Category Archives: Fearless Females 2015

Free Video for The Write Stuff: Using Nonfiction Writing Techniques to Write a Better Family History

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Life is full of anniversaries, and 25 years ago, I began my journey as both a genealogist and a nonfiction writer. I was enrolled in the graduate program in creative nonfiction writing at the University of Pittsburgh and decided to write my thesis about my grandmother and tell the story of her immigration to America from Slovakia. This final manuscript project evolved into my first published book, Three Slovak Women. To mark this 25-year milestone, I am offering a free video of one of my most popular genealogy talks: “The Write Stuff: Using Nonfiction Writing Techniques to Write a Better Family History.”

Image by Lisa A. Alzo
Presentation Description

As genealogists we often focus on facts and uncover so much information that our research can have a tendency to produce nothing but boring lists. But do you really know what happened during the course of your ancestors’ lives? How can you share that information in a compelling and interesting way? An all-encompassing family history is so much more than just charts and graphs, boxes and lines, or a list of references. Writing about our ancestors and our heritage gives context, meaning, and purpose to all of the facts we have collected. This video discusses how to use nonfiction writing techniques to produce a “must read” family history that will keep the pages turning for generations to come. 

Since I chose to write about my grandmother for my first nonfiction book, I am happy to share this video in honor of her and to celebrate National Women’s History Month. 

Be sure to also download the FREE 4-page handout packed with my favorite writing tips and resources.

As a genealogy writer and educator I strive to teach others how to lose the intimidation and let go of their fears about writing to dig deeper into their family stories. I have published nine books have written hundreds of magazine articles. In addition, I currently teach family history writing and memoir writing at local colleges, and online through webinars, Boot Camps and writing intensives. Here is a representative (but not intended to be exhaustive) list:

Legacy Family Tree Webinars 

Available to watch at Family Tree Webinars (membership required)

  • Crafting Ancestor Profiles from Start to Finish
  • 10 Ways to Jumpstart Your Family History Narrative
  • Digital Writing Tools for Genealogists
  • Ready, Set, Write! Share Your Family’s Story


Click here to read detailed descriptions of each webinar and for information on how to view them.

HackGenealogy Boot Camps and Intensives (with Thomas MacEntee)
  • Genealogy Writing Boot Camp
  • Scrivener Mini-Boot Camp: Getting Started with Scrivener – To Go!
  • Self-Publishing Boot Camp
  • Evernote Boot Camp
  • Blogger Boot Camp
  • The “Write Stuff” Genealogy Writing Intensive (watch HackGenealogy for an announcement about the next session).


Detailed information on purchasing the “Boot Camp To-Go” versions can be found on the Hack Genealogy Store.

Publications

In addition, you may wish to check out my other publications:


This guide contains useful information including the tips, tools, and tricks you’ll need to get beyond the names, dates and places to bring your family tree to life. Also included are writing exercises, links to handy apps, and self-publishing resources, to help you craft and publish a “can’t put down” narrative. 

Scrivener for Genealogists (laminated QuickSheet for Mac or Windows) 

Scrivener for Genealogists (PDF QuickSheet for Mac or Windows) – available from Lulu.com.

This guide gives you all of the basics you need to know to get up and running with Scrivener—a popular combination word processor and project management tool produced by Literature and Latte. 

Writing Your Family History Book (Heritage Productions): Every family has a great story-or two, or twenty-two! Put it on paper… This book will help you from beginning to end in simple, manageable steps. You can do it!

While studying in the University of Pittsburgh’s highly acclaimed Creative Nonfiction Writing program, I learned from many of the best writers in the business. I am pleased to share some of the key principles of creative nonfiction writing with you through this short presentation.  

Don’t miss this free chance to learn the tips, tools, and techniques that will help take your family history writing to the next level.  

Sign up for my free newsletter to receive announcements about future learning opportunities with me in 2015.

Image Credit: © kaktus2536 – Fotolia.com

Copyright 2015, Lisa A. Alzo
All Rights Reserved
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Fearless Females Resources: Special Offer on Internet Genealogy Tracing Your Female Ancestors Special Issues

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If you are looking for tips and resources to help you track your female ancestors, you can save 20% right now on the Tracing Your Female Ancestors Volume I Special issue of Internet Genealogy Magazine, published by Moorshead Magazines, and on your pre-order of Tracing Your Female Ancestors Volume II (available May 1, 2015).  

