
You might not be a professional genealogist but that doesn't mean you don't have to research like one. We'll focus on the basic steps of the genealogical research process, showing logical means of solving genealogical problems regardless of locality.

Is Your British Isles Genealogy Already Compiled?
Some remarkable genealogy collections have been compiled by professional and amateur genealogists in the British Isles. The vast majority of these are unknown. And not consulted by the present generation of family researchers. Break your losing streak!

Click HERE for syllabus

Languages in German Genealogical Documents
Learn to cope with a variety of languages which can be found in German documents. Decipher handwritten and typed versions of the various languages you may encounter in your research and learn essential genealogical vocabulary.

Click HERE for the syllabus

Meyer's Gazetteer Now Online, Indexed and Fully Searchable!
Meyer's has long been the standard gazetteer for German genealogy. It is a valuable tool, but difficult to use. Fortunately, Meyer's gazetteer has been carefully extracted, indexed, cross-referenced with German Empire maps, and made available for free at Meyersgaz.org. A working knowledge of this website will facilitate and improve your German genealogical efforts.

Northern Utah Genealogy Sources
This class will review many on-line and Genealogical (brick and mortar) facilities available to researchers and discuss what information focus they contain.

Click HERE for syllabus

PERSI and Its 8,000 Periodicals
After you attend this class you will know about the vast resources available in periodicals. You will know how to access the index to more than 8,000 periodicals and how to read them and how to obtain copies for articles of interest.

Click HERE for the syllabus

RootsMagic: Your Offline Home for Your Online Research
It has never been easier to find and learn about your ancestors through internet records and websites. But collecting and organizing that information can be challenging. RootsMagic genealogy and family tree software can be your "home base" for accessing all these different resources.

Join us and learn how to use the RootsMagic to spot holes and problems in your family tree. See how to easily search online sites such as Ancestry, FamilySearch, Findmypast, MyHeritage, and more. You'll also learn how to easily share your findings with others.

Si, che puoi! Beginning Italian Research
Many people who start Italian research feel overwhelmed like they can't do the research. What everyone needs to remember is that "Si, che puoi!" (Yes, you can!). Everyone can do Italian research as long as they understand the beginning steps. This class will give you the starting board that you need to jump into Italian research. Come and learn that "Si, che puoi!"

Sources of Genealogical Research for Armenians in the Caucasus
Unearth a treasure trove of genealogical records for areas in the former Russian Empire including parts of modern Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. Learn the secret of finding records hidden in plain sight.

Click HERE for the Syllabus

The FamilySearch Wiki: Your Go-To Guide for Research
An absolute must-have for genealogists, the Wiki is the top of its kind, with over 80,000 genealogical articles and guides providing knowledge and instruction to help you solve your research problems.

The Five Generations Exercise
The Five Generations Exercise is designed to help you become familiar with Family Tree and verify your ancestor’s records and clean up their information. You will go into each ancestor’s person page (for five generations) and their spouse and make corrections and additions so your family record is more accurate and complete. While using Family Tree FamilySearch you will become familiar with the ‘person page’ of your ancestor, how to standardize the names, dates and places associated with your ancestor, how to attach the ‘Hints’ provided for your ancestor, how to combine duplicate records of the same ancestor, see that the ordinances are provided for your ancestor, and finally arrange the ‘sources’ attached to your ancestor’s record in a standard format recommended by FamilySearch.

Click HERE for the Syllabus

The Utah War: The Coming of "Johnston's Army"
Among benchmarks in nineteenth-century Mormon history are such events as the arrival of the first pioneers in the Valley in 1847, crossing the Plains, and the 1890 Manifesto. As people do family history, they often use these happenings as watershed moments and points of reference. Another common event that appears often in family histories is “the coming of Johnston’s Army.” Some ancestors resisted this army during the Echo Canyon War as members of heroic guerrillas under legendary Mormon leaders such as Porter Rockwell and Lot Smith. Others participated in the “Move South” to evacuate the northern settlements in case the army breached the mountain defenses and the resistance of the Nauvoo Legion. In spite of this, few understand what actually happened during this frightening confrontation with the U.S. government in 1857-58 that historians call the Utah War. This workshop will reveal the basic details and meanings of the arrival in the West of the Utah Expedition under orders from President James Buchanan to quell a so-called “Mormon Rebellion.” It will outline the dangerous potential of this episode and discuss how it ended with the army establishment of Camp Floyd in Cedar Valley west of Utah Lake.

Tips for Genealogical Research
In this class, you will learn various tips that will increase the quality of your research and efficiency of work. These are a few of the tips that the presenter has gathered in nearly 30 of his own research and as a Research Consultant at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. You should keep this list of tips handy and review them periodically as you grow as a family history researcher.

Click HERE for the syllabus

Using The Family History Guide™ for training
"Introduction to The Family History Guide" helps you get familiar with the first two sections of the website: Introduction and Projects. You'll learn about how The Family History Guide is organized, how to find resources for beginners, and how to successfully work with the 8 Projects on the site: 1: Family Tree, 2: Memories, 3: Descendants, 4: Discover (Research), 5: Indexing, 6: Help, 7: Technology, and 8: DNA. You'll also learn how to do research in over 60 countries around the world.

Visualizing Historical Boundaries
After you attend this class you will know how to locate images of historical boundaries and overlay them on Google Earth. You will learn how to use them for detailed research analysis.

Click HERE for the Syllabus

Why Some People Should NOT Write a Book! 7 Great Reasons Why YOU Must!
The session presenters will discuss the importance of publishing personal, family and social histories – and the use of related genealogical research publications – to reach a broader audience beyond one’s own immediate family members. One great reason to publish histories of this kind is to enable researchers (from novice to expert) to search and discover your work and the unique information it contains. Session topics will include the importance of print and digital versions of your work, ISBNs, registering works with the Library of Congress, making the work available through Family Search Online Book Collection, worldwide distributin/access to your work and other essentials for making your work available to anyone. Examples of recent publications will be presented and a case study regarding the search and discovery of a “lost” ancestor using a variety of research methods and sources.