Got Ancestors?! conference

My dad and I attended the Got Ancestors?! conference yesterday in Grand Rapids, MI at Calvin College.  It was put on by the Western Michigan Genealogical Society, in which I am a member of as of this year.  The speaker yesterday was Cyndi Ingle of Cyndi's List.

We learned a lot about Cyndi's website and how they are over 330,000 links that are categorized to make it easier on how to find information on our ancestors. We went over some interesting facts about how our ancestors may have migrated in the U.S. as well as how to translate foreign documents. We also learned on how important it is to put a research plan together.  My dad and I admit we are very much like squirrels when we are researching, we could be looking at one person, and then go off to another name and hours later, not really sure what we were looking for. Getting organized in our research is our next step.

My mom and dad will be leaving for an Ireland trip soon, and one of the things was to find out where John P. Owens' (b, 1843) father Patrick Owens (b. 1803) was born in Ireland. No luck yet, it would be nice to know what area he was from so he could drive through the county.

This conference has ignited our genealogy spirits again, plus summer is over, and family history is much more of a fall/winter sport.  I hope to continue to update this blog more often with my progress.