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1:14:30
Using Negative Evidence: The Power of Silence in the Records
Can genealogists take a negative (the absence of something) and develop it into a positive (proof of something)? Yes! If we understand what we’re working with and how to develop it. Negative evidence is a tool used by many investigative fields; but its definition varies between disciplines. This session defines the concept used by genealogists and historians: contextually suggestive silence. In layman’s language, Mills clearly separates negative evidence from concepts that are often confused with it: negative searches, negative findings, negative arguments, and negative conclusions. Case studies using autosomal and Y-DNA, censuses, church records, death certificates, land deeds and grants, topo maps, and other source types to demonstrate how to recognize contextually suggestive silence and develop it into solutions for situations in which no document explicitly answers our research question. *** This class requires a password and an active webinar membership to attend. On the day of the webinar, obtain the password (located at the top of FamilyTreeWebinars.com when logged in as a member). Then click the Join Webinar link in your confirmation/reminder email, and enter the password when prompted. ***
Can genealogists take a negative (the absence of something) and develop it into a positive (proof of something)? Yes! If we understand what we’re working with and how to develop it. Negative evidence is a tool used by many investigative fields; but its definition varies between disciplines. This session defines the concept used by genealogists and historians: contextually suggestive silence. In layman’s language, Mills clearly separates negative evidence from concepts that are often confused with it: negative searches, negative findings, negative arguments, and negative conclusions. Case studies using autosomal and Y-DNA, censuses, church records, death certificates, land deeds and grants, topo maps, and other source types to demonstrate how to recognize contextually suggestive silence and develop it into solutions for situations in which no document explicitly answers our research question. *** This class requires a password and an active webinar membership to attend. On the day of the webinar, obtain the password (located at the top of FamilyTreeWebinars.com when logged in as a member). Then click the Join Webinar link in your confirmation/reminder email, and enter the password when prompted. ***
Fri, September 22 2023: 19:30 UTC
1:11:36
490 views
Free
Finding John Lee
Discover how DNA, online and offline genealogy converged to break down a more than 100 year old brick wall revealing the life, times, and relations of a mysterious multi-ethnic man named John Lee.
Discover how DNA, online and offline genealogy converged to break down a more than 100 year old brick wall revealing the life, times, and relations of a mysterious multi-ethnic man named John Lee.
Fri, September 22 2023: 18:00 UTC
59:16
Lighthouses and Their Keepers; For Those in Peril on the Sea
As far back as 2,000 years ago there were lighthouses, with the earliest known in Egypt. As Europeans made their new homes in British America they also needed beacons to protect the craggy shores of this new land and the inland waters.
As far back as 2,000 years ago there were lighthouses, with the earliest known in Egypt. As Europeans made their new homes in British America they also needed beacons to protect the craggy shores of this new land and the inland waters.
Fri, September 22 2023: 16:45 UTC
55:35
512 views
Free
Hidden Treasure in New England Town Records
New England town records represent a unique resource for Family historians. Early settlers from England brought their traditions of town governance to the new world, including their ideas of legal matters and record keeping. The result is a treasure trove of documents that capture aspects of our ancestors’ lives as they went about their day-to-day business. These records are especially valuable for the 17th and 18th centuries as many other records may not have survived. This webinar covers not only vital record sources but also records from the Town Treasurer, Overseers of the Poor, and the Selectmen.
Ann Lawthers
New England town records represent a unique resource for Family historians. Early settlers from England brought their traditions of town governance to the new world, including their ideas of legal matters and record keeping. The result is a treasure trove of documents that capture aspects of our ancestors’ lives as they went about their day-to-day business. These records are especially valuable for the 17th and 18th centuries as many other records may not have survived. This webinar covers not only vital record sources but also records from the Town Treasurer, Overseers of the Poor, and the Selectmen.
Fri, September 22 2023: 15:30 UTC
52:42
734 views
CC
Free
10 Things To Do Before Leaving a Library or Archives
Have you ever gotten home from a genealogy research trip or left a genealogy website and said to yourself “I forgot to do that!”. Learn the 10 vital things every genealogist should do before leaving a library or archives building or website to make your next research trip to an archives physical building or visit to an archive’s website successful.
Have you ever gotten home from a genealogy research trip or left a genealogy website and said to yourself “I forgot to do that!”. Learn the 10 vital things every genealogist should do before leaving a library or archives building or website to make your next research trip to an archives physical building or visit to an archive’s website successful.
