We all have lost Elizabeths in our tree. This lecture will discuss how the understanding and application of indirect evidence is such a valuable instrument in your methodology tool-kit. This case study will examine methods and sources that contributed to finding the parents of Elizabeth Wingate (1795-1860) of Baltimore, Maryland.

Have you ever relied on one of those published genealogies from the 1800s? A case study will be presented where incomplete and incorrect transcriptions for a single family led to published genealogies containing such errors as extra children, missing children, questionable ages, and impossible dates, including a death date more than 70 years too early! Learn the keys to creating transcriptions that are complete and accurate, so you don’t accidentally add more confusion to your family genealogy.

The library holds the world’s largest collection of maps—over 5.2 million maps according to their website. This webinar will describe the collections most valuable for genealogical research. We are going to explore the online resources and how they can help our research. Exploring the phenomenal learning resources is also on the agenda. We will also talk about finding aids, research guides, reproduction capabilities, and alternative ways to access the map collections. Lastly, we will discuss the resources that are only available onsite, such as the cartographic library, cartographic exhibits, and other unique holdings.

Have you been researching for years and reached a brick wall? Have you just started and gathered all the easy information but aren’t sure where to go next? Discover new techniques and re-discover tried and true methods. Teri’s presentation takes a fresh look at research strategies that will get your research moving, whether you’ve been researching your family history for 30 years or 30 weeks.

Every document that is used during genealogical research must be thoroughly and accurately analyzed. Abstracting is a fundamental part of this research and analyzing process. Yet many genealogists are not confident in their ability to perform this task effectively and efficiently. This causes researchers to avoid the abstracting process resulting in research errors. An abstract is a summary of all the important details in a document. This presentation will examine the abstracting process by using examples that show how to abstract a variety of documents, general guidelines for abstracting, what to include and what to eliminate when creating an abstract, and lastly will explore some problems that might be encountered while abstracting.

Time and time again, we’re told to look at records in the context of the law at the time and in the place where the records were created. Easier said than done! With 50 states and the federal government all passing laws, how do we find the laws we need? One answer is Google Books—if we use it to full advantage.

Can an American get a legal Coat of Arms in Scotland? It is possible, and many have, but it’s not necessarily straightforward or simple. Dr Bruce Durie addresses the How and the Why of Scottish Heraldry.

Bad news about records can often be overcome with persistence and flexibility. Put on your own Discovery hat and create your treasure maps to lead you to the answers.

We’re all descended from migrants – it’s a fact of history. But who left Europe when? Where did our earliest known ancestors come from? How can we use what we know about family to understand where to look for records? What if we have almost nothing at all? Join MyHeritage’s Director of Content in Europe, Myko Clelland, as we delve into centuries of travel from the old world to the new, getting to grips with the historical rules and patterns that give us the context to better tell our ancestors stories and lead us to new discoveries.