Genealogy Tours | Salt Lake City, Utah

Follow the SLC Tour on Facebook

2009-02-22T08:46:00.003-07:00

Interest in Facebook continues to grow at incredible rates, including an increasing number of genealogists. Here's my favorite statistic: "More than 3 billion minutes are spent on Facebook each day (worldwide)." Imagine if we could get people to spend that many minutes working on their genealogy! Every so often, I go back and check to see if anyone that I know has joined, and last night I reconnected with dozens of high school and college friends, along with several SLC Tour attendees (who weren't on Facebook when I checked in January).

Tour attendees that have joined Facebook, can follow the tour updates by becoming a fan of the Salt Lake Christmas Tour page and access this blog information from within Facebook. The SLC tour page has a review feature, so I encourage previous tour attendees to share their thoughts and passions about the tour, so other (non-attendee) Facebook members might consider joining us in 2009. Also, if you have some genealogy friends already on Facebook, you can "Share" the SLC tour page using a link on the right hand side of the page. See you on Facebook!

Navigate Genealogy Resources Geographically

2009-02-02T16:23:00.004-07:00

For the 2008 tour attendees who attended the Live Roots demonstration: the geographic feature that I mentioned as "coming soon" is now available. While the geocoding of resources in the Live Roots catalog is ongoing, about 85% are completed and you can browse through this new area of the site and see what is available at the country, state, county AND even city level. As new resources are cataloged, they will be geocoded and appear in this new area automatically. To get to this new area from any page on LiveRoots.com, click on the Navigate menu option at the top of the page.

I am currently working with a mapping expert to begin capturing the longitudes and latitudes of the resources being cataloged to better track cemeteries that have no street address. And (yes, there's more), I am building a related database that will capture place name changes, which will also be integrated into the geographic area of LiveRoots.com!

President Obama addresses genealogy???

2009-01-27T14:48:00.003-07:00

In his Inaugural Address on January 19, 2009, President Obama made these remarks: "For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus...and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture....." (Emphasis mine.) This sounded like a genealogy kind of statement to me. He went on to say that "our common humanity" will reveal itself and make America great. Hey, we folks have known that for a long time, right? Donna

Christmas Tour Photos

2008-12-22T12:13:00.002-07:00

I got home and found out I have over 800 SLC Christmas Tour Photos! I also brought a severe cold with me.

Had a great time on the tour and enjoyed seeing the old friends and making new ones.

I am in the process of weeding out the duplicate photos as well as the poor ones. I hope to be done by the first of the year. I will keep you posted regarding my progress.

If you have any questions, please e-mail me at: wbalter1@tampabay.rr.com

Here's wishing you and yours a very Happy Holiday Season and may all your wishes come true.

Bill Balter

Spokane, Washington: The lane to my house.

2008-12-19T19:29:00.005-07:00

Had a wonderful non-snowy time on the Salt Lake Christmas Tour in early December and came home to the "Storm of the Century" (at least that's what the weather-guessers termed it). There were 24 inches of the white stuff clogging my lane... our only access in and out. But wasn't it beautiful!

What conditions did YOU, dear tour "family member," come home to??

Donna

2008 Christmas Tour is Underway!

2008-12-07T20:50:00.006-07:00

The attendees have arrived and the tour kicked off with Joy Price providing an overview of the Family History Library Catalog -- the most essential tool for tapping into the enormous collection of books and microfilm.

Many attendees arrived early this year, and Sunday is always a wonderful time of tour reunions (previous years attendees reconnecting), and welcoming the newbies. Our Mother Hen spent the entire day on her feet, making everyone feel at home as they picked up their tour materials. An array of refreshments awaited the weary travellers who arrive by planes, trains and automobiles.

And while the Library isn't open on Sunday, many attendees make there way to the family history bookstore setup right in the hotel for the benefit of the tour. The aptly named Genealogy Bookshelf offers a wide array of materials to supplement the research attendees eagerly await to commence on Monday.

