Society Saturday - Thomas MacEntee's Visit to Sacramento

[Editor's Note: Today's post was written by Denise Hibsch Richmond who had the pleasure of being Thomas MacEntee's escort during his visit. Photos are courtesy of Judy Nissila]

Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society is very thankful for the time Thomas MacEntee spent with members before, after and during the Spring Seminar on Saturday, March 16, 2013.  Thomas was very generous with his time and members took advantage of it from the moment he arrived until departure.  He was queried about using technology and social media for society operations and personal family history research....and then there was the seminar itself!

We have a few more pictures of Thomas's nonstop visit to Sacramento for you to view.  First up, a slideshow of the seminar...          

 

 

 

Thomas's visit wasn't all business.  Admittedly, we bragged a lot about our society's projects but we also partied and ate a lot.  The proof is in the pictures.  

 

 

Above two photos - Before the start of the general membership meeting on Thursday, March 14th, Thomas joined the Special Interest Group for Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio that was facilitated by Sandra Benward.  How fortuitous that he could provide some research tips for Illinois (he lives there)!   

 

 

Above two photos - Thomas is seen here on Friday, March 15th at the Center for Sacramento History.  In the first photo, Root Cellar member Marilyn Ulbricht,  Chairperson of the Extraction Committee (left), and Pat Johnson, Senior Archivist at the Center, show Thomas the many indexes of Sacramento County records that the Society has published.  In the second photo, Thomas poses with Pat Johnson  and Extraction Committee members  (l-r) Lois Shumaker, Sammie Hudgens, Sandi Benward and Marilyn Ulbricht.  Many other committee members were on vacation that day.

 

Senior Archivist Pat Johnson gave Thomas a tour of the vault at the Center for Sacramento History.  Looks like he found an interesting record. 

Next, we drove to the Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society Library housed at the California State Archives in downtown Sacramento.  Thomas went directly to the Illinois section and posed with a book that the Illinois State Genealogical Society has just republished, Soldiers of the American Revolution Buried in Illinois.  Thomas was very impressed with the scope of our library.

 

After lunch with the Root Cellar Technology Committee (oops, no photo), we drove to the seminar venue where set-up was underway.  Leland Meitzler, owner of Family Roots Publishing Co., the seminar book vendor, took a break from unpacking books with son Dale to chat with Thomas.

 

With set-up complete we finally let Thomas have some private time at the hotel before his welcome and seminar volunteer appreciation reception Friday evening.     

We heard that Thomas was celebrating his milestone birthday all year long culminating on Dec 25th.  This might be one of his first birthday cakes of the year.  

 

 

The birthday boy himself had to cut the cake with Glenda Gardner Lloyd assisting.

Thomas is sitting with Judy Nissila (middle) and Billie Helms.  Thomas and Judy learned they were distant cousins on the 2011 Legacy Family Tree cruise.  Cousin connections can happen where you least expect them!

 

 

A good-looking group of Root Cellar members surrounded by the man of the hour, Thomas MacEntee. 

 

Showtime!  Saturday, March 16, 2013 at the Spring Seminar.  Thomas MacEntee presented four sessions on using  technology and social media for genealogy

Facebook, Twitter, Wikis - we learned new ways to connect with cousins and more.

 

After a successful seminar, it was time to relax with a tall cool one (mine was a double Shirley Temple) at Thomas's thank you and farewell dinner.  So many members wanted to bid him adieu that the restaurant moved us to a larger room.

 

Can't celebrate a birthday too much - this time with lemon meringue birthday pie!

 He likes it, he really likes it!

 

We had three days of fun with Thomas MacEntee at the annual Spring Seminar for Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society. Thanks Thomas for your generous time, advice, tips and tricks in using technology and social media for genealogy.  We learned a lot.

