5th Annual Genealogy Conference
| Introduction |
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You are invited to attend the 2009 Genealogy Conference and "Land
Cruise," 26-30 August 2009, sponsored by Wholly Genes,
Inc.
This, our fifth
annual genealogy conference, continues our tradition of offering
a unique educational experience for family researchers in an extremely
cost-effective format.
Although in
the past our annual genealogy conference has been held on a cruise
ship, economic conditions warrant our doing something a little bit
different this year.
Our 2009 conference
will be held at the Shrine Mont Conference Center in historic Orkney
Springs, Virginia. This rural setting provides a very inexpensive
venue for our genealogy presentations and its proximity to Washington
D.C. offers us the opportunity to follow those preparatory lectures
with an all-day research trip to the extraordinary research repositories
of the nation's capital.
Please join
us for great learning experience and the camaraderie of fellow researchers
while enjoying the pastoral beauty of the historic Shenandoah Valley.
Note that
each of our previous four conferences has been sold out and this
year's event is expected to fill up quickly. Due to the venue, we're
limited this year to just 200 people and when those reservations
are taken, there will be no more.
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| The
Location |
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The Shrine Mont
Conference Center is centered around a beautiful 19th-century hotel
in the Shenandoah Valley, nestled in the foothills of the Great
North Mountain, about 2 hours west of Washington D.C.
The town now
known as Orkney Springs was founded about 1774 and, during the 1800s,
was a popular spa and resort, its waters having a reputation for
medicinal qualities. The sprawling hotel complex is now comprised
of dozens of buildings, the oldest of which was built in 1853 and
was said to have been used by recuperating Confederate soldiers.
The main hotel
building, now called the Virginia House, is a grand, four-story,
wooden structure that was built in 1873 and is listed in the National
Register of Historic Places. Comprising some 96,000 square feet
and three stories of wide, comfortable porches, it is truly an impressive
structure, especially given its remote location. At its construction,
its 500 square foot ballroom with an 18 foot ceiling was the largest
that was built without interior pillar support. This ballroom is
the main venue for our conference lectures.
The conference
center and the town of Orkney Springs are also hosts to the annual Shenandoah
Valley Music Festival, now in its fourth decade of performances.
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| The
Speakers |
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As always, our
first-class speaker list includes some of the most respected and
knowledgeable professional genealogists in the world, including....
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John
Philip Colletta, Ph.D. - a popular speaker, prolific
author, and expert on research at the Library of Congress,
among many other topics. |
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Marie
Varrelman Melchiori, CG, CGL - a full-time researcher
for 30 years, an expert on the National Archives, military
records, and other topics. |
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Patricia
O'Brien Shawker, CG - the Director of the National
Institute on Genealogical Research, author, and an
expert on research at the DAR Library and National
Archives, among other topics.
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Craig
Roberts Scott, CG - publisher, professional researcher
for more than 23 years, and an expert on a wide variety
of record types and resources, including colonial,
Civil War, federal records, migration,military, Quaker,
and government publications.
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Users
of The Master Genealogist (TMG) software will also
have the opportunity to learn from some of the most
experienced TMG users, including:
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Bob Velke, President of Wholly Genes Software;
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Lee Hoffman, beta tester and compiler of "Getting
the Most Out of The Master Genealogist";
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Terry Reigel, beta tester and author of "Primer
for The Master Genealogist" and;
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representatives
of the Wholly Genes technical support staff.
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Lectures
and Other Events |
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The following presentations are scheduled:
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"Research
at the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Library"
by Patricia O'Brien Shawker, CG (1 hour).
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Established
in 1896, the DAR Library has collections that can be accessed
onsite and on the web. The onsite collections include
the analytical index; Bible records; county, local, and
state histories; family genealogies; and seven subscription
based databases. Researchers can access their library
catalog and their Genealogical Records Committee (GRC)
reports index online. |
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"One
Family's Footprint in the Federal Records" by Patricia
O'Brien Shawker, CG (1 hour).