Fri, September 22 2023: 14:15 UTC
1:04:02
586 views
CC
Free
Genealogy Escape Room: The Case of the Only Name Change at Ellis Island
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! The Case of Frank Woodhull: The Only Name Change at Ellis Island. You may have heard in a family story that a family’s surname or even a person’s given name was changed upon arrival in the United States at Ellis Island. This “urban legend” has been discussed and debunked for decades in the genealogy community. Since an immigrant’s name MUST match the ship’s manifesto, most name changes took place AFTER the person was successfully admitted. The change could have been done simply by adopting a new name or by selecting a new name during the citizenship process. But … there is ONE case of a name change of an immigrant at Ellis Island and that person is Frank Woodhull who arrived at New York City on October 4th, 1908. Follow an amazing research journey with twists and turns and you’ll find out how Woodhull lived under an assumed name in the United States for almost 15 years before his fateful return to the US from a holiday in England.
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! The Case of Frank Woodhull: The Only Name Change at Ellis Island. You may have heard in a family story that a family’s surname or even a person’s given name was changed upon arrival in the United States at Ellis Island. This “urban legend” has been discussed and debunked for decades in the genealogy community. Since an immigrant’s name MUST match the ship’s manifesto, most name changes took place AFTER the person was successfully admitted. The change could have been done simply by adopting a new name or by selecting a new name during the citizenship process. But … there is ONE case of a name change of an immigrant at Ellis Island and that person is Frank Woodhull who arrived at New York City on October 4th, 1908. Follow an amazing research journey with twists and turns and you’ll find out how Woodhull lived under an assumed name in the United States for almost 15 years before his fateful return to the US from a holiday in England.
Wed, September 20 2023: 18:00 UTC
Advanced
1:14:16
502 views
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Free
Follow the Trail of Records and DNA from Ireland to Oregon (1810-1860)
A deep dive into the records narrates a family’s journey. Advanced methodology and DNA reconstruct the forgotten family.
A deep dive into the records narrates a family’s journey. Advanced methodology and DNA reconstruct the forgotten family.
Wed, September 20 2023: 0:00 UTC
1:06:21
498 views
CC
Free
Diving into the Newly Released 1931 Canada Census
With the 1931 Canada census finally released to the public on June 1, 2023, a new window into the lives of ancestors who lived in Canada in the early 20th century is being thrown open! This census offers a snapshot of Canada at a fascinating and difficult historical period, a few years into the Great Depression. Join us for a deep dive into this long-awaited collection and discover what you can learn about your ancestors living in Canada during this time.
With the 1931 Canada census finally released to the public on June 1, 2023, a new window into the lives of ancestors who lived in Canada in the early 20th century is being thrown open! This census offers a snapshot of Canada at a fascinating and difficult historical period, a few years into the Great Depression. Join us for a deep dive into this long-awaited collection and discover what you can learn about your ancestors living in Canada during this time.
Fri, September 15 2023: 19:30 UTC
1:02:14
156 views
CC
Free
Mexican Land Reform and the Ejido: History and Records
Between 1916 and 1945 the Mexican government distributed 74 million acres of land to Mexican citizens – many of whom had been dispossessed of the right to that land in preceding generations. In this session, we will review the laws, administrative processes and records related to the distribution of that land, known as the ejido. We will also review strategies for requesting the original records. Intended for those with experience in Mexican and/or Hispanic genealogy, this session can help you take your research to the next level.
Between 1916 and 1945 the Mexican government distributed 74 million acres of land to Mexican citizens – many of whom had been dispossessed of the right to that land in preceding generations. In this session, we will review the laws, administrative processes and records related to the distribution of that land, known as the ejido. We will also review strategies for requesting the original records. Intended for those with experience in Mexican and/or Hispanic genealogy, this session can help you take your research to the next level.
Fri, September 15 2023: 18:00 UTC

TechZone

Build your tech skills in 10 minutes or less View all (154)
8:16
454 views
CC
Teach MS Word to Type for You
We all spend a great deal of time using a word processor. Let me show you how AutoCorrect and AutoText in MS WORD can be used to speed up your typing!
We all spend a great deal of time using a word processor. Let me show you how AutoCorrect and AutoText in MS WORD can be used to speed up your typing!
Fri, August 18 2023: 12:00 UTC
3:41
1.2K views
CC
What you’re missing if you’re still using Control-V
When you find tidbits about your ancestors on different websites you’ll want transfer them to your family history tree or a program like Word or Excel. The text can come across with all the formatting when you just want plain text. Learn some quick techniques to effortlessly save what you find, just the way you want. This was part of the webinar, Celebrating 2,000 webinars! Plus 10 tips you can use today.
