Bringing Life to Our Ancestors: Manuscript Collections

The search for the deceased husband of Elizabeth Larzelere enumerated in 1820 with four young children leads to unexpected results and to new questions.

Learn about the repatriation program and the techniques genealogists use to locate family members and DNA reference samples for missing service members from past conflicts. Presented live at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and sponsored by the Board for Certification of Genealogy.

When we tell a story, sometimes we need to stop and explain. Just how did we figure out who the main character's mother was—without any census, vital records, or probate records? This problem confronts every genealogist who prepares a portfolio for certification as well. Jeanne Larzalere Bloom, CG, will...

A one place study explores an ancestral place in depth by studying the history, the environment, and the people of a place over time. Learn practical strategies for conducting your own OPS and how it helps you meet the Genealogy Standards. See how the assembled information can add rich context to your ancestors' lives, fill gaps where records are lacking, and uncover forgotten connections within a community.

Many immigrants entered the US under the Displaced Persons Act. Based on specific criteria, eligible displaced persons (DPs) could be admitted to the US if they would not become a public charge and have safe and sanitary housing and employment without displacing some other person. The displaced person or refugee was the concern of the International Refugee Organization. The US created the Displaced Persons Commission to oversee the act’s enactment. Is your ancestor named in the record sets created? The presentation will discuss the History of the Act and the records created as a result of the Act.

Research on a man's mysterious second marriage identified his wife as a romance scammer who preyed on Civil War veterans. This case study shows how evidence correlation and reasonably exhaustive research cut through the lies and misdirection in a woman's records to establish her identity and reveal her sometimes deadly deception.

From the beginning of European settlement in North America, free and inexpensive land has been a tool for enticing settlers to migrate to new areas. The English and Spanish granted large tracts to individuals in return for bringing new people into areas with sparse European populations. Bounty land was granted to soldiers in America’s early wars. The end of the American Revolution led to a number of Federal plans to sell or grant vast acreages of public domain land. Homesteading opportunities attracted Americans and immigrants to the west after the Civil War. The availability of affordable land was a catalyst for the migration of many of our ancestors.

After years of using census records, genealogists may take for granted that they're using them fully and correctly. But as they learn about genealogy standards and best practices, do they go back and re-think their census practices? What does it even mean to evaluate a census record? Let's learn a bit more about the U.S. census and the specific ways that standards can help us to maximize its usefulness.

Minna and Ada Everleigh, Chicago’s most famous pair of sisters, fabricated many details of their lives in order to run their shady business. Learn to sort fact from fiction.