On Saturday, September 6th, one set of afternoon lecture tracks is devoted to youth and genealogy. The ideas will be helpful to parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, teachers, and those involved with teaching, mentoring, or working with children such as in Boy Scouts, 4-H, or other youth groups.

S-199: Is My Pet Frog Part of My Family? Children and Genealogy in the Classroom, presented by Maureen A. Taylor

S-209: Using the Census in the Classroom, presented by Patrick Connelly

S-219: Share the Wealth: Teaching Genealogical Standards to Youth, presented by D. Joshua Taylor

These are the hours that the Exhibit Hall in the Pennsylvania Convention Center will be open for your browsing and shopping excursions.

Wednesday, Sept. 3 6:30 - 9:30
Thursday, Sept. 4 11:30-6:30
Friday & Saturday, Sept. 5-6 9:00-5:00

Click HERE for the list of book, software, learning opportunities, giftware, government, databases, websites, archives, hotel, tourism, and magazine vendors. Browse that same list for the historical, hereditary, and genealogical society exhibitors at the conference. This list will also be in the onsite program you receive along with the booth numbers and a layout map.

You do not have to be registered for the conference to visit the Exhibit Hall.

Pat Oxley, of Round Rock, Texas, is the Exhibits Chair for FGS Philadelphia. She sent this invitation for blog readers:

Please join us Wednesday evening for the Grand Opening of the Exhibit Hall. From 6:30 - 9:30 pm you can shop our vendors, eat Pennsylvania food (think Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches, Hoagies, soft pretzels) and possibly win some fabulous door prizes.  The exhibit hall catering service will be open this evening and during the days on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for your convenience. There will be plenty of tables at which to sit, have a snack, and chat with other  genealogists.

Everyone will be given one door prize ticket in their conference registration packet that they can put in the main door prize ticket box at the Grand Opening.  Our vendors have graciously given us some outstanding prizes for this night and we will draw a ticket every 10 to 15 minutes throughout the evening.  Door prizes include subscription memberships, 7 nights stay at a hotel in Salt Lake City, DNA kits and that’s just the beginning of the fantastic list. You must be present to win.

There are no competing events or classes, so come join your fellow genealogists for this fun-filled evening.

Shamele Jordan shared this updated list of podcasts:

* How Trustworthy is DNA Testing? (Ugo Perego)
* Reading Jewish Headstones (Judith Shulamith Langer-Surnamer Caplan)
* Researching WWI Draft Cards (Tim Pinnick)
* Jumping the Pond Offline, Researching European Ancestry (Rick Crume)
* Myths about Researching Female Ancestors (Diane V. Gagel, MA)
* Dealing with Family Skeletons and Stories (Christine Crawford-Oppenheimer, MLS)
* Irish Marriage Customs (Sean O’Duill)
* European Naming Practices (George Redmonds)
* Family Half Truths and How to Get the Whole Truth (Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL, FASG)
* African American Slave Genealogy (Deborah Abbot, Ph.D)
* Researching German Ancestry (George K. Schweitzer, Ph.D, Sc.D)
* Genealogical Society Management (Roberta “Bobbi” King)

Also included in each episode:

* FGS News
* Genealogy Jeopardy

To listen now go to the FGS 2008 Conference Podcast blog and click the play button. http://fgspodcast.wordpress.com/

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Any questions please let me know.

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National Sales Manager

e-Imagedata Corp.
340 Grant Street
PO Box 270424
Hartford, Wisconsin 53027
(215) 572-1019 - Direct
(866) 682-5787 - Toll Free

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Is your suitcase packed for Philly?

• Don’t forget to bring the registration confirmation that you received as an e-mail or in the regular mail.
• Remember the comfy shoes.
• Bring a special outfit for the Friday evening banquet.
• Bring a sweater or jacket that can be removed or put on depending on the temperature in the session rooms and Exhibit Hall.
• Remember a notebook and pens or pencils for note taking
• Bring along cash, plastic, and checkbook to take advantage of the many vendors in the Exhibit Hall.
• Review this blog for tips on parking, picking up registration materials, downloading the syllabus pages you plan on needing, getting from the airport to the hotel and convention center and many other helpful posts.
• Be sure to catch up on your sleep BEFORE the conference as you won’t want to miss anything next week.
• Don’t forget about the Exhibit Hall Grand Opening on Wednesday evening - a little birdie told me there will be lots of neat door prizes that night.

Arkansas: Believe It or Not       Presented by J. Mark Lowe

Arkansas is a diverse landscape of natural resources, mysteries, mountains and diamonds. The state is located between Memphis and Dallas, New Orleans and St. Louis, but is truly the heart of America. The Federation of Genealogical Societies will be travelling down to Little Rock, guests of the Arkansas Genealogical Society, for the 2009 Conference. As we find “Passages Through Time,” you will hear the exciting plans for the conference, plus a few secrets. Arkansas is the land of hillbillies, rice plantations, the Little Rock “nine,” and Hanging Judge Isaac Parker. Don’t miss this humorous look at the Natural State, and discover a few tales about Arkansas’ infamous citizens. You might hear a word or two about how to solve your genealogical problems.

Unfortunately, Carolyn Earle Billingsley, PhD., has had to cancel her appearance at the FGS Philadelphia Conference due to a serious illness in her family. J. Mark Lowe, CG, will fill in for her. You will have a chance to hear Carolyn next year at the September 2-5, 2009 Federation of Genealogical Societies/Arkansas Genealogical Society Conference in Little Rock.

T-54 - Arkansas Genealogical Society Luncheon - Arkansas: Believe It or Not
Speaker has been changed from Carolyn Earle Billingsley to J. Mark Lowe (see blog entry above this one for a description of his luncheon presentation)

F-132 - Overlooked Census Data: Reading Those Orphan Columns
Speaker has been changed from Carolyn Earle Billingsley to J. Mark Lowe

3. S-203 - Melungeons and Other Mixed Race Groups has been replaced by Constructing an Ancestor: Mortgages, Trust Deeds and Personal Agreements
Speaker has been changed from Carolyn Earle Billingsley to J. Mark Lowe

Contracts with convention centers, hotels, vendors, and speakers are made way in advance of each FGS Conference; some contracts are done years in advance. When it is time for the conference, a few changes have occurred. Unforeseen circumstances are generally the reason. If you have your conference week schedule all planned based on what is in the online or paper conference program, you will need to check it against the schedules and room locations once you pick up your conference registration materials at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

The onsite program booklet clearly lays out for us which lectures take place at which time and in what room. It also includes diagrams of the Exhibit Hall and areas for lectures, luncheons, and the banquet. Here is an abbreviated table of contents for that booklet:

Speakers Index

Topic Index

Special Events

Exhibit Hall Hours

Ancestors Roadshow

Wednesday Sessions and Room #s

Thursday Sessions and Room #s

Friday Sessions and Room #s

Saturday Sessions and Room #s

Ancestry.comTrack

(more…)

5:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time TODAY marks the end of online registration and registration changes. After the 5:00 time, additional registrations for the conference and meals will have to be done on site at the Pennsylvania Convention Center beginning September 2d at 3:00 p.m.