The Northern Utah Genealogy Conference & Symposium looks like it will be a significant event. More than seventy classes and seminars are being squeezed into two fun-filled days. Several of the leading genealogy vendors will also be exhibiting their latest products and services.
The conference and symposium will be held on October 6 and 7, 2006, at the Eccles Conference Center in Ogden, Utah, about 40 miles north of Salt Lake City. It is sponsored by the Ogden Regional Family History Center and My Ancestors Found.
NOTE: My Ancestors Found co-produces several genealogy seminars every year, including similar events in St. George, Utah, and in Cheyenne, Wyoming. You can read my report of the last event in St. George at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2006/02/genealogy_and_f.html
Classes at the Ogden event will feature many of the leading genealogy lecturers of today. Some of the names that I recognized include Arlene H Eakle, Beau Sharbrough, Bruce Buzbee, Dennis Meldrum, Geoff Rasmussen, Jon and Loretta Shupe, Ray Madsen, Solveig Quass, and others.
One two-part presentation that should be very interesting is "Chinese Genealogical Records" by Sheau-yueh J. Chao. Genealogy interest in China traditionally has been much more popular than in most western countries, yet we hear little about it. I suspect this presentation will reveal much about Chinese research methodologies.
A full list of the presentations may be found at http://www.myancestorsfound.com/NorthUtah/classes.htm.
Elder Marlin K. Jensen from the LDS Church will be the keynote speaker. He is a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, the LDS Church historian/recorder, and the executive director of the Church and Family History Department.
The dinner speaker will be Pat Richley, better known as DearMYRTLE, "your friend in genealogy." Pat uses the nom de plume of DearMYRTLE for her writing. She is the author of DearMYRTLE's Joy of Genealogy and The Everything Online Genealogy Book.
One item that I have come to appreciate is that this conference provides the syllabus on a single CD-ROM disk, not on paper. In this day and age, that strikes me as the only method of publishing a syllabus. Most of the time, I leave printed syllabi behind in the hotel room trash can when packing for the trip home. Printed syllabi are bulky and difficult to pack. I also certainly do not have shelf space at home to store all the printed syllabi from conferences I have attended over the years. I used to carry them home, only to leave them stored in the basement, where they were never opened again. I eventually tossed all the paper out as the syllabi were not being used. The CD-ROM versions are a great solution: easy to pack and easy to store at home. They are also easy to refer to time and again.
The CD-ROM syllabi are available to all conference attendees at no additional cost. For those who insist on printed copies, the conference will supply printed versions for an additional fee of $18.00. I suspect this is the price that Kinko's or some similar print-on-demand service charges for a single printing.
I wish that all genealogy conferences would emulate the example set by the conferences organized by My Ancestors Found. The conference organizers could also lower the admission fees because of the significant cost savings.
Advance registration for the Northern Utah Genealogy Conference & Symposium is only $45 for both days. Please note that the preregistration ends on September 28, so you should hurry. Otherwise, "at the door" registration will cost $50 for both days or $25 for one day.
All in all, this looks like it will be a great event. If you can be in Ogden on October 6 or 7, you will want to find the Eccles Conference Center.
More information about the Northern Utah Genealogy Conference & Symposium can be found at: http://www.myancestorsfound.com/NorthUtah/northutah.htm
