This document provides information about a 2014 family history day program, including the planning committee, class schedule, class descriptions, speaker biographies, and a building layout map. The class schedule includes sessions on topics such as genealogy basics, using census and newspaper records, African American research, genetic genealogy, and technology tools. The document gives brief descriptions of each class including objectives and topics to be covered. Biographies are provided for several of the speakers.

1. 2014 PROGRAM

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
2 Planning Committee
3 Class Schedule
5 Class Descriptions
13 Biographies
Sponsored by:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Fredericksburg Virginia Stake
19 Building Layout Map

3. FAMILY HISTORY DAY PLANNING COMMITTEE
CLASS SCHEDULE
TIME
FREDERICKSBURG VIRGINIA STAKE PRESIDENCY
D. Michael Kitchens, Bradley M. Sant, Michael Armstrong
9AM
HIGH COUNCIL ADVISOR FOR FAMILY HISTORY
J. Peter Baumgarten
FAMILYSEARCH INDEXING
DEMONSTRATIONS
Dan Liggett
DECOR
Julie Stuehser
HIGH COUNCIL ADVISOR
FOR MISSIONARIES
Eric Sharp
FACILITY
Jim Hansen, Skip Booren
FAMILYSEARCH
DEMONSTRATIONS
Carrie Taylor, Lyle Baumgarten
REFRESHMENTS
Darlene Hoedt
TECHNOLOGY
David Hills
ROOM
E
ROOM
G
Lost Records
Collection
Family Search
Indexing
Tips for Reading
Old Handwriting
Finding Family
Outside of the
U.S.
Getting Started
with AfricanAmerican
Research
5 recursos
esenciales para
la genealogía
hispana
Using Census
Records
Of Grave Concern
Getting the Most
out of Ancestry
Researching
Pre Civil
War AfricanAmericans
El poder de
la narración
de cuentos
YOUTH LEADERS
Harold Tuttle, Nadia Deskins
11AM
WEBSITE MANAGER
Abe Erickson
Cómo ser el héroe
genealógico de su
familia
Light Refreshments available in Room B
12PM
2PM
PROGRAM
Jeffrey Wright
Genetic
Genealogy
Using DNA
Using
Newspapers
Beyond
Beginnings
Storytelling
Superpowers
Civil War 150
Legacy Project
The Power of
Youth: Making
a Difference
The Price is Right
1PM
2
ROOM
D
Genealogy 102
REGISTRATION
Carolyn Sloat
PUBLICITY
LaRene Olbetter
PHOTOGRAPHY
Ida Ingram
ROOM
C
Keynote Address
10AM
SPECIAL THANKS
LOGO & DESIGNS
Karen Anderson
ROOM
B
Genealogy 101
FAMILY HISTORY DAY PLANNING COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN
Ann Amadori
CURRICULUM
Katie Derby
ROOM
A
The Ins and Outs
of Social Media
for Genealogists
Designing Your
Research Plan
FamilySearch/
FamilyTree
Discovering
Chancery
Records
El Árbol Familiar
de FamilySearch
Free Online Research
3
What’s New
Qué hay de nuevo y
qué sigue

4. KEYNOTE
THE LOST RECORDS LOCALITIES DIGITAL
RECORD COLLECTION AT THE
LIBRARY OF VIRGINIA
GREG CRAWFORD
CLASS DESCRIPTIONS
CLASS DESCRIPTIONS
Virginia localities, most of them in the Eastern part
of the state, have suffered tremendous losses of their
early records because of intense military activity
(predominantly during the Civil War), courthouse
fires, and/or natural disasters. At some point, almost
everyone conducting genealogical or historical research
will face the problem of finding information from a
county or city described as a Lost Records locality.
Mr. Crawford will describe the collection, which
contains images of surviving records from localities
where most records are no longer extant, and discuss
techniques for overcoming the challenges
of researching in an area with widespread loss
of records.
5

