Genealogy Escape Room

Thomas MacEntee
Jan 27, 2021
13208 views
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SyllabusSyllabus
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About this webinar

Imagine you are trapped in an archive and the only way out is to solve a series of genealogy research puzzles. Are you up to the challenge? Are you ready for Genealogy Escape Room? Based on the popular escape room concept, Genealogy Escape Room turns the typical webinar format upside down! Each registrant will receive a Case Review File used to solve a series of online research tasks BEFORE the live webinar takes place. The webinar is the “reveal” where a step-by-step review of each puzzle, task, and clue all the way to the final “key” to open the door. Genealogy methodology concepts will be summarized before announcing who escaped first!

About the speaker

Thomas MacEntee is a guy with a love of punk rock music but also art history who somehow “fell” into the technology industry years ago. He left a lucrative tech career to pursue his love of family his...
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Comments (6)

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  1. LT
    Legacy Family Tree
    5 years ago

    The best learning tool ever! Thanks for your attention to the details.\n\nThe content was amazing! Glad I was able to participate. I was looking for a fun way to impart genealogy knowledge to middle/high schoolers so this has given me some additional ideas.\n\nThe Genealogy Escape Room was a great webinar on genealogy research methodology.\n\nThe Genealogy Escape Room was really fun! I have been researching for 35+ years but I learned a few things new today! Looking forward to the next one!\n\nThe most fun EVER! I also learned more about navigating through FamilySearch. Thanks.\n\nThe webinar was really fantastic, as it got us involved in an actual genealogy problem to look at! I loved that there were some 'twists' in the questions, and made you look a bit deeper. Especially great was the ability to search outside my normal comfort zone and learn a few new things... like finding patent numbers. I had no idea how to look for those before this... so great info! branching us out a bit to an immigration story and finding foreign records could be a great new step too! Awesome\n\nThe webinar was very good, but he went through his screens so fast it was hard to keep up.\n\nThis hands on approach was fantastic. I’d also love to take this to the next step by comparing my research log and a report to one that a certified genealogist would produce. \n\nThis was a fun activity!\n\nThis was a fun exercise.\n\nThis was a fun exercise. I am looking forward to the Valentine's Day Fun Room. Thank you Thomas !! I had all of the answers except the Patent Number and missed the answer from Thomas because a friend called. Oh well I will listen to this again to get the answer that I missed, I tried to send what I had but couldn't because I didn't have all of the answers.\n\nThis was a fun way to learn about search techniques and the value of using a research log! Creative, engaging, and attention-keeping webinar! Would love more like this.\n\nThis was a fun way to reinforce our research techniques!\n\nThis was a fun webinar. I'd like to see more of this.\n\nThis was a great exercise to improve my skills. It was nice to know I used many of the same methods to locate my information as you. I did learn some more tips to improve my skills. Thank you and I look forward to the next one.\n\nThis was a great exercise. Thanks!!\n\nthis was a great test and looking at all the documents\n\nThis was a great webinar! It was fun, and even though I didn't have time to come up with the right answer, I learned more about what to search, and how to get there. I hope we see a few more like this! \n\nThis was a super way to implement all the tips I've been taught at Webinar Wednesdays over the years. And Yeah, I passed with only two errors; I had April 16, not 17th & left it at King County; forgot to get the city. Looking forward to the February one & to try to get 100% for it :-)\n\nThis was a unique and interesting format to reinforce my research techniques. Thank Thomas\n\nThis was a wonderful, new, and fun way to approach a genealogy webinar. Thomas is always terrific! Thanks!\n\nThis was an awesome webinar. I used a different route to get some of my answers but it was great to see other ways I could have gotten the answer.\n\nThis was awesome! A great way to hone ones skills in a fun way. Kudo to Thomas to coming up with an exciting inventive idea!!!!\n\nThis was fantastic! A great way to learn and practice, to hone our genealogy research skills. :) Thanks you Thomas!\n\nThis was fun !!\n\nThis was fun as well as informative. I learn new things from Thomas every time I watch his webinars or read his Facebook posts.\n\nThis was fun! Great concept. If you do another escape room, it would be helpful to receive the link to the questions earlier since it took quite a while to find the answers.\n\nThis was fun! I didn't learn a lot of new stuff, but the challenge of answering the questions made it more interesting.\n\nThis was fun, and it's useful to see how others use the same selection of tools in a different way. Thanks.\n\nThis was fun. I want to do this again!!\n\nThis was really a fun exercise!! Learned of new ways to use resources.\n\nThis was such fun! Glad to hear there will be more. Stepping away from my own genealogy to work on something completely unknown verifies that my I have some correct research methods.