 

P.S.  Thomas, thanks for serving as co-pilot and being my "shifter". -D 

Federation of Genealogical Societies Urges Changes to Technology and Privacy Laws for Records Access

The following is an excerpt from Thomas MacEntee's posting on the FGS Voice blog. It deals with an issue that all genealogists should be aware of. These technology and privacy laws threaten future use of records for family historians. Please go to http://voice.fgs.org/2013/03/fgs-joins-records-coalition-senator-orrin-hatch.html for the complete article.


March 18, 2013 – Austin, TX. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) has joined the American Library Association, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Center for Democracy and Technology, as well as other organizations, in an effort to ensure continued access to records for the genealogy and family history communities.

The coalition, in a letter dated March 19, 2013, is urging Senator Orrin Hatch (Utah) to take a leadership role on important issues involving technology, privacy and genealogy records access. These include:
updating the laws and regulations governing the use of the "Death Master File" of the Social Security Administration and its commercially available Social Security Death Index (SSDI); and
updating the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA).
FGS and other coalition members have called upon Hatch to take action due to his “contributions to facilitating genealogical research . . . commitment to both law enforcement and privacy, and . . . interest in promoting development of the technology sector.”

The coalition seeks changes to recent laws and policies which threaten access to records vital to the field of genealogy as well as “genealogists who work to identify military remains, who work with coroners’ offices and medical examiners, who are forensic genealogists, heir researchers, and those researching individual genetically inherited diseases.”

To follow the latest developments involving these issues important to all genealogists, follow the Records Access and Preservation Committee blog at http://www.fgs.org/rpac/.

Posted by Ron Setzer

Saturday Society - pre-Root Cellar Spring Seminar

Saturday is finally the day for Root Cellar's 2013 Spring Seminar with speaker Thomas MacEntee. With all the final tasks being done we are ready for 200+ participants. The baskets are complete and are being put in their places this afternoon. Our vendor's are unloading and getting set up also.

We will be ready for all of you in the morning with registration packets, breakfast goodies, table with free information, vendors ready to service you, 16 huge wonderful gift baskets for the raffle awaits you, and Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society ready to show and shine.

Thomas MacEntee flew in from Chicago, IL Thursday afternoon and was met at the airport by Speaker Transport crew "Denise & Scott Richmond" They had dinner and Thomas checked into the hotel.

Timing is everything.........  our regular General Meeting was Thursday evening also and Thomas and transport arrived just in time for all the pre-meeting activities. Of course we are trying something new this month........... 2 Roundtable Discussions. I was thrilled to have Thomas  sit at my table and interact with the members about Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan. The other table was discussing Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. Just a half hour of discussion but everyone seemed to enjoy it and want more. So we will try it again in April.

Thomas and Judy Nissila are reunited... turns out that they are cousins. ahhhhh!!!

Our main speaker for the evening was Cheryl Crockett presenting "The Slade Phenomenom". Her presentation was really well planned and organized.

Friday really was a busy day for Thomas and his transport crew. They showed up about 9am at the Center for Sacramento History where our transcribing group led by Marilyn Ulbricht meets each Friday AM. It was a small group today but still we were hard at work.........  Marilyn Ulbricht, Sandi Benward, Lois Shumaker, Sammi Hudgens and of course Patricia Johnson, Senior Archivist & Volunteer Coordinator from the center. Thomas was able to see what we do, & what we have done and then take a tour of the Center- vault and all. I think he was impressed.

At noon the Tech Committee, Ron Setzer, Denise Richmond (transport crew) and Sandra Benward meet with Thomas over lunch (lots of pizza - what else is there!). Lots of questions and more than we expected in answers. It was a great discussion, with lots of super ideas for the society.


After lunch and discussions, Thomas was driven over to the church so he can check out the room, the sound system and internet connection. All around him were set up people and Root Cellar volunteers tranforming the room. Alot of action at the delivery entrance, all those 16 gift baskets for the raffle were arriving. Wow, you are going to be surprised when you see them........  amazing. What a logistics problem, getting each of those huge baskets to the Church AND IN ONE PIECE TOO and they did it. Lots of van's and trucks. Thank you to everyone that helped in that effort. Vendors were also arriving and setting up. It is going to be a fun day Saturday.

