Midway Point for the BYU Family History and Genealogy Conference

This past Tuesday, 30 July 2013, the BYU Family History and Genealogy Conference began. It runs until this coming Friday, 2 Aug 2013.

The conference is at the half-way mark and so far I consider it a success.  The conference sold out last week and there was no room for walk-in attendees. The vendors were only going to be there two days.  They were there today and will also be there tomorrow, which is Thursday.  There are not a lot of vendors, but still typical for what the BYU Conference Center will hold. The general public is welcome to visit the vendors during the conference without registering.

If you want to purchase any of the Third Party Products that sync with FamilySearch Family Tree now is a good time to do so. Ancestral Quest, Legacy, and RootsMagic are all selling their programs for $20 each. If you purchase the RootsMagic software you also get the book "Getting the Most out of RootsMagic" for free. That's a big savings.

I attended today, the "What's New in Legacy 8" by Geoff Rasmussen. I will write an article later on the new features.  What I wanted to mention now are some time frames I was told about Legacy.  Currently version 7.5 only works with (old) New FamilySearch.  Geoff said in the next couples of days, or at least by the end of the week they should have a new update to version 7 that will include the ability to sync with Family Tree. So if you already own version 7 this update will be free for you. If you purchase Legacy 7 at the conference you will receive the upgrade to Legacy 8 for free.  Legacy 8 should be coming out in the next month or two as long as development stays on schedule.

Since it's getting late and I need my beauty sleep before tomorrow's session of conference, I thought I'd let you know what classes I have attended so far.

Tuesday Schedule
Keynote Address by Elder Allan F. Packer, "An Invitation to Shape the Future"
Quaker Roots by Lisa Arnold
Introduction to Polish Research by Joseph Everett
Migratory Ancestors by Kory Meyerink
The Best in the World: 7 Sacraments of the Catholic Church by George Ryskamp
Evaluating Evidence and Resolving Discrepancies by Kory Meyerink

Wednesday Schedule
Keynote Address by Dennis Brimhall, "Not Just a Chart, But the Heart"
What's New in Legacy 8 by Geoff Rasmussen
What's New in RootsMagic 6 by Bruce Buzbee - I gave up my seat because there was a line of people waiting to come in, and many having to be turned away. I decided to talk to vendors instead.
Finding Your Kentucky Ancestors by J. Mark Lowe
FamilySearch Family Tree Road Map by Ron Tanner
Beginning French Research by Heidi Sugden
Vendor Class: Research Ties by Jill Crandall

Both of the Keynote Addresses have been excellent.  My classes have been great and I have learned a lot. I have surprisingly ventured out of my New York region that I faithfully research in. So, I'm stretching my wings and am totally amazed at what I am finding. I will try to share some of the highlights on each class with you later.

See ya tomorrow, for tomorrow is always another genealogy day!