  2. LT
    Legacy Family Tree
    5 years ago

    This was terrific. Very informative and a lot of fun. thank you Thomas\n\nThomas created a great genealogy case for us to work on. Definitely honed our methodology. Love his webinars and his generosity. \n\nThomas has come up with a great teaching tool and it was fun to do.\n\nThomas is always a treat to listen to, and to learn from!\n\nThomas is always fun, offers amazing tips and techniques, and helps us hone more sophisticated research strategies. \n\nThomas is always great!\n\nThomas is always GREAT, and happy to share his knowledge.\n\nThomas is always informative and engaging. Thanks for using his expertise and other talents on a regular basis.\n\nThomas is always top-notch! By far, his webinars are ones that I seek out to watch. His knowledge is great. His desire and passion to impart that knowledge to everyone at every level of genealogy is unmatched. I appreciate him so much!\n\nThomas is great, but I wished he would slow down just too fast to see the process\n\nThomas is the BEST\n\nThomas is the best! Learn something new every time.\n\nThomas MacEntee is a great presenter. I really liked the Escape Room format this time, although all his presentations are great and I learn a lot!\n\nThomas MacEntee is very good and knowledgeable, he does speak very fast so stay focused.\n\nTop notch. Looking forward to the next Genealogy Escape Room in February. \n\nunique..thankyou.\n\nVery enjoyable and certainly not boring. \n\nVery fun creative way to improve research skills.\n\nVery good webinar! Nice way to apply skill and learn more! Thank you!\n\nVery helpful in terms of suggestions about the many different resources available.\n\nVery helpful to have to look for answers, then to see the way Thomas researched - many of my ways were what he suggested! Wish I had someone to double check my own research with. I will definitely look for more Genealogy Escape Rooms to practice my skills \n\nvery informative and entertaining\n\nvery informative and interesting\n\nVery informative, lots of good info\n\nVery interesting concept. Enjoyed it\n\nVery nicely done and detailed.\n\nVery useful information.\n\nWe might try this as one of our Society Meetings. Great idea! \n\nWe need Thomas to do more webinars on Legacy\n\nWhat a great idea and such fun!\n\nWhat a lot of fun!\n\nWhat an interesting concept!\n\nWhat great fun today! Escape room with Thomas MacEntee, I look forward to another one! \n\nwould love to see more escape rooms!\n\nWow and double Wow Fun FunFun\n\nWow, wow, wow!! That was just so much fun and I simply can NOT wait for the next Genealogy Escape Room! Thank you so much for offering such a fun way to sharpen our skills.

