A Decade of Blogging!

I started this blog ten years ago today, making this my tenth blogiversary, but I haven't been very active recently.

This doesn't mean that I haven't been doing research; I just haven't had the inspiration to get much more than a few blog posts written.

I will share that I have taken advantage of virtual learning opportunities that I might not otherwise have taken advantage of because I could participate in these events at home:

NYSFHC (which I learned is pronounced niss-fick) is the New York State Family History Conference. It was held September 10-12, 2020 (as well as offering videos to watch for the next month). It gave me opportunities to learn about upstate New York: its history, records, and migration patterns, which might help me break through my Rood brick wall someday. Registration for the 2021 virtual NYSFHC at Home has just been announced.

SLIG is the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. An Institute is a week-long intensive (Monday through Friday, 10:30 to 6:30 Eastern time) study of a specific topic. There are two weeks of course offerings every January in Salt Lake City, except for this year. I decided to take Introduction to Genetic Genealogy with Paul Woodbury (and others) to ensure that I had a firm foundation in my knowledge of DNA and genealogy. This is a prerequisite for other more advanced genetic genealogy Institute courses which I may take in the future.  I'm sure I will need to use DNA to confirm the identity of my biological third-great-grandfather on my Pyle line, where there is a break in the expected line of Y-DNA.

NERGC (pronounced nerk) is the New England Regional Genealogical Consortium Conference, which is going on right now. (This is one I would have attended in person, if it had been an in-person conference.) You can still register and until May 31 be able to see a variety of recorded lectures about all things New England. There are a few "gathering days" which offer more live interaction. One of the best parts of this conference is interacting with representatives of the variety of societies and vendors at the virtual Exhibit Hall, which you can do by joining a Zoom conversation. The Exhibit Hall is FREE and open to the public, and can be accessed by registering for the conference and selecting “Exhibit Hall Only.”

I have watched a few of the recordings and enjoyed learning about the variety of online legal resources, as well as finding my New Hampshire ancestors, which I need to use to break through my Wells brick wall.

In July, I will be spending another week participating in a genealogical Institute: GRIP, the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh. As readers of my blog probably know, my maternal grandmother was from Pittsburgh, and had a few generations of ancestors who lived in Allegheny County. Although GRIP courses are not focused specifically on Pennsylvania research, I will be taking Walking in Penn's Woods: Pennsylvania Research with Amy E. K. Arner (and others) and I hope to use the information I learn in this course to learn more about my Pennsylvania ancestors and maybe break through few brick walls (specifically Hunter, Carr, Rainey, Lysle, and McIlwaine).

I have made some discoveries in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and I hope to share them soon!