Lecture Topics
Categories:
Census,
Immigration,
Methodology,
Military,
Other Records,
Preservation, General
CENSUS
Beyond Federal Population Schedules
Census records consist of more than Federal Population Schedules. This lecture explores the “other” census records. Learn about the different types of U.S. census records and how to use these records to advance and enhance your research.
Make the Census Work for You!
Don’t just collect census records, learn how to extract all of the information from them. This lecture will focus on creative techniques for analyzing and evaluating census data to discover more about individuals, families, and the communities in which they lived.Finding Your Ancestors in U.S. Federal Census Records
Although they were never intended for genealogists, census records are one of the most important and widely used genealogical resources. This lecture will focus on U.S. Federal Census population schedules from 1790 to 1950. A review of each census, research methods, and insight into information for each census will be discussed.
IMMIGRATION/MIGRATION
Westward Migration: New England to the Midwest
Western migration is one of the most important events in American history. What motivated our ancestors to leave hearth and home to move westward into the open frontier that would become the Midwest? This lecture focuses on when and why New Englanders relocated to this new land in order to start their new lives.
Using Emigrant Guides for Genealogical Research
Emigrant guides provided essential information and practical advice to our ancestors about travel routes, weather, opportunities, and much more. Learn how to use emigrant guides for insight into the how's and why's of an ancestor's preparation and journey across an ocean or the country.
Alien Registration Records
Alien Registrations contain a wealth of personal information and should not be overlooked when researching immigrant ancestors. This lecture will discuss what Alien Registrations are available, information found in the records, and how to access the records.
Becoming an American: Naturalization Records
The naturalization process in the United States has evolved over two hundred years into what it is
today. This lecture will examine the naturalization process through this evolution. It will discuss
the records that were generated from the naturalization process, and how to locate those records.
Chasing the Link: Passenger Arrival Lists
More hours are spent in pursuit of finding an immigrant ancestor’s name on a Passenger List than almost any other type of genealogy research. The search can be frustrating as well as time consuming. This lecture will discuss the passenger list records that are available, where to find the records, and how to use them.
Advanced Research in Passenger Arrival Records
Passenger arrival records are the link that connects the old country to the new and completes a chain of events for our ancestors. These records may provide a wealth of personal information or only basic data. But they are more than a list of names. If you have found a passenger list, you may have overlooked some clues. Knowing how to mine these records for information could lead to additional knowledge about your immigrant ancestor.
METHODOLOGY
Indirect Evidence Overturns a Direct Evidence Conclusion: From Hypothesis to Published Article
Direct evidence is a piece of evidence that answers, by itself, a research question. It is usually the easiest evidence for genealogists to use, but it can be incorrect. Take the case of Philip Hart of Goffstown, New Hampshire. There was direct evidence that he had two wives, but indirect evidence revealed that he had three. Was the error made knowingly to suppress the controversial truth? This case study will be used to show the process of taking a problem from hypothesis to publication in a genealogy journal.
Sources or Clues? Pitfalls of Using Published Genealogies and Online Trees
Is it okay to use published genealogies and online trees in the search for our ancestors? Published genealogies and online trees are abundant, they are found in many places and in many different forms. But what happens when we just copy and use what is in published genealogies and online trees? This case study illustrates the confusion and the problems that may result.
Eddie Wench: The Case of a Little Lost Boy
Eddie Wenck was a forgotten child. His story was a mystery for many years until research exposed an error made over twenty years ago and uncovered the hidden past of a well-known landmark. The lecture is about the importance of using original records and historical context, and about following our instincts when things don’t seem right.
MILITARY
Anatomy of a Military Pension File
Civil War Pension Files are filled with genealogical information but are often large and
intimidating. This lecture will discuss methods used to organize, extract, and analyze the
documents and data in a Civil War Pension File.
When Grandpa Went Off To War: U.S. Military Records
Wars have been a part of American life from the earliest colonial wars up to the present. It is probable that some of your male ancestors participated in one of these wars. This lecture will discuss the military records that are available and how to locate and obtain the records.OTHER RECORDS
Carriers of News and Knowledge: Post Office Records
Post Office Records are full of genealogical riches. This lecture will discuss Post Office records, their contents, and how to access these underutilized records.
Parishes, Priests, and Signs of the Sacred: Catholic Church Records
Catholic Church records can provide information about births, marriages, and deaths for periods
when civil vital records do no exist. They can also establish time and place for an ancestor. This
lecture reviews the different types of Catholic Church records available and how to locate those
records.
R.I. P. - Cemetery Research
Cemetery records and tombstones are often the cornerstone for our genealogical research. This lecture will discuss how to locate a cemetery and it’s records, the types of records available, and what you can expect to find in the records.
PRESERVATION AND ORGANIZATION
Four Essential Building Blocks to Organizing Your Genealogy
Feeling unorganized and overwhelmed? Incorporate these simple methods into your existing organizing system or use them as the foundation for a new system.
Organizing Your Genealogy Without Losing Your Mind
Most of us struggle to identify the best system for organizing our genealogy. A system that fits you will reduce the time spent on retrieving information, repeating research, and relocating documents. This lecture will discuss techniques to organize your genealogy so you will spend more time researching and less time reorganizing.
How to Plan Your Digital Afterlife
Your digital presence has grown at a rapid speed. After you're gone, what will happen to your electronic information and photos? Learn how to take control of your digital afterlife.
An Ounce of Prevention: Making a Genealogy Disaster Plan
Genealogy documents, photographs, mementoes, and databases are a family’s most prized possessions. They can be lost in an instant in the event of a disaster. This lecture focuses on how to plan before the crisis occurs, so that loss is minimized and your genealogy legacy is preserved for future generations.
GENERAL
Transcribing Documents: An Essential Skill for Genealogists
Transcribing is an important part of the research and analyzing process. Learn about transcribing software, how to transcribe documents, problems that might be encountered during the transcribing process, and how this skill can help to solve genealogical problems.
Abstracting Documents: An Essential Skill for All Genealogists
Every document that is used during genealogical research must be thoroughly and accurately analyzed. Abstracting is a fundamental part of this research and analyzing process. Yet many genealogists are not confident in their ability to perform this task effectively and efficiently. This causes researchers to avoid the abstracting process resulting in research errors. An abstract is a summary of all the important details in a document. This presentation will examine the abstracting process by using examples that show how to abstract a variety of documents, general guidelines for abstracting, what to include and what to eliminate when creating an abstract, and lastly will explore some problems that might be encountered while abstracting.
Navigating the National Archives
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has a wealth of resources that can be used for genealogical research. The records may be found in Washington, thirteen regional branches located throughout the United States, and online. Learn how to find and use the abundant records held by this national treasure.
Navigating the NARA Website
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) website has a wealth of resources that can be used for genealogical research. Information about records located at NARA in Washington, DC, and the NARA regional branches is online and waiting for you to discover them. Some of the actual records are even online and don’t require a visit. This lecture will guide you through the different areas of the website, show the resources available there, and how to use those resources for your research.