By Prince Albert Genealogical Society

Good Sams Learn About Good Genealogy

Jun 22, 2011 | 10:55 AM

Good Sams Learn About Good Genealogy

 As part of the Good Sams Samboree in Prince Albert, the Prince Albert Branch of the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society offered two sessions in Basic Genealogy. Branch member and genealogist Audrey Boyko presented the basic how-to with help from Nancy Carswell and Leverne Baxter. The Thursday June 9 and Friday June 10 sessions had over 20 participants and were well received.

Named after the Good Samaritan, Good Sams are RVers who are committed to making RVing safer and more enjoyable. It traces its roots to a group of RVers who used Good Samaritan bumper stickers to let other RVers know they were willing to help on the road. It also saves members money through discounts. The Saskatchewan Samboree is an annual event offering the opportunity for members to camp together, exchange tips, take tours, and participate in a variety of sessions.

After the first day's genealogy session, Boyko offered to do a specific search for those with a particular question. A good Sam had a brick wall and within a short time Boyko had demolished it. “All the woman knew was that her husband's mother had arrived in a small Manitoba town with a baby and a trunk in the middle of the night. The next day she purchased a hotel with cash,” Bokyo explained. “In genealogy, knowing the place and time can sometimes be the wrecking ball that can remove a brick wall.” The place and time led to a ship passenger list and the passenger list to missing family data.

Carswell gave a brief demonstration of two increasingly common technologies that can assist genealogists. Optical character recognition is standard on many scanners and using it can save the time of typing out an obituary or other lengthy text. Technology also offers a solution to handwritten documents like letters or journals. Search the help feature for “speech to text” on a computer to find out if it has the ability to turn speech into text. Carswell works full time but had no worries when she heard the sessions were during regular work hours. “Credenda Virtual High School and College, my employer, is virtues based like the Good Sams Club. By giving all employees volunteer time, Credenda practices the virtue of generosity while I get to practice the virtue of service.” Credenda also supplied the data projector for the sessions.

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Baxter said, “Our branch really appreciated the opportunity to do these sessions. The more people who do genealogy the better it gets. Audrey's final words, 'let your family know you are doing genealogy,' are especially important. Maybe family members have been looking for someone who will take care of a photo album or a family Bible. They will also know who contact when they have the inevitable task of dealing with the history left behind when someone dies.”

The next meeting of the Prince Albert Branch of the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society will be the second Tuesday in September.