SESSIONS

AI in Genealogy: Is it really new? – Gord McBean

Recently AI (Artificial Intelligence) has been all the news with the release of ChatGPT. ChatGPT might be new, but is AI new? Genealogists have been befitting from AI since about 2000.
AI can be a useful tool for genealogy assisting with tasks such as record indexing, transcription, and analysis of DNA data. The FamilySearch website uses AI to index millions of historical records, such as census and vital records. AI-powered tools like DocAI and Amazon Textract can extract information from these documents and provide insights into family relationships, locations, and occupations. AI has been used to transcribe handwritten and difficult-to-read documents, AI can learn to recognize different handwriting styles and even decipher old or faded text. This was used in the 1950 US and the recent 1931 Canadian censuses, making indexes available in record time.
With DNA testing for genealogy purposes, AI can analyze DNA data and identify potential matches between individuals. AI can also be used for Facial Recognition, identifying individuals in old photographs. MyHeritage developed an app that helps date photographs.
This presentation will look at all of the ways we currently use AI, what is currently new and what new applications are coming. From the date of this writing this outline to the date of the presentation AI will have changed even more.

Western Canadian Military Records for Beginners: Honouring our ancestors by exploring their service – Kendra Gaede

Military records are well worth researching as they provide a wide variety of genealogical data for the family historian. From physical descriptions on attestation papers, to personnel selection reports and commendations, it is possible to paint a picture of a family member we may have never met and follow their progress in the theatre of war. Using examples from WWI and WWII, Ms. Gaede will walk family historians through the process of ordering service records from Library and Archives Canada and the United Kingdom’s National Archives, and how to interpret them once acquired. She will also discuss war-related records available from other important archival centres across Canada, which might help amateur genealogists discover details and photographs of loved ones in wartime. Finally, medals, honours and decorations will be discussed, and questions answered.

If It’s Not a Book – Then What? – Gord McBean

At one time the only option, and the ultimate goal, of genealogists was to create and publish a family history book. Printing and publishing costs make it expensive to publish in the traditional way. Most of us will never really finish our research – so will the “book” have to wait until we have finished? How can we document, preserve and share what we currently know.
With electronic options now available we have so many options for the projects we can use to share what we have found. We no longer have to wait until we are “finished”. We can create and self publish booklets containing family stories or personal biographies to share in print or electronically.
We can write articles for our society journal or produce a video about an ancestor’s life. By sharing we might even benefit from “Crowd Sourcing,” gathering new information from other researchers and family members. Seeing your project might even help open up relatives to sharing new stories with you.
By producing alternate media we might reach a family member that would never read our book. We need to create something different that will draw them into the family story. By starting with smaller projects we gain confidence and skills we can apply to the next more complicated project. The list of possible alternative projects is almost endless. Write a profile of an ancestor. The editor of your local genealogical society would probably love to receive it to include in their publication. Expand it to the story of your first family to arrive in an area, Also consider submitting that to the editor.
If writing is not your thing try creating a slide show of family images or combine them with audio and record them as a digital video. Create a photo book or essay.

 Western Canadian Immigration Documents for the Family Historian – Kendra Gaede

Immigration records are well worth researching as they provide a wide variety of genealogical data for the family historian. Using ship’s manifests, land grants and supporting documents like newspaper articles and census data, it is possible to paint a picture of our immigrant ancestors’ journey to North America and how they forged a new life for themselves in Canada. Discussing the principles of Genealogical Proof Standard, Ms. Gaede will walk family historians through the process of locating and identifying key immigration documents from important archival centres and explain how to interpret these records once acquired. She will also discuss specialized collections, which might help amateur genealogists discover further details and even photographs of loved ones and their homesteads in Canada.

For more information about our speakers, please see our conference webpage. 

There will be exciting door prizes throughout the day.

We hope that you are ready to register! We have great speakers and are looking forward to meeting in person. Registration will close on September 9 at midnight. 

Early bird registration: Register by August 15, 2024 at midnight to be put in a draw for a half-price conference registration!

• To register online, go to Eventbrite.
• If you prefer to pay by cheque, download and print this registration form and mail it with payment to the address on the form. Mail-in registration forms must be received at the library no later than September 9.
• We will offer payment by credit card at the following Society meetings at Bow Cliff Seniors Centre: May 13, June 10 and September 9.

Cancellation Policy – For a full refund, a request to cancel must be received in writing to familyroots@afhs.ab.ca by September 9 at midnight. Please note that refunds will be subject to a $10 fee. Refunds after this date will not be available.

Photography and Filming Disclaimer – Please note that photographs and footage may be taken at this Family Roots event. These may be used for marketing and publicity in our publications, on our website and on social media. Please contact familyroots@afhs.ab.ca if you have any concerns.