The tour offers a complimentary breakfast during the week that begins before the sun rises at 6:30am. Why so early? Well, the Library opens at 8:00am and that's where you'll find most attendees at 8:01am. The breakfast is coordinated by Dee and Dick Cattaneo, a wonderful couple who have travelled all the way from Montana!

The Cattaneos also brought along an array of delightful genealogy shirts and gifts that the attendees can purchase. This is a nice additional benefit of attending the tour.

Throughout the day, the attendees enjoyed holiday music accompanied by a slideshow of pictures from previous tours, prepared by our very own Photographer Extraodinaire. When you see some of the older photos, and the slightly younger versions of many current attendees, you really begin to see how this tour is so much more than just a bunch of genealogists converging upon Salt Lake City for a little research. It's a very special family reunion!

Stay tuned for additional highlights throughout the week, mark your calendar for December 2009 and consider joining the Salt Lake Christmas Tour! You won't be disappointed.

Upcoming Tour - December 6 to 12, 2009

2008-12-07T20:39:00.003-07:00

Do You Want to Make Gigantic Leaps in Locating Your Ancestors?

Do you have brick-wall problems in your genealogy research?

If so - plan on joining with us at the 25th annual Salt Lake Christmas Tour to the Family History Library this December.

Why December? Early December is an ideal time to come to the Family History Library. The library isn't crowded, as it is at other times of the year. The festivities in Salt Lake City are underway and the Christmas Tour Family is waiting with open arms for you to join them.

By joining us in Salt Lake City on a Salt Lake Christmas Tour, you will be in the right place - at the right time - to locate more ancestors than you may have ever found before.

Details and Registration Form (PDF)

If you're not sure about joining us, check out the benefits of the Salt Lake Christmas Tour!

Bring-a-Friend

This option is for those who want to bring a spouse or friend that will not be participating in the Tour. You and your guest will share a hotel room, your guest will be able to participate in the breakfasts and other social activities.

Christmas Tour 2008 is Quickly Approaching

2008-10-16T20:59:00.003-06:00

Hello Past Attendees and the First-Timers planning to join us in Salt Lake City this December. I'm getting excited as it'll be time to hop on a plane before you know it, and then the research (a.k.a. fun) can begin. This year I'll be giving a talk about Comparing Online Genealogy Databases, which will cover how to understand what each of the major players are really offering. The talk will be based on my experiences from the past 12 months developing a new genealogy search engine called Live Roots. This project really opened my eyes to the unique (and not so unique) types of information each database company offers, and how (in some cases) the same information is available online for free! If you have a chance before December, please take a few moments and get familiar with my new site. The web address is http://www.liveroots.com/ and if you would help a tall guy from New Jersey, please share the news of this new site with all your friends. See you in December!

Microwaves and Refrigerators Now in All Rooms at the Plaza

2008-06-16T19:29:00.002-06:00

Just to note to spread the word that microwaves and refrigerators are now in ALL the rooms at the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel. This will be welcome news for those of us who need a two a.m. snack!

Subscription Databases at the Family History Library

2008-06-16T18:55:00.002-06:00

While at the Family History Library a couple days ago, I made up a list of the subscription databases that are currently available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City - FREE to patrons of the Library. Several were a marked as "status changing as of July 1," so I didn't include those in the following list:

19th U.S. Century Newspapers

Godfrey Memorial Library

HeritageQuest Online

JSTOR - Scholorly Journals back to the 1800s.

Making of the Modern World

Digital Archives (British)

New England Ancestors (NEHGS website)

One Great Family

Original Sources (In Their Own Words)

Oxford English Dictionary

Sabin Americana

Supreme Court Records and Briefs

SVAR - National Archives of Sweden - In Swedish, of course)

The Times (London) 1785-1985

World Vital Records

Does our "Family" read this blog?

2008-03-13T14:57:00.002-06:00

This is a test: How many of our "Tour Family," those of us who annually gather in December in Salt Lake with Leland Meitzler for a fabulous research week, read this blog.......created especially for us???

