TechZone

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.

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.

Join Bonnie Wade Mucia, Silver Books Director, as she delves into the invaluable resource of the Mayflower Families Silver Books published by the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. This presentation covers the history of the Silver Books project and provides you with the tools and knowledge to effectively use them in your genealogy work, particularly for researching the colonial period. These books trace the descendants of Mayflower passengers through multiple generations, offering a treasure trove of genealogy scholarship. Whether you’re a seasoned genealogist or just starting out, this presentation will equip you to unlock the full potential of the Mayflower Families Silver Books in your research, revealing lineages enriched by meticulous research and documented with original records and sources.

German-French or French-German? Genealogy in Alsace-Lorraine. Do you have ancestors listed in the U. S. census as German in one and French in another? They are likely from Alsace-Lorraine, with a complicated history that presents family researchers with opportunities and challenges. Learn about sources and methods that will help you to progress in your research.

Following the Revolutionary War, many British subjects were eager to get onto British soil and Canada was the nearest colony. Land was granted to soldiers who had remained loyal to the Crown and with the success of settlements such as Glengarry, colonizers soon realized that there was success to be had in getting immigrants to settle in the huge swath of untapped land in Upper Canada. In this presentation we will discuss: Military Settlements, Crown & Clergy Reserves, Queen’s Bush Settlement & Wilberforce Colony, Quaker Settlements, Mennonite Settlements, Talbot Settlement, Peter Robinson Settlement, Huron Tract. We will also look at sale of treaty lands, and emigration societies in Scotland.

When you begin a family tree on the MyHeritage.com website, you may discover that the website has an app called the Consistency Checker that scans your family tree and identifies mistakes and inconsistencies in your data, so you can make the necessary changes in your tree, thereby improving its overall quality and accuracy. Another helpful app is the MyHeritage Timeline. This app allows you to view your family tree as a timeline. Using this feature, you can visualize how the story of your family unfolded over time and place your ancestors in the context of the period in which they lived. Come and learn about how these two tools can work together to vastly improve the accuracy of your family tree.