Family History Expos Fun

Family History Expos are a great way to get your feet wet with a  family history experience or for the experienced genealogist to learn new things and expand their horizons.  We are on our way to the Mesa Arizona Family History Expo and it is sure to be a success for all who attend.  We look forward to getting together with others who enjoy family history and to see what is new and  signs of what is coming in the future.

This time Betty Pearson will be there with her friend to join us.  She was the winner of the 2 free tickets from our previous contest.  I am not sure if she has ever attended a family history conference like this before but I am sure she will enjoy it.  We look forward to meeting her there at our booth.

We again want to share this experience with one of our customers or future customers.  We are giving away 2 free tickets to the next Family History Expo that will be held February 26-27th in St. George, Utah.  So if you are not able to attend the Mesa conference or even if you are coming to Mesa but would like to come to St. George too, we invite you to enter this new contest for tickets to St. George.  The contest has started and is going through midnight (St. George time) Feb 15th.

There are several ways that you can enter this contest.

• Submit a success story on using FamilyInsight or Ordinance Tracker to success@ohanasoftware.com.
• If you have a blog, blog about FamilyInsight or Ordinance Tracker and send us a link to your blog so that we can follow you too. Send the link to support@ohanasoftware.com
• Become a fan of Ohana Software on Facebook and add a comment to the Ohana Software.

discussion “I want to go to the St George Family History Expo”.

• Visit the Ohana Software website and go to the purchase page and choose “Enter to win tickets to St. George Family History Expo.” Continue as if you were purchasing something so it is attached to your registration in our records. (only one entry per person may be done using the order page).

Holly Hansen and her crew do a wonderful job with these conferences and deserve a round of applause.  They are constantly adding new venues, so keep a look out for one in your area.  See her current calendar for this years conferences and events.

Hope to see you in Mesa or St George or an Expo in the future.

~ Paula

Friendship – an Investment of Time

Christmas cards remind of how may friends we have and friends are one of life’s best gifts. Years can pass without seeing a dear friend but within minutes of being reunited the years are erased and the bonds are as strong as ever. Most friendships develop over years as you create a history together but others happen quickly, especially when you render service to each other or work together. When you invest time with each other you grow to understand one another and friendship deepens.

Much of the same thing happens when we do family history. As we invest time, energy, thought and prayer into our researching process, we can feel bonds of friendship with ancestors that we have never met. When I find an ancestor quickly I often have a hard time remembering the details of their lives but the people I struggle to find are indelibly etched into my mind. For me, it is like spending time savoring a good meal at the dinner table rather than gulping down something from a drive through window at a fast food restaurant. The investment of time seems to be a key.

Family history is more than a race to gather as many names as quickly as possible; it is turning your heart to individuals, people, family. It is a process of loving them and learning from them. It is developing a personal relationship with them. Have you ever read a diary and drawn closer to a great grand parent because you discovered you have similar personality traits or experiences? Have you ever heard a story about an ancestor that has inspired your or given you the courage to face your challenges and trials? Perhaps you have an ancestor whose life you are not proud of BUT whose actions helps you to avoid similar mistakes. We can learn from these people we are related to IF we will invest the time

I would encourage you to spend more time with your individual ancestors this year. Why not take an inventory of your family and see what you know from memory. How many direct line generations can you list – your parents, grandparents, great grandparents or beyond? Do you know both your matriarchal and patriarchal lines? Do you have pictures of your ancestors? Would you recognize their picture if you saw it on the Internet? Do you know something about each of those people? Do you know their occupation, where they lived, the number of children they had? Of those children, do you how many of them lived to adulthood and how many children died as children? Why did they emigrate? As you test yourself you may be pleased with what you know and feel that your heart has been turned to them because you KNOW them. If you didn’t do very well, it may be time to get to know them better

I know I’m repeating myself but family history really is more than a race to gather as many names as quickly as possible; it is turning your heart to these people who are a part of you. By understanding them you may better understand yourself. If you will spend time getting to know your progenitors you will be blessed.

Happy New Year!