5. 10AM
11AM
GENEALOGY 101
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR READING OLD
HANDWRITING
GENEALOGY 102
Ann breaks down the first steps to getting started
on discovering your family history. This session
covers gathering information from relatives, starting
FamilySearch accounts, using a Family History Center,
using pedigree charts, and some basic research
terminology.
KATIE DERBY
Continuing where Genealogy 101 leaves off. This
class will explore the kinds of records available - census,
vital, land, and church - where to find them, and what
kind of information they contain. Ann will also talk about
how to cite your sources accurately when conducting
research.
INDEXING
FINDING FAMILY AND ANCESTORS
OUTSIDE THE USA WITH NEW
TECHNOLOGIES
USING THE U.S. FEDERAL CENSUS
IN GENEALOGY
DANIEL HOROWITZ/ ROOTSTECH RECORDING
The United States Constitution mandates that a
census of all people in the U.S. be taken at least every
ten years. The specific purpose of the census is to
provide information to allocate seats in the U.S. House
of Representatives as the population of the country
moves and changes. However, the census gathers
much more information than numbers alone, and that
makes it invaluable for genealogical and local history
research. Come learn how to access the census and what
information can be gathered from it.
ANN AMADORI
Paleography is the study of ancient handwriting
and there are lots of techniques for reading and
interpreting documents from the past. We’ll share these
tips and tricks and then try our hand at
figuring out some examples together.
SERVICE, TEN MINUTES AT A TIME
DIANE BRIGGS
You’ve heard about indexing, the voluntary
transcription of Genealogical records in order to make
the digitized images searchable. You may have even
benefited from it; you looked up someone in a census;
you found someone in Family Search; you’d like to help,
but you just don’t know how. You can do one batch or
100, taking as much or as little time as you want. Time to
learn! It’s easier than you think, it’s less time consuming
than you think, it’s kinda fun! Learn how to sign up as a
volunteer and use the indexing software to help make
valuable records freely available to everyone.
Learn how MyHeritage tools can help break down brick
walls in your research of ancestors outside of the United
States by harnessing the power of an international
family history network.
GETTING STARTED WITH AFRICANAMERICAN GENEALOGY RESEARCH
DR. SHELLEY MURPHY
This class provides the basic fundamentals to
begin researching African-American lines; including
understanding the records and resources that are
available, where to begin, and tips on combating the
challenges of researching African-Americans.
6
OF GRAVE CONCERN
PRESERVING AND TRANSCRIBING GRAVESITES
ANN AMADORI
JEAN COOPER
7
BETH GAINER
The final resting place of our ancestors is hallowed
ground. Join us to learn how to care for and
document grave sites for your own family members and
as a service to others. We will cover the modern use of
GPS and digital pictures to note grave locations, how
to make submissions to the “Find a Grave” and “Billion
Graves” projects and the use of these databases in your
own research. Also covered are the dos and don’ts of
trying to read a weathered gravestone and how photo
editing software can
make the job easier.
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF ANCESTRY
CHRISTA COWEN/ ROOTSTECH RECORDING
Are you getting the most out of your access to
Ancestry.com? During this hour we will cover the
five major areas of the Ancestry.com website and
show you our favorite tools for advancing your family
history research. Ancestry.com is the largest subscription
based Genealogy website in the world
and it is available for free in all Family History Centers
and many local libraries.