  3. LT
    Legacy Family Tree
    5 years ago

    Loved it; learned so much. The "homework" was challenging; didn't find all the answers before the webinar. But now I know a lot more about Family Search, more details about census records. I could go on and on.....\n\nLoved the concept and will happily participate again. \n\nLoved the concept of an escape room and the research required for it\n\nLoved the escape room format. Learned a lot. Thanks,\n\nLoved the logical approach to solving his questions!\n\nLoved this -- if there weren't 2000 attendees, I'd suggest small group break-out rooms to work on the problem the night before.\n\nLoved this escape room! Fun way to "learn" genealogy!\n\nLoved this!\n\nLoved this! Lots of good information and ideas I can use with my own research. Please do more!\n\nLoved this, so fun! And of course always love Thomas!\n\nLoved todays webinar and hoping to have more of the same.\n\nMore!!!!!!!!!!!!!\n\nNice fun way to show good methods!\n\nNothing like a 'hands on' workshop! Thomas was great! Thank you for having this format.\n\nOh Thomas never fails to give the best webinars! thank you\n\nOne of the best!\n\nOutstanding!\n\nThe Genealogy Escape Room is a excellent tool to improve my research skills. Please do one a month. Thanks!\n\nPlease some more.\n\nReally enjoyed this Genealogy Escape Room. Can't wait for the next one!\n\nReally fun! Looking forward to the next one.\n\nSo fun and engaging with the homework assignment. Thanks!\n\nSo innovative, looking forward to the next one!\n\nSo many great ideas and reminders for researching. Thomas is one of the most sharing members of the genealogy community!\n\nSo much fun! More please.\n\nSo much fun! Do it again, Thomas!\n\nSo much useful information.\n\nSuch a fun approach webinar :)\n\nSuch a great idea for a webinar.\n\nThank you for the Research Log.\n\nThank you so much for an enjoyable, informative presentation!\n\nThank You!\n\nThank you! It's so wonderful to hear how enthused the attendees are - especially when they discover a new resource or method! Appreciated the access to the syllabus and form. Well done.\n\nThanks new way to find relative\n\nThat was fun, liked the interactive participation, looking forward to the February Valentine Escape Room\n\nThat was so cool!!! I've been researching for 30 years, but I had so much fun and I found where I was cutting corners and needed to dig deeper to get the correct answer. So glad there will be another in Feb. THANK YOU!

  4. LT
    Legacy Family Tree
    5 years ago

    I learned so much. Hope he does another Escape Room.\n\nI like the format and am looking forward to the February event.\n\nI like the fresh new approach. I was able to do the game ahead of time, and spent the webinar time picking up additional methodology tips. I look forward to more webinars of this type.\n\nI like the idea of the "escape room" (have to find the answers to unlock the door). I think I missed getting the handouts ahead of time and completing the activity. Good review of how to find answers to research questions. Would like to review the video now because the webinar moves rather quickly. Didn't know about the 2nd page of the immigration sheet.\n\nI love all of Thomas's webinars.\n\nI love getting new ways to look up information. Thomas always does a great job of that. Now to find my paternal family\n\nI love getting to see someone's process! Especially someone who knows what they are doing!\n\nI love the escape room.. I would love to do more.\n\nI love the format!\n\nI love Thomas, but he went really fast today! I try to never miss any of his webinars!\n\nI loved the "escape room" game! It was a creative idea to get participants more involved in the webinars. I am looking forward to the next "escape room" Valentine game.\n\nI loved the concept! I also learned several new things that will be very valuable.\n\nI only missed one. Should have thought of that myself. Wonderful webinar, very informative.\n\nI really like the Escape Room concept!\n\nI should have allowed myself more time for the research. Please do something like this again --- soon.\n\nI would like another one!\n\nI'm relatively new to this and the presenter assumed much prior knowledge. He bounced around as though everyone was familiar with the search sites, which I wasn't. The big take-away for me: research log (keep track of where you found things and your unresolved questions so you need not repeat something that previously failed). \n\nInteresting concept to solve geanealogy questions and apt insights/advice to scrutinize records for unexpected details.\n\nIt was a fun idea.\n\nIt was a very fun concept. It was interesting to compare how I found the information to the way Thomas found information. I just wish we were given more time to do the researching.\n\nit was excellent !\n\nIt was fun to watch.\n\nIt was fun watching the steps he used compared to what I did. We can always learn from others. And - more than one way to skin a cat.\n\nIt was fun! \n\nIt went a little fast for me, but good\n\nLearned a lot\n\nLearned about some new places to find information, especially regarding patents.\n\nLet's do this again!\n\nLike having the syllabus. \n\nLiked having the "homework" to do ahead\n\nLooking forward to next one!!!!!\n\nLots of fun and great tips\n\nLOTS of fun while being educated!\n\nlots of good information. Learned something new. Thank you.\n\nLove learning the different routes to sources to find answers\n\nLove the escape room concept.\n\nLove the hair style and colour!\n\nLove Thomas' webinars!\n\nLoved doing the "escape room". Please do more!!\n\nLoved doing this, and look forward to February's\n\nLoved it! Very helpful and can't wait to hear about the Valentine's one!\n\nloved it. thanks for the exercise