Here is a brief summary of what you will find in each issue. 

Tracing Your Female Ancestors 

Image courtesy of Moorshead Magazines



Compiled by Gena Philibert-Ortega

Available in Print and PDF Format

Articles include: Online resources, Working Women, Women in the Military, African American Female Ancestors, Grandma Was an Alien, Female Ancestors Pre-1850, Women in the Civil War, Women and Divorce, Women and the Vote, Secret Lives of Women, Manuscript Collections Overview, Womens Clubs and Organizations and more! It also includes a special look at Women in Photographs by Maureen Taylor.
68-pages, magazine format, hi-gloss cover
Print Edition – $9.95 plus $4.50 shipping/handling. 
PDF Edition – $8.50 (the file will be sent via email) 

Tracing Your Female Ancestors Volume II
Image Courtesy of Moorshead Magazines


Compiled by Gena Philibert-Ortega

Available in Print and PDF Format
Available May 2015
Tracing Your Female Ancestors Volume II continues the success of our first volume with all new articles that reveal more research resources and strategies for finding your elusive female ancestors. Compiled by Gena Philibert-Ortega, with additional articles by Lisa Alzo, Jean Wilcox Hibben and Tammy Hepps, this exciting new issue includes: It’s All in the Search; 10 Unusual Sources for Finding Female Ancestors, 50+ Online Resources for Female Research; Migration of Females to America; Researching Jewish Female Ancestors; 10 Ways to Tell Your Ancestors’ Stories; Women in City Directories; Google Tools for Finding Female Ancestors; Finding Your Femmes Fatales; The FamilySearch Catalog and Your Female Ancestor and much more!
68-pages, magazine format, hi-gloss cover
Print Edition – $9.95 plus $4.50 shipping/handling. 
PDF Edition – $8.50 (the file will be sent via email) 


Click here to order from the Internet Genealogy website. At checkout enter the code:

LA201520%


You can also order both issues as a bundle a special price and use the code to save 20%.  Click here to learn more.

These special issues will give you plenty of resources for finding your elusive female ancestors.


Copyright 2015, Lisa A. Alzo
All Rights Reserved


[Disclosure:  I am a paid freelance writer for Internet Genealogy I have contributed two articles for Volume II of the Tracing Your Female Ancestors Special Issue]

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Fearless Females: Free Research Resources

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Tracing the females in your family tree can be a daunting task.  But there are plenty of online resources to help you track them down.

Verona Straka and Mary Straka Yuhasz.  Photo courtesy of Lisa A. Alzo (personal collection).


During this month, I will be sharing a few of my favorite free websites and sources for finding female ancestors (click on the links to go to the sites). Here are the first three:


1. American Women’s History: A Research Guide.  This database provides access to digital collections of primary sources (photos, letters, diaries, artifacts, etc.) that document the history of women in the United States. Offers detailed descriptions and links to more than 600 digital collections.

2. Cyndi’s List: Female Ancestors. Cyndi’s List (run by Cyndi Ingle) has been around since 1996, and currently contains more than 330,000 links for family history, with more than 200 links for female ancestors.

3. National Women’s History Museum. The official website of the National Women’s History Museum located in Alexandria, Virginia. Watch a video clip of actress Meryl Streep introducing the museum, or take a virtual tour via the museum’s CyberExhibits covering a wide range of topics from Women in Industry to Rights for Women to Women of Jamestown. You’ll also find educational resources such as self-guided tours, biographies, and lesson plans and quizzes (for teachers).

Happy Searching!


Copyright 2015, Lisa A. Alzo
All Rights Reserved

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Fearless Females: Educational Resource: Save 20% on Family Tree University’s Finding Female Ancestors Independent Study Course

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In celebration of Women’s History Month, Family Tree University is offering a 20% discount on the online Finding Female Ancestors Independent Study course.

Image credit: Family Tree University (F&W Media)


Go to shopfamilytree to purchase the course. 

Enter Coupon Code WOMEN15 to receive the discount.

The discount is good  now through 1 April 2015.

Course Description

YOU’LL LOVE THIS IF:

  • You want solid strategies for finding females in your family tree
  • You don’t know where to start when tracing maiden names
  • You need a specific solution to your special research problem
  • You want to understand more about the day-to-day life of your female ancestors
  • Marching down your maternal line is no simple task. From missing maiden names to mystifying marriage records, many soon find themselves stumped in their female genealogy. In this independent study course, lessons will help you develop a successful search strategy, recommend a wide range of record sets for rooting out females, and break down the power of what heirlooms such as diaries and old letters say about the ladies in your family line.


WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

  • Developing a successful research strategy for rooting out women in your family tree
  • Tips for teasing out maiden names in a vast variety of record groups
  • Rooting out female ancestors in sources such as oral histories, family traditions, diaries, letters and more
  • Brick wall strategies for solving special research problems


WHAT YOU’LL NEED: REQUIREMENTS & SUPPLIES

This course assumes you understand the basic principles of genealogy and have done some research on your family history. If you’re a complete beginner, you should take the First Steps: Discover Your Family Tree course.


[Disclaimer: I work as a freelance paid instructor for Family Tree University]

Copyright 2015,  Lisa A. Alzo
All Rights Reserved

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Fearless Females Bonus: Tracing Female Ancestors Webinar: Watch FREE for the month of March!

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I am really thrilled to host the Fearless Female Ancestors Blogging Prompt Series on this blog again this year (Year #6!). In years past, I have done a post each day here to honor the women in my own family tree.  Unfortunately, my personal research time has been limited lately, so I don’t have enough material to adequately come up with new posts this year.  You can find my posts from 2013 here.  

Instead, each week, or as I find them, I will list or link to some of my favorite resources for researching female ancestors.  I hope you will find them useful.

To kick off celebrating Women’s History Month, you can watch my previously recorded Webinar* (March 2011) on how to research your female ancestors. for free.

Image Credit: Lisa Alzo, Private Photo Collection

Silent Voices:  Tips and Tricks for Tracing Female Ancestors

Webinar Description: While most historical records have been created for and are about men, making it more challenging to research the women in your family tree.  In this webinar you’ll learn about key records for locating maiden names, as well as some unique resources pertaining to women, and the importance of documenting your female ancestors, including many suggestions for how to create meaningful lasting tributes to their lives. (67MB .wmv)

Click here to get to the video


*Please note that this recording is in Windows Media (.wmv) format and may not be compatible with all systems. MAC users may wish to consider using the free Flip4Mac Player (The official Windows Media player on the Mac). 

ADDITIONAL NOTE: This webinar was recorded in 2011. Since the world of genealogy is dynamic, there may have been changes and updates to some of the resources and access to them. Please visit the websites or sources listed to get the most current information. In particular, there have been changes to accessing the Social Security Death Index, one of the sources listed in the presentation. To learn more about the latest changes, I encourage you to visit the The Legal Genealogist Blog written by Judy G. Russell, in particular the “News from the SSDI front” Post January 30, 2013.



*This author of this blog/webinar presenter assumes no responsibility for any incompatibility with individual computers, tablets, or mobile devices, operating systems, browsers, or the inability of any such computer or device to play this video. or any resulting effects. By clicking on the link user agrees and accepts these terms.


So…stay tuned…and watch this space!  And…Happy Blogging!

– Lisa

Copyright, 2015, Lisa A. Alzo
All Rights Reserved

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Back for a Sixth Year: Fearless Females Blogging Prompts

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It’s that time again…time to honor your female ancestors!

In March 2010, I launched a series of 31 blogging prompts for celebrating and honoring the “fearless females” in our family trees. Many bloggers participated and I was asked if I planned on running them again. I’m happy to say that this series is now in its sixth year.

So, to mark National Women’s History Month (beginning Sunday, March 1), I’m listing the 31 prompts below. 

You can choose to do some of them, or all of them–there’s no pressure–it’s meant to be a fun exercise to focus on the women and make sure their stories are told!  

The theme for National Women’s History Month 2015 is “Weaving the Stories of Women’s Lives” so it is a perfect time to start writing about your female ancestors!

Enjoy!

Also, watch this blog for other ideas, prompts, and tips to learn about your female ancestors, as well as special coupons for discounts on products or courses related to researching your female lines.

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Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month



[Group of young women reading in library of normal school, Washington, D.C.]Library of Congress, (Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1864-1952, photographer.); REPRODUCTION NUMBER: LC-USZ62-100288 (b&w film copy neg.) DIGITAL ID: (b&w film copy neg.) cph 3c00288 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c00288

Blogging Prompts

March 1 — Do you have a favorite female ancestor? One you are drawn to or want to learn more about? Write down some key facts you have already learned or what you would like to learn and outline your goals and potential sources you plan to check.

