Janet Few at the BIFHSGO Conference

If you didn't look beyond this year's BIFHSGO conference three themes, Scottish Family History, Photographs in Genealogy, and Technology for Genealogists you wouldn't know that England's top Rockstar genealogist, a renowned speaker, will be at the conference.

Janet Braund Few bills herself as The History Interpreter. Go to her website and you'll read

"Although I have, I hope, a reputation as an academic historian, I believe good history is for everyone. My main focus is on social history and the day to day lives of ordinary people, particularly women."

Janet has just completed talks on a recent 15 day Baltic genealogy cruise (including the opportunity for a paddle), read about it day by day at https://thehistoryinterpreter.wordpress.com/latest-news-from-the-history-interpreter/. That's just a start, practicing for a cross country tour of Canada from PEI to BC, beginning and ending in Ontario. It's mostly a pleasure trip so BIFHSGO organizers was delighted she was willing to interrupt the vacation to give two presentations in person, both on Saturday before she heads East on a tight schedule:

• Harnessing the Facebook Generation: using technology and more traditional means to encourage young people to take an interest in family history.

Have you ever wished that younger members of your family would take an interest in genealogy? Despite its title, this lecture is not about setting up a Facebook page, tweeting, or devising a family history website. Instead, it is about inspiring young people to take up family history, and thus providing us with opportunities to share a hobby we love and at the same time to secure the future of our research. It explains the benefits of doing this and discusses how we can go about making sure that our family’s history is not only preserved but enhanced when we are no longer able to be its custodian. This thought-provoking lecture outlines innovative family history activities that can make the hobby attractive to all ages. It looks at the opportunities that the technological age provides when trying to engage the next generation of family historians. Apart from looking at how technology and social media can be used to harness the enthusiasm of “The Facebook Generation,” Janet will suggest a variety of projects, games and activities suitable for a range of age groups. These ideas for inspiring and enthusing young people will include both the technological and the more traditional.

•  Putting Your Ancestors in their Place: a guide to one place studies
  Our ancestors did not live in isolation; they had neighbours, communities, homes and workplaces. This lecture describes how to build up the history of a locality and provide a context for our ancestors’ lives. Focussing mainly on the nineteenth century, the sources described range from the well-known to the more obscure. Janet will explain community reconstruction, which involves dissecting a small, definable, geographical area to conduct a detailed examination of the individuals, buildings and processes of the past. This includes reconstructing the physical surroundings, populating the community and creating kinship networks between its inhabitants.

Don't miss the opportunity, even if you register just for the day..