The next Best of Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL series webinar is on Friday (a members-only event). Learn more here. 

The next Best of Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL series webinar is on Friday (a members-only event). Learn more here. 

By
By
Speakers

Gail Blankenau

Bonus webinars DNA Testing Historical Records Cemetery Records, Homestead Act of 1862, Poor Law Records Methodology and Skills Places and Ethnicities Germany, Russia, United States Nebraska

Gail Blankenau is an experienced genealogist, speaker and author. Her publications include articles in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register and The Genealogist. She is also a contributor to Family Chronicle and Internet Genealogy magazines. Based in Nebraska, she specializes in Nebraska records, Midwestern roots, German genealogy, land records, 19th-Century photographs and tracing lineages. More than half her ancestors came from New England, but she has roots in almost every state east of the Mississippi.

Gail's Webinars (10)

Advanced
1:34:17
DNA Testing
Using DNA to Answer Real Research Questions: Three Case Studies
Gail Blankenau
6.5K views
CC
Using DNA to Answer Real Research Questions: Three Case Studies
DNA tests provide opportunities for researchers to solve specific research questions. Gail Shaffer Blankenau will demonstrate how to combine DNA results with traditional research methods to make those fascinating DNA results useful.
DNA Testing
Using DNA to Answer Real Research Questions: Three Case Studies
CC
Gail Blankenau
6.5K views
DNA tests provide opportunities for researchers to solve specific research questions. Gail Shaffer Blankenau will demonstrate how to combine DNA results with traditional research methods to make those fascinating DNA results useful.
Wed, June 10 2020: 0:00 UTC
Register for free
59:15
Bonus webinarsHistorical Records
Rich Resources for Poor Ancestors
Gail Blankenau
1.2K views
CC
Rich Resources for Poor Ancestors
We can find a surprising amount of information on our less fortunate forebears.
Bonus webinarsHistorical Records
Rich Resources for Poor Ancestors
CC
Gail Blankenau
1.2K views
We can find a surprising amount of information on our less fortunate forebears.
Fri, October 12 2018: 0:00 UTC
Login to register (for webinar members)
Login to register (for webinar members)
1:26:27
Places and Ethnicities
Find Your Roots in German Farm Histories
Gail Blankenau
3.8K views
Find Your Roots in German Farm Histories
Until the early 1900s, the majority of the population in the Germanic states was engaged in agriculture. Thus, most of us with Germanic heritage will have at least some ancestors engaged in farming. German farm customs were different from those in America and German farmers were tied to their land...
Places and Ethnicities
Find Your Roots in German Farm Histories
Gail Blankenau
3.8K views
Until the early 1900s, the majority of the population in the Germanic states was engaged in agriculture. Thus, most of us with Germanic heritage will have at least some ancestors engaged in farming. German farm customs were different from those in America and German farmers were tied to their land...
Wed, February 28 2018: 0:00 UTC
Register for free
54:23
Bonus webinarsMethodology and Skills
Keeping Up with the Smiths and Joneses
Gail Blankenau
2.1K views
Keeping Up with the Smiths and Joneses
In our ancestral research, we will come across a forebear with a common surname. It's tempting to fling our hands up in surrender and move on to another line; however, there are techniques that can help us to keep up with our own Smiths, Joneses and even those Johnsons.
Bonus webinarsMethodology and Skills
Keeping Up with the Smiths and Joneses
Gail Blankenau
2.1K views
In our ancestral research, we will come across a forebear with a common surname. It's tempting to fling our hands up in surrender and move on to another line; however, there are techniques that can help us to keep up with our own Smiths, Joneses and even those Johnsons.
Fri, October 27 2017: 0:00 UTC
Login to register (for webinar members)
Login to register (for webinar members)
1:31:34
Places and Ethnicities
Deciphering German Script
Gail Blankenau
3.6K views
Deciphering German Script
German parish registers are an indispensable resource in German genealogy. Yet, many of us hesitate because of the difficulties in reading these rich mines of information. Despite these challenges, you can train yourself to read and interpret enough of the records to make substantial progress on your genealogy. They are…
Places and Ethnicities
Deciphering German Script
Gail Blankenau
3.6K views
