The festivities and activities continue at the National Genealogical Society conference in the States in Richmond, Virginia. The BCG Skillbuilding sessions that were audio-taped on Thursday, May 8, were: "When the Trail Turns Cold: New Strategies for Old Problems" presented by Diane Florence Gravel, CG; "BCG Certification Seminar: Measuring Yourself Against Standards" (2 sequential sessions) presented by Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL, Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL, and Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, CGL; "Using Evidence Creatively: Spotting Clues in Run-of-the-Mill Records" by Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL; "Finding Thomas's Father" by Pam Stone Eagleson, CG.
The BCG Skillbuilding track has five session on Friday, May 9: "Indexes and Databases" presented by Dawne Slater-Putt, MLS, CG; "Disputes and Unhappy Differences: Surprises in Land Records" by Sharon Tate Moody, CG; "'Of Sound Mind and Healthy Body': Using Probate Records in Your Research" by Michael Hait, CG; "The Seanachie: Linking Life and the Law Through Storytelling" by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL; "Black Sheep Ancestors and Their Records" by C. Ann Staley, CG, CGL.
Tom Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, will conduct a book signing at the NGS booth Friday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tom is the author of Mastering Genealogical Proof published 2013 by NGS.
A very special celebration of fifty years of credentialing will be celebrated Friday evening at the NGS banquet. Both BCG's CG and ICAPGen's AG credentials are 50 years old, having been instituted in 1964. The speaker, very appropriately credentialed by both organizations, is David Rencher, AG, CG on "Celebrating Genealogy Credentials–The Accreditation and Certification Programs Turn 50!" This is the culmination of a year-long semi-centennial celebration which also included a banquet presentation in October in Salt Lake City presented by Judy Russell, JD, CG, CGL and available on the BCG website at http://www.bcgcertification.org/aboutbcg/audio/RussellJ.html.
Saturday's Skillbuilding lectures finish the week with: "Using and Evaluating Family Lore: She Married Distant Cousin in Virginia" presented by Jay Fonkert, CG; "Rich, Poor, and All the Rest: Why Class Matters to Genealogists" by Stefani Evans, CG; "Organizing Your Research without Losing Your Mind" by Julie Miller, CG; "Working with Documents: The Importance of Context in Record Analysis" by Barbara Vines Little, CG; "Murder and Mayhem on the River: The Life of the Harpes" by Gail Jackson Miller, CG.
Many of these lectures were audio-taped and will be placed for sale on www.JAMB-INC.com where other conference lectures may be purchased.
