Another year is drawing to a close. It’s the time for reflection and resolutions. Last year I listed my Top Ten Genealogical Moments for 2010. This year, I am including the standout moments for me in both genealogy and writing.
10. Having articles published in Family Tree Magazine, Family Chronicle Magazine, Internet Genealogy Magazine, and The Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly (and having the cover article in the September 2011 issue), as well as online for the Archives.com Experts series. Also, being invited to be a contributor for the new blog: The Catholic Gene.
9. Teaching three online courses for Family Tree University and several for the National Institute for Genealogical Studies.
8. Discovering that my grandparents had another baby (Mary) I never knew about. She was their first born child, and died at age 6 months of pneumonia. Nobody in my father’s family ever mentioned her. I learned about her from a tiny obituary in an old hometown newspaper and was able to order her death certificate.
7. Appearing as a guest several times on Geneabloggers Radio, and also on the FGS MySociety Radio Show.
6. Being selected as a speaker for the first RootsTech conference, and also for the first time at the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference, in Springfield, IL.
5. Publishing revised editions of my books, Baba’s Kitchen: Slovak & Rusyn Family Recipes & Traditions, Second Edition (available now at Lulu.com); and Three Slovak Women, Second Edition (in press with CreateSpace).
4. Enjoying visits with fellow genealogists/friends. First, during an extended visit to California: visiting San Francisco, Napa Valley, Oakland, Los Angeles, and Burbank. Then, in October, during a visit to Connecticut to attend a conference hosted by the Polish Genealogical Society of Connecticut and the Northeast.
3. Learning more about the son of an interesting cousin on my Alzo side. It’s one of those “greatness can come even out of tragic circumstances”-type stories. I plan to write an article (and accompanying blog post) about the discovery in the coming months.
2. Branching out to the world of Webinars (seminars given online). I offered several free webinars on my own in March 2011, and also presented Webinars for Legacy Family Tree and the SCGS Jamboree extension series.
It was difficult to come up with a single, outstanding moment for 2011. So, for the top spot I chose a combination of moments:
1. Having the opportunity to visit so many great cities and present at various conferences including: RootsTech, Ontario Genealogical Society (Canada), Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree, Utah Genealogical Association, Federation of Genealogical Societies, Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International, and the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, as well as numerous groups and societies in Pennsylvania, New York, and other states
Looking back, I’d say 2011 was a pretty good year, and I am looking forward to greater challenges and new opportunities for my genealogical research and writing in 2012.
Copyright, 2011, Lisa A. Alzo
