[SCGS] Winners of the SCGS 2013 GENEii Family History Writers Contest

FOR RELEASE 6 June 2014
GENEii WINNERS
by Pam Wiedenbeck

Congratulations to the winners of the 2013 GENEii Family History Writers Contest! Many thanks to the 59 authors who collectively contributed 79 entries, making this the largest GENEii contest ever.  All of the winning submissions will be published in The Searcher during 2014 and 2015 at the editor’s discretion; the preliminary dates of publication are indicated below. The submissions will also appear on the SCGS website after they appear in The Searcher.

Category 1: submissions from 1,000 to 2,000 words

• First Place: "Mom's Life" -- John R. Catsis, Silver City, New Mexico
• Second Place: "First the Chicken" -- Joyce Finn, Bluffton, South Carolina
• Third Place: "Locked Out" -- DeVonna R. Allison, Burr Oak, Michigan
• Runner Up: "Varrone" -- Nick Sweet, Shepherd, Texas
• Honorable Mention: "Uncle John Burleson" -- Jim McLaughlin, Kerrville, Texas
• Honorable Mention: "Paw Prints on Combat Soldiers' Hearts" -- Robert R. Robeson, Lincoln, Nebraska

Category 2: submissions under 1,000 words

• First Place:  "Ground Zero" -- Jerry Eckert, Vail, Arizona
• Second Place:  "November 22" -- Evan Guilford-Blake, Stone Mountain, Georgia
• Third Place: "Christmas Kerfluffle" -- Marla F. Jones, Yukon, Oklahoma
• Runner Up:  "My Grandfather's Grave" -- Thomas L. Stepp, Columbia, South Carolina
• Honorable Mention: "A Visit to New Orleans" -- Joyce Roberson, West Hills, California
• Honorable Mention: "A Mountain Rose" -- Felicia Johnson, Ocklawaha, Florida

Deadline Alert - 2014 Southern California Genealogy Jamboree

We are just one week away from the cutoff for advance registration for the Family Tree and DNA conference and the 45th Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree.

What's that mean to you?

Well if you have already registered, it means that you're relaxed, looking forward to seeing your friends and learning all about the best techniques and secrets about searching for ancestors. We hope you've taken the time to review the schedule and planned out the first-choice and second-choice sessions, just in case.

You've checked out the various meals and bought your tickets. You've RSVPd for the Saturday evening New Year's Eve Party; remember that SCGS members and Jamboree volunteers are invited as guests. You just need to register in advance.

But...

If you've waited until the deadline, beware.  It's almost here. The last day for advance registration is Saturday, May 24.

And if you wait until May 25th: 

• You will miss the meals and banquets, including the amazing John Philip Colletta's presentation on Friday night. I've heard from friends who saw the presentation last year at FGS that it was "a scream" and "hilarious." 

• The Family History and DNA luncheon features a panel discussion with representatives from the large testing companies (Bennett Greenspan from Family Tree DNA, Joanna Mountain PhD from 23andme, and Jake Byrnes PhD from AncestryDNA), as well as Genetic Genealogy Consultant Diahan Southard and moderator Blaine Bettinger PhD, JD.

• You'll lose the chance to order the 2014 printed syllabus. You might be able to purchase one at Jamboree, but if it's really important that you have one, you should order in advance. We plan to order just a limited quantity available for sale at the conference.

• You'll have to stand in line to pay when you register. It won't be a smooth process of just going to the table and picking up your registration materials.

• And... you'll pay more.

You don't want to miss out and you don't want to pay more.

So register. Today.

Current and new SCGS members

Nonmembers

[CA-SCGS] SCGS to Participate in LA Heritage Day Sunday, 27 April

On Sunday, April 27, 2014, from 11am to 4pm, the L.A. Heritage Alliance will host the sixth Annual L.A. Heritage Day to share Los Angeles and Southern California’s history through tours, free museums, children’s activities, presentations, food, and more. The entire event and all activities are free and will take place at the birthplace of Los Angeles, adjacent to world-famous Olvera Street inside the Pico House making for a full day of history, food, and fun.

Charlotte Bocage, SCGS Education Committee Chair, will be joined by SCGS president Dave Burde and vice president Jay Holladay to staff the SCGS booth. They will be doing free look-ups in the 1940 Census and encouraging everyone to attend beginning genealogy class during JamboFREE on Friday, June 6, 2014 in Burbank.

All the details can be found on the LA Heritage Heritage Blog.

Please stop by the SCGS exhibit and say hi to Charlotte, Dave and Jay.