 

....and of course the Techie corner and asking 'what did we forget?'

Tonight, Friday, Diane Maltase, invited all the board members and seminar committee volunteers - for a special 'Sweet & Greet" Gathering at her home. Everyone brought sweets to share. It was an opportunity to have a one on one discussion with Thomas (well, maybe 7-10 to 1 is more accurate). Great idea.

To bed, & up early - getting ready to greet all the participants for the day.

Big thanks to Diane Maltase and Denise Miller,co-chairs and to the many volunteers that helped.


                       WE ARE READY TO SHOW AND SHINE ONE MORE TIME.

                                                 See you at the Spring Seminar!



posted for your enjoyment by Sandra Gardner Benward

Society Saturday - Thomas MacEntee Interviewed

Members of Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society have just received the current issue of its periodical, Preserves.  One of the highlights of this edition is the interview with Thomas MacEntee conducted by yours truly in January 2013.

In less than a month, Root Cellar will be welcoming Thomas as the featured speaker at its Spring Seminar on March 16, 2013.  The published interview provides members with a glimpse into Thomas's background and his thoughts about genealogy, technology and social media.

The Preserves is a member's only periodical but as a shameless plug for Root Cellar and a lure for the 'not-yet' members, several excerpts of the interview are included below.

 

 



Root Cellar: You have your finger on the pulse of technology and genealogy.  What are some relatively new tech tools you have learned about that interest you?

Thomas MacEntee: With the new year, I am fascinated with the "pinning" concept on sites like Pinterest, Google Maps, History Pin, What Was There and more.  I think this is a fun way to use our research finds as genealogists and to reach others with similar surnames and research.  Also, I've become keyed in to the concept of...

 

Root Cellar:  What are the future trends for technology and genealogical research that could affect societies and individual genealogists?

Thomas MacEntee: We need to fight for what I call "resource appeasement" - as more content becomes available online, we need to remind new researchers about all that is not yet digitized.  [Also] Copyright, citing resources, and attribution.  There is too much abuse of content with no...

 

Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree 2010
Blogger Summit. Pictured with Thomas MacEntee (center) are
Root Cellar Technology Committee members
(l-r) Denise Richmond, Sandi Benward & Ron Setzer



About the Spring Seminar March 16, 2013

• Download the Registration Form
• Read about the seminar topics.
• Read about the seminar exhibitors, Family Roots Publishing Company and Cox Black and White Lab.
• Read about Thomas MacEntee here and here.
• Root Cellar member benefits and membership form.

Society Saturday is one of several Daily Blogging Prompts listed on GeneaBloggers.com. 

 

posted by Denise Hibsch Richmond



Society Saturday - Cox Black and White Lab, Inc. to be at Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society Spring Seminar

Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society is pleased to announce that Cox Black and White Lab, Inc. will showcase its photographic services at the Spring Seminar with speaker Thomas MacEntee.

Cox Black and White Lab, Inc. was founded in 1990 by Jeff Cox and Katherine Weedman-Cox.  They specialize in reproducing and preserving photographic history.  Their clients include The California State Library, The California State Railroad Museum, The Center for Sacramento History, The State Archives, The Sacramento Library, Caltrans and various other agencies. 

Katherine Weedman-Cox at Family History Day 2012

Cox Black and White Lab, Inc. has been a long-time supporter of Family History Day at the California State Archives where attendees enjoy the popular exhibit.

The Lab is currently scanning the Jack London nitrate negatives from the California State Parks Collection in Sonoma in an effort to help preserve his images.  Cox Black and White Lab, Inc. also reproduces and restores precious family photos that customers have been bringing them for 23 years.  They love to hear family stories!  Be sure to take this opportunity to talk to Katherine at the Spring Seminar - bring your questions or better yet, your old, faded or damaged family photo to learn how digital photographic retouching may be able to transform your family photo to near original quality.

Cox Black and White Lab can be reached at 916-631-7275 or email customerservice@coxphotolab.com.