Or, if you're not already of our "Tour Family," we certainly invite you in!!!

If you would care to comment about our blog, and send your report and your comments to Bill Balter, we'd appreciate it.

Donna Potter Phillips (aka "Mother Hen")

Ancestry.com is Again Available at the Family History Library

2008-01-27T21:07:00.000-07:00

The Generations Network has again granted patrons at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, as well as the 13 largest Family History Centers, access to Ancestry.com at no charge. Following is a copy of the official news release. I posted this last month on GenealogyBlog, but it just dawned on me that we need it on here too.

FamilySearch and The Generations Network Agreement Give Patrons Access to More than 24,000 Ancestry.com Databases and Titles Provo, UT – December 19, 2007 – FamilySearch and The Generations Network, Inc., parent company of Ancestry.com, today announced an agreement that provides free access of Ancestry.com to patrons of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and the 13 largest regional family history centers effective today. With this new agreement, full access will be provided to more than 24,000 Ancestry.com databases and titles and 5 billion names in family history records. In addition to the Family History Library, the following 13 regional family history centers have been licensed to receive access to Ancestry.com:

Mesa, Arizona

Los Angeles, California

Oakland, California

Orange, California

Sacramento, California

San Diego, California

Idaho Falls, Idaho

Pocatello, Idaho

Las Vegas, Nevada

Logan, Utah

Ogden, Utah

St. George, Utah

Hyde Park, London, England

“We’re excited for our patrons to receive online access to an expanded collection of family history records on Ancestry.com,” said Don Anderson, director of FamilySearch Support. “Ancestry.com’s indexes and digital images of census, immigration, vital, military and other records, combined with the excellent resources of FamilySearch, will increase the likelihood of success for patrons researching their family history.” The Generations Network and FamilySearch hope to expand access to other family history centers in the future. FamilySearch patrons at the designated facilities will have access to Ancestry.com’s completely indexed U.S. Federal Census Collection, 1790-1930, and more than 100 million names in passenger lists from 1820-1960, among other U.S. and international record collections. Throughout the past year, Ancestry.com has added indexes to Scotland censuses from 1841-1901, created the largest online collection of military and African American records, and reached more than 4 million user-submitted family trees. Free access is also available at Brigham Young University Provo, Idaho, and Hawaii campuses, and LDS Business College patrons through a separate agreement with The Generations Network. “FamilySearch’s Family History Library in Salt Lake City is one of the most important physical centers for family history research in the world, and we are happy that patrons to the Library and these major regional centers will have access to Ancestry.com,” said Tim Sullivan, President and CEO of The Generations Network, Inc., parent company of Ancestry.com. “We’ve enjoyed a ten-year working relationship with FamilySearch, and we look forward to continued collaboration on a number of family history projects.”
About Ancestry.com – Visit us at www.ancestry.com With 24,000 searchable databases and titles and more than 2.5 million active users, Ancestry.com is the No. 1 online source for family history information. Since its launch in 1997, Ancestry.com has been the premier resource for family history, simplifying genealogical research for millions of people by providing them with many easy-to-use tools and resources to build their own unique family trees. The site is home to the only complete online U.S. Federal Census collection, 1790-1930, as well as the world’s largest online collection of U.S. ship passenger list records featuring more than 100 million names, 1820-1960. Ancestry.com is part of The Generations Network, Inc., a leading network of family-focused interactive properties, including www.myfamily.com, www.rootsweb.com, www.genealogy.com and Family Tree Maker. In total, The Generations Network properties receive 8.7 million unique visitors worldwide and more than 416 million page views a month (© comScore Media Metrix, October 2007).

About FamilySearch FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization that maintains the world's largest repository of genealogical resources. Patrons may access resources online at FamilySearch.org or through the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and over 4,500 family history centers in 70 countries. FamilySearch is a trademark of Intellectual Reserve, Inc. and is registered in the United States of America and other countries.