6. 11AM
1PM
(CONTINUED)
RESOURCES FOR RESEARCHING PRE-CIVIL
WAR AFRICAN-AMERICANS FOUND AT THE
LIBRARY OF VIRGINIA
GENETIC GENEALOGY
USING DNA AS A TOOL IN GENEALOGY
BEYOND BEGINNINGS - WHAT TO KNOW
AFTER YOU’ VE GOT DOWN THE BASICS
CIVIL WAR 150 LEGACY PROJECT
SHANNON COMBS-BENNETT
KATIE DERBY
RENEE SAVITS
GREG CRAWFORD
Genealogists for hundreds of years have relied on
records and pedigrees to trace family lines. More than one
has run into a brick wall, discovered an error from a prior
researcher, or simply had a gut feeling that something
wasn’t adding up. Until recently there was no way to
help confirm your paper trails or even those hunches
you might have had. Now, with affordable DNA testing,
many genealogists are discovering this new tool in their
kit. Unfortunately, most are not sure what they should do
with it. In this lecture you will learn the basics of genetics,
how DNA can help you, and the tests available to you.
Getting started with your Family History can be a little
daunting; but once you get going, the fun really begins.
You know the kinds of records out there; but do you know
where to find them? What do you do if it is not online, or
indexed, or not in English? You know about land records;
but what about sexton, colonial, bounty land, guardianship
records, or state and territory censuses? Katie will help
you keep the momentum in your research by going a little
beyond the basics.
This course will provide an overview of the Civil War
150 Legacy Project, a partnership project
between the Library of Virginia and the Virginia
Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War
Commission. Archivists from the Library of Virginia
have been travelling the state for the past four years;
uncovering and scanning personal family papers that
document the period of the Civil War and Reconstruction
in Virginia. Thousands of previously unknown papers
have been scanned and are now available on the website
of the Library of Virginia (www.virginiamemory.com/
cw150). The course will highlight the variety of military,
genealogical, and family information that has been
found and will demonstrate how to use the website.
A child born into slavery in 1670 … a mother suing
to win freedom for herself and her descendants … a
slave’s tour of duty during the American Revolution …
a free African American convicted of aiding runaway
slaves sentenced to 39 lashes only weeks prior to
the end of the Civil War. These are just a few stories
that can be found in the vast and diverse collection
of records found at the Library of Virginia. They
include chancery causes, freedom suits, deeds, wills,
coroners’ inquisitions, freedom certificates, governors’
records, legislative petitions, tax lists, newspapers,
correspondence, business records, broadsides, and
many, many others. Collectively, they tell the story
of African Americans, slave and free, who lived in
Virginia from the establishment of slavery in the 1600’s
until its demise in 1865. The presentation will include
online resources offered by the Library of Virginia that
provide researchers access to the names and stories of
AfricanAmericans found in the collections.
USING NEWSPAPERS AS SOURCES FOR
GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH
JEAN COOPER
Historical newspapers provide contemporary sources
for births, marriages, and deaths; personal events such
as education, epidemics, family visits, and military
deployments; official proceedings such as trials and
property transfers; and announcements of slave auctions
and escapes; and information on professions such as
farming and other local businesses.
8
STORYTELLING SUPER POWERS
HOW TO COME OFF AS YOUR FAMILY’S
GENEALOGY HERO
DAVID ADELMAN/ ROOTSTECH RECORDING
Have you considered your role as keeper of your
family’s history? Tap into superpowers you might not
even know you have and learn how others are saving
their own family history. It’s easier than you might think!
9
DOCUMENT DIGITIZATION AND ACCESS

7. 2PM
CUSTOM CLASSES
DEMONSTRATIONS
5 RECURSOS ESENCIALES PARA LA
GENEALOGÍA HISPANA
FAMILYSEARCH.ORG (ROOM F)
THE PRICE IS RIGHT
FREE ONLINE RESOURCES
DESIGNING YOUR GENEALOGY
RESEARCH PLAN
KATIE DERBY
SHELLEY MURPHY
What could be better than finding your ancestors while
wearing your pajamas and sitting on your couch? Doing
it for free, of course. Come explore a few of the many
wonderful, and wonderfully free, online Genealogy
resources. From vital records, to newspapers, to books,
to land records, there is a wealth of information online
just waiting for you to find.
Before setting out on a road trip, you have to have to plot
your course. The same goes for Genealogical research.
This class guides attendees on how to analyze records and
resources, understanding Murphy’s “So, What?” principle,
setting up a timeline, and developing a research plan.
SONIA MEZA/ROOTSTECH RECORDING
FAMILYSEARCH/FAMILY TREE
DAVID ADELMAN/ ROOTSTECH RECORDING
WHAT’S NEW AND WHAT’S NEXT
THE INS AND OUTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA
FOR GENEALOGISTS
RON TANNER/ROOTSTECH RECORDING
A discussion of the features that have been added to
Family Tree since the last RootsTech and how to use
them. Plus a roadmap of the upcoming features.
SHANNON COMBS-BENNETT
Social Media is a powerful tool for Genealogy research.
Come learn the tips, ticks, and tools that you will need
to successfully navigate the social media network. This
presentation will cover some of the more popular
platforms and give you guidance how you could use
them for genealogy. Whether you are new to social
media, or can’t put it down, this class has something for
everyone.
DISCOVERING CHANCERY RECORDS
A WEALTH OF GENEALOGICAL INFORMATION
JULIE CABITTO
Chancery records contain the proceedings and findings
of Chancery Courts which handle things such as divisions
of estates, land disputes, divorce petitions, and business
partnership issues. These records can include vital records,
wills, depositions, plats & other amazing information! This
class will cover how to find chanceries, how chanceries
can help you, and how to use chancery information with
USGS or Google maps to find cemeteries.
10
SEARCH RECORDS OF YOUR ANCESTORS
(ROOM G AT 10AM)
EL PODER DE LA NARRACIÓN DE CUENTOS
CÓMO SER EL HÉROE GENEALÓGICO DE SU FAMILIA
(ROOM G AT 11AM)
Search for your ancestors in millions of historical
records. You can also search in the catalog, books,
genealogies, and the Wiki.
FAMILYSEARCH FAMILY TREE (ROOM F)
CONNECT YOUR GENERATIONS
THE POWER OF YOUTH: MAKING A
DIFFERENCE
Discover your place in history. See what is already
known about your ancestors, add new details, and share
your family’s story. Upload photos & documents and tag
them to your ancestors to preserve their legacy.
JOHN BYTHEWAY/ROOTSTECH RECORDING
FAMILY ATLAS (ROOM F)
(ROOM G AT 1PM)
John Bytheway talks about his name, Bytheway,
about how we reflect Light and he tells about his father’s
experiences during World War II, serving on the air craft
carrier, Saratoga, near Iwo Jima a few days before the
flag was raised there. He also relates how his father
chose good friends who were an example to him, taking
him to Christ - the power of youth.
MAP YOUR FAMILY HISTORY
Trace your ancestors migration around the world and
pinpoint the sites of important family events. Import
your family data directly from your RootsMagic or other
genealogy software, then create and print personalized
family maps.
FAMILYSEARCH INDEXING (ROOM H) INDE
EL ÁRBOL FAMILIAR DE FAMILYSEARCH
HELP MAKE RECORDS SEARCHABLE ONLINE
QUÉ HAY DE NUEVO Y QUÉ SIGUE
Make a difference by joining the growing number of
people who are helping to make historical records freely
searchable online.
(ROOM G AT 2PM)
RON TANNER/ROOTSTECH RECORDING
11

