How did you discover that registration was open?
I knew the conference was in August, and I went to check on the start date for registration (since I had no clue). Once on the site, I noticed the registration link was up, so I registered. Pure luck I was the first! The next day, I saw the Facebook post about registration being open.
Why did you decide to attend FGS 2013 in Fort Wayne?
I heard that FGS would be at Ft. Wayne in 2013, and since I live in Michigan, I knew it was a good choice. I work full-time and only get so much vacation time per year, so doing something I love in my limited free time, which is fairly close to home, is a bonus!
This will be my first conference! I started looking into attending conferences to further my education while taking the Boston University Online Genealogical Research course (great program and instructors!). FGS was mentioned during the course, and I chose to attend as my "virgin conference" due to its proximity to my home, and for personal research possibilities at the renowned Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library.
What are you most looking forward to at FGS 2013?
Being new to the conference game, I'm excited for all of it! I would most love to get acquainted with many of the people I've met online taking classes, webinars and through blogs and research. The tracks on Genetics and Midwest migrations look particularly interesting. I have ancestors who migrated from CT to MA to NY to northeastern IN, who were conductors on the underground railroad, so I'm curious to find out more information on the lives they may have led.
How long have you been researching your family? What are your research areas?
My family history research goes back 30 years. Fresh out of college, I went to work for GM (where else, I live in SE Michigan) at Chevy Info Systems. A work colleague who had been with GM for a very long time had traced his paternal line back to the Mayflower, and it sounded so interesting. I went to the Burton Historical Collection at the Detroit Public Library and was hooked forever! I loved the feel of history as you walked through the building and the old, musty smells in the stacks!
My areas of research are all over the map. I'm a true mutt as it were. I do tend to direct my research towards the occupational areas of my ancestors; particularly the mines of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Cornwall, England. My mother's family is Hungarian (farmers and miners), so I've worked in those areas some, however once you hit the point of immigration around the turn of the century, it's more difficult to get access to the records overseas. Thank goodness for the Family History Library and their wonderful digitization efforts! I am a volunteer that helped out with the indexing of the 1940s census, which was a great experience!
My father's lines were somewhat easier to research; mostly German (PA-German), English (particularly the area of Cornwall), French-Canadian and Dutch (where my current roadblock in NY is taunting me on a daily basis). I do have ancestors that were part of the great migration in the 1600's to New England, and from the Palatine area of Germany in the early 1700's.
What is your society involvement?
I have been a member of the French-Canadian Heritage Society of Michigan and the Michigan Historical Society for a few years now. I joined the New England Historic Genealogical Society, National Genealogy Society (NGS) and the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) last year, and I am a past member of the Western New York Genealogy Society and Saginaw (MI) Genealogy Society. Currently, I'm taking the NGS American Genealogy Home Study Course. I love education, and I'd like to join the ProGen Study Group and possibly work on certification via BCG.
Tell us about your life outside of genealogy.
There's a life outside genealogy? Of course there is! I graduated from Lawrence Technological University with a BS in Mathematics and Computer Science, and I currently work in IT as a Solutions Architect designing business applications. I like to think my logical thinking works nicely for me in my research. I am married to a wonderfully tolerant man who is an electrical engineer in the automotive industry and a writer. We have 2 sons who just graduated college and are both newly married. When I'm not working or researching my roadblock du-jour, I like to cook (I'm a foodie), drive classic cars (and help my husband build them), camp/fish/hunt, watch hockey (Go Wings!), and read.
Where can we find you online?
No website, but I'm on Twitter (@KarylsResearch) and Facebook. I’m working on creating a blog at the moment. I need to decide between Google Blogger and WordPress, and I want to get a nice design together before I create and start blogging! My husband is designing my logo. The focus will probably be on my own research with ideas to help others solve roadblocks in various areas, but it will have a tendency toward the historical story lines as opposed to the technical tools of the trade. There are plenty of "tools" and "artifacts" blogs out there, which are great, but my interest is on the storytelling, so I'm trying to find a niche based on family stories and how they relate to current and past events.
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