When you find tidbits about your ancestors on different websites you’ll want transfer them to your family history tree or a program like Word or Excel. The text can come across with all the formatting when you just want plain text. Learn some quick techniques to effortlessly save what you find, just the way you want. This was part of the webinar, Celebrating 2,000 webinars! Plus 10 tips you can use today.
Fri, July 14 2023: 0:00 UTC
6:15
961 views
CC
Free
A few education tips
Daniel Horowitz presents a few tips about using FamilyTreeWebinars.com and the MyHeritage Knowledge Base. This was part of the webinar, Celebrating 2,000 webinars! Plus 10 tips you can use today.
Daniel Horowitz presents a few tips about using FamilyTreeWebinars.com and the MyHeritage Knowledge Base. This was part of the webinar, Celebrating 2,000 webinars! Plus 10 tips you can use today.
Fri, July 14 2023: 0:00 UTC
5:13
1.0K views
CC
FamilySearch Images – 5,095,337,405 and still counting
Learn how to access FamilySearch’s unindexed record images. This was part of the webinar, Celebrating 2,000 webinars! Plus 10 tips you can use today.
Learn how to access FamilySearch’s unindexed record images. This was part of the webinar, Celebrating 2,000 webinars! Plus 10 tips you can use today.
Fri, July 14 2023: 0:00 UTC
5:49
937 views
CC
One Link to Rule Them All – Using Link Aggregators
Are you on a lot of platforms? Do you want an easy way to promote things? Or maybe want to explore the best way to have all of your links in one place? Daniel Loftus will demonstrate how link aggregators work and how to set one up. This was part of the webinar, Celebrating 2,000 webinars! Plus 10 tips you can use today.
Are you on a lot of platforms? Do you want an easy way to promote things? Or maybe want to explore the best way to have all of your links in one place? Daniel Loftus will demonstrate how link aggregators work and how to set one up. This was part of the webinar, Celebrating 2,000 webinars! Plus 10 tips you can use today.
Fri, July 14 2023: 0:00 UTC
5:33
838 views
Google Alerts: Make Google Work for You!
It isn’t always easy to determine new content that has been added to Google, especially if you are on the hunt for information posted by others about your ancestors. Learn how to harness the power of Google Alerts and get notified via e-mail or RSS feed when anything new pops up on Google that can help your genealogy research. This was part of the webinar, Celebrating 2,000 webinars! Plus 10 tips you can use today.
It isn’t always easy to determine new content that has been added to Google, especially if you are on the hunt for information posted by others about your ancestors. Learn how to harness the power of Google Alerts and get notified via e-mail or RSS feed when anything new pops up on Google that can help your genealogy research. This was part of the webinar, Celebrating 2,000 webinars! Plus 10 tips you can use today.
Fri, July 14 2023: 0:00 UTC
6:04
1.0K views
CC
Make a timeline
Some colonial or early American ancestors migrated across multiple states in their lifetime. With limited numbers of records, how do you document their birth, marriage, and death? This program will discuss how building a timeline can help you determine that you’re tracing the right ancestor and locate records such as a birth, marriage, or death. This was part of the webinar, Celebrating 2,000 webinars! Plus 10 tips you can use today.
Some colonial or early American ancestors migrated across multiple states in their lifetime. With limited numbers of records, how do you document their birth, marriage, and death? This program will discuss how building a timeline can help you determine that you’re tracing the right ancestor and locate records such as a birth, marriage, or death. This was part of the webinar, Celebrating 2,000 webinars! Plus 10 tips you can use today.
Fri, July 14 2023: 0:00 UTC
6:13
948 views
CC
How to Create One Clear Ethnicity Estimate from 5
When you have five different ethnicity results from five different companies, how do you make sense of them all? This was part of the webinar, Celebrating 2,000 webinars! Plus 10 tips you can use today.
When you have five different ethnicity results from five different companies, how do you make sense of them all? This was part of the webinar, Celebrating 2,000 webinars! Plus 10 tips you can use today.
Fri, July 14 2023: 0:00 UTC
4:40
1.8K views
CC
How I Deciphered This…
In this brief tip, Geoff Rasmussen demonstrates how he made an illegible document, legible. This was part of the webinar, Celebrating 2,000 webinars! Plus 10 tips you can use today.
In this brief tip, Geoff Rasmussen demonstrates how he made an illegible document, legible. This was part of the webinar, Celebrating 2,000 webinars! Plus 10 tips you can use today.
Fri, July 14 2023: 0:00 UTC

Webinar Shorts

Sharpen your genealogy skills in 20 minutes or less View all (20)
3:44
Best tip for finding the law: CHEAT!