8. ANN AMADORI
BIOGRAPHIES
Ann found her interest in Genealogy in the mid 70’s after attending a Sunday School lesson
on the topic. 40 years later she still enjoys working on her own lines and helping others
with their research. Mostly self-taught, she has shared her experience by teaching classes
in Beginning Research, Ancestral Quest, Family Search and Family Tree. She served for 15
years as a Family History Consultant and has been the Director of the Fredericksburg Family
History Center for 4 years. She has also served as the director of this conference. She and
her husband, Robert, have 2 grown daughters and 9 beautiful grandchildren.
BIOGRAPHIES
DIANE BRIGGS
Diane discovered indexing around 1993 when it consisted of a disk with a program, hard to
read pages of microfilm printouts and contracts to finish a certain amount of typing within
a certain time frame. After she moved in 1995, there wasn’t indexing available in her new
ward. She re-discovered indexing on-line in 2013 and loved it so much, she set a goal to
index 12,000 names that year. She made her goal in early January of 2014, just a little late. If
you knew her, you wouldn’t be surprised that she met her goal...or that she was a little late!
Diane warily began arbitrating in August of 2013 and loves that as well, although she doesn’t
find it as relaxing as indexing. She’s very excited to be able to pass on her knowledge, skills
and passion for indexing to others!
12
13

