I've attended similar courses before; this was by far the most useful, memorable, and thought - provoking.
Building a tree back to my great grandparents.
Like so many other family history enthusiasts, my genealogical journey began with a grade school assignment: create a family tree starting with me and see how far back I can go. My mother was absolutely thrilled when she learned of this assignment and immediately got on the phone to the many aunts, uncles, or cousins I knew nothing about.
With the tethered landline receiver tucked under her ear and extension cable wrapped around her body, she sketched out the family tree at the kitchen table as she caught up on family news. The tree was drawn on a large cardboard sheet - horizontal and vertical lines drawn and connected with precision by a ruler. I think my part was to write in the names as we gathered them and then color code the generational lines with markers. We were able to build the tree back to my great grandparents and I believe I received an A+ for all my mother’s hard work.
That assignment not only got me very interested in family history but also inspired my mother to continue her quest for documentation over many years of phone calls, hand-written letters and visits to various relatives. The result of her work was a meticulously organized analog family history archive in a 4-drawer metal filing cabinet. I would join in with her again after college and then take up the charge in earnest as her own memory began to fade. She just missed the dawning of the digital genealogy age. She would have loved it!
My mother was absolutely thrilled when she learned of my school assignment - I believe I received an A+ for all mom’s hard work.
Over twenty years supporting technology among historians
Technology was an accidental career path but supporting the technology used by historians to search, document, map, and visualize made me realize how valuable these tools could be to my own genealogical pursuits. AncestorTech combines my twenty-plus years of IT support in higher education and my passion for genealogy.
From organizing your digital assets or digitizing your analog assets to refining your online searches and building/sharing your digital tree, AncestorTech can help you get the most out of technological tools to help you tell your family’s story. AncestorTech topic areas can be designed for individual tutorials or group sessions. Contact me today for pricing and scheduling availability!
Carla Zimowsk
AncestorTech, LLC
I've attended similar courses before; this was by far the most useful, memorable, and thought - provoking.
Great, really highlights how a small question can trigger a lifetime quest. Interesting also is how much fun it is to verify or correct the family oral history.
I recently reached out to AncestorTech for an individualized coaching session on organizing my online family tree. I had the wrong names in the wrong trees and needed to merge duplicate profiles. AncestorTech was not only able to help me complete the tasks, but did so within a reasonable amount of time and at a reasonable cost. And it saved me from countless hours trying to figure out how to correct it on my own. I will definitely call upon AncestorTech to assist in the future.
So very helpful! Well organized. Good pacing. Great student handout.
THANK YOU for a wonderful series of courses. This last one really inspired me and offered organization and clarity around how to proceed with writing a family story/history.
In our one-on-one session, Carla walked me through the steps for mapping where my ancestors lived. I've wanted to do this for a while, and she adopted a pace I could really follow!
Well done. Vibrant presentation.
As the field of genealogy expands, I am sure you will be busy adding to your already extensive collection of information to share.
Thank you. Your presentation skills are remarkable!