October 26th Live Show - Their Roots Are Showing - in Oakland California

AncestorEbooks.com, an online company dedicated to the creation of personal family history Ebooks, announces Their Roots Are Showing, in Oakland, CA - hosted by The California Genealogical Society through the Lesher Center. Their Roots Are Showing is a live show and will include three Bay Area celebrities; Billy Beane, the Vice President and General Manager of the Oakland Athletics; Natalie Coughlin, the most decorated female Olympic medalist of all time; and Tim "Herb" Alexander, drummer for the Grammy-nominated rock band Primus.

These three celebrities will be onstage with genealogist, Gianna Suter-Franco, who is the MC, and a 12' X 12' projection screen. The format of Their Roots Are Showing is much the same as Who Do You Think You Are, however instead of traveling to their ancestral lands, the ancestral lands will be brought to them via video, maps, documents and photos. [bit.ly/1eAANm4]

In a long distance interview by Hack Genealogy, Therese Hart-Pignotti, the producer of Their Roots Are Showing, said, "I wanted diversity and that could have been by ethnicity, sex, or other areas. I just didn't want three football players, or a panel of musicians. I thought it would limit the audience. If we got something for everyone, a champion Olympian, a critically acclaimed and Grammy-nominated musician, and a former Major League Baseball player who just happened to have his adult life story portrayed by Brad Pitt in an Oscar nominated film, how could we go wrong?"

None of the celebrities know exactly what information will be presented the night of the show. However, each celebrity has been given a brief synopsis for their approval. Billy Beane's father came from North Carolina, and his maternal side represent early immigrants, coming from across an ocean and from north of our border. DNA will be used during Tim Alexander's segment to solve the mystery of his maternal side. His father's side will include information of early American and European immigration he has never known before! And Natalie Coughlin's family is quite diverse, including Irish immigrant, Filipino, and American roots. [bit.ly/1eAANm4]

"Their Roots Are Showing is quite the undertaking, however, it is exciting to see how the avenues for genealogy are going mainstream. Taking formats, such as 'Who Do You Think You Are?' & Genealogy Roadshow, and turning them into live productions is exciting. Celebrities inspire us, and after seeing their stories, we are more likely to want to research our own family history stories and to share those with others," says Gayla Mendenhall of AncestorEbooks. "When you take the time to learn your family stories, you can use that information through AncestorEbooks to create your own personal Ebooks to share with loved ones."

The California Genealogical Society, a library and research center, will present Their Roots Are Showing, an evening of surprise and discovery for three Bay Area celebrities on October 26, 2013, at 8:00 p.m. at the Del Valle Theater in Walnut Creek. [bit.ly/16jzWGv]

Springtime in the Ozarks

God's little feathered songsters
Are flitting here and there.
Amongst the lofty tree-tops
Their music fills the air
Each seeking some secluded crotch,
In which to build its nest
Its springtime in the Ozarks,
And life is at it's best!

The peach trees are aflame with bloom
A balm for weary eyes
The breeze picks up their sweet perfume,
and wafts it to the skies,
The wondrous work of God unfolds,
Throughout the endless miles,
It's springtime in the Ozarks
Land of a million smiles.

By my Great Grandfather, the Drywood Dreamer 

14th Annual Czechoslovak Genealogical Society Conference

AncestorEbooks.com, an online company dedicated to the creative sharing of family history materials through personalized EBooks, announces the 14th annual Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International Conference Oct 23-26.

The Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International Genealogical/Cultural Conference of 2013 (CGSIG) will be held in Westin, IL from October 23 through October 26. Many activities and sessions have been planned to include not only genealogy and research information, but also important sessions relating solely to the research and preservation of Czechoslovak ancestors and the cultural heritage. [bit.ly/19HbwRU]

There are two sessions that are geared directly to the Czechoslovakian research, T2: ‘Language Handbook for Traveling and Genealogy Research in Slovakia.’ scheduled for Thursday Morning, and Transportation and T6: ‘Language Handbook for Traveling and Genealogy Research in Slovakia -- Searching for Records, Strolling through Cemeteries, Meeting with Relatives’. These two Sessions are taught by Michal Razus. [bit.ly/19HbwRU]

Many sessions focus on the history of Chicago, concentrating attention on Slovak immigration, such as, F4: ‘S.S. Eastland -- A Conversation’ on Friday morning taught by Alberta Adamson and Jane Rio. In this session, participants will here a conversation between "two former Western Electric employees" reminisce about when the Disaster on July 24, 1915 when the unthinkable happened & the S.S. Eastland rolled over at the edge of the wharf, with over 2,500 passengers and crew aboard leaving, 844 people died, including 22 entire families. [eastlanddisaster.org/summary.htm]

There will be several Breakout sessions that will teach participants how to use technology, such asFamilySearch.org, to research family history, and classes teaching the best way to write a detailed family history for posterity, without the use of boring charts. These participants will be given hints on ways to write a "compelling narrative your relatives and future generations will want to read.

"We here at AncestorEbooks.com are excited to see family stories being incorporated into the telling of family history. The family tree and pedigree charts are only the ‘skeleton’ of what people want to know about their ancestors. It is the stories behind their lives, how they lived, and important life events that bring family history to life.”

“Writing a compelling narrative will give future generations the desire to read those stories and relate them to themselves", says Gayla Mendenhall of AncestorEbooks. "More and more, conferences, such as the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International's Conference, are including information on creative ways to use and share the stories that were discovered."

AncestorEbooks.com is the fun, easy, and creative way to use genealogical information and tell an ancestor's stories, using mp3s, videos, documents and photos. AncestorEbooks was created to use today's digital age and new technologies in the retelling and sharing of family history & stories. The possibilities are limitless!

February 2013 - October 2013 Growth of AncestorEbooks.com

In the Beginning...      Before I knew all it would take to create a website for sharing family history/ trees/ stories/ etc. I call these my 'Why aren't we Ready Yet?' years... Yes I said YEARS. 

   I was blessed with the idea for a website that helped family genealogists share their research with families & especially the youth who were addicted to Electronics, in the Spring of 2010. Online ads claimed the build and design would only take about 3-4 months. Even the Coding Company that Art & Logic recommended, David Hirschfeld's Tekyz.com, expected we would be online and helping customers within at most 5-6 months. However, David and I learned there is a definite difference between what is offered by designers Online, and using a family tree (gedcom file) to create Ebooks, which is what my website is expected to accomplish. Suddenly I realized I needed to know more about how to create what was in my mind's eye.

   After 2 1/2 years of schooling at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and graduating with an Associates Degree in Web Design & Interactive Media, I understood what I wanted to do, and knew enough to accept that I'd need help getting the coding correct, thus Tekyz.com.

To keep a long story short... AncestorEbooks.com came onto the internet scene in February, however, just as with many things we create (take a stick built home for example, which is scheduled to be finished and ready in 4 months will typically take 6-8 months before you can move in) there were simple coding problems that kept it from actually being online & accepting customers until June!

   Keeping things in perspective, we have done very well in the past 8 months of dedicated work to get the brand name, AncestorEbooks.com, into the 'know'.  As the image of the above Facebook Fans shows, AncestorEbooks.com now has 1903 Contacts and with the model of growth we can expect to have doubled that number by Spring of 2014, & tripled it by this time next year!

Where You Enter This Story... As I'm sure you know, word of mouth is louder and more effective than bags of money (which I don't have) given to advertisement agencies. So Please, take a few moments of your valuable time (yes I know it's valuable!) & post what you like about AncestorEbooks.com on our Facebook Page. What do you like/ dislike about AncestorEbooks?