Riverton FamilySearch Library/Events

Saturday Seminar
The library offers a free seminar every third Saturday of the month. An opening session is held at 9:00 a.m. featuring a keynote address. Following this session attendees are offered four choices of presentations at both 10:00 and 11:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

 * Keynote Address - "They Did What? They Ate What?  Using the Mormon Migration and Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Websites to Learn about Your LDS Ancestors" - Eldon and Dorothy Walker

Description: For many of our early LDS ancestors, embracing the gospel also involved a journey to Zion.Often times this began with an ocean voyage. Crossing the ocean in the 19th century was difficult, expensive, and often dangerous. This journey also marked a dramatic turning point in the lives of these converts who left their homelands and sailed for America. For those who joined the Church before the Golden Spike was driven, gathering in Zion meant crossing the plains in a pioneer company. Learn where to discover stories, letters, journal entries, and other accounts of the journeys of your LDS ancestors on the internet that will surely bring about a "Turning of the Hearts".

Dorothy and Eldon Walker are Area Family History Advisers to about a third of the stakes in the Salt Lake Area. They are also Church Service missionaries, working at the Church History Library with the Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel website. They served a mission to Tennessee a few years ago where they worked with the Tennessee State Archivist in locating and preparing records in local court houses for microfilming. They also assisted directors of family history centers. Prior to her Area calling, Dorothy served as Jordan North Family History Center director for several years.

10:00 a.m.

 * “Your Ancestors in the Newspapers? Read All About It!" - Ron Ray

Description: .Newspapers have the craziest stories or the plainest, ho, hum ones you can imagine. Make your ancestors come alive with their stories posted in local and regional newspapers. Learn how to find them and how to search the sites. There is much more than just births, marriages and death information in newspapers. Why did they appear in court? What knitting group did greatgrandma belong to? What sports or school awards did they get or participate in community plays? Where else are you going to find that out, but in a newspaper.


 * Know What to Know How: Saving Documents, Files and Images from the Internet" - Tom Stubben


 * "Legacy and FamilySearch" - Dennis Knox


 * "So You Want to Conduct an Oral Interview...Now What" - Rose Ann Fisher

11:00 a.m.

 * "Preparing Names for the Temple: What are the Temple Submission Policies?" - Ray Garrison

Description: The policies set for submitting names to the temple have changed substantially in recent years. This presentation explains the current policies. Among these polices are: The information needed to qualify a deceased person for temple ordinances with the FamilySearch Family Tree program; the information needed to seal a child to parents and to seal a marriage; and how to qualify persons for temple ordinances on a relationship basis. The presentation also covers policies relating to multiple marriages, sealing divorced couples, when the names of deceased persons should not be submitted for temple work, and other topics.


 * "Strategies for Research" - Diana Toland

Description: Research Strategies are "ideas" which are based upon historical trends, human behavior, and research methods. Taken from professional researchers, family history consultants, and personal discoveries, these ideas will help with your genealogy research. The class includes 2 handouts: Free Web Sites and Web Sites by Record Type.


 * "Organizing, Planning, and Sharing with Legacy Family Tree" - Dennis Knox


 * "Finding Your 'Ssons' and 'Dotters' in Online Swedish Records" - Linda Baker

Description: This class is geared for those with basic through intermediate family history experience. Using a case study, we will cover how to apply a basic research cycle using both U.S. and online Swedish records to connect families from this side of the Atlantic to the European side. Lesser known sources for LDS immigrants will also be included.