About the Spring Seminar
Register now for the Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society Spring Seminar on March 16, 2013 featuring technology and social media expert Thomas MacEntee. 

Half the seats are already reserved!  Pre-registration only.  No tickets sold at the door.

Read more about Thomas here and here.  Read about his topics and print the registration form here.  Hope to see you there!

Written in part by Katherine Weedman-Cox
Posted by Denise H. Richmond

Society Saturday - Family Roots Publishing Company at Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society Spring Seminar

Image Courtesy Family Roots Publishing Co.

Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society is pleased to announce that Family Roots Publishing Company will have their genealogy books and related materials available for purchase at the Spring Seminar again this year.

According to owner Leland Meitzler, "Family Roots Publishing will display hundreds of genealogy-related books, and maps, and research guides for sale at the seminar. They will also have selected CD-ROMs, DVDs, and the popular Flip-Pal mobile scanner on sale. They will also demonstrate how to use the Flip-Pal to get the most out of it. This is your chance to actually see and purchase items that you may have only read about before!"

Photo Courtesy Judy Nissila 2012

Last year, seminar attendees flocked to the Family Roots Publishing book tables to browse the extensive supply and make their purchases.  State-specific books, how-to books, and reference books will be available to add to your personal genealogical library.  Book viewing and sales will be open during breaks throughout the day. 

Register now for the Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society Spring Seminar on March 16, 2013 featuring technology and social media expert Thomas MacEntee.  Read more about Thomas here and here.  Read about his topics and print the registration form here.

Hope to see you there!

posted by Denise H. Richmond

Society Saturday - Wikis for Genealogists Webinar Reprise Presented by Thomas MacEntee

Source: By Luigi Chiesa (Own work)
via Wikimedia Commons

New Year, New Tool.  Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society invites you to its first general membership meeting of 2013 to learn about a new research tool to further your search for ancestors.

DATE:  [New Day] Thursday, January 10, 2013

PLACE: [New Place] Christ Community Church, 5025 Manzanita Avenue, Carmichael, CA 95608. Google Map link and see image below.

TIME: 7:00pm - 8:30pm

PROGRAM:  Wikis for Genealogists presented by Thomas MacEntee*. While many think of a wiki as an on-line, collaborative encyclopedia, wikis can be used by genealogists to document their genealogy and collaborate with other researchers or family members. Learn the various wiki platforms and the basics of setting up a wiki.  Note: This presentation will be the CD version of Thomas's live webinar conducted on August 8, 2012 in collaboration with Legacy Family Tree webinars.  Webinar handouts will be available with permission of the presenter.

FREE, everyone is welcome so bring a friend.


View Larger Map

*Read more here and here about Thomas MacEntee, the featured speaker at the Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society Spring Seminar on Saturday, March 16, 2013.  Registration details coming soon.

posted by Denise H. Richmond

Society Saturday: Thomas MacEntee Reinvented

Thomas MacEntee
(Source: Thomas MacEntee)

Thomas MacEntee is a new man.  When you listen to him at the Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society Spring Seminar on March 16, 2013, you'll think he's been conducting genealogical research for decades. 

You'd be correct. 

What's new is that Thomas is now a professional genealogist, having turned his hobby into his livelihood -- and fairly recently.  Read more about our speaker's transformation in the recent Forbes.com article "Career Shift: Turn Your Hobby into a New Job" by Nancy Collamer.  Thomas' technology expertise acquired in his previous career has also served him well as he adapted it to the field of genealogical research. 

I hope you'll plan on attending the Spring Seminar next March.  You'll have an opportunity to meet a very friendly guy who will take you and your family history research gently toward the use of new technologies and social networking.  Read more about the topics he will present at the seminar.

posted by Denise H. Richmond

The Root Cellar Blog, a Member Benefit

The use of blogs is just one of the many genealogical tools Thomas MacEntee will discuss at the Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society Spring Seminar on March 16, 2012.

Take a look at recent Root Cellar news on GeneaBloggers.com. 

