Available Presentations

Divorce is not just a 20th Century phenomenon. At first, granted by the State Legislature and then by the Courts, these are public records. The case files can include marriage date and place, names and ages of children, current and former residences, and affidavits by the spouses about their marriage and reason for divorce. Clues are in the Census, City Directories, Military Pensions, County Histories, County Courthouses & especially in Newspapers. This could be the reason for a "lost spouse".

We will discuss the many ways to reach out to distant living cousins to help you expand your pedigree chart forward in time. You may find family treasures, photos, DNA test takers and information that will break down a brick wall. We will explore online trees, lineage societies, cemetery indexes, obituaries in newspapers, living people finder websites and social media.

What do those letters, numbers, stamps, and pencil marks mean on Immigration Passenger Manifests? Does your ancestor have the letter "D" or "X" next to their name? Do you know what V/L, # 404, USB, Transit, CL, N.O.B, C/A, LPC, SI, NQIV, BSI, PV or C-XXXXX mean? We will learn if and when to contact the US National Archives or USCIS to get more genealogical information from these codes. Plus, what insight we can learn about your ancestor's immigration experience based on these notations.  

About 47 million people immigrated to the US between 1607 and 1990 and about 70% entered through the Port of New York. However, you need to consider a broader search in all ports, such as Boston, New Orleans, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Providence. Also, an entry through Canada and Mexico, should be researched. We will review the websites and resources to locate clues to these entry ports such as State Censuses, Voter Registrations, WWI Draft registrations, and Passport Applications. 

Naturalization is the process by which an alien becomes an American citizen. These records can provide a researcher with valuable information such as an ancestor’s person's birth date, birth location in the old country, occupation , immigration year, marital status, spouse information, witnesses' names and addresses. Naturalization and the individual steps to citizenship could be done at any “court of record” of which there were 5,000 in the United States.  

We will review the awesome resources of deceased online, Interment.net, GraveStonePhotos.com, FindAGrave and BillionGraves and many others to advance your research. They have US and International information about your ancestor's final resting place.  I’ll also detail how you can help fellow genealogists by volunteering to take photos of gravestones, transcribe headstones or create memorials for posting online and connecting with long lost cousins.

Indexes make your searches so much easier, but what if you are lost on how to use the index? Indexing systems are so complex that they require guides, keys, or tables to decipher. We will review and master these indexes: Burr Record, Campbell, Cott System, Liber Index, Page Margin Key Tables, Paul Company Key Table, Russell Key Index, Split Column Indexes, Soundex and Vowel Index. They are often the essential to locating ancestors in Probate or Land records online or at a courthouse.

Probate records after an individual's death relate to a court's decisions regarding the distribution of the estate to the heirs or creditors and the care of dependents. This process took place whether there was a will (testate) or not (intestate). Various records may be found in probate files, including wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. These documents are extremely valuable to genealogists and should not be neglected.

The website https://www.fold3.com/ , in a partnership with the national archives, provides a wealth of military resources and documents from the Revolutionary War of 1776 , the War of 1812,  Mexican American and early Indian Wars, Civil War, Spanish American War, WWI ,WWII, Korean War and Vietnam War.

This presentation will demonstrate how to use for research the Daughters of the American Revolution's website www.DAR.org. It has a wealth of information about the entire United States that can be viewed for free; you do not have to be a DAR member to utilize this site. The website has documentation about Patriots that can assist you, even if you do not have a Patriot Ancestor. It contains an index of surnames in published resources and unpublished resources created by DAR members.

Do you have a Union Civil War Veteran? Did you know that in 1890 there were over 400,000 Veterans who belonged to the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R)? This organization existed from 1866 to 1956. It generated records noting Civil War service, birth, marriage, death, residences, occupations, detailed biographies and even photographs. I will show you where and how to find these hidden gems. 

A census record can give a "snapshot" of a family on a particular day. However, we need to search in the Federal, State, Veteran, Agricultural, School, Police and Mortality Censuses. Do you take the time to read the column headings, the instructions given to the enumerator on what to enter on the form or the abbreviation codes? We will review the directions that can assist your understanding of the answers.

Homestead application packets from 1862 - 1934 are great sources of genealogical information. These applications list family members and statements from neighbors, plus notations of previous residences. Plus, pages from the family Bible, birth, marriage or death certificates, newspaper clippings, and witness affidavits. Union Civil War Veterans had to provide proof of military service and immigrants had to provide naturalization documents.

Did your ancestor have a great idea and apply for a patent? The application could give you insight into the mind and creative process of the inventor. Did you inherit this inquisitive nature? I will show the detailed information contained in applying for and acquiring patents. Find out about Citizenship status, Maiden names, Legal Name changes, Death dates, Probates, Heirs, and Employers. Plus, learn how popular the invention was as it was advertised in catalogs, newspapers and city directories.

Have you ever thought of joining a Lineage or Hereditary Society? What is the purpose of the society? Who are they composed of? Where do you find them? How do you join them? Why would you join them? What activities or events do they perform?  Do you need professional assistance to join them? Do you need an invitation?  What free or member benefits are available? Are DNA test results a membership option or requirement?

Established in 1845, the New England Historical Genealogical Society is a leading research source and the largest Society of its kind in the world. Their website www.AmericanAncestors.org provides access to more than 1.4 billion records from twenty-two countries covering the United States, the British Isles, and continental Europe. Plus the largest searchable collection of published genealogical research journals and magazines, and the largest collection of U.S Catholic records online.

The website www.FindMyPast.com has an extensive collection of resources specific to the United Kingdom, plus Canada, Australia and New Zealand. We will explore resources including British and Irish Newspapers, Parish Registers, Workhouse Registers, Poor Law records, Forces records (such as English Civil War, Crimean War, WWI & WWII) and Census records; including the just released 1921 schedules. Also, research the migration around the world by your ancestors throughout the British Empire.

Presentations are approximately 1 hour in length