The Lancaster Family History Conference is cosponsored by:
The Lancaster County Historical Society and The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, Lancaster, Pa.
Lancaster County Historical Society
230 North President Ave, Lancaster, Pa 17603
Phone: (717) 392-4633 Fax: (717) 293-2739
http://www.lancasterhistory.org
and
Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society
2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, Pa 17602
Phone: (717) 393-9745 Fax: (717) 393-8751
http://www.lmhs.org
Enter the Eden Resort Inn from the Main Entrance and follow signs to direct you to the registration table in the foyer on the left. Joanne Hess Seigrist, an avid collector of heritage photography will demonstrate creative ways to promote heritage photographs through a display in the foyer area. This display sets the theme of heritage photography for this year's conference.
The Philadelphia Regional Branch of the National Archives has regional government records such as Philadelphia passenger lists, census records, including Pennsylvania mortality schedules. For a full list of holdings, visit
http://www.archives.gov/midatlantic
The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania collection includes the Milton Rubincam Cope genealogical manuscripts. They also have church records for the Pennsylvania area as well as select other states, They have many area cemetery records and church records. To learn more, visit
http://www.genpa.org
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania collection has many family histories, church records, Philadelphia newspapers and directories. The manuscript collection can be accessed through a card catalog. There is an additional fee for nonmembers. Please check the HSP website for current fees. To learn more, visit
http://www.hsp.org
Everyone on the trip should have a photo ID for entry into the buildings. Meals are at the discretion of the participant. Cost for the trip is $40 for members and $45 for non-members. The motor coach is limited to the first 44 registrants. Food is available for purchase, or one may bring along a packed lunch, Participants will leave the parking lot of the Eden Resort Inn, 222 Eden Road, Lancaster, Pa., at 7:30 AM, Friday, and return about 6:30 PM. Escorts from the Lancaster County Historical Society will furnish handouts and help orient persons. Photo identification is required. Space is limited, so please register early!
213th Benefit Auction of Rare, Out-of-Print, and Used Books
6:30 - 9:00 PM Auction
We are very pleased to have the opportunity to host a long-lasting auction tradition over the same weekend as the 2007 Lancaster Genealogy Conference. The 213th Benefit Auction of rare, out-of-print and used books consists of over 400 lots. The auction specializes in local and national genealogies, but also includes denominational histories, theological works and numerous materials of interest to our nationwide constituency.
This auction will include a nearly complete set of the Journal of the Lancaster County Historical Society (since 1960), a nearly complete set of Mennonite Family History, several volumes of Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage, Pennsylvania Marriages Prior to 1790 (Lynn & Engle), Blank Family History, Menges Family History (York County, Pa.), Everton's Collection of Genealogical Helper Magazine, Early Domestic Architecture of Lancaster, several volumes from the Pennsylvania German Society series, and town histories of Salunga, Lititz, Manheim, Lancaster and Gap, plus much, much more.
The auction is held at the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, Pa., phone 717-393-9745, beginning at 6:30 PM on Friday March 30, 2007. The auction closes approximately 9:30 PM. Individual catalogs are available from the Society for $8.00 ($4.00 for Society members). Catalogs will also be available online at www.lmhs.org. Please refer to the last page of the catalog for book auction procedures. In addition to the auction, the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society Library will be open for research until 9:00 PM the same evening.
Keynote Address: Tracing the Generations Through Family Photographs,
by Maureen A. Taylor
Nationally recognized as a specialist for genealogy, photo history, photography, preservation and scrapbooking, Maureen A. Taylor of Westwood, Massachusetts, provides the theme for this year's conference. Her published books include Uncovering Your Ancestry Through Family Photographs (2000), Scrapbooking Your Family History (2003), Preserving your Family Photographs (2001), and Through the Eyes of Your Ancestors (1999). She has a monthly column "Saving Your Family Treasures" that appears in the Ancestry Daily News on Ancestry.com. She is also the Photo Detective columnist for Family Tree Magazine. She has appeared on MSNBC and PBS Ancestors as a pioneer in the work to organize, date, and collect information from family photographs.
The keynote address outlines the detective work involved in uncovering "misplaced" pictures and gives specific stories of men and women who lived during the advent of photography in 1839__some even participated in the American Revolution! Maureen invites you to delve into the mysteries posed by family photographs, together examining clues such as type of photographic print, costume, family resemblance and photographer marks__tracing the generations of American families along the way.
Maureen Taylor maintains an interactive web site at http://www.ancestralconnections.com, where she shares several of her articles and many stories of discovery. Heritage photographs will spring forth alive as Maureen faces the challenge to discover the stories behind these images.
