The Kentucky Genealogical Society joins the Kentucky Historical Society in hosting a series of free genealogy workshops each month at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History.

This month, KGS & KHS welcomes Mark S. Middleton as he helps us organize and preserve our growing digital collection.

• Why should a Genealogist digitally archive?

What happens if a Genealogist has a fire or flood in their home? What if a genealogist comes across a great collection of photos, but the relative doesn’t want to give them away? There are many reasons why genealogists need to create and work with digital files. This presentation covers the complete spectrum of capturing media – photos, books, home movies, and audio recordings – then creating computer files from the captured digital material. Files should be created with the best possible equipment.

Mr. Middleton will discuss the hardware capture standards genealogists should use, scanner options, digital cameras, file types, video and audio formats. He will then cover best practices – the step-by-step process  – for each type of capture, backing up and storage options. Archiving involves selecting the material to digitize, capturing, creating the metadata, and creating the back up/archival material. Back-up locations include web sites, CD, DVDs, Hard drives, and new BluRay technology; all are reviewed to compare their benefits and disadvantages.

About the Speaker: Mark S. Middleton holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master’s in Information Systems. He is a certified Project Management Professional and has been been employed in the Information Technology industry for more than 20 years. He is a retired US Army major. Mark actively works with his family on genealogy. Memberships include Ohio Genealogical Society (Life Member), Genealogy Speakers Guild, Project Management Institute, Society of Civil War Families of Ohio, and Settlers and Builders of Ohio Society.

Morning session runs from 10:30-11:30 a.m., followed by a 30 minute break (brown bag lunches welcome.) Second session runs from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Registration for these free workshops is strongly encouraged. However, walk-ins are welcome. Please pre-register by calling the KHS Refdesk at 502-564-1792 x.4460 or by e-mailing us at: khsrefdesk@ky.gov 

Join our Library staff on the 5th Saturday of every month from 2-4PM for tea time and good ole fashioned conversation. Have an ancestor that is eluding you? Confused about which source to use next? Have questions about the proof standard or how to get the kids involved? Bring along your genealogy issues, hot topics or questions and the group will try to help you out. Even if we can’t solve your problem, we promise to provide lots of tea and sympathy!

All research levels welcome – let’s learn from each other’s experiences!

2016 fifth Saturdays include: December 31st.

Each Genealogy Tea and Sympathy session is free and tea is provided at the event. Please pre-register by calling the KHS Refdesk at 502-564-1792 x.4460 or by e-mailing us at: khsrefdesk@ky.gov 

The Kentucky Genealogical Society joins the Kentucky Historical Society in hosting a series of free genealogy workshops each month at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History.

This month, KGS & KHS welcomes Anita Finger-Smith as she explores the history and records available for the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians!

Session 1: Indian Land into the Market Place: Cherokee Land Cessions, 1721 – 1835

Trace the loss of Cherokee lands as a result of a series of land treaties. In all, more than 120,000 square miles of territory were once contained within the Cherokee Nation,   including portions of the states of Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky.

Session 2: Passage through Time: Cherokee Records, Manuscripts, and Ethnographic Material

Learn how to find records that might lead you to finding enrolled and non-enrolled Cherokee. Focusing on the period prior to the removal of Cherokee to Indian Territory, the resources provide cultural, genealogical, and historical background needed to conduct Cherokee research.

About the Speaker:

Anita Finger-Smith

Anita Finger-Smith is the principal genealogist for Cherokee Genealogy Services, licensed by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Additionally, she is a researcher focusing on Cherokee resources, manuscripts, methodology, and record analysis. She served on the faculty at the Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research (IGHR), and is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, National Genealogical Society, a North Carolina delegate to the National Trail of Tears Association, Museum of the Cherokee Indian, and Qualla Boundary Historical Society. When she is not attending to genealogical research, she serves as co-owner of Bearmeat’s Indian Den, an authentic Native American art gallery located on the Cherokee Indian Reservation.

Morning session runs from 10:30-11:30 a.m., followed by a 30 minute break (brown bag lunches welcome.) Second session runs from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Registration for these free workshops is strongly encouraged. However, walk-ins are welcome. Please pre-register by calling the KHS Refdesk at 502-564-1792 x.4460 or by e-mailing us at: khsrefdesk@ky.gov 

The Kentucky Genealogical Society joins the Kentucky Historical Society in hosting a series of free genealogy workshops each month at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History.

This month, KGS & KHS welcomes Allison Tracy as she explores Oral History and how it can help with your genealogical research!

Session 1: What can oral history tell us about the past?

Learn about oral history and how you can utilize it as both a primary source and as a methodology.

Session 2: What tools are available to help me with oral history?

Learn about different tools that can help you collect and access oral histories.

About the Speaker:

Since July 2015, Allison Tracy has served as the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) Oral History Administrator. In this position she supports the efforts of the Kentucky Oral History Commission (the only commission of its kind in the United States), provides professional advice and technical support on oral history projects throughout Kentucky, and collaborates to manage KHS’s oral history collections. Ms. Tracy began her work in oral history in 2002 at the University of Nevada Oral History Program (UNOHP), eventually interviewing for a multi-year project on the history of women’s athletics at the University of Nevada. Returning to the UNOHP as its coordinator in 2009, Allison served as one of the editors for the resulting book We Were All Athletes: Title IX and Women’s Athletics at the University of Nevada. In 2008 Allison joined the first cohort of students at Columbia University’s Oral History Master of Arts Program. Her research culminated in her masters thesis entitled “I began marching: Reclaiming Narrative with the Voices of Women Organizing Project”. In 2012 Allison became the oral historian for the Stanford Historical Society, working on a three-year project to document Stanford University’s history through the stories of prominent faculty members and administrators. As a member of the Oral History Association, Allison has served as a member of the Education Committee from 2010-2015, and served on the Program Committee for the 2012, 2013, and 2016 annual meeting. In 2015 she was elected to the OHA’s Council. From 2011 to 2013, she served on the Southwest Oral History Association’s scholarship committee. In addition to an M.A. in Oral History from Columbia University, Allison holds a B.A. in English Literature and Sociology from the University of Nevada.

Morning session runs from 10:30-11:30 a.m., followed by a 30 minute break (brown bag lunches welcome.) Second session runs from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Registration for these free workshops is strongly encouraged. However, walk-ins are welcome. Please pre-register by calling the KHS Refdesk at 502-564-1792 x.4460 or by e-mailing us at: khsrefdesk@ky.gov 

Join our Library staff on the 5th Saturday of every month from 2-4PM for tea time and good ole fashioned conversation. Have an ancestor that is eluding you? Confused about which source to use next? Have questions about the proof standard or how to get the kids involved? Bring along your genealogy issues, hot topics or questions and the group will try to help you out. Even if we can’t solve your problem, we promise to provide lots of tea and sympathy!

All research levels welcome – let’s learn from each other’s experiences!

Each Genealogy Tea and Sympathy session is free and tea is provided at the event. Please pre-register by calling the KHS Refdesk at 502-564-1792 x.4460 or by e-mailing us at: khsrefdesk@ky.gov