  5. LT
    Legacy Family Tree
    5 years ago

    Great concept and hope there will be more.\n\nGREAT exercise. Found myself looking for different source, including on Google. Seeing Thomas’ sources, some different from my own gives me more places to search.\n\nGreat format!\n\nGreat fun and learning. Do MORE!\n\nGreat fun and some helpful details I had not heard before.\n\nGreat fun!\n\nGreat fun!\n\ngreat fun!!!\n\nGreat hands-on webinar. \n\ngreat idea for a genealogy escape room. will try this at my own genealogy organization\n\nGreat info very clearly presented! A+\n\nGreat job! All Thomas' webinars are extremely informative and helpful. Do more Genealogy Escape Rooms!\n\nGreat learning experience!! Thanks!\n\nGreat new concept for we.binars\n\nGreat presentation I enjoyed every minute Thank=you\n\nGREAT RESEARCH INFO EXPLAINED EASILY WONDERFUL WEBINAR\n\nGreat Webinar\n\nGreat webinar on doing genealogy and what is available on family search.\n\nGreat webinar! \n\ngreat webinar! lots of ideas for other things that I might look for in my heritage!\n\ngreat webinar, great exercise, loved the process and step by step - great for newbies and experienced researchers.\n\nGreat webinar.\n\nHe always does an excellent job, but engaging the audience in this manner was very clever. I hope he does more. So informative and fun. \n\nHe had good content and comments, Yet he was talking to peers and not teaching.\n\nHe is always so informative and fun. Looking forward to the "love story" next month.\n\nhow enlightening. Thomas is one clever and hard working guy, not to mention his very generous sharing of his time and research.\n\nI always enjoy an entertaining research trip. I would like to have included at least the mention of steps that were unproductive. I find that in my own research trips that I do go into records that I shouldn't and that get me off course. Thanks again it was a wonderful research experience. \n\nI always learn something new from Thomas.\n\nI enjoyed the hands-on method utilized on this webinar.\n\nI enjoyed the session and I learned a lot on who to use Family Search more, going to the site now\n\nI had a lot of fun with this one!\n\nI just watched this time but will join into the research section next month. Basically he is teaching in a " hands on" method of research. Very Scientific. Then going over results. "By doing" you learn more. I would have liked to see a slide of his research log somewhere during the presentation. I have my own Research Plan that I have developed and actually do screen shots of "found info" as I search and save the web address

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  6. LT
    Legacy Family Tree
    5 years ago