2. Sources for Genealogical Research at the Pennsylvania State Archives,
by Jonathan R. Stayer,
This slide-illustrated lecture describes many of the resources used by genealogists at the State Archives in Harrisburg, including county records, censuses, land records and maps, military records, immigration and naturalization documents, and other selected materials. Use of the Archives website and its latest online digital collections will also be discussed.
3. Beginning the Search,
by Jane L. S. Davidson
Veteran genealogy enthusiast Jane Davidson gives step-by-step advice on how to collect family history data, where to begin, what types of documents are important, and which questions to ask.
4. Pennsylvania Family History: The Search for Identity,
by James M. Beidler
Genealogy has changed radically in recent years. Today's unprecedented access to records ranging from family diaries to business account books to obscure court documents is giving those interested in family history a new opportunity to add substance to their knowledge of their ancestors and how they lived.Veteran genealogy enthusiast Jane Davidson gives step-by-step advice on how to collect family history data, where to begin, what types of documents are important, and which questions to ask.
5. Fairy Tales, False Traditions and Fraudulent Lineages,
by Annette K. Burgert
Ever begin your research only to find that the published source is wrong? Have you ever encountered a "primary source" that turned out to be false? Veteran author, historian and German Palatine expert Annette Burgert details several compiled lineages that have been proved to be fraudulent__even fabricated by hidden agendas. Many of these have been published and are believed by descendants today. Specific examples of Pennsylvania families are given to alert researchers to common and uncommon types of fabrication.
7. Pennsylvania German Gravestones
by Michael Emery,
This slide-illustrated lecture will primarily focus on eighteenth-century Pennsylvania German sand-stone gravestones in the rural churchyards of Berks, Lancaster, and Lebanon Counties. Discussion will include gravestone traits such as decorative styles, motifs, geographic distribution, materials, and language. Michael will also examine Pennsylvania German gravestones as markers of folk traditions as well as acculturation. This lecture will appeal to genealogists, folklorists, students of decorative arts, and those interested in the Pennsylvania Germans.
8. Organizing the Data,
by Jane L. S. Davidson,
In the second lecture of a series, Jane Davidson suggests methods to access one's genealogical collections using an organizational methodology with a "one minute" retrieval time to find specific items.
9. An Investigative Reporter Digs for Roots,
by J. Ross Baughman,
This Pulitzer-Prize winning investigative reporter brings a whole new set of tools to family history research. Learn what strategies J. Ross Baughman embraced to construct his five-volume, 2,000 page treatment of Swiss Mennonites who settled in southeastern Pennsylvania, the Shenandoah Valley and points west. Mr. Baughman brings a relentless, joyful energy to interviewing methods, broader venues in cultural and statistical analysis, and technologies such as ground-penetrating radar, carbon-14 testing, and wide population DNA testing following the National Geographic, Mennonite, and Sorenson methodologies. After 31 years in newspaper and magazine journalism, he is now editor at the Washington Times in the nation's capital.
10. Germany to Pennsylvania, an 18th Century Odyssey,
by James M. Beidler
There are many stereotypes about the immigrants who came from German speaking lands to Pennsylvania in the 1700s. This lecture uses the personal memoirs of the immigrants themselves to dispel the myths about why they came, what the voyage was like, and how they liked America.
12. Researching 18th Century Alsatian Emigrants,
by Annette K. Burgert
An overview of records and research techniques that are available to help researchers trace their eighteenth century Alsatian emigrant. This lecture is based on five years of research in the Alsatian records and the compilation of a volume containing over 600 emigrant families. Bibliography handout accompanies lecture.
13. Internet Map Resources for Genealogists,
by James M. Beidler,
Genealogists are drawn to maps and gazetteers like moths to the flame. Learn what Internet resources are available for family historians who enjoy enhancing their studies by using geography. The Internet has provided researchers with a tremendous opportunity to expand upon historic and contemporary geography.
14. Preserving Family Photographs: 1839 to the Present,
by Maureen A. Taylor
From daguerreotypes to digital imaging dilemmas__this lecture covers everything a family photographer needs to know about caring for photographs from printing and sharing digital images to how to safely label and store their grandparents pictures. Learn the best ways to preserve your historic treasures!
15. African American Genealogy
by Darlene Colon
How does one begin to track one's own ancestors through slavery? How does one begin to find documented evidence to defend or dismiss a respected oral history? Darlene Colon shares examples from her own story even as it unfolds through new discoveries. Darlene Colon is President of the Christiana Historical Society and has taught extensively on the Underground Railroad.
3:00 - 3:30 Break
While our vendor area is open throughout the entire conference, you are especially welcome to browse the vendor area during this break. The State Room houses more than twenty vendors dealing in all aspects of genealogy and historical research.
17. I'm Organized - Now What?,
by Jane L. S. Davidson
After you have successfully collected and organized your data, what are the next steps? Jane Davidson reviewed the options you have to compile and publish your data in a way that provides meaning to your family and the public at large.