German parish registers are an indispensable resource in German genealogy. Yet, many of us hesitate because of the difficulties in reading these rich mines of information. Despite these challenges, you can train yourself to read and interpret enough of the records to make substantial progress on your genealogy. They are…
Fri, February 10 2017: 0:00 UTC
Register for free
Advanced
1:46:34
Places and Ethnicities
Digging Deeper in German Parish Records
Gail Blankenau
3.4K views
Digging Deeper in German Parish Records
Continue your work in Germanic parish records, with examples and cases that will help you with an array of strategies and situations to help you learn how to bridge the gaps and build your Germanic lineage.
Places and Ethnicities
Digging Deeper in German Parish Records
Gail Blankenau
3.4K views
Continue your work in Germanic parish records, with examples and cases that will help you with an array of strategies and situations to help you learn how to bridge the gaps and build your Germanic lineage.
Wed, June 22 2016: 0:00 UTC
Register for free
1:34:01
Places and Ethnicities
Introduction to German Parish Records
Gail Blankenau
6.0K views
CC
Introduction to German Parish Records
Gail Shaffer Blankenau will introduce you to the gold mine of German genealogy--German church books, both in the United States and in the Germanic states. She discusses proven strategies to identify your ancestor's home church and how to approach the records when you find them—even if you don't...
Places and Ethnicities
Introduction to German Parish Records
CC
Gail Blankenau
6.0K views
Gail Shaffer Blankenau will introduce you to the gold mine of German genealogy--German church books, both in the United States and in the Germanic states. She discusses proven strategies to identify your ancestor's home church and how to approach the records when you find them—even if you don't...
Wed, March 23 2016: 0:00 UTC
Register for free
1:55:31
Historical Records
Stories in Stone – Cemetery Research
Gail Blankenau
3.8K views
Stories in Stone – Cemetery Research
Ever wonder what various gravestone symbols mean? Is everything "set in stone" completely accurate? Gail will walk you through cemeteries all over the country with tips on how to use cemetery and associated records in your genealogy quest.
Historical Records
Stories in Stone – Cemetery Research
Gail Blankenau
3.8K views
Ever wonder what various gravestone symbols mean? Is everything "set in stone" completely accurate? Gail will walk you through cemeteries all over the country with tips on how to use cemetery and associated records in your genealogy quest.
Wed, December 2 2015: 0:00 UTC
Register for free
Advanced
1:15:03
Bonus webinarsPlaces and Ethnicities
Germans from Russia (BONUS webinar for subscribers)
Gail Blankenau
2.9K views
Germans from Russia (BONUS webinar for subscribers)
In 1762, Empress Catherine of Russia invited ethnic Germans to immigrate to Russia to develop the country's agriculture, allowing them to retain their language and culture. Thousands of Germans left their native land to settle in their own ethnic and religious groups. In the late 19th century some of Catherine's…
Bonus webinarsPlaces and Ethnicities
Germans from Russia (BONUS webinar for subscribers)
Gail Blankenau
2.9K views
In 1762, Empress Catherine of Russia invited ethnic Germans to immigrate to Russia to develop the country's agriculture, allowing them to retain their language and culture. Thousands of Germans left their native land to settle in their own ethnic and religious groups. In the late 19th century some of Catherine's…
Tue, March 31 2015: 0:00 UTC
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Login to register (for webinar members)
54:16
Bonus webinarsHistorical RecordsPlaces and Ethnicities
Women Homesteaders and Genealogy (BONUS webinar for subscribers)
Gail Blankenau
2.7K views
Women Homesteaders and Genealogy (BONUS webinar for subscribers)
The passage of the 1862 Homestead Act provided women a unique opportunity to own land in their own right. The husband was presumed to be the head of a family, so married women were not eligible, but unmarried women—single, widowed, divorced, abandoned—could apply for their chance at independence….
Bonus webinarsHistorical RecordsPlaces and Ethnicities
Women Homesteaders and Genealogy (BONUS webinar for subscribers)
Gail Blankenau
2.7K views
The passage of the 1862 Homestead Act provided women a unique opportunity to own land in their own right. The husband was presumed to be the head of a family, so married women were not eligible, but unmarried women—single, widowed, divorced, abandoned—could apply for their chance at independence….
Tue, February 3 2015: 0:00 UTC
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Legacy QuickGuide: Deciphering Germanic Script
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