March 2 — Post a photo of one of your female ancestors. Who is in the photo? When was it taken? Why did you select this photo?

March 3 — Do you share a first name with one of your female ancestors? Perhaps you were named for your great-grandmother, or your name follows a particular naming pattern. If not, then list the most unique or unusual female first name you’ve come across in your family tree.

March 4 — Do you have marriage records for your grandparents or great-grandparents? Write a post about where they were married and when. Any family stories about the wedding day? Post a photo too if you have one.

March 5 — How did they meet? You’ve documented marriages, now, go back a bit. Do you know the story of how your parents met? Your grandparents?

March 6 — Describe an heirloom you may have inherited from a female ancestor (wedding ring or other jewelry, china, clothing, etc.) If you don’t have any, then write about a specific object you remember from your mother or grandmother, or aunt (a scarf, a hat, cooking utensil, furniture, etc.)

March 7 — Share a favorite recipe from your mother or grandmother’s kitchen. Why is this dish your favorite? If you don’t have one that’s been passed down, describe a favorite holiday or other meal you shared with your family.

March 8 — Did one of your female ancestors leave a diary, journal, or collection of letters? Share an entry or excerpt.

March 9 — Take a family document (baptismal certificate, passenger list, naturalization petition, etc.) and write a brief narrative using the information.

March 10 — What role did religion play in your family? How did your female ancestors practice their faith? If they did not, why didn’t they? Did you have any female ancestors who served their churches in some capacity?

March 11 — Did you have any female ancestors who died young or from tragic or unexpected circumstances? Describe and how did this affect the family?

March 12 — Working girl: Did your mother or grandmother work outside the home? What did she do? Describe her occupation.

March 13 — Moment of Strength: share a story where a female ancestor showed courage or strength in a difficult situation.

March 14 — Newsmakers? Did you have a female ancestor who made the news? Why? Was she famous or notorious? Did she appear in the social column?

March 15 — Write a six-word memoir tribute to one of your female ancestors.

March 16 — If you could have lunch with any female family member (living or dead) or any famous female who would it be and why? Where would you go? What would you eat?

March 17 — Social Butterfly? What social organizations or groups did your mother or grandmother belong to? Sewing circle, church group, fraternal benefit society or lodge? Describe her role in the group.

March 18 — Shining star: Did you have a female ancestor who had a special talent? Artist, singer, actress, athlete, seamstress, or other? Describe.

March 19 — Have you discovered a surprising fact about one of your female ancestors? What was it and how did you learn it? How did you feel when you found out?

March 20 — Is there a female ancestor who is your brick wall? Why? List possible sources for finding more information.

March 21 — Describe a tender moment one of your female ancestors shared with you or another family member.

March 22 — If a famous director wanted to make a movie about one of your female ancestors who would it be? What actress would you cast in the role and why?

March 23 — Create a timeline for a female ancestor using your favorite software program or an online timeline generator such as OurTimelines.Post an image of it or link to it.

March 24 — Do you share any physical resemblance or personality trait with one of your female ancestors? Who? What is it?

March 25 — Tell how a female ancestor interacted with her children. Was she loving or supportive? A disciplinarian? A bit of both?

March 26 — What education did your mother receive? Your grandmothers? Great-grandmothers? Note any advanced degrees or special achievements.

March 27 — Do you know the immigration story of one or more female ancestors? Do you have any passenger lists, passports, or other documentation? Interesting family stories?

March 28 — Do you remember your mother’s best friend? Your grandmother’s? How and where did they meet? How long were they friends? What activities did they share?

March 29 — Create a free Fold3 Memorial Page or a Genealogy Trading Card at Big Huge Labs for a female ancestor. Some of you may have created your own card back in September 2009 following Sheri Fenley’s post over at The Educated Genealogist. This time, the card is for your female ancestor. Tell us about who you’ve selected and why and then post a link to what you’ve created.

March 30 — Did you receive any advice or words of wisdom from your mother or another female ancestor?

March 31 — Pick one female ancestor and write a mini-profile (500 words or less).

BONUS: Take all of your postings and turn them into a memory or tribute booklet for future generations.

Post an entry on your Blog when you have created your tribute. Tell us how you did it (what format, how you printed it or digitized it, etc.).

Copyright, 2010-15, Lisa A. Alzo
All Rights Reserved


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