~Cina Johnson~

I Want to Win 2 FREE Tickets to the St. George Family History Expo

Ohana Software has another 2 tickets to give away for the St. George Family History Expo presented by Family History Expos.  The Expo will be at the St.  George Utah Convention Center on February 26-27, 2010.  The theme is Let Your Light Shine!

Family History Expos are a fun way to learn about Family History research and technology and connect with others who enjoy tracing their roots.  If you have not experienced a Family History Expo, it is an experience you should really try to have.  It is fun and exciting and full of the spirit of that adventure of finding that long lost link to the past.  Who knows you might even find a link to the present and meet  a new cousin you did not know about.

There are several ways that you can enter this contest.

• Submit a success story on using FamilyInsight or Ordinance Tracker to success@ohanasoftware.com.
• If you have a blog, blog about FamilyInsight or Ordinance Tracker and send us a link to your blog so that we can follow you too. Send the link to support@ohanasoftware.com
• Become a fan Ohana Software on Facebook and add a comment to the Ohana Software discussion “I want to go to the St George Family History Expo”.  Explore the other discussions while you are there. You may have that something to add that someone else has been desperately searching for.
• Visit the Ohana Software website and go to the purchase page and choose “Enter to win tickets to St. George Family History Expo.” Continue as if you were purchasing something so it is attached to your registration in our records. (only one entry per person may be done using the order page).

We hope to see you in St. George, whether you win the 2 free tickets or just decide that adventure and knowledge are waiting for you in St. George.

Aloha,

Ohana Software

Ring in 2010 with 10 days of $10 discounts on FamilyInsight

As a celebration of the coming year from Ohana Software.

Have you been wanting to try FamilyInsight? Now is the time. The price will never be lower.

For the next 10 days you can get $10 off of the FamilyInsight download version ( reg price $25)  or the FamilyInsight CD version (reg. price $35)  by using the following Promo code when you order.

NEWYEAR2010

Just enter this code in the Promo code box in your shopping cart as you are checking out.

Valid until Midnight Jan 10, 2010 for the first 1000 customers to use the code.

This discount code cannot be combined with any other discount.

Also today is the last day to enter to win 2 free tickets to the Mesa Family History Expo  held in January.

Just add

Enter to win Mesa Family History Expo tickets

to your cart as you checkout.  It’s free.

Watch for  a  new contests coming soon and announcements on this blog and

on the FamilyInsights Genealogy Software group on Facebook

or become a fan of Ohana Software on our brand new Facebook page.

Happy New Year from Ohana Software

Family History Research Helps

Each of us who are involved in family history should learn the fundamentals of research and know
what tools are available so we can access appropriate resources. No matter the country or language,
the research process does not change. As you approach researching for a new family or in a new
area, you should ask your ward member the following:

• What do I know about the person or family I am researching?
• Review your pedigree chart and family group records.
• Review any documents (letters, diaries, newspaper articles, pictures) you have for the
  person or family and update your file with any new information you find.
• What do you want to learn about the person or family?
• Generally, you want to fill in missing data from the ancestor’s family group or
  pedigree chart.

Next, ask yourself:

• What types of records contain the information you need?
• Check the Records Selection Table found in Appendix C of the NEW A Member’s
  Guide to Temple and Family History Work, Research Outlines for the specific state,
  province or country where the person or family lived, or look within
  wiki.familysearch.org for the area where you are researching.
• Where can they find those records?
• Search the Family History Library Catalog and online resources. Family history
  centers have access to some subscription websites so check your center to see if they
  have access to a website you need.

Once you know what you want to learn about your family, use the appropriate tools. To assist you, I
have developed a list of research tools that you can access when you begin research that takes you
into new territory. That new territory may be looking at different types of records than you have
used before (probate, land or tax records), or researching in countries with foreign languages, etc.
Remember, before you can search for ancestors in their homeland, you generally have to know the
exact town where they lived. (See the research outline called Tracing Immigrant Origins,) You need
to search the US records to find the place where their ancestors lived. Obituaries, naturalization
papers, personal letters, diaries, and living relatives may hold the key to finding their place of
origin. Once found, look at online websites and the Family History Library Catalog to see if records
have been filmed in that town. Generally, if the family came from Europe, you should look for
church records in order to find their christening, marriage and burial information. England has vital
records beginning in 1837 but church records are helpful when and where they are available.