    A different sort of webinar, but one that made you think about genealogy.\n\nA fun new format, love to have more!\n\nA good lesson in genealogy methodology. The syllabus is a great reminder. Thanks!\n\na good refresher!\n\nA lot of fun and a very good fresher. As always, Thomas's handout is great! Thanks very much. \n\nAbsolutely loved this webinar. Very unique format giving the audience research to do beforehand and then explaining & reviewing. \n\nagain another one out of the park\n\nAgain, I've learned something I didn't know or even think about! Thank you, Thomas!\n\nAlthough most of my research is uk based, I do need to dip into the occasional US record and today I learned a few new things about US census records that I didn’t know before. There is always something new to learn - thank you\n\nAlways a pleasure to attend his webinars. I always learn something, in fact many interesting facts.\n\nAlways amazing that after being a researcher for 15 years, I still learn things from Tom MacEntee, Great webinar.\n\nAlways excellent!\n\nAlways learn something from Thomas and was not disappointed. I that he involved us in the webinar and it's nice to know I am doing something right with my research.\n\nalways love Thomas's webinars\n\nAlways such great information from Thomas! Thanks and thanks again!\n\nAnother excellent Thomas presentation\n\nAnother great session with Thomas. Always great thought generator. Just like on the detective shows, arrange your facts, check your sources, prove/disprove your theories.\n\nAnother great webinar from Thomas. I'm really happy to hear that he will be presenting another "escape room."\n\nAnother wonderful webinar!\n\nAs usual, I learned a few new techniques for research from Thomas. Love his webinars. Very Informative\n\nAWESOME CONCEPT..... WOULD LOVE MORE LIKE THIS!!! \n\nAwesome idea! Loved it! (still not convinced about Ella's relationship though LOL)\n\nCan’t wait for February!! Have a wonderful day!!\n\nClassic Thomas MacEntee! He always finds a way that is entertaining and educational. Love his attitude, and that he shows the pitfalls along with the successes. I try to never miss a Thomas MacEntee presentation even if if is something I don't think I am really interested in learning more about because I find that I do learn something I needed to learn!\n\nEnjoyable, friendly genealogy chat. The Escaperoom puzzle was fun, taking time out looking at different documents that I haven't used before, challenging the brain to think outside the box as we genealogists do. Look forward to February's, please email to all participants for option to join. Thank You!\n\nEnjoyed case study, and pleased with myself for getting answers quite quickly, I guess I really did learn something over the years since January 1968!\n\nexcellent\n\nExcellent account of how Thomas researched the questions. And kudus to Geoff for the quick thinking on relogging in to fix the sound issue.\n\nExcellent and fun idea!\n\nExcellent for sharing research methodology! Just plain fun... but I should've been doing my own research. Ha! \n\nExcellent methodology with vey applicable examples. Thank you so much! Easily understood!\n\nExcellent research suggestions and methods. Confirmation of how to search for and in various records. Wish there was more about researching AA records, as sometimes census takers were not as thorough or may have been prior slave holders of people being enumerated.\n\nExcellent Webinar - Lots of good resources and suggestions. \n\nExcellent webinar Thomas! Thank you!\n\nExcellent. Learned alot\n\nexcellent...what more can I say?\n\nEXCELLLENT SPEARKER! LOVE THESE WEBINARS!\n\nFabulous! Just doing the preparation was a great exercise, but I also really appreciated seeing how Thomas arrived at the answers. This was a great way to learn and I really hope for more webinars with a similar try it/ see how an expert did it approach -- whether in the escape room format or with a different twist.\n\nFANTASTIC exercise. So much fun and challenging, even for experienced researchers.\n\nFantastic! Loved it. \n\nFun and reaffirming!\n\nFun idea! More! :)\n\nFun to try to use all your genealogical knowledge to come up with the answers\n\nFun Webinar! Excellent\n\nFun with very interesting and helpful research tools.\n\nFun!\n\nFun, learned lots and love making it a game. Do often!\n\nfun--do it again\n\nGave me a better look on how to search for things in Family Search. Thank- you!\n\nGood\n\nGood concept, and it forces us to do homework, effective learning tool\n\nGood detective practice\n\nGood for beginners.\n\nGood info. Fun format.\n\nGood research methods topics. Always learn with Thomas. Thanks\n\nGood way to check our skills.\n\nGreat\n\nGreat challenge ! Just as with my own research, I became frustrated when entering information I new was right on the form and it was not excepted because of a varient. It was another fantastic learning experience. Thank you to Thomas MacEntee for coming up with another exciting way to learn!

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