When it comes to finding the law… cheat. (Using resources like Cyndi’s List!) This was part of the webinar, Celebrating 2,000 webinars! Plus 10 tips you can use today.
When it comes to finding the law… cheat. (Using resources like Cyndi’s List!) This was part of the webinar, Celebrating 2,000 webinars! Plus 10 tips you can use today.
Fri, July 14 2023: 0:00 UTC
7:39
1.2K views
CC
Do We Ever Retire from Genealogy?
DearMYRTLE discusses the age-old question – do we ever retire from genealogy? This was part of the webinar, Celebrating 2,000 webinars! Plus 10 tips you can use today.
DearMYRTLE discusses the age-old question – do we ever retire from genealogy? This was part of the webinar, Celebrating 2,000 webinars! Plus 10 tips you can use today.
Fri, July 14 2023: 0:00 UTC
17:12
1.1K views
CC
6 Clues Revealed in Census Records
Census records are notorious for having sketchy information, but they give clues that lead to more reliable records. Learn 6 things to look for in census records to find accurate facts about your ancestors.
Tara Shymanski
Census records are notorious for having sketchy information, but they give clues that lead to more reliable records. Learn 6 things to look for in census records to find accurate facts about your ancestors.
Fri, March 24 2023: 14:00 UTC
14:41
586 views
CC
What’s That Name? Tips for Finding Nicknames, Spelling Variants and Mangled Surnames
Names are a genealogist’s bread and butter. But how do you find your ancestors when they didn’t “go by” their proper names, or clerks mangled their names in the records or the transcriber couldn’t read the enumerator’s handwriting? These tips might help!
Names are a genealogist’s bread and butter. But how do you find your ancestors when they didn’t “go by” their proper names, or clerks mangled their names in the records or the transcriber couldn’t read the enumerator’s handwriting? These tips might help!
Thu, February 23 2023: 17:00 UTC
9:38
4.9K views
CC
Free
Elizabeth Shown Mills reveals her secret to success in genealogy
As the genealogy world anxiously awaits the January 27, 2023 return of Elizabeth Shown Mills, Geoff Rasmussen had the pleasure to interview Elizabeth about her new webinar series. She talks about why she’s returning from retirement, what the webinar series is all about, and gives advice for both beginning and experienced genealogists. She also reveals her secret to success in genealogy.
As the genealogy world anxiously awaits the January 27, 2023 return of Elizabeth Shown Mills, Geoff Rasmussen had the pleasure to interview Elizabeth about her new webinar series. She talks about why she’s returning from retirement, what the webinar series is all about, and gives advice for both beginning and experienced genealogists. She also reveals her secret to success in genealogy.
Fri, January 20 2023: 17:00 UTC
5:08
2.1K views
CC
How I survived a genealogy emergency
Don’t let this happen to you. Join Geoff Rasmussen for a quick look at how he overcame this genealogy emergency.
Don’t let this happen to you. Join Geoff Rasmussen for a quick look at how he overcame this genealogy emergency.
Thu, July 21 2022: 0:00 UTC
8:00
560 views
CC
How a City Directory worked for me again
Following up on his recent case study webinar, “How I Debunked an Online Tree Hint”, Geoff Rasmussen shows how a city directory put a final nail in that hint’s coffin (not sure how great that analogy is, but hopefully you get the point…) and provided new clues to continue his research.
Following up on his recent case study webinar, “How I Debunked an Online Tree Hint”, Geoff Rasmussen shows how a city directory put a final nail in that hint’s coffin (not sure how great that analogy is, but hopefully you get the point…) and provided new clues to continue his research.
Thu, June 30 2022: 0:00 UTC
6:08
1.4K views
CC
How I Debunked an Online Tree Hint
Hints in online trees can provide genealogical treasures, but if you’re not careful they can lead to genealogical regret. In this quick video, Geoff Rasmussen shows why hints should be explored, scrutinized and evaluated.
Hints in online trees can provide genealogical treasures, but if you’re not careful they can lead to genealogical regret. In this quick video, Geoff Rasmussen shows why hints should be explored, scrutinized and evaluated.
Fri, June 10 2022: 0:00 UTC
18:48
1.6K views
CC
Getting Started in Family History – 11 – Staying Organized
The best way to ensure success in genealogy is to stay organized. Learn how to organize your paper files, computer files, books and much more!
The best way to ensure success in genealogy is to stay organized. Learn how to organize your paper files, computer files, books and much more!
Fri, July 24 2020: 0:00 UTC

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