SCGS on the Road in Orange, California

SCGS often exhibits at area genealogical events and national conferences. Here is our team Margaret Rutledge (far right), working the table, and Leo Myers (behind the camera) at the Orange County Family History Fair in Orange, California. Margaret is a member of the Jamboree Committee and for the past several years had helped to deliver our brochures and flyers to all of the Family History Centers and libraries in Orange County. She's a great asset to our Committee. Thanks Margaret!

We love these opportunities to get out and meet our members, tell everyone about SCGS and Jamboree, and bring home some conference registrations and new member applications.


SCGS members will be at LA Heritage Day on April 27 in La Plaza de la Reina on Olvera Street in Los Angeles. Look for Charlotte Bocage, SCGS president Dave Burde and vice president Jay Holladay as they do free look-ups in the 1940 census.


We won't be at NGS this year; but if you're going, be sure to check your registration bag for information on our Jamboree Extension Series of webinars and our Virtual Surname Wall. 


Family History and DNA: Genetic Genealogy in 2014
June 5, 2014
Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Hotel
Burbank, California

Southern California Genealogy Jamboree
June 6-8, 2014
Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Hotel
Burbank, California

[CA-SCGS] Bargain Alert: Save $100 on Ancestry with AARP

Lots of people are talking about the AARP offer that saves 30 percent ($100) off the cost of a one-year Ancestry World Explore Membership.

Here's a link to the offer.

The small print on the offer reads:

Offer good for valid AARP Members who wish to subscribe to the Ancestry.com® World Explorer membership for a one-year subscription. New Ancestry.com® members can visit http://www.ancestry.com/aarp and choose between the Ancestry.com® World Explorer subscription in either monthly or semi-annual durations. Your subscription will automatically renew after the initial duration (monthly or semi-annually) at the discounted rate for the entire first year. Thereafter, your subscription will automatically renew at standard list prices.  

Existing Ancestry.com® members must call Member Services at 1-800-514-4645 to access the discount. For existing Ancestry.com® members, the available discounted package may vary depending on one’s existing membership.  Limit one discount per valid AARP Member number, may not be transferred or postponed.

AARP members with a current Ancestry subscription should call the number above to take advantage of the discount. According to conversations on Facebook, some people are being told to call back 1-3 months before their subscription expires and the discount will be applied then.

The offer is good through March 2015.

Sometimes it's good to be old(er)!

Ancestry.com is a sponsor of the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree, which will be held June 6-8, 2014, at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel.

RootsTech Announces Fifteen FREE Streamed Sessions Feb 6-8

The RootsTech conference will be held next week in Salt Lake City. SCGS and Jamboree will have a booth (#727) in the exhibit hall.

This conference is going to be huge. They are expecting 10,000 attendees in the Convention Center, with another 20,000 online. If you are among the 10,000, please be sure to stop by and say hi to us.

If you are not able to attend in person, you can participate from your Barcalounger. RootsTech will be live-streaming 15 sessions that will be viewed on the FamilySearch.org website. By the way, eight of the RootsTech speakers will also be with us at Jamboree 2014. [Tammy Hepps, Michael Leclerc, Lisa Alzo, Crista Cowan, Daniel Horowitz, Lisa Louise Cooke, Josh Taylor and Randy Whited.]  What a great way to get to know these people in advance of Jamboree.

The streamed sessions are a wonderful way to attend RootsTech without walking in the snow. It's like getting the entire conference for *free* -- and *free* is always good.

If the streamed sessions are handled like they have been in the past, no advance registration will be needed. Just log on to FamilySearch and enjoy yourself. If that's not the case, we will post an update.

The list of streamed sessions is available on the FamilySearch website. Get more detail on the sessions here, and download the RootsTech app to remind you when it's time to log on.  

This is being posted on both the Jamboree and SCGS blogs. Apologies if you receive duplicate emails. 

The RootsTech streamed videos are in no way related to the SCGS webinar series.

Announcing the 2014 Southern California Genealogy Jamboree and Family History and DNA Conference

The Southern California Genealogical Society proudly announces the 45th Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree.The popular conference will be held at our usual venue, the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel, 2500 Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA, from Friday through Sunday, June 6 to 8, 2014. Online registration is open on the Jamboree website, and the Marriott's website is ready to take your reservation.

Following on the heels of last year's very successful event, we will again hold Family History and DNA: Genetic Genealogy in 2014. The conference will be produced by the Southern California Genealogical Society and sponsored jointly by SCGS and the International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG). Family History and DNA will be held Thursday, June 5, at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank.

Registration discounts are available to early bird registrants (on or before April 30), SCGS members, and attendees who register for both Jamboree and the Family History and DNA conference. All of the details can be found on the Jamboree website, www.genealogyjamboree.com. To get all the conference updates, sign up at http://genealogyjamboree.blogspot.com and have emails sent directly to your inbox.