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Robyn Smith

Historical Records Land Records Methodology and Skills Brick Walls, Friends, Associates, Neighbors (FANs) Organization

Robyn Smith has been researching her family and others for over 25 years. An engineer by day, Robyn applies those research and problem-solving skills to the field of genealogy. She specializes in Maryland, Court Records, African American and Slavery research. From 2008-2012, Robyn taught an Advanced African American Genealogy class at Howard Community College in Columbia, MD.

Robyn has lectured widely at regional and national conferences, and has taught at the Maryland Genealogical Society, the Maryland State Archives, and the Reginald Lewis Museum.

Robyn writes extensively and for more than ten years has authored a popular genealogy teaching blog called Reclaiming Kin (www.reclaimingkin.com).

In 2015, Ms. Smith published the book version of her blog, The Best of Reclaiming Kin, which was recommended in the syllabus at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research. She recently published part 2 of that volume in PDF format.

In addition to writing and teaching, Robyn also has a special passion for documenting the histories of communities and promoting adherence to genealogical standards.

Robyn's Webinars (5)

1:25:49
Methodology and SkillsOrganization
Putting it All Together: Making Sense of All the Research You’ve Done
Robyn Smith
2.4K views
CC
Putting it All Together: Making Sense of All the Research You’ve Done
If you are like most genealogists, over the years you’ve amassed a mountain of documents, binders and files. You want to tell the story of your family, but don’t know where or how to begin. This lecture is for you. Robyn will share examples of the kinds of tables and tools she uses to organize, analyze and properly cite all those records you have collected. Get better organized. Understand what records you already have. Get rid of all those papers. Cite your sources with ease. Finally-- put it all together!
Methodology and SkillsOrganization
Putting it All Together: Making Sense of All the Research You’ve Done
CC
Robyn Smith
2.4K views
If you are like most genealogists, over the years you’ve amassed a mountain of documents, binders and files. You want to tell the story of your family, but don’t know where or how to begin. This lecture is for you. Robyn will share examples of the kinds of tables and tools she uses to organize, analyze and properly cite all those records you have collected. Get better organized. Understand what records you already have. Get rid of all those papers. Cite your sources with ease. Finally-- put it all together!
Thu, June 15 2023: 0:00 UTC
Register for free
1:29:22
Methodology and Skills
Proving Identity: Not Matching Names
Robyn Smith
2.8K views
CC
Proving Identity: Not Matching Names
Genealogy records are full of people living in the same place with the same name. How can you discern which one refers to your ancestor? We can’t rely on just names; we’ve got to prove identity. In this lecture, Robyn explains the concept and provides guidelines to ensure that we don’t confuse our ancestor with others in the community.
Methodology and Skills
Proving Identity: Not Matching Names
CC
Robyn Smith
2.8K views
Genealogy records are full of people living in the same place with the same name. How can you discern which one refers to your ancestor? We can’t rely on just names; we’ve got to prove identity. In this lecture, Robyn explains the concept and provides guidelines to ensure that we don’t confuse our ancestor with others in the community.
Thu, January 12 2023: 1:00 UTC
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59:41
Historical Records
Fruit of the Earth: Using Deeds to Uncover Your Ancestors
Robyn Smith
481 views
CC
Fruit of the Earth: Using Deeds to Uncover Your Ancestors
Deed Records are one of the best records for researching family history, but their legal language can intimidate even seasoned researchers. In this session, Ms. Smith describes the various ways that land records can help our genealogical research not just on our ancestors, but also on the communities in which they lived. Land records can tie together multiple generations of a family and provide evidence for relationships. They can also shed light on the social history of a locale, which is important information to add context to the lives of our ancestors.
Historical Records
Fruit of the Earth: Using Deeds to Uncover Your Ancestors
CC
Robyn Smith
481 views
Deed Records are one of the best records for researching family history, but their legal language can intimidate even seasoned researchers. In this session, Ms. Smith describes the various ways that land records can help our genealogical research not just on our ancestors, but also on the communities in which they lived. Land records can tie together multiple generations of a family and provide evidence for relationships. They can also shed light on the social history of a locale, which is important information to add context to the lives of our ancestors.
Fri, September 23 2022: 10:00 UTC
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1:24:50
Methodology and Skills
Cluster Research: Using Groups of People to Find Your People
Robyn Smith
2.0K views
CC
Cluster Research: Using Groups of People to Find Your People
Our ancestors did not live in a vacuum. They lived, worked, socialized, and married in the midst of a larger group of people. Those people included not just family members but friends, neighbors, employers and fellow employees, fellow churchgoers, and business associates. Genealogists often refers to this group with the…
Methodology and Skills
Cluster Research: Using Groups of People to Find Your People
CC
Robyn Smith
2.0K views
Our ancestors did not live in a vacuum. They lived, worked, socialized, and married in the midst of a larger group of people. Those people included not just family members but friends, neighbors, employers and fellow employees, fellow churchgoers, and business associates. Genealogists often refers to this group with the…
Thu, September 23 2021: 0:00 UTC
Register for free
1:29:38
Methodology and Skills
Do You Have an Artificial Brick Wall?
Robyn Smith
14.8K views
CC
Do You Have an Artificial Brick Wall?
Genealogists are famous for their brick walls. However, many of the things we call “brick walls” are more likely the result of some common errors, such as relying too heavily on the Internet, not reviewing original sources and focusing too closely on only the person or couple of interest. These…
Methodology and Skills
Do You Have an Artificial Brick Wall?
CC
Robyn Smith
14.8K views
Genealogists are famous for their brick walls. However, many of the things we call “brick walls” are more likely the result of some common errors, such as relying too heavily on the Internet, not reviewing original sources and focusing too closely on only the person or couple of interest. These…
Wed, January 13 2021: 1:00 UTC
Register for free