The spread sheet can be accessed from our website at
http://www.ohanasoftware.com/files_documents/fhc/Research_Help_abbreviated.pdf

~Cina Johnson~

Create a Living Family History

Recently I have had the opportunity to have 5 of my grandchildren live with us for a short time while visiting from Japan. We have enjoyed this opportunity to really get to know them better. It has been during this time that I realized the desire for these children to know about their past.

It started with a cookbook that I had made a few years ago with family recipes and pictures of the family. They had seen this book before at their home but while they were here they discovered it again. My two oldest granddaughters, Ashley and Sarah, wanted to learn to make many of these recipes.

We made Pfefferneuse (peppernuts) using my husband’s grandmother’s recipe. It is one of those recipes that says things like add enough flour to make a stiff dough and bake until done at a temperature between 325 and 375 degrees with a note to turn it down if this is too hot. No mention of how long to bake. If you have not made them before you really do not know what it should be like. This has been a family Christmas tradition for his family long before he was ever born. His mother’s family was Mennonite and I am sure this recipe was passed down to his grandmother and her sister by other family members before them. The kids all had fun rolling the dough and forming the cookies. They asked questions about what we knew about their great great grandmother and how she lived. They were fascinated with every little story about their great grandmother and her mother and how they lived.

They explored the recipe book more and made Schnetke with their grandfather like his mother had done with him as a child. More questions and more answers. It was a great adventure for them. They couldn’t wait to find a new recipe to try in the book. It seemed to them that if the recipe was in the book it must taste really good. My granddaughter learned to make my holiday cheese ball and it was such fun sharing the time and learning experience with her. We made the traditional English Toffee that my mother always made at Christmas. Ashley (age 10) and Sarah (age 11) love to cook and make up recipes. I am sure that when they are grandmothers they will have their own recipes to share with their grandchildren and will instill that love of family and sharing traditions with them.

We decorated the tree and continued to share other traditions until they left this morning.

With Thanksgiving and now with Christmas, we shared traditions and stories that they will hopefully remember and share with their own children. They have asked us about our childhood and about their dad when he was younger. It is a living family history that they will contribute to as they live their lives and pass it on to their children.

Mele Kalikimaka,

~Paula Vilburn~

PAF Pal is now available free

Steve Cannon, the developer of PAF Pal, passed away a few years ago. He was a good programmer and a good friend.

PAF Pal was designed with the old TempleReady work flow in mind, although some of its functionality continues to be useful in some situations. Now that new FamilySearch is being used by so many people, we have contacted Steve’s family and they have agreed to allow us to offer PAF Pal at no cost. To get your copy, go to www.ohanasoftware.com and click on the Purchase menu. Scroll down to find the free license for PAF Pal. Once you have your license you can download PAF Pal by going to the Download menu and choosing the Freeware/Shareware link.

Merry Christmas from the Cannon family and your friends at Ohana Software

Enjoying the Spirit of Family History During the Holidays

Family history work seems to run in cycles during the year. When the holidays are over and fresh New Years resolutions have begun, family history centers are busy as people feel the need to fulfill their obligation to their ancestors.

Then springtime comes. The snow melts and family history gets placed back a little so that gardens may be planted. This is followed by Summer with its family vacations and kids all around. Fall comes. The garden is harvested, children return to school, and family history centers are open full time as we start to have more time for family history.

With the Holidays starting, we turn our thoughts to family gatherings, gift giving, and the birth of Jesus Christ.

So how can we maintain that spirit of family history while enjoying the holidays and spending more time with our family?

