Welcome! I'm Carla Zimowsk, owner of AncestorTech® - where technology meets genealogy and now genealogy meets the rails. I invite you to be a sponsor and virtual guest of the AncestorTech® Express, a new series combining rail travel with genealogical research. Curious? Meet me in the virtual lounge car and buy me a cup of coffee!
The Journeys
Throughout 2025, the AncestorTech® Express will explore new destinations, researching both the routes and roots of family histories along US rails. Through travel updates and post-trip virtual seminars, you'll learn about:
- Planning genealogy research trips
- Essential technology for travel research
- Accessing archives and historical resources
- Finding records and collections not yet digitized
- Sponsor benefit: Virtual meetups in the “lounge car” where we can connect over a virtual cup of coffee
Journey's End: Research Roundup Seminars
At each journey’s end, a Research Roundup Seminar will be offered exclusively via AncestorTech®:
- Live session with Q&A and recording: $35
- Recording only: $25
- Sponsor benefit: Your coffees can be deducted from event pricing down to zero
- Each Research Roundup date/time will be announced shortly before departure!
Inaugural AncestorTech® Express Journey - Charleston, SC (January 2025)
The inaugural AncestorTech® Express journey will take me from New Jersey to Charleston, South Carolina, potentially following some of the historic routes such as the Baltimore & Ohio, Atlantic Coast Line, and South Carolina Canal railroads. During this 12-13 hour ride, I will endeavor to learn more about railroad history and its connection to American family histories —from the laborers who drove the spikes to the families who lived or migrated along the rails or may have even been displaced by them. I will then spend 3 days in Charleston, SC visiting various research locations and historical landmarks.
Have specific genealogical or general historical interests in Charleston? Share them when you buy me a coffee—your research interests could shape this journey.
Charleston Research Locations will include:
- International African American Museum (IAAM)
- IAAM FamilySearch Research Center
- Local archives, libraries, and historical societies
The Journey’s End: Charleston Research Roundup Seminar for will be scheduled for mid-January and will be posted here, on my Facebook page, webpage, and announced via the AncestorTech® mailing list. Stay tuned!
Future research trips to be announced!
(page header image created by DALL-E in ChatGPT 12/26/24)
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Hope you're having a blast in your studies this month!
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