Downtown Rising

2008-01-20T13:09:00.000-07:00

The Crossroads Mall block in downtown Salt Lake City has been torn down - to the greatest degree. Billions of dollars are being spent to make the block directly across the street from Temple Square a major tourist and shopping mecca. Downtownrising is a website online where you can get up-to-date information on the construction progress. The Crossroads Block map [.PDF] is as of January 21, 2008 (that's tomorrow!).

Christmas in Salt Lake City

2008-01-20T12:31:00.001-07:00

There's no better time to visit the Family History Library than during the Christmas season in Salt Lake City. The city is decorated - and Temple Square is absolutely beautiful. Bill Balter leads researchers attending the Salt Lake Christmas Tour on Temple Square photographing expeditions. Folks always go home with some fantastic Christmas pictures. Even with all the construction going on in downtown Salt Lake City, you wouldn't know it on Temple Square. I take pictures every year, including a few from the roof of the Plaza.

This picture shows the Assembly Hall in the foreground, with the Joseph Smith Building directly behind it. In the left foreground is the Tabernacle, with the Temple behind it - and behind that you can see the church office building disappearing into the fog. On the right is South Temple, and the Beneficial Tower.

Let's Make it 100 in 2008!

2008-01-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

The 2007 Salt Lake Christmas Tour was a huge success, with 80 folks from all over the United States attending. I'd like to bump that to 100 for the 2008 tour (December 7-13). In past years, we've had as many as 115, so I know we can do it!

The picture was taken from the roof of the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel during the 2007 Tour. Note that the top of the church office building disappears into the fog. Oh, how I love Salt Lake City at Christmas!

Attendees of previous tours can help us reach the 2008 goal of 100 by referring their genealogy friends and local society members. Click here for details.

Blogging: A new opportunity for our "family."

2008-01-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

Our Salt Lake Genealogy Tour is growing up... we now have our own blog, thanks to Illya. Why all "the bluster about blogging," to quote Alan Mann? He quotes Wikipedia: "A blog is a website in which items are posted... that are important means of communication..." (Want to read Alan Mann's article entoto? Click to www.alanmann.com/articles/)

Our "Tour Family" blog will surely foster communication within the "family" and will highlight and spotlight our wonderful tour to one and all. I hope all you "family" will visit the blog regularly... stay tuned for tips on the easiest way to accomplish this.

For now, Donna (aka Mother Hen)

Upcoming Tour - December 7 to 13, 2008

2008-01-15T06:50:00.001-07:00

DETAILS ON THE NEXT TOUR: DECEMBER 2009

Do You Want to Make Gigantic Leaps in Locating Your Ancestors?

Do you have brick-wall problems in your genealogy research?

If so - plan on joining with us at the 24th annual Salt Lake Christmas Tour to the Family History Library this December.

Why December? Early December is an ideal time to come to the Family History Library. The library isn't crowded, as it is at other times of the year. The festivities in Salt Lake City are underway and the Christmas Tour Family is waiting with open arms for you to join them.

By joining us in Salt Lake City on a Salt Lake Christmas Tour, you will be in the right place - at the right time - to locate more ancestors than you may have ever found before.

Details and Registration Form (PDF)

If you're not sure about joining us, check out the benefits of the Salt Lake Christmas Tour!

Bring-a-Friend

A Bit of History...

2007-12-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

Early in 1985, Leland Meitzler asked his friend, Arlene Eakle, if she would be interested in helping researchers at a tour he wanted to sponsor at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. She responded in the affirmative, and a total of eight folks joined us on the 1985 Salt Lake Christmas Tour. That group included Donna Potter Phillips who has joined us every year since then - affectionately known as our "mother hen."

Why did we choose the month of December for the tour? Because the library never is as crowded during that time period. Besides that, the entire city is decorated just for you, and our attendees always love it. Some years we have snow (and lots of it) - in other years the temperature hasn't dropped below 55 and the sun was out the entire time. We always have the tour the first full week in December, starting the weekend following the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. This is done so the Thanksgiving holiday is over and airline rates are back at a reasonable level. We don't attempt to do it any later in December, in that most of us have the Christmas holiday on our minds.

