Did you mark your wish list in the Sears Christmas catalog as a child? FamilySearch Catalog lists everything available in the FamilySearch Library. Many of these items are also available online, at FamilySearch Centers and Affiliated Libraries. Items include books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications. This session will go through the steps on how to search by location, surname, title, author, subject, or keywords, and combinations of these. Learn to find where the items are located and what type of media they are stored in. Search online in film images, and adjust their image or zoom in and out. When you find records for your research, mark each to view later in a to-do list of items which may be printed to the library when you got in person. See how the FamilySearch Wiki will help find records for an area anywhere. Just like the Christmas Catalog had something for every member of the family, this catalog has something for everyone, no matter where you are researching.

Learn what FamilySearch’s full-text search capability can do for you! This class will provide you with tips and tricks for making the most of this innovation in genealogical research. We’ll cover various ways to search, how to use wildcards and other tools, ways to filter your results, how to read and save images and transcriptions, and what to do with the information you find in the records.

Discover how DNA testing can transform your family history research! This foundational lecture introduces the core principles of genetic genealogy, explaining the types of DNA tests available (autosomal, Y-DNA, and mitochondrial), what they can reveal, and how they complement traditional genealogical methods. Learn how genetic insights can connect you to your ancestors and provide new avenues to explore your family’s story.

Many states now have so-called Memory or Digital Archives platforms, which contain a ton of material relevant to genealogists, whether original documents, historical context, images, and more often covering from the state’s founding to now. Examples include Indiana Memory, Portal to Texas History, North Carolina Digital Collections, Virginia Memory, etc.

Those who we today call LGBTQ+ have been around throughout history. Discover the rich legacy our people have left behind. And sharing these stories with our family members is even more important in an age where prejudice tries to cover the truth of our existence.

This presentation delves into the lives of Norwegian immigrants in the United States during the 1800s, exploring their contributions to American society and the challenges they faced along the way. As waves of Norwegians sought better opportunities, many settled in the Midwest, particularly in states like Minnesota and Iowa, where they played a pivotal role in shaping local communities. By examining historical newspapers within the OldNews archive, we can uncover valuable insights into their everyday experiences through personal stories, community events, further bringing the process of cultural integration to life. Ultimately, not only highlighting the resilience and determination of Norwegian immigrants but also providing a broader context for understanding early Norwegian-American experiences, whilst also discovering the personal narratives that have shaped their enduring legacy.

Local archives of all kinds have records for your female ancestors. Many times, these records are not digitized or available online. Learn from a seasoned archivist how to locate and research female records in local archives.

This presentation will discuss ways that ancestral stories—obtained from actual documents and records—can be converted to children’s stories. The created story is not necessarily going to be entirely genealogically accurate. The goal of stories for children is to hopefully nurture an interest in their family history, not bore them to tears with an endless list of names and dates. We will discuss the need to omit certain details, fictionalize dialog, and keep the story at the appropriate age level. We will encourage attendees to develop their stories orally as well as via the written word, reminding them that sometimes it’s easier to transcribe a spoken story than it is to write it from scratch. Specific examples discussed will be a story created from an 1820 pig theft in Kentucky, a Nebraska homesteader, and a migration from Indiana to Illinois during the Civil War. We’ll see the actual story and the age-appropriate story that was created from it. The session will conclude with ways to preserve and share the story—and the actual experience that precipitated the creation of the story as well.

There are at least 44 million descendants of enslaved individuals alive today, but slavery separated families, erased names, and obscured facts. The 10 Million Names Project, recently launched by American Ancestors and its partners, aims to connect the family stories of these descendants to the 10 million men, women, and children of African descent who were enslaved in the U.S. prior to emancipation and to restore their names to history. Join Cynthia Evans and learn about the scope of this project, the objectives, and our methodology.