For those interested in learning more about genealogy, there is a great resource available online at www.ted.com/talks. On their website they explain that “TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less)”. They have short talks covering almost all topics, from science to business to global issues, and they are available in more than 100 languages.
Included amongst their talks are some on genealogy. A Family Tree For Humanity is a great talk given by Spencer Wells, director of the Genographic Project at National Geographic. He explains, in easy to understand English, the goals of the project and the DNA work that they are doing. Definitely worth a listen.
Another interesting talk is The Story Behind The Bloodlines by Taryn Simon. Simon captures the essence of vast, generation-spanning stories by photographing the descendants of people at the center of the narrative. In this talk she shows a stream of these stories from all over the world, investigating the nature of genealogy and the way our lives are shaped by the interplay of many different forces.
If you search TED’s site for “genealogy”, “family tree” or “ancestors”, you will get lists of talks that touch on the subject of genealogy. If you have some time on your hands and want to learn more about various aspects of genealogy, take the time to check out some of the talks on this site.
Of course, there are many other sites you can visit that offer free information on genealogy. Such as www.genealogy.com/university.html. Here you will find courses, some for beginners, others for those who just want a little more information on particular areas, such as “post civil war immigrants” and “viewing gravestones at the virtual cemetery”. There are many other sites as well; try searching for “free genealogy courses”.
If you would like to join the Barriere Genealogy Group, our March meeting will be on Mar. 28, at 10:30 a.m. at the Barriere Library. Everyone is welcome. For more information, call Margaret Houben at 250-672-9330.