The Shamrock Genealogist

 FamilySearch announced today that RootsTech 2021 will be going virtual. This is going to be an exciting new conference as not only will it be held online, it is FREE! Yes, you heard that right. Absolutely free. You will need to register but you will get access to the same type of content: keynote speeches, genealogy classes (offered in multiple languages), and a virtual marketplace where you can engage with your favorite genealogy and family history organizations. The full press release can be read here .  As a RootsTech ambassador, I am looking forward to sharing these updates with you over the next few months.  Register at RootsTech Connect at  https://www.rootstech.org/?lang=eng Check out this wonderful promo video created by FamilySearch 

Over the last few months, I have been researching the military records for my ancestors. I'm always looking for a story about their life so I can feel a deeper connection with them. They are more than just the birth and death dates on their headstone (if they have one).  Since it was Memorial Day it was fitting to look into one of my ancestors who died in service for their country. I have been tagging members of my family tree with a "Died in service" or "Killed in action" tag to help filter on those individuals I want to come back to. I want to memorialize each one of them. I researched one of my Canadian relatives today.  My 2nd cousin 2x removed, Joseph Alphonsus McKenna, died on August 19, 1942 in France. He served in the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve. Using his Find a Grave memorial, his service file, and some creative Googling, I learned his story of sacrifice. Joseph enlisted at the age of 18 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. He...

It has been far too long since I really blogged here. And over the last few weeks you would think I would have more time to do so. While my commute is lot shorter and no longer requiring me to wake before 6 am each day, I still find myself very exhausted each day. I have been quarantined in my condo for nearly 5 weeks now due to the COVID-19 epidemic. So what have I been doing while home? I am still serving our members and general public as a staff genealogist for American Ancestors. My days consist of catching up on Ask-a-Genealogist emails, writing lectures, presenting webinars, working on some project work (top-secret for now!), participating in chat service 3-4 pm, preparing for and giving consultations, and answering general inquiries that may come via phone. We may be closed in person but there is still a lot of work being done behind the scenes. Recently I participated in a tweetup on Twitter to help touch base with other genealogists during this time and see how they're k...

I recently won a contest on KingSumo for the annual RootsTech pass I give away (a fun perk of being a RootsTech ambassador!*) The lucky winner for this year's registration pass is Cheryl Townsend from Middlefield, Connecticut. Congrats Cheryl! I hope you have a wonderful time at RootsTech. *As a perk of being a RootsTech ambassador, I was given a free registration to RootsTech 2020. In exchange, I help promote the event through social media posts.

I am an ambassador for RootsTech London and one of the wonderful things I get to offer is a 3-day pass. I recently held a contest via KingSumo to win the conference pass. I'm happy to announce the lucky winner. Drum roll please Congratulations Elizabeth Graydon! I know you are going to have a wonderful time. Disclaimer: I am an Ambassador for RootsTech London 2019. I provide blog posts (in my own words), and social media coverage from now until after the conference. I unfortunately will not be in attendance but will be promoting virtually.   P.S. I know I've been quiet as of late but I have a lot of great projects going on and will be sharing soon some updates. 

RootsTech is officially over. The last two days (Friday and Saturday) were a bit of a whirlwind.  Friday Early that morning I attended the MyHeritage Friends breakfast. It's always a fun opportunity to learn about some new features and announcements (including some news ahead of the keynote). The big news is that MyHeritage will donate another 5000 DNA kits to help adoptees and their families reunite. You can apply for a DNA kit on  www.dnaquest.org.   I then attended the power hour hosted by my company, American Ancestors . The session was " Breaking Down Genealogical Brick Walls: Strategies for Success" I thought it was a great session and was well attended. Lots of great tips on how to use records on extended family, associates, and neighbors to bust down those pesky brick walls.  Later I attended the American Ancestors luncheon where my colleague Claire Vail, Director of Creative  and Digital Strategy, discussed the Mayflower web site . The site has a...

RootsTech 2019 is speeding by so fast. Yesterday was a very full day. Ancestry sponsored the keynote session. Some of the key features that were rolled out are tags for DNA as well as incorporating newspapers.com into search results using OCR software. The star celebrity for the keynote was Patricia Heaton. She shared a lot of stories about her family. I really enjoyed seeing the reveal with all of the different Catholic records that were found on her family. It was a nice tie-in to my lecture later that day. Speaking of Catholic records, I lectured for the first time at RootsTech. It was an unforgettable experience (definitely a bucket list item that I had on my resolution list). The attendance was awesome and I received great feedback. I'm lecturing again tomorrow (Saturday) at 3 pm if you missed my first lecture. Last night I had the honor attend the FamilySearch VIP dinner for the first time. I It was a great networking opportunity to talk with others in the industry and ...