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This
lecture will illustrate how a broad range of federal records
can be used for genealogical research. Record Groups covered,
among others, will include: the General Land Office, the
Interior Department, the Post Office Department, the Bureau
of Customs, the Weather Bureau, and cartographic records.
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"The Library of Congress - An Overview with Research
Examples, Parts 1 and 2" by John Philip Colletta,
Ph.D. (2 hours).
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This
two-part lecture takes the mystery and trepidation out
of using our huge national library. Reading room by reading
room-there are twenty of them-it explores the institution's
innumerable treasures. Rare published works, newspapers,
cartographic and manuscript materials, prints and photographs,
the European Reading Room and Law Library, as well as
the extraordinary online collections are all examined.
Specific research cases illustrate how discoveries made
at the LC may lead to other repositories, such as the
Historical Society of Washington, D.C., the Martin Luther
King, Jr., Public Library, and other local specialized
collections. |
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"Using
Original and Derivative Sources: How to Evaluate Evidence"
by John Philip Colletta, Ph.D. (1 hours).
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Finding
the sources we need to reconstruct the lives of our
ancestors is just half the challenge; the other half
is making sense of them once we have found them. This
lecture discusses original and derivative sources and
explores the assets and drawbacks of each. Using three
examples, it demonstrates how to derive the full informational
content from a source; the importance of knowing the
origin and purpose of the source; how to analyze and
correlate information in order to resolve conflicting
"facts;" and how to test hypotheses to learn
the true story of each ancestor. It all results in an
understanding of the Genealogical Proof Standard.
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"Using
Records in the National Archives: A Researcher's View"
by Marie Varrelman Melchiori, CG, CGL (1 hour).
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A
researcher‘s view at how and why records are arranged
at the National Archives. How to use the multitude of
finding aids available both from home and "on site.".
Guide books, preliminary inventories and descriptive pamphlets
are discussed. |
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"But
I Know He Got a Pension! Working the National Archives Pension
Indexes" by Marie Varrelman Melchiori, CG, CGL (1
hour).
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Are
you missing your soldier on the pension index? A look
at the variety of pension index cards and what they mean.
The arrangement of records at NARA is of great importance.
Because the Unindexed Bounty Land records do not appear
on microfilm or in published sources they are often over
looked by researchers. |
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"Researching
Your Colonial Wars Ancestor" by Craig Roberts Scott,
CG (1 hour).
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Before
the Revolution, the French and the Indians, among others,
made a point of trying to wrest land away from the American
Colonists. The result was the creation of a strong militia
system, muster rolls, payrolls, accounts and bounty land.
All records that can provide insight into our ancestors. |
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"Researching
Your Military Ancestor" by Craig Roberts Scott, CG
(1 hour).
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From
the Revolution to the present the federal government has
been generating records on persons in the military. Both
while in the military service records and later in the
form of pension records, pension ledgers and payment vouchers.
The records differ by time period and by branch of service. |
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There will also
be one-on-one opportunities with the speakers, hosted breakfasts
(small group meals with a speaker), as well as welcome and farewell
mixers.
For spouses
or others not interested in the research trip to D.C. on Friday,
there will be coordinated trips to local caverns, vineyards, orchards,
museums, antique shops, and/or other local attractions.
The speaker
list is not expected to change but we reserve the right to make
changes to accommodate unforeseen circumstances.
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| The
Schedule |
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A
detailed meeting schedule is still being worked out but the conference
will start with a day and a half of lectures about methodology,
repositories, records, and finding aids in D.C. (including NARA,
the Library of Congress, and the DAR), followed by a full-day research
trip to Washington D.C. (the "land cruise" part), and
then another day and a half of presentations, among other activities.
In addition
to those genealogical lectures of interest to all researchers, there
will be a number of presentations about The Master Genealogist (TMG)
software. Those lectures will start Saturday after lunch, however,
giving those who are not interested in the software presentations
the option of registering for only the first three days of the conference.
None of the
lecture times will overlap so you won't be required to make choices
and miss something.
