Your Story Matters:

Understanding your path to the present and how you can shape the future

A 90-minute virtual workshop for heart-centered individuals interested in their history and legacy.

Thursday, December 1, 2022, 7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT

OR

Sunday, December 4, 2022, 1:00 pm ET/10:00 am PT

One day every woman's story will be told.  And it starts with you.

Join this dynamic duo to learn about genealogy and archives. Discover the differences between them, and see the amazing power of how they work together to unlock stories from the past and shed light on gifts of your heritage, while at the same time showing you how to understand your legacy.

Genealogy

There is a true emotional connection to knowing your story. Whether it confirms what you have heard or it opens up a whole new world to you …you will feel different when you discover your roots. We are connected to our ancestors. You can physically see this when ”Uncle Larry’s ears” get passed on to the next generation. But strength and perseverance and hope along with many gifts are also passed down..

Imagine what your ancestors went through when they got on the boat, many with ten dollars sewn inside their skirts and some not speaking English… They were doing it for their children and their grandchildren. They were doing it for you! There is so much wisdom in learning about their lives.  It is all a part of your story.

In “Tell Me Our Story,” genealogist Bernadette O’Brien Thompson will guide you through:

• How to discover the story that came before you.
• Understanding online platforms to research and save your tree (one is free!).
• See how genealogy has changed in 2022. It’s not your grandma’s genealogy any more!
• The process: gathering, research, understanding the tools that are available to you.
• An introduction to benefits of DNA in research and how it can help those who are adopted or have adoption in their family history.

You’ll leave this portion of the workshop with a guide to gathering what you need to begin your journey,  an introduction to DNA and its benefits to ancestral research, and a list of common mistakes often made in research. You’ll feel more empowered with a framework for understanding your history.

When we know our past, it helps us understand our present and allows our whole story to be saved for the future.

Archives

History is written based on what is saved in our archives. And when you save and share your story, you’re contributing to what can be known. And you’re honoring future generations, because you are leaving them a legacy.

Every woman has a story worth saving. But women's voices have not been captured in local or national public archives.

When you gather and save your papers and photos, you are honoring who you are, and your ancestors who hoped for a better future. You are honoring the story that’s a part of you.

One day every woman's story will be told.  And it starts with you.

In “Build Your Legacy with Archives,” archivist Angela L. Todd will walk you through:

• What to save in your archival collection …and what not to!
• Archival Supplies: what does “archival” mean and what difference does it make?
• Preservation: easy strategies to radically increase the life of your paper collection.
• Three key steps to backing up your digital collection.
• Different kinds of archival institutions.

You’ll leave this portion of the workshop knowing: what goes in an archive collection, how to preserve your original paper materials, and best practices for backing up your digital history.

SEATING WILL BE LIMITED so grab your spot now!

Introductory price: $35

Can’t make it? A replay will be sent to all registrants.

YOUR PRESENTERS

Bernadette O’Brien Thompson’s passion for genealogy and her Irish family history began when she found the notes that her great-aunt Sr. Mary Louise had left about her family history. That discovery gave her an incredible desire for wanting to know more, the whole story.  Tracing back was challenging taking her from New York to England and Scotland. But as the research came together her patience and attention to detail was rewarded and in the end, all roads lead to Ireland and told the amazing story of famine families who made it through those devastating times.

As a Genealogist Bernadette’s focus has been on StoryTelling. She helps clients discover their family story as many stories are contained in and emerge from the documents, historical databases, newspaper articles and archives that can be searched. This can give clients a deeper understanding of the lives of their ancestors and a deeper meaning to their lives.

Her Certification as an End of Life Doula from the Larner College of Medicine at University of Vermont  has increased her understanding of grief as she compassionately guides families to understand their emotions that often come up as the stories and pictures emerge of families past or as they worry about the loss of the last storyteller.

Bernadette is passionate about finding the information buried in a document that truly captures the family story and brings to life the family legacy.  Her reward is helping families connect past, present, and future generations.

Angela L. Todd works with women and families to gather and save their stories permanently. Angela works with her clients to create oral histories and education or profession.

Her clients report feeling relieved, proud, and “set” when they build or place their archival collections.

Angela believes strongly that “Every woman has a story worth saving. Even you.”

She wants particularly to save the stories of special needs moms and women who run their own businesses. She feels that these two groups run the biggest risk

Angela spent 18 years as “Archivist and Senior Research Scholar” at an academic science library, where scientists (mostly male) regularly brought their boxed up papers, notes, and photos. Angela focused on actively trying to add women & people of color to the global historical record of a branch of science. She worked for a decade to update the collection from a name-based card catalogue to a database. This change in organization allowed researchers to search the archivall collections for the first time by specialty, geographic region of study, or the sex of the scientist.

She has degrees in women’s history and cultural & literary theory — the latter means that she can see the cultural value of everyday practices such as food, clothing, hobbies, language patterns, and domestic arrangements.

Angela recently moved “home” to Maine after 30 years in the greater Pittsburgh area. She lives by the Crooked River with her mate, pets, and teens.

archives, and helps her clients place their collections in permanent homes: historical societies, state or county facilities, or archives based on