I enjoyed seeing you a couple of weeks ago at the National Genealogical Society's “Conference in the States,” which was held in beautiful Sacramento, California. Wasn't that a great convention center? I really enjoyed the speakers, the meals, and the vendor hall. Oh, and the networking. The tips I got from fellow genealogists filled several pages in my notebook. Good genealogists never stop learning.

The two annual national-level genealogy conferences in the U.S. are such great events. We all keep going from the morning into the evening at these so we won't miss anything. Are you as tired as I am after NGS Sacramento? Ah, but I wouldn't give up those four days, would you?

What's that you say? You weren't at the NGS conference in Sacramento? You missed the sightings of Arnold's limo as reported by one registrant. (If you don't know who the Arnold in Sacramento is, you are spending way too much time on genealogy at your computer.) I have been in Sacramento twice this spring and thoroughly enjoyed both visits, even though both were working trips. The weather for the conference was perfect.

You missed four days packed full of lectures from knowledgeable speakers from around the U.S. and other countries. You missed the syllabus that contained lecture handouts from most speakers. You missed the opportunity to ask questions of the experts in a variety of topics. Members of the Genealogical Speakers Guild provided the introductions for many of the speakers. More lectures than ever before at such a conference utilized Power Point for the visual part of the presentation.

The lectures covered a wide range of topics including land records, New England research, Virginia research, maps, the California Gold Rush, researching German ancestry, online research, timelines, family health history, and railroad records, just to name a few.

The lecture halls were nice and roomy. Some of them even had tables for the audience--this made taking notes easier. There often isn't room in the lecture halls for tables, so this was a pleasant treat.

There was the usual “this room is too cool” followed by the next person saying the same room “is way too warm.” That's why you should bring a light sweater or jacket so that you are comfortable.

If you weren't there, you missed the fun of meeting fellow genealogists and of getting reacquainted with someone you met at a conference a few years ago. The hugs and handshakes at these conferences are a definite plus.

You missed the desserts at the conference meal functions. The chocolate variations got rave reviews. I know one person who didn't eat much of her meal so that she could eat the dessert and not feel guilty. I attended three meal events and thoroughly enjoyed the conversations among my tablemates and, of course, the after-meal speakers were great. At the meal events, you often are seated with several people you never met before and, yes, the conversation topic is usually genealogy. The food was really good in the host hotel restaurant.

You missed aisle after aisle of genealogical vendors selling and displaying books, software, hardware, pins, photos, maps, and much more. You missed the demonstrations of both new and well-seasoned genealogical software. Vendors came from all across the U.S. and also from some other countries. I saw some genealogists with armfuls of purchases. One woman told me she was going to buy an extra plane ticket just for her purchases!

Repeat Performance (www.audiotapes.com) was there to audiotape most of the lectures. Check their online catalog for these and other tapes of genealogical lectures. The lines were steady at this booth as registrants bought tapes of lectures they didn't attend or those they knew they wanted to hear again. There were nice announcements of various vendors sponsoring authors signing books they had written. If you have already purchased a book, you can bring it along to the conferences and ask the author to sign it for you.

Oh, there were a few glitches. The pre-printed nametags for the registrants somehow got lost in a warehouse in Virginia. There were a few occasional audio-visual glitches. Spring allergies were in full-force and more than one speaker had a touch of laryngitis. What would a conference be without a glitch or two? Judging from the number of registrants still eagerly learning on Saturday afternoon, I would say the glitches didn't impede the enjoyment.

A lot of people who traveled a distance arrived a day or two before the conference began. Some came for society and organization meetings; others came to research at the state archives or state library. I used part of the day before the conference to do some research in the California History Room at the State Library. First, I walked through the beautiful rose gardens on the Capitol grounds. (No, I didn't see Arnold.) I overheard one woman talking about taking one of the tours around the area and how much she had enjoyed that.

There were volunteers everywhere as folks from genealogical societies in the Sacramento area and elsewhere helped us find our way, get registered, and find a seat. They helped those with wheelchairs and scooters find the elevators. As a speaker, I was grateful for the volunteers who made sure I had water and that the lights were at the level I needed.

Now, if you weren't there, don't you wish you were? You missed learning, chocolate, friendliness, chocolate, books, software, chocolate, and some other things. If you were there, I hope you have already started to use some of the knowledge you gained, have listened to the audiotapes you bought, and installed that new software.

For those of you who weren't there, you still have one more such conference in the U.S. this year. I will see you at the four-day Federation of Genealogical Societies' annual conference this coming 8-11 September. The conference will be in Austin, Texas--home of many excellent research facilities. The 70+ speakers will present something for everyone. For full details check the FGS website (www.fgs.org). There are also other multi-day genealogical conferences held in many states ands countries.

Paula Stuart Warren, CGRS, is a professional genealogist, consultant, writer, and lecturer. She has lectured all across the U.S. and is a coordinator of the Intermediate Course, American Records and Research at the annual Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. She is co-author of Your Guide to the Family History Library: How to Access the World's Largest Genealogy Resource, and a contributor to genealogical periodicals including Ancestry Magazine. She is a resident of St. Paul, Minnesota and spends many weeks each year on the road at the Family History Library and at the U.S. National Archives. Her roots include ancestors from seven different countries and researching them has given her broad experience and an occasional headache or two. Contact her at PSWResearch@comcast.net.