ROOTS & BRANCHES

I’ve been a longtime speaker at the Ohio Genealogical Society’s annual conference and have made the circuit several times of its major host cities of Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, and Toledo.

It had become a rite of spring for to be scheduled for a couple of lectures and on several occasions came to the rescue by adding a presentation when another speaker couldn’t make it.

As the pandemic unfolded in 2020, the OGS conference became one of the events that needed to be cancelled.

In 2021, OGS gamely went virtual and produced a reasonable facsimile of the conference online.

Last year, they were my first in-person gig in more than two years. It was great to be back in person but with COVID still in the air and on the minds of genealogists, attendance was noticeably smaller than pre-pandemic.

But what really counted most to me was the enthusiasm of the attendees, particularly those with Pennsylvania and German roots, two of my specialties.

I literally didn’t make it in from the parking lot upon arriving at the conference before one person was showing me a PA birth certificate and another was telling me that she had a German-language document along for me to examine.

It was also the first in-person event for Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania since I had landed back there in October 2021, and it was gratifying to see so many people wanting to engage with GSP at the conference.

I was so impressed by all the enthusiasm—especially from the many attendees with Pennsylvania forebears—that I proposed a 3-hour workshop on the commonwealth’s genealogy to the OGS folks, which they in turn seemed happy to schedule, not just once but twice during the conference.

Historical Society of Pennsylvania agreed to be a co-sponsor and for their genealogy director, Katy Bodenhorn, to be part of the panel for the workshop, which we titled “Nuts & Bolts, Bells & Whistles: Pennsylvania Genealogy Boot Camp.”

Rounding out the panel were Shamele Jordon, the host of “Genealogy Quick Start” and also a GSP vice president, and Marilyn Holt, retired from the Pennsylvania Department of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

Kathryn Donahue, a retired educator and now GSP vice president, helped with the format and curriculum for the workshop.

Attendees were asked to submit brick-wall problems and many seemed happy with the ideas they received.

And the OGS conference overall seemed to be returning to a pre-pandemic level of activity; hopefully the workshop as well as GSP’s presence in the exhibit hall helped with that.

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 In just a couple of weeks, GSP and HSP will again come together to co-sponsor “Family History Sampler” on Saturday, May 20, with three nationally known speakers. The event is being offered in hybrid form with the opportunity to join either virtually or in-person at HSP. Seating is limited for the in-person program!

To register, go to the URL,