* Give an ancestor a gift by taking their name to the temple.
* If you visit with extended family members, ask them about their families. Record any additions and marriages that may have taken place since you last updated your records on their branch.
* If there are older family members present ask them questions and give them the opportunity to tell you or your children about their life and memories of others that may now be gone. You can record these to refer to later. I learned many things about my father’s childhood when he was talking to my children that I never knew about him before. They asked questions that I had not thought to ask and my father was more than willing to talk to them about his life and family.
* If you travel and are close to areas where there is a heritage for you family. Learn what you can about your heritage. Share this with your children and other family members. Take picture of your family home or areas that you or your ancestors lived and grew up in.
* Create a family heritage gift.
o This could be a book with recipes from the family and ancestors. We did this one year and put family pictures in with the recipes. It was a hit with the children in the family as well as the adults. It sparked interest in great grand parents because of the unique recipes that were part of their heritage.
o A calendar with photos and ancestors birth dates and other events.
o A family history CD to share with family members. You can include photos, stories, a family history database and more. Passage Express and Heritage Collector Suite can help in the creation of these projects.
o Write your personal history or a history of one of your ancestors to share with children and other relatives. Personal Historian has a wonderful set of questions to jar your memory and tools to help you organize and create a history. There are also questions to spark your memory on our FHC page .
* Share your joy of Family History by giving your time to help someone else get started. (a wonderful yet low cost gift idea)

With new FamilySearch becoming available to more areas, FamilySearch Record Search and the new tools that are now available to help. it will be easier to do a bit of family history here and there without taking hours at a time. You can continue the work while enjoying the holidays too.

Whatever you do, please enjoy this time and season as one that truly brings families closer together.

~Paula Vilburn~

New Contest

To celebrate the opening of all areas except Asia to new FamilySearch, Ohana Software is holding a new contest through January 1st 2010. The prize will be 2 tickets to the Family History Expo in Mesa, Arizona that will be held on Jan 22-23, 2010. ( Value $150).

There are several ways that you can enter this contest.

• Submit a success story on using FamilyInsight or Ordinance Tracker to success@ohanasoftware.com.
• If you have a blog, blog about FamilyInsight and Ordinance Tracker and send us a link to your blog so that we can follow you too.  Send the link to support@ohanasoftware.com
• Add a comment to this blog’s contest article  about FamilyInsight or Ordinance Tracker.
• Join FamilyInsight on Facebook and add a comment to the FamilyInsight wall. ( While there see the videos on how to use FamilyInsight.)
• Visit www.ohanasoftware.com and go to the purchase page and choose “Enter to win tickets to Mesa Family History Expo.” Continue as if you were purchasing something so it is attached to your registration in our records. (only one entry per person can be done this way).

We look forward to reading your FamilyInsight  stories and hope to see  you in Mesa.

Ohana Software

Introducing FHCWiki

John Vilburn of Ohana Software has created a new wiki. This is not part of Ohana Software but a place for sharing information. He says that he created it so that he would have a place to easily find the resources he uses in helping consultants in our area without having to do the research every time. Just to make it easier.

If you are a Family History Consultant, work in a Family History Center, teach a Family History class or are involved in helping others with Family History , take time to look and contribute to the new FHCWiki at www.fhcwiki.org.

A wiki is a place to share ideas and collaborate with others to add information. It is a website where anyone can share their ideas and where everyone is the webmaster. Most everyone has heard of Wikipedia the online wiki format encyclopedia. I go there often if I have a question about any number of things including places in my research. I am grateful to those that have added to that site so that I could benefit from their knowledge.

This wiki is just getting started and needs the entries of those of you who have information that can benefit others on their work in Family History Centers or as Consultants or others working to help people share in the joy of Family History.

So far there are links to FHC letters and policies, various presentations including a couple on new FamilySearch., lessons on Family History, leadership guides and more. This is a website for everyday people as well as Techies.

The more people that get involved the more we can all benefit. I know there are a lot of you that receive this newsletter that have a lot to offer. That is the wonderful thing about Family History work, we can all learn from each other. I personally have gained most of my knowledge of Family History as I worked with others to help them find some piece of information.

If you think that you can’t do this because you have never done a wiki before, or anything like it, there is a link on the main page with instructions on just how to proceed. You never know until you try. You can preview what you want to add before it is actually added so you will know how it will look. I made my first wiki entries this week and it was easy. 10 years ago I would never have thought I could be do this.

Register on the wiki and learn something new as you share your knowledge with others.

Hope to see you at www.fhcwiki.org

Paula