Welcome
For a family history lover any day with family history is a good day. However, this year’s family history conference, Footsteps in Time, promises to be a GREAT day, jam-packed with more than 20 genealogy and family history classes! No matter your skill level, there promises to be something for everyone. And it’s FREE, unless you order lunch!
This year’s conference will be held
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2018
Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m., followed by a welcome. Classes begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 3:45 p.m. with a lunch break in the middle. This beautiful building is located next door to Edgerton Elementary School and has plenty of parking. There are several handicapped spaces and if you need assistance to and from your vehicle, please contact us about your need.
As we will be using the LDS building, we thank you for respecting their policies of no smoking or drinking alcohol, coffee, or tea on the premises. Please, no open beverage containers. Water and light snacks will be provided throughout the day for conference participants.
Check out the class offerings. Walk-ins are welcome, but we encourage you to pre-register to ensure that Saturday, October 13 will be a GREAT genealogy filled day as you take your
Footsteps In Time.
Sponsored by the
Kalispell Family History Center
-Shirley Rogers, Director-
When & Where
Saturday, October 13, 2018
Kalispell LDS Church
1380 Whitefish Stage Road, Kalispell, Montana
Register
The Kalispell Family History Conference is free and open to the public.
Pre-registration is recommended.
Walk-ins are welcome.
REGISTRATION
Classes
REEKING WITH TREASON: MONTANA’S CIVIL WAR
By Rich Aarstad
This class will take you for a romp through Montana’s Civil War hi-jinx, protestations, and downright political scheming as the newly created territory searched for identity during and after the Civil War. Aarstad will also discuss the Civil War sources available at your Montana Historical Society as well as online sources for searching to see if your ancestors wore the “blue” or the “gray.”
FINDING AN ANCESTOR’S PLACE OF ORIGIN IN NORWAY
By Liv Anderson CG, AG
By using the records below, see how they can help you discover an ancestors place of origin in Norway.
- A person in US immigration records
- Places in 1972 postal guise
- A person in emigration records from Bergen
- Home parish in FamilySearch wiki for Norway
- A person in 1900 census for Norway
- Find a person’s birth record
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EXPLORING CHURCH RECORDS IN NORWAY
By Liv Anderson CG, AG
This class will teach what type of church records are available and how to search them in an online database.
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HOW TO FIND ANCESTORS IN DIGITALARKIVET OF NORWAY
By Liv Anderson CG, AG
This is a case study designed to locate Guri Holtens place of origin in Norway. We will find her in the US 1900 Census for Michigan, emigration records leaving Norway, Church Records in Norway and 1865 Census in Norway.
INTRODUCTION TO FAMILYSEARCH
By Sylvia Brown
This class will give you an overview and basic understanding of the FamilySearch website, as it walks you through creating a free account. We will delve into the many features it has to offer like printing detailed family group sheets, plus the multiple views of your pedigree chart. Explore FamilySearch’s search and document options, its amazing ability to store family photos, stories, and audio and see why this amazing and user friendly website should become another tool in your family history toolbox.
RECORDSEEK- AN IMPORTANT GENEALOGICAL TOOL
By Diane Denney
RecordSeek will make your family history journey easier. Learn how this free, user friendly utility can take any internet document, story or photo and quickly convert it to a standardized source citation, which can be attached to your family tree in FamilySearch or Ancestry.com. Join the ranks of professional genealogists and prove the accuracy of your family history work by effortlessly attaching sources and documentation to your family tree. Also learn about RecordSeek’s live links, which can direct you back to the website from where you obtained your information.
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FUN FAMILY ACTIVITIES!
By Diane Denney
Is there an upcoming Family Reunion in your future? Do you want to excite and encourage your children or grandchildren to participate in family history? Do you desire to plant the joy and importance of Family History into the next generation? If this is your wish, then this class is for you. From tech activities and family history game apps, to more traditional fun activities for individuals and large groups, this class is guaranteed to send you home with many ideas, resources and hand-on activities for you and your family.
SEARCHING DIGITIZED NEWSPAPERS ON FREE WEBSITES
By Natasha Hollenbach
Consider your methods, as searches are demonstrated in several free newspaper websites, including Chronicling America, Montana Newspapers, Small Town Newspapers, and Google News Archive. In addition to practical searching advice, learn about newspaper digitization and how decisions made behind the scenes affect your search and how to use this knowledge to make your searching better, or at least less frustrating. While the focus will be free newspaper websites, many of these tips and tricks can be applied to the subscription sites.
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CONDUCTING NEWSPAPER RESEARCH
By Natasha Hollenbach
Newspapers can provide a wealth of information when you’re conducting genealogical research. However, do you know the best way to conduct newspaper research? How do you know which newspaper to search and how do you find it? Have you pondered the differences between searching newspapers online or on microfilm? Do you consider the people who created the newspaper in the first place? Have you considered varied search terms (online) or focusing on specific sections (microfilm)? This presentation will guide you through some examples of newspaper research success and failure to help you to take advantage of these unparalleled resources.
HANDLE WITH CARE- PRESERVATION ISSUES WITH HISTORICAL PHOTOS AND PAPERS
By Jeff Malcomson and Rich Aarstad
“Everything fades with time, but how can we make our precious historical materials last as long as possible? Join Rich Aarstad and Jeff Malcomson, Senior Archivist and Photo Archives Manager, respectively, at the Montana Historical Society, as they present problems and solutions concerning preservation of a variety of family papers and photographs.”
