ROOTS & BRANCHES

It was just three years ago, while I was still interim executive director of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, that we put together the first statewide conference in the Keystone State that had been held in almost two decades.

We called it PaGE—Pennsylvania’s Genealogy Event—and led by GSP’s Kathy Donahue, it received rave reviews from the hundreds of online attendees.

I’m no longer on staff at GSP but I’m happy to say that PaGE is back for a sequel that looks just as enticing as the original, which isn’t always the case with “second time arounds.”

With the advantages of having done a PaGE-style conference once already, the GSP team has put together a great lineup of speakers as well as a winning format to make the live online time from Aug. 6–9 a robust experience for the registrants.

PaGE is also being offered at an attractive early bird price. Through May 31, the full conference is available for $175. GSP members are being offered an even better deal—$135, and given that annual dues for the society are just $45, the discount has the effect of getting a year for just $5.

I’m considering it a deal because PaGE has attracted a really good mix of speakers, longtime heavyweights such as Annette Burke Lyttle, Legal Genealogist Judy G. Russell , and Michael L. Strauss as well as a number of lesser-known presenters (I’ll be co-presenting “Trading Labor for Passage: Pennsylvania’s Indentured Servants” with Katy Bodenhorn). In all there will be more than 30 presentations.

In addition to topics on methodology, some of the lectures will be case study–based. One I’m especially looking forward to will be “A 60 Year Old Soldier? Following the Clues Behind an Unlikely Decision” from Brian Rhinehart, who’s made a name for himself as the No. 1 searcher for National Archives military records.

One of the things that distinguishes this virtual conference is that the lectures are set to go live a couple of weeks before the event (July 20) to enable registrants the chance to immerse themselves in as many of these prerecorded programs as possible.

Then during the Aug. 6–9 dates, there will be live Q&As with the speakers (No more watching a live lecture and only thinking of your question the next day with no way to ask it!). These moderated Q&As will give attendees the opportunity for deep and focused conversation.

In addition to the presenters and their Q&A’s, there will also be virtual roundtable sessions called “Gatherings” scheduled during the conference.

And PaGE won’t be over in August. Registrants will have the opportunity to replay the every session—including recordings of the live Q&As—on-demand for 90 days (through Nov. 10).

For more information or to register for the conferece, go to the URL, https://events.genpa.org/