First session was Lies & Sins of Omission with Liz Kerstens. What a great start to the day. Liz has a great sense of humor which came through making her presentation fun and full of information. A winning combination.
After that I hurried to my next session: Indexes! Indexes! Indexes: How to Find People Who Don't Seem to Be There by Elizabeth Shown Mills. I was lucky that my previous session was close by and I got in line for Elizabeth's session early. It closed quickly leaving others outside the door when it was shut. This was my first time hearing Elizabeth speak and she didn't disappoint! Her presentation was precise and wonderfully entertaining. Her syllabus was accurate and a great take away. She was definitely a national caliber speaker and it showed. (I'll share my thoughts on this topic later).
The last session I attended before lunch was Obtaining 20th Century Military Records From the St. Louis Personnel Records Center by Patricia Walls Stamm. Patricia shared great information about how to order military records, information about the fire and how the Center is still coping with the fall out from that and what to expect time wise when you order records. I now feel fully capable of ordering records from the Center and intend to do so soon.
I went downstairs to the Exhibitor Hall to find a place to sit and eat lunch and wander around the booths. My first stop was the Ancestry.com booth where I spotted one of my favorites: The Barefoot Genealogist! Crista Cowan was giving a short presentation and I quickly took a seat. I spend many a lunch hour watching the Livestream events presented by Crista, Anne Mitchell or Juliana Szucs Smith and was excited to meet her. She was kind enough to pose for a picture with me afterwards........
My next stop was Lisa Louise Cooke's booth where she was running a show special on her Genealogy Tool Kit book and a discount on premier membership for the podcast. Again I asked for a picture and she, also, was kind enough to agree......
My session after lunch was recommended by my genealogy friends. They told me if I got a chance to listen to Thomas Jones that I should take the opportunity. I attended his session on Inferential Genealogy. Again, a national caliber speaker and one I would jump at the chance to hear speak again.
I ended the day with Searching Successfully to Reveal Your Ancestor's Story on Ancestry.com with Anne Mitchell, another of my favorite Livestream presentors. I learned yet another hint on using Ancestry. EVERY time I attend a Livestream Event I learn some little tidbit! While I wanted to ask for a photo with her, I needed to get back to the hotel to drop off my things and head over to the Underground Railroad Freedom Center. They were offering free admission for conference attendees and I was taking advantage of that!
Lin and Margel joined me and we walked the 3 short blocks to the center. Downtown Cincinnati is very easy to walk around and the evening weather was perfect! We enjoyed a couple of hours wandering around the Center. It was a somber experience in many ways but very well done. If you get a chance to visit the center please do so.
Afterwards we decided to take the shuttle back to the hotel. For $1.00 you can take the shuttle around the city. It makes the rounds every 15 minutes and is a great way to get around downtown Cincinnati.
Boy, was I tired this night! It was back to the hotel and early to bed for me. The next day would be an early one again!
What I learned today:
Print out those syllabi and take them to the session with you! I left mine on the jump drive and therefore took notes that I'm sure weren't necessary during class! The line to print out the notes was always long but I should have taken the time.
How I saved my pennies:
Take advantage of the opportunities offered in the city you are staying in. The Freedom Center offered free admission that evening to anyone attending the conference. And for $1.00 you could catch the shuttle. Very entertaining and inexpensive evening out!
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