What is indexing?
In 2013 FamilySearch and Ancestry began a joint effort to digitize and index more than 1 billion records. Indexing is what makes online records easy to find. Presently only 23% of FamilySearch’s online records are indexed and there is a huge need to index the other 77%.
INDEXING- MAKING SEARCHABLE FAMILY HISTORY RECORDS–Part 1
By Frank and Yvonne Muchmore
This introductory class will explain how archived global records of the past are transformed by volunteers into searchable records available online to family history buffs. This class will teach you how to index and will focus on Quick Batches.
INDEXING- MAKING SEARCHABLE FAMILY HISTORY RECORDS– Part 2
By Frank and Yvonne Muchmore
This class is a continuation of skills taught in Part 1. This class will focus on larger batches of up to ten images and then introduce how to do foreign language indexing, using Spanish examples. Don’t know a foreign language? No worries- with a few key words and the same format as English records it is easy!
GETTING THE MAX OUT OF ANCESTRY.COM
By Bill Pitts In this class you will learn tips and tricks to getting the max in your search of Ancestry’s record database. In addition, the class will explore Ancestry Academy’s tutorials and their Fold Three military records. Finally, learn how to attach the records you find in Ancestry to your family tree in FamilySearch.
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BRITISH AND IRISH RESEARCH
By Bill Pitts
Most of Bill’s ancestors on his mother’s side are English and Irish, so doing research in these countries of origin became his focal point. In the 1920’s the Irish government records were destroyed by fire, so FindMyPast began compiling every other Irish record they could find to fill in the gap. This class will introduce you to those records, which are numerous. He will also discuss the best ways to approach British research. You will learn about shires, counties and parishes and take a look at civil registration, church, birth, marriage and death records, some of which date back to the 1700’s.
ABC’S OF DNA
By Shirley Rogers
What kind of DNA test should you get and why? How can it help break down brickwalls? What company is the best for you? What are the advantages of having raw data available? Why should you be cautious when using third party companies? Get answers to these questions and more as you use DNA as a tool to enhance your search and documentation of your ancestors.
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ORPHAN TRAINS AND ORPHAN RESEARCH TIPS
By Shirley Rogers
This class will talk about the history of orphan trains and the travels of orphans from the east coast to the midlands of America. It will also address some tools for tracing the orphans in your family.
THE FAMILY HISTORY GUIDE- A TREASURE TROVE
By Ken and Loretta Sears
Whether you prefer working in FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage or FindMyPast, The Family History Guide can show you how to get the most from these popular websites. Through a series of projects, goals and choices, The Family History Guide reveals these websites’ treasures. This introductory class will also give you a whirlwind look at the Country tab, where you will find a wealth of information for researching your country of origin. Finally, as there is time, take a peek into the vast Vault, overflowing with a wide range of genealogical wealth.
TOYS, MORE THAN JUST FUN!
By Zoe Ann Stoltz
Children’s play and toys are ideal social and historical topics. We all share in the delight of play and the pleasure derived from a favorite toy. Was yours lovingly handmade, purchased at the local Woolworth Store, or simply conjured up from items lying around the yard and house? Study and discussion of our toys teach us about changing attitudes towards childhood. They exemplify the evolution of social norms and growth of our consumer culture. Let’s play with these ideas and then create plans to share the fun between generations.
Handout
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MONTANA HOLIDAY TABLES & TALES
By Zoe Ann Stoltz
From pemmican to turkey, Christmas trees to Menorahs, through a collection of winter tales, historian Zoe Ann Stoltz examines Montana’s diverse traditions. A rich collection of historical sources illustrates Montana’s evolving cultures and customs. The foods which played a central role in these festivities offer clues to residents’ ingenuity and their dreams of creating an “old fashion Christmas.” Ultimately, the winter season draws the best from individuals and communities as they gather in very real efforts to survive. Join Stoltz in a celebration of Montana’s historical winter foods and tales.
Handout
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COMMUNITY COOKBOOKS- FROM FUNDRAISERS TO HEIRLOOMS
By Zoe Ann Stoltz
Communities create cookbooks to make money. However, most cooks have their cherished, stained favorites, while other books are relegated to the thrift store. How does a community create a cookbook that will earn money as well as those stains, that documents food traditions as well as history? We will compare and discuss several historical community cookbooks, then examine sources designed to assist in creating a successful cookbook. Together, let’s examine strategies for producing a lasting, cherished taste of history.
Handout
ELLIS ISLAND- ISLE OF HOPE, ISLE OF TEARS- A TRIP INTO THE PAST
By Sylvie Wood
Learn about the history of immigration and what your ancestors might have gone through in New York. Discover how to research Ellis Island records.
BEGINNING GENEALOGY
By Bev Zierow
Learn about some of the basic forms, research techniques and websites used to begin your genealogical journey and avoid the common mistakes that beginners make.
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WRITE A PERSONAL HISTORY IN ONE HOUR OR LESS!
By Bev Zierow
Writing a personal history can be fast and painless. Watch how Bev takes a volunteer’s information and demos how to create a short life history for an ancestor in less than an hour.
Floor Plan of Conference Building.
Kalispell Family History 