October is Family History Month! What does family history mean to you? Ancestry charts of grandparents, great grandparents, back and back into history? Close friends that have been there for you? Favorite memories of time spent with a beloved grandma or grandpa? Recipes made around holidays? A whiff of lilac powder? Seeing a treasured antique or china that generations have used?
So, let’s get started learning and preserving your family history!
On Saturday, October 12 at the Noblesville Library, we will be celebrating Family History Day with a free genealogy conference!
Check-in will start at 9:30am. We’ll kick things off at 10am with our keynote speaker, Juliana Szucs, sharing a “Dozen Ways to Jumpstart Your Research”.
Then, choose from two morning sessions:
“Tuning Into the DNA of Your Ancestors” with JaKobi Burton.
Music is a universal language that can bring people together from all over the world. Did you know it can connect you to your ancestors as well? To better understand your DNA matches, it is essential to have a good understanding of DNA recombination. In this focused discussion, we will break down this process into easy-to-digest bites of knowledge.
“Navigating Federal Census Records” with Nancy Massey.
Uncover and piece together your family history through census data. Census records hold valuable clues waiting to be discovered. Go beyond the numbers and delve into the lives of your ancestors. Explore your family’s lineage across different census years.
We’ll break for lunch, and you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions and learn more from local historical and genealogical groups: The Hamilton County Historical Society, the Horseshoe Prairie and Jonathan Jennings chapters of the D.A.R, the Indiana African American Genealogy Group, the Indiana State Archives, the Indiana State Library, Noblesville Preservation Alliance, Roberts Settlement, and the S.A.R. Indiana Society. Show your conference badge at Bier Brewery in Noblesville to receive 25% off your food!
Afternoon sessions will begin at 2pm:
“Genealogy Next Steps: Digging Deeper” with Kamia Jackson.
Discover genealogy research tips and methods to finding out more about your ancestors. Learn to go beyond basic searches and break down those brick walls through newspapers, directories, and more!
“Breaking the Silence: Understanding One Man’s Naval Experience in World War II” with Lauren Peightel.
Follow one sailor from the rolling Alleghenies to European shores, desert sands, and tropical islands and his granddaughter’s research to understand his silence at the helm of LST-504. More than military research or resource tips, this is a deeply personal story of unhealthy intergenerational patterns and an ongoing example of applying the lessons gleaned from our work to heal our family today and tomorrow.
“Land For the Landless: Homestead Records and How to Use Them” with Amber Oldenburg, One Branch at a Time Genealogy.
The Homestead Act of 1862 opened millions of acres of land for settlement across 30 states. Interested individuals needed to meet certain criteria before they could gain title to this land. The records created from this process are often overlooked by family historians. This session will help you understand the wealth of knowledge that can be found in these valuable records.
“Sermons in Stones: the Symbolism of Grave Markers and Cemetery Art” with Glory-June Greiff.
Greiff discusses the meaning behind the lambs, urns, tree stumps, and other symbols found on gravestones. Bring your questions about cemetery symbols and discover a world of hidden meaning.
There will be drawing for some fabulous prizes: two archival albums to preserve your work, a year’s subscription to MyHeritage, two memberships to FamilyTree Webinars, and a 12-month Ultimate British and Irish subscription at FindMyPast.
Register for Family History Day here!
We hope to see you then, but remember that we are here in the Crossroads Discovery Center ready to help you whenever it’s convenient. If you haven’t visited yet, please do and check out all the equipment we have available to help you share and preserve your family history on VHS, slides, negatives, 8mm and print.