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Accommodations
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The main hotel
building (known as "Virginia House") will be the site
of our conference events and main dining room (see below).
The guest rooms
are not in Virginia House itself but in the surrounding buildings
that are part of the hotel complex. Please consult the town
map for the locations of the various buildings. You will
be assigned a building/room based on the characteristics that you
request. Contact us in advance if your reservation depends on
the availability of a certain building or room.
Note that
none of the guest rooms (nor the hotel itself) is air conditioned.
However, the town is 2300 ft above sea level and cool breezes coming
down from the mountain generally keep the temperature warm but very
reasonable. For more than 135 years, the staff has learned to very-effectively
manage the temperature inside the hotel through the judicious use
of fans, shades, and shutters. For your own room, you may want to
bring a fan if you are driving (and an extra for another who is
flying).
Some on the
Wholly Genes staff have been attending this mountain retreat for
more than 40 years and have rarely found the weather to be a deterrent.
If you are especially sensitive to warm weather, however, you may
want to consider renting more modern off-site accommodations as
listed at the bottom
of this section.
There is no
difference in price for the three types of on-site guest rooms listed
below.
View
a Map of the Town
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Guest
room options: |
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HOTEL:
We
have reserved all of one of the hotel's side buildings ("Maryland
House") for our group. It is just across the street
from the Virginia
House's main lobby.
Each of
these rooms has a private entrance and bath. Twin and double
beds are available. The second-floor rooms are only accessible
by a staircase. There are a few handicapped-accessible rooms
on the lower level and a few with a view of an interior courtyard
which could also provide cross-ventilation.
Maryland
House floor plan
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SMALL COTTAGES:
We
have also reserved three small two-story cottages with six
double-occupancy rooms each (two twin beds). They have a mixture
of private and shared bathrooms They are within 60 yards
of the hotel lobby but none of these rooms are handicap-accessible.
Like the
Maryland House, these cabins have no common living space so
they are appropriate for the less sociable crowd who don't
expect to spend a lot of time in their room.
Fairfax
floor plan
Arlington
floor plan
Norfolk
floor plan
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LARGE COTTAGES:
As
a third type of accommodation, we've reserved a number of
larger cottages with 2 to 9 rooms each (single, double, and
triple occupancy). Some double beds are available. Most have
a common area or living room and some have a screened porch.
Some are equipped with a refrigerator (but no cooking facilities)
and a few are handicap-accessible.
These
cabins are about two hundred yards from the
main hotel and sometimes up a small hill so they are recommended
for those who don't mind a little exercise. Each has a few
parking spaces, however, so "commuting" to/from
the hotel is possible for conference events and meals.
These
cabins are in a more private setting but the shared living rooms
make them more appropriate for small groups of friends (or
soon-to-be friends).
Atkeson
floor plan
Derossi
floor plan
Meade floor
plan
Miller floor
plan
Peterkin
floor plan
FULL Portlock
floor plan
Warner floor
plan
Woodward
Director floor plan
Woodward
Staff floor plan
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Interior:
All guest rooms are very basic and there is little
variation in this respect between the buildings. The beds
are simple box springs and there is a dresser and a bedside
table. The rooms are reasonably comfortable but, again, there
is absolutely nothing that could be described as fancy about
them.
When not
sleeping or in meetings, you'll be most comfortable in hotel/cottage
common areas (which have couches and other comfortable seating),
reading a book on a porch, or enjoying the outdoors.
There
is morning maid service. All rooms are non-smoking.
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Off-Site
Accommodations:
If you
think that you'll be uncomfortable with the reserved accommodations,
then there are some other options. The Shenandoah Valley is
host to a long list of bed-and-breakfasts and historic hotels.
There are also modern hotels as well as rental condos, town
houses, and houses within a 20 minute drive.
We've
listed some suggestions for you to contact below, although
we do not necessarily endorse them. All are subject to availability,
of course, and exclude meals and conference events.