9. JULIE CABITTO
JEAN COOPER
As a child, Julie’s grandmother took her along on a research trip to the National Archives
and Julie’s been doing Family History ever since. Now, more than 20 year later, she has a
lot of research experience to draw from. She currently serves as a Family History Consultant
in White Oak Ward and teaches Family History Sunday School classes to the youth of that
ward. She’s taught classes on using Family Search in the past and is looking forward to
sharing some of her 13 years of experience using Chancery Records to further research. She
lives in Stafford with her husband and 3 children.
Ms. Cooper works as a Cataloger and Reference Librarian, and Genealogical Resources
Specialist at the University of Virginia Library. She is the author of A Guide to Historic
Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia (History Press, 2007), Index to Records
of Ante-Bellum Southern Plantations. 2nd ed. (McFarland Publishing, 2009), and most
recently, Index of Students of the University of Virginia, 1825-1874 (Shortwood Press, 2011).
Cooper maintains a blog offering short biographies of individual students indexed in this
work – http://uvastudents.wordpress.com. She also received the Virginia Genealogical
Society’s Virginia Records Award in 2009 for her work in indexing the Records of AnteBellum Southern Plantations microfilm collection. Ms. Cooper has a B.A. from Alma College,
Alma, MI, and an M.L. from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.
SHANNON COMBS-BENNETT
GREG CRAWFORD
Shannon earned her BS in Biology from Indiana University with the aspiration of becoming a
genetic counselor. Instead she became a stay at home mom and over a decade later Shannon
began actively pursuing her family history. Shannon writes a personal blog called Trials and
Tribulations of a Self-Taught Family Historian (http://tntfamilyhistory.blogspot.com/) where
she talks about her discoveries in pursing her family history and anything else that pops up.
In January 2013 Shannon began writing for the In-Depth Genealogist as their Tech Blogger
and also writes the Lineage Society column for their digital magazine Going In-Depth.
Currently she also serves as the Youth Education Chair for the NextGen Genealogy Nextwork.
You can follow Shannon on Twitter @tntfamhist and on Facebook (https://www.facebook.
com/TntFamilyHistory).
Greg is a native of Alabama. He is a graduate of Auburn University where he received a B.A.
and M.A. in History. Greg was hired as a Local Records Archivist at the Library of Virginia
in 1999 to process local court records, mainly chancery causes. He is currently the Local
Records Services Program Manager.
14
15

10. KATIE DERBY
DR . SHELLEY MURPHY
Katie has a B.A degree in Family History/ Genealogy from Brigham Young University
specializing in US South research. She interned in the Local History/ Genealogy Reading
Room at The Library of Congress. A teacher and lecturer, Katie has taught at several regional
and national genealogy conferences and societies. She is the former Curriculum Director of
the annual Charlottesville Family History Conference, and has served in the same capacity
for this conference. She has been a Family History Consultant and trainer and she currently
serves as the Director of the Culpeper Family History Center. A member of the Association of
Professional Genealogists, Katie’s full professional profile can be found online at apgen.org.
She lives in Culpeper, VA with her husband and 5 young children.
Shelley, aka “familytreegirl”, a native of Michigan residing in Central Virginia, has been an
avid genealogist for over 25+ years researching the Davis, Marsh, Goens/Goins/Goings, Roper,
Boyer, Worden, Cureton, and Murphy family lines. She is a Coordinator for MAAGI, presents
Genealogy 101 workshops at the local community college, state and national genealogy
conferences. She holds a Doctorate of Management in Organizational Leadership and
works as an adjunct professor for Averett University. Shelley is known for her inspiring and
interactive “Getting Started” Methods and Strategies for genealogy research, “Time and File
management” along with interesting problem-solving methodology lectures. Shelley currently
has 20+ publications with Charlottesville Genealogy Examiner and the Central Virginia
Heritage, a publication of the Central Virginia Genealogical Association.
BETH GAINER
RENEE M. SAVITS
Beth has been discovering her own Family History from the age of six, when her grandfather
began to bring her to cemeteries and tell her stories about her ancestors who were
buried there. By age 12, she was entering stacks of family group sheets into one of the
earliest versions of Genealogy software, and by her late teens, she was a self proclaimed
Family History addict. While she is mostly self-taught, she has also taken formal classes
in Genealogy through Brigham Young University and has attended many Genealogical
conferences through the years. She just returned from the trip of a lifetime to Poland,
where she and her father spent their days in churches and archives, tracking down her
ancestors. She currently serves as a Family History Consultant at the Culpeper Family History
Center, and resides in Rappahannock County with her husband and two daughters.
Renee received her Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of North Carolina,
Greensboro, and her Masters in Arts in History from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. She has worked at the Library of Virginia for the past 15 years, currently
managing the Civil War 150 Legacy Project. She is working towards obtaining her Digital
Archives Specialist certification from the Society of American Archivists.
16
17

11. BUILDING LAYOUT MAP
G
NORTH PARKING
North
F
MAP
E
D
B
BRAGG ROAD
MAP
H
A
South
C
RESTROOMS
SOUTH PARKING
19
= DOORS

13. FAMILIES ARE FOREVER
“AND HE SHALL TURN THE HEART OF THE
FATHERS TO THE CHILDREN, AND THE HEART OF
THE CHILDREN TO THEIR FATHERS”
Malachi 4:6