Now imagine your family history query or brickwall here instead.  Carolee Jones submitted this humorous Thanksgiving story.  Nancy Fiorini submitted a story about her father-in-law.  Jack Willoughby revealed his eligibility in an esteemed organization.  Each of these Root Cellar members' articles reached thousands of blog readers who subscribe to GeneaBloggers.com because of its value as another genealogical research resource. 

Consider casting your surnames and localities to a new community of genealogists - blog readers.  Long or short stories, maybe just an image with a brief description, maybe your brickwall surname -- the Root Cellar blog is here to benefit members.

Submit your questions, stories or images to rootcellarsgs@gmail.com for posting on the blog.  Editing or proofing assistance is available if needed.

posted by Denise H. Richmond

Society Saturday - Topics Announced for Spring Seminar with Thomas MacEntee

Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society is pleased to announce the four topics that our featured speaker, Thomas MacEntee, will present at its Spring Seminar on Saturday, March 16, 2013.  The descriptions below were taken with permission from his business website, High-Definition Genealogy. 

• Building a Research Toolbox: Are overwhelmed with the number of online resources for genealogical research? Are you constantly working with unorganized bookmarks or favorites? Printing out lists of websites you use most? You will learn not only some of the most important online resources for genealogical research, but also how to organize these resources into an easy-to-access and portable virtual toolbox.  (Level: Beginner)
• Internet Archive: A Gold Mine for Genealogists: The Internet Archive (http://www.archive.org) is a free, on-line repository rich with genealogy source documents including census images and e-books.  In this session, learn how to navigate the Internet Archive and leverage the best search strategies to download a variety of materials including archived web pages, e-books, video, audio and more. (Level: Beginner)
• Social Networking: New Horizons for Genealogists: Did you know that the over 55 crowd is the fastest growing group of Facebook users?  Did  you know that Twitter is not the domain of the much younger “texting” crowd but is used by an older more savvy group of people? Did you ever wonder how and if these programs, along with others such as blogs and wikis, can be used to help genealogists?  Wonder no more as we explore what makes up the oft-mystifying term “social networking” and how each program is currently being used by genealogists and family historians of all ages. (Level: Beginner)
• You Use WHAT for Genealogy? Wonderful Uses for Unusual Tools: Have you ever wondered if you’re missing out on how some genealogists are using tools such as Evernote, Microsoft Word or Excel, Google and more? Learn what’s hot in the world of apps and websites and how you can start using them!  We’ll review a group of familiar apps and websites that are being used in creative ways by the genealogy community. You’ll also learn how to think “outside the margins” and start repurposing other apps and sites for your genealogy research. (Level: Beginner)

Root Cellar is looking forward to welcoming Thomas to Sacramento next March and our fine northern California sun (he lives in Chicago!).  We'll be introducing more about Thomas in future blog articles over the next few months.  In the meantime, read the initial announcement about him and visit, even subscribe to,  his genealogy news website GeneaBloggers.com where Root Cellar organizational news and member's ancestry has appeared frequently.

posted by Denise H. Richmond

Thomas MacEntee Reviews Uencounter.me

Thomas MacEntee
Source: Thomas MacEntee

Thomas MacEntee has been to the tech toy store again and found a product that has a genealogy section. Read his review of uencounter.me. 

Uencounter.me allows the user to cluster their family or "pin" them on a virtual map.  The social media side of the product allows users to connect to determine if shared lines exist.  "Cousin bait" said Thomas!  Other products such as Google Maps have a similar function he reports, but Uencounter.me takes it a step further.   Follow Thomas in his review as he shows you step-by-step how he clustered one of his family lines.

Try it and send your own review to us at rootcellarsgs@gmail.com.  We'll share it with others on this blog.

Take Note:  Thomas MacEntee is the creator of GeneaBloggers, High Definition Genealogy, and several other blogs.  He will be the featured speaker at the Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society Spring Seminar on Saturday, March 16, 2013.  Mark your calendars.  Details about the seminar will be forthcoming.

posted by Denise H. Richmond