Leland and Patty Meitzler have hosted the tour for over 20 years, and the name has changed at times. However it's always been the Salt Lake Christmas Tour.

We're proud to announce a new partnership that started in 2006; The tour is now co-sponsored by our friends from Genealogy Today.

Over the years the tour has grown. As it grew, more researchers have come on board to make sure that attendees would always have the help they needed. Professionals with all kinds of genealogical specialties have combined their talents to make the Salt Lake Christmas Tour the finest genealogy tour available.

Sponsor a New Attendee

2007-12-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

The Salt Lake Christmas Tour has a fantastic program whereby any person returning on the current tour can save money on the cost of the Tour. Returnees can sponsor friends or relatives and receive a credit for 10% of their current fee for each new person sponsored - up to the full cost of their tour fee (10 new people).

Make copies of the registration form, fill in your name, and hand them out to your friends, or drop off copies at your local historical society or library.

The sponsor must have attended a previous Salt Lake Christmas tour and the sponsored attendee must be new to the tour. In order to collect the 10%, the sponsor must attend the current tour at the same time as the new party. Checks are cut and distributed to the sponsors during the tour. New attendees may be sponsored by only one person. Sponsor bonuses will be paid only if the sponsor's name appears in the REFERRAL blank on the sponsored person's form.

Don't miss out on this great opportunity!

The Family History Library

2007-12-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

The Family History Library is easy to use

First, it should be noted that you may bring in your "stuff." Take your laptop, briefcase full of family group sheets, your maps, ancestor charts, notebooks, and anything else you might need while working in the library. Sure, you may be asked to open your briefcase on the way out - but chances are you won't. The Library has a fantastic security system protecting the valuable books and films held there. Thieves can't get out the door with them - so this means you can bring your stuff in and out without much bother.

Not only is the Library user friendly, but the resources are arranged in a logical order, making the locating of books, films, maps and so forth pretty easy to do.

The Library underwent extensive remodeling and expansion a couple years ago. If you haven't used the library lately, you'll find it vastly changed and improved. December is traditionally a slow month at the Library. This means that access to photocopiers, computers, film printers and digitizers is easier than ever. The copy centers on each floor have been opened up, allowing more room and easier access.

For more information about the Family History Library visit the FHL website.

Hours

The Family History Library is open from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm (5:00 pm on Mondays) everyday except Sunday.

Laptop Computers

Laptops are welcomed in the library and many patrons use them at the work-tables as well as alongside their microfilm readers. Even though the library is a safe environment you should always attach a security device to your laptop. There have been reports of theft at the Library. Chances of items like personal genealogy notebooks being stolen are extremely low, but not for high-tech equipment. . Bring a short network cable with you if you wish to hook into the Library network.

Photocopies

There are photocopiers throughout the library for patron use. A nominal fee is charged for each copy. Patrons use pre-paid shopping cards to pay for their photocopies. When the card runs low you can recharge it at any of a number of kiosks in the library. You don't need to worry about bringing a roll of dimes with you.

Digitizers

There is a microfilm digitizer on each floor of the library. The digitized images are burned onto a CD-ROM. The Library has blank CDs for sale. Each session on the digitizer is limited to the 30-minutes. Library staff can show you how to use the digitizers.

Meet the Tour Staff

2007-12-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

The Salt Lake Christmas Tour has been highly successful for over two decades because we have the highest ratio of professional researchers to attendees of any research tour using the Family History Library. You've always got the help you need to overcome your difficult research problems!

Tour Host: Leland Meitzler

Mother Hen: Donna Potter Phillips

Researchers: Arlene Eakle, Linda Brinkerhoff, Loni Gardner, Kevan Hansen, Wade Hone, George Ott, Joy Price, Dwight Radford, Afton Reintjes, and Trudy Schenk.

