Franklin Family History Conference

I participated yesterday as a speaker at the New England Family History Conference in Franklin. This is my 2nd year as a speaker, and my 4th year as an attendee. It's one of my favorite conferences b/c it draws a lot of people and good speakers and it's free. I tried out a new talk yesterday and got good reviews. It was a little challenging b/c it was about educational opportunities in genealogy and there are so many types that it was a lot to cover. But the audience was great. I also gave a talk on using the library e-resources that I have given a few times before. Other than the talks, one of my favorite parts of this conference is the cupcakes the young women make as a fundraiser for camp. They decorate them as grandmas and grandpas.

This conference treats their speakers well. They are not paid, but we are fed and this year they went all out on the gift basket for each speaker. It was done up very nicely and contained food items from each of the 3 countries that were highlighted during the talks: England, Italy & Ireland. They included African-American recipes as that was another topic, as well as some nice European chocolates and other goodies. My next speaking gig is not until July, so I can focus on school now. I'm speaking at the Massachusetts Genealogical Council annual meeting and also at a free conference in Lynnfield MA in September.