Conference attendance is $160 per person for
those staying off-site. If you like, you can also
eat with our group. The conference center will
provide three meals for $34.50 per day per
person, although that can be broken down
(breakfast=$9.50, lunch=$11.50, dinner=$13.50).
They'd just need a few days notice about when to
expect you.
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Food |
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The food is
good old-style country cookin' (meat,
potatoes, salads, fresh vegetables, canned fruit, homemade
biscuits, etc.). They
are planned meals with little, if any, choice of entrees. Some
special diets can be accommodated but please contact
us in advance.
Meals are served
buffet-style in a large dining room on the third floor of Virginia
House. Some seating may also be available in Tucker Hall where the
food is served family style.
There is a restaurant
at Bryce Resort (http://www.bryceresort.com) and little country
store with a limited food selection, both within 10 minutes drive.
There is a full grocery store and wide variety of restaurants, including
fast food, in Mt. Jackson, Virginia (20 minutes). Remember, however,
that the price of your registration already includes meals.
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| Conference
Facilities |
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Our principal
meeting space is in the 5000 sq. ft. ballroom, on the third floor
of the Virginia House.
The building
is handicapped-accessible and there is one elevator. Free wireless
internet access is available from the lobby and throughout most
of this building.
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| Local
Transportation |
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Unfortunately,
there is no public transportation to/from this little country town
so a car is the only practical alternative for getting around the
countryside. Rental cars are available from area airports and there
is ample free parking in town.
There is a motor
coach/bus (http://www.shenvalleycommuters.com) for $25.00 from Washington
D.C. area airports, Metrorail, and Amtrak stations to Woodstock,
Virginia which is itself about 30 minutes from our conference location.
We are investigating chartering a shuttle service directly to our
conference location but we will also encourage and help to coordinate
car-pooling by our conference attendees. More on that as more information
becomes available.
For those attending
the Washington D.C. research trip on Friday, there will be a modest
fee for the roundtrip motor coach. Those details too will be forthcoming.
(Or you could drive yourself, of course).
For Friday excursions
to local vineyards, etc., we expect to be able to coordinate carpools
from our within our group. A small gas-sharing fee may be appropriate.
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| On-Site
Amenities/Activities |
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Free wireless
internet access is available from Virginia House and Tucker Hall but
is typically out of the range of guest rooms and cottages. There
is a modern swimming pool, basketball, tennis, hiking trails, volleyball,
shuffleboard, horseshoes, ping pong, etc.
The resort is
designed as a place to relax, read a book, take a walk in the woods,
and get away from it all (when you aren't learning about how to
be a better researcher). There are deliberately no televisions and
only one public telephone in the whole resort. Newspaper delivery
can be arranged during your stay. Cell phone service is spotty,
although we've had good luck with AT&T. Reliable cell service
requires about a 15 minute drive.
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| Off-Site
Amenities/Activities |
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The conference
facility is within 10 minutes of a more modern resort, including
an 18-hole golf course (with driving range and putt-putt), fishing,
boating, and a variety of pasttimes for the younger crowd, including
a zip-line, climbing wall, bungee jump, and tubing.
Within a 30-60
minute drive, there are dozens of historic attractions, including
caverns, the Manassas and New Market battlefields, museums, orchards,
and a variety of folk art and antique shops.
There is an
outdoor and an indoor Episcopal chapel on the grounds and a variety
of other churches within a 30-minute drive.
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| Cost
& Registration |
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The cost per
person is just $379 (4 days) or $309 (3 days), double occupancy,
including meals and all conference events. (The General
Schedule Outline explains the 2- or 3-day options.)
These are EARLY
BIRD prices and will increase
by about 5% per person after 6 Feb 2009 (if it is not sold out by
then).
This price does
not include travel, taxes, and costs associated with optional area
excursions. There will be an additional fee for the shuttle bus
for those who join us on the D.C. research trip.
All reservations
require a non-refundable deposit of $125.00 (balance due by 1 June
2009). A specific cottage/room assignment requires payment in full
at the time of registration.
Roommates may
be available through our Roommate
Finder forum.
Click to place
your reservation now!
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