Photographer: Bill Balter

Breakfast Coordinator: Dee Cattaneo

Professional genealogists will help you every step of the way

Most of our professional researchers can be found in the library - helping in the area of the library which matches their expertise - from about 9 am to 5:30 or so. We also have a couple pros that work the evening shift. So if you need assistance between 5 and 9, someone is there to help.

Attendees sign up for half hour blocks of time with the professionals. There are enough pros that most attendees can work with someone whenever they need assistance. I've found that from mid-week on or so, it's often possible for attendees to get professional assistance without having to sign up ahead of time.

Can't read the language? No problem - chances are, one of our professionals can. Are you stuck on a line and don't know what to do or where to turn next? Our pros can help you get that line moving again.

There's never any reason on a Salt Lake Christmas Tour for any attendee to be sitting around stuck on a project. There's always someone waiting to help out.

Our professionals use the library on a regular basis

The Salt Lake Christmas Tour only uses the best professional researchers to work with our attendees. Our professionals are intimately acquainted with the library and its holdings. These researchers work in the library nearly every day and know where to locate materials at an instant's notice.

Compare this with other popular tours to Salt Lake, using well-known genealogists as their "helpers" - genealogists that only use the collection once or twice a year. Who do you think can help you find your ancestors better? Someone that uses the library every day - or someone who comes to Salt Lake once or twice a year?

Another plus for the Salt Lake Christmas Tour is that if one professional can't seem to help you find your ancestor, there are nearly a dozen others that might be able to. Great minds don't always think alike. Take advantage of all our great professionals

Dee Cattaneo - Tour Staff

2007-12-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

Caterer to the Genealogists

Dee Cattaneo is in charge of our delightful breakfast hour that we enjoy each morning. Dee is a professional genealogists often found working on client projects in the Family History Library. Dee and her husband, Dick, make our tour shirts for us each year. They also screen and market a variety of genealogy-shirts for infants, children and adults.

Bill Balter - Tour Staff

2007-12-20T09:39:00.000-07:00

Photographer Extraodinaire

Bill is not a professional genealogist, and considers himself to be a family researcher only. He began attending the Christmas Tour in 1992 fully expecting to find nothing he didn't already know. To his amazement and with the help of an attendee, he discovered a new branch of the family! Because of the friendliness of the staff and attendees on the Tour, he came back as an attendee in 1994, 1996 and from 2000 on, to assist more than do research.

Bill's areas of interest are digital photography & family photos. He currently has over 3,600 family photos from 1906 to the present scanned and cataloged in his laptop. He began teaching classes on scanning in 2001. Since then he has taught classes on scanning, passenger list research and conducted an evening tour taking photos of the Christmas lights in Temple Square. Bill brings his digital camera, scanner and laptop to Salt Lake City and encourages anyone who may be interested in scanning to bring some challenging photos to see how they can be converted to graphics. During the week you will see him at the Library taking photos that he turns into a CD of the Tour highlights.

Bill will be at the airport, on the fly-in Sunday, greeting attendees.

Trudy Schenk - Tour Staff

2007-12-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

Specializes in Germanic research problems and translation

Trudy Schenk is the leading author and research scholar on Germanic immigration to the U.S. Deciphering the old German handwriting is her specialty as well as finding places of origin in Germany. She was born and educated in Germany and immigrated to America in 1958. Trudy became an Accredited Genealogist (German language specialty) with the Family History Library in 1978. She is the co-author of the Wuerttemberg Emigration Index. She has expanded her emigration research to include Saxony-Meiningen, Baden, and other areas of Germany with 35,000 names on a database at home. Trudy has spoken at many Germanic genealogical seminars and conferences throughout the United States.

Afton Reintjes - Tour Staff

2007-12-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

Specializes in Southern U.S. research

Afton is the Seminar Director for The Genealogical Institute. She has been with theinstitute for more than ten years. Afton worked as a professional genealogist and has done research for over 25 years. She is also a research consultant, taking clients through the research steps at the Family History Library. She is the author of several books including Tennessee Research, Scotch-Irish Sources of Research, and How to Research a "Little Bit of Indian."