10. I was impressed by: both the Texas Genealogical Society state conference and the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society’s annual conference. Both used a virtual event platform I’d never heard of – Whova. It made communicating with other attendees both easy and fun. There were numerous chat threads and participants could start as many new threads as they liked. I learned a lot at both virtual conferences because of this format.
11. A great journal or newspaper article I found was: The English Origins of Walter Tybbot, of Gloucester, Massachusetts, and His Wives and Daughters by Chase W. Ashley in the current issue of The Register (NEHGS). I love when scholarly articles about my ancestors pop up in journals! I feel very fortunate when they do.
15. A blog post that taught me something new was: No single post pops into my head, but there are a number of bloggers whose posts I learn from: Genea-Musings, Climbing My Family Tree, The Legal Genealogist, Genealogy Jude, DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy, A Family Tapestry, Writing My Past, Fortify Your Family Tree, Genealogy Pants and more. I know I am leaving out some favorites!
16. A DNA discovery I made was: None, as I’ve yet to find anyone closer than 3rd cousin who I can’t identify.
17. A newly found family member shared: No new family contacts this year.
18. I finally found ……… six feet under: Over the years, I’ve tried to find elementary school classmates who grew up with me in Passaic. I found one this year, as their family attended St. Michael’s Church. There were six siblings and the eldest was my age. We were in the same class up to 6th grade. I was quite surprised to learn that this child was a stepchild and the siblings were actually half siblings AND that this classmate, aged 15, changed their surname to that of the birth father. This family always seemed so close, so the surname change, especially in the middle of high school, would seem to indicate some family stress. Even more sad was learning this classmate passed away in 2007 – way too young.
19. I splashed out and purchased: a last minute registration (at full, expensive price!) to the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society’s virtual conference. I learned a lot and, now that I am aware of this conference, I’ll register for the Early Bird price in the future!
Linda, thankyou for your continuing commitment to this challenge. It’s fascinating to hear about your European interests.
Life on your continent in 2021 sounds so similar to ours. It was a virtual year.