18. Understanding Archival Records: Advanced Genealogy,
by Heather Tennies
Government records reveal only a part of your family history. Learn how to use archival records to enhance your research and you may quite possibly find the missing information you've been looking for all along. Heather Tennies, a professional archivist of the Lancaster County Historical Society, will help you discover clues to your family's past in letters, land drafts, and business records.
20. Individual Photo Consultations,
by Maureen A. Taylor
Maureen A. Taylor will conduct 15 minute individual photo identification consultations during session 4 of the conference. This is a prime opportunity for those who have multiple old family photos that are shrouded in mystery. Consultations will be filled in the order they are registered. You will be given your schedule along with your registration packet on Saturday morning. Consultations cost $15.00 for each 15 minutes, paid directly to Maureen Taylor at the scheduled time of consultation.
6:00 PM Banquet
Lunatics, Beggars, Way Saints, and Broken-Down Philosophers -
Odes to Nineteenth Century Town and Country Life found in the Diaries of Benjamin G. Herr (1808-1878),
by Henry G. Benner
Quite possibly one of the greatest historical, sociological, and religious collections of native 19th century Lancaster County life, the diaries of Benjamin Herr come alive as Henry Benner recounts the events of the past in vivid and specific detail. Everything from ghosts and age-old superstitions to the description of flora and fauna is found in these papers. Benjamin's father had numerous tenants, farmhands and housemaids working on his lands. Benjamin goes into great detail to describe these characters__for example, an Amish boy named Lapp, a family from Wales, a black Ethiopian, a Russian, an Irishman, a beggar, and a Native American medicine man who had visited the Herr farm to collect wild plants for his remedies.
Benjamin's mother was at times despondent and suicidal when he was a boy. Some relatives were confined to bed with cancer or painful afflictions. Nevertheless, his boyhood home afforded a 'hospitable roof' for all kinds of visitors and travelers__pilgrims from "the extremes of Germany of the most differing and incorrigible dialects," Poles, Scandivanians; students, soldiers, broken-down philosophers; the invalid and blind; beggars, way saints, fanatics, drunkards, lunatics, and cripples "from the ends of the earth." His description of how the children cared for a visiting "lunatic" while his parents were away indicates the treatment and understanding such persons received in that era. The lecture will take place in the State Room of the Eden Resort Inn at 6:00 PM.
LOCATION OF EVENTS
All Saturday conference sessions will convene at Eden Resort Inn, 222 Eden Road, Lancaster, PA 17601, phone 866-801-6430. The tour to Philadelphia will leave from the Eden Resort Inn at 7:30 AM. The Rare Book Auction will be held Friday evening at 6:30 PM at the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, Pa. The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society is located about five miles east of Lancaster on the south side of U.S. Route 30 at Millstream Road. Lancaster County Historical Society is located on the west side of President Avenue between Columbia Avenue and Marietta Avenue in the western part of Lancaster City.
TRANSPORTATION
Lancaster is served by Harrisburg International Airport, Middletown; Lancaster Airport, Lititz; Amtrak Rail Passenger Service, Lancaster; and the Red Rose Transit Authority (Bus).Amtrak Rail Passenger Service, Lancaster; and the Red Rose Transit Authority (Bus).
LODGING
Rooms are available at the Conference site for $109.95 per night. Please call The Eden Resort at 866-801-6430 to reserve.
DIRECTIONS
From Southern New York / Northern New Jersey
Take the New Jersey Turnpike South to Exit 6 (PA Turnpike West). Exit PA Turnpike at Exit 21. Route 222 South. Exit to the right onto Route 30 West. Once on Route 30 West, stay in the far right lane and take the first Exit, 272 North (Oregon Pike). Go to the traffic light and make a right onto Eden Road. The Eden Resort is on your right.
From Baltimore, MD
Interstate 83 North to York PA. Take Route 30 East to Lancaster. Take the Lititz/Oregon Pike Exit off of 30 East.Go to the second traffic light and make a left onto 272 North (Oregon Pike). Go to the first traffic light and make a right onto Eden Road. The Eden Resort is on your right.
From Philadelphia, PA
Take PA Turnpike West to Exit 21 onto Route 222 South. Follow Route 222 South to Route 30 West. Exit to the right onto Route 30 West. Once on Route 30 West stay in the far right lane and take first Exit 272 North (Oregon Pike). Go to the traffic light and make a right onto Eden road. The Eden Resort is on your right.
From Pittsburgh, PA
PA Turnpike East to Exit 19 (Harrisburg) onto Route 283 East. Follow to the junction with Route 30 East. Follow Route 30 East to the Lititz/Oregon Pike Exit. At the first red light go straight. At the second red light turn left onto 272 North (Oregon Pike). At the first traffic light make a right onto Eden Road. The Eden Resort will be on your right.
