AGS Fall Conference 2024
Saturday, October 19, 2024, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. This year, our Fall Conference is a Zoom Webinar. You can attend from the comfort of home or share the experience with other like minded genealogy enthusiasts by attending a Watch Party in your area (see below).
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/29ev8h6s — Only $5.00!
Can’t attend live? No problem! All registrants will receive a link to watch later.
Speaker
Cyndi Ingle is a renowned figure in the genealogy community, celebrated for her creation of Cyndi’s List, a comprehensive directory of genealogical resources available online. Established in 1996, Cyndi’s List began as a project for her local genealogical society and has since evolved into a global resource with over 330,000 links categorized and cross-referenced in more than 200 categories.
Cyndi’s dedication to genealogy spans over 44 years. She is an active member of numerous genealogical societies, including the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society, and the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Her expertise in using technology to enhance genealogical research has made her a sought-after speaker and educator.
In addition to her work on Cyndi’s List, Cyndi has authored several books on genealogical research and frequently contributes to genealogical publications. She has also been involved in various educational webinars and presentations, helping genealogists refine their search techniques and better navigate online resources.
Cyndi resides in Edgewood, Washington, where she continues to manage Cyndi’s List as a one-woman operation. Her passion for genealogy and commitment to providing accessible resources has made a lasting impact on the field, earning her numerous accolades and the admiration of genealogists worldwide.
For more information on Cyndi and her work, visit cyndislist.com.
Schedule
Saturday, October 19, 2024
9:00 am — Opening Remarks
9:15 am — Cyndi’s List in Practice
10:30 am — Navigating Your Way Through FamilySearch
11:30 am — Lunch break
12:15 pm — AGS Annual Meeting
1:15 pm — Newspaper Tools Online: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
2:30 pm — Accessing Ancestry: The Roots, The Branches, and The Trees
3:30 pm — Closing Remarks
Topic Descriptions
Cyndi’s List in Practice — Sometimes overwhelming to beginners and sometimes underused by veterans, Cyndi’s List is a research tool that is robust with resources helpful in everyone’s research. Using specific examples for beginners, as well as more advanced researchers, we will explore the site and point out how to make the most of the categories and the links found within.
Navigating Your Way Through FamilySearch — FamilySearch is so much more than just a family tree hosting platform. FamilySearch is a massive web site that is made up of dozens and dozens of different research tools. The site includes tools for learning and for reference. It is home to the world’s largest digitized collection of records and sources for our research. And all of this is free for everyone to use. We will explore each of the features that FamilySearch offers and we will hone in on how to dig through the site from a variety of entry points to find what we need.
Newspaper Tools Online: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly — Explore both free and commercial newspaper sites to learn what is available for your own research. We’ll talk about the how to search, browse, view, print, and save copies for use in personal records.
Accessing Ancestry: The Roots, The Branches, and The Trees — Are you getting everything you can from Ancestry? Are you using the advanced search parameters? Are you using all the tools and materials available to you? Or do you just scrape the surface of the website? We will do a deep dive into Ancestry’s site to make sure you are extracting every last bit of useful material for your research.
Watch Parties
You may prefer to watch the conference in the company of other genealogy enthusiasts. Here is the list of Watch Parties open to the public. Check back frequently as we add more Watch Parties.
| Location | Watch Party Details |
|---|---|
| Genealogy Society of Craighead County Arkansas Meeting Room First Community Bank 630 Southwest Drive (Corner Southwest Drive & S. Culberhouse) Jonesboro, Arkansas 7240 | Nancy Matthews nlmatthews@suddenlink.net 870-219-0535 Several restaurants are nearby. You are welcome to bring a lunch if you prefer. |
| Arkansas County Library 2002 S Beurkle Stuttgart, AR 72160 | We will have plenty of festivities for all those who come. |
| Fort Smith Public Library Campbell Board Room 3201 Rogers Ave. Fort Smith, AR 72903 | Refreshments provided. Lunch on your own. 479-782-0229 x1181 genealogy@fortsmithlibrary.org https://www.fortsmithlibrary.org/ |
| Nevada County Depot Museum 403 W. 1st Street S. Prescott, Arkansas 71857 | https://www.thedepotmuseum.org/ We will be meeting in the archive room of the Depot Museum. Seating is limited, so we are asking that you reserve a free seat. Refreshments will be served in the morning. To sign up or for more details, email TheDepotMuseum@gmail.com |
Would your organization like to sponsor a Watch Party? A great opportunity to socialize while enjoying the conference. All you need is a computer to run the Zoom session, a big screen for everyone to watch, speakers or PA sound system, and a microphone to allow the audience to ask questions. A camera is encouraged, but not required. For more information or to register your party click here.
Sponsors and Memorials
Sponsors — Support the conference by becoming a sponsor! As a sponsor, your company will be recognized on the AGS website, during the conference and in the handouts. Following the conference, sponsors will also be listed in the The Arkansas Family Historian quarterly which is distributed to many libraries and is available on their shelves indefinitely. See this page to become a sponsor.
Memorials — Honor the memory of a loved one by contributing to the conference. Memorials will be displayed along with the sponsors and in the same places. See this page to create a memorial.