Breathing Life into Ancestral Stories: Using Social History in Genealogical Research
Thu, April 3 2025: 22:00 UTC
Have you ever wondered what your ancestors’ lives were like beyond the names, dates, and places? While these fundamental details form the backbone of genealogical research, they often fail to capture the imagination of family members who aren’t as passionate about genealogy. The key to engaging your relatives and bringing your ancestors to life lies in incorporating social and community history into your family narratives. While time travel remains the stuff of science fiction, we can carefully reconstruct the historical context in which our ancestors lived. In this session, Robyn describes approaching social history by using conventional genealogical records in new ways, and using unconventional genealogical records. This session includes multiple examples of how to incorporate our findings into our writing for more creative storytelling. By embracing social history and looking beyond traditional genealogical facts, we can create compelling narratives that bring our ancestors to life. This approach not only enriches our understanding of family history but also captivates the interest of relatives who might otherwise remain indifferent.
Have you ever wondered what your ancestors’ lives were like beyond the names, dates, and places? While these fundamental details form the backbone of genealogical research, they often fail to capture the imagination of family members who aren’t as passionate about genealogy. The key to engaging your relatives and bringing your ancestors to life lies in incorporating social and community history into your family narratives. While time travel remains the stuff of science fiction, we can carefully reconstruct the historical context in which our ancestors lived. In this session, Robyn describes approaching social history by using conventional genealogical records in new ways, and using unconventional genealogical records. This session includes multiple examples of how to incorporate our findings into our writing for more creative storytelling. By embracing social history and looking beyond traditional genealogical facts, we can create compelling narratives that bring our ancestors to life. This approach not only enriches our understanding of family history but also captivates the interest of relatives who might otherwise remain indifferent.
Compare and collect the resources that confirm our ancestor’s presence. While adding tax records, non-population schedules, and soil surveys to predict the success while farming or understand the difficulties of adequate production, and how many pigs were really there.
Compare and collect the resources that confirm our ancestor’s presence. While adding tax records, non-population schedules, and soil surveys to predict the success while farming or understand the difficulties of adequate production, and how many pigs were really there.
From the beginning of European settlement in North America, free and inexpensive land has been a tool for enticing settlers to migrate to new areas. The English and Spanish granted large tracts to individuals in return for bringing new people into areas with sparse European populations. Bounty land was granted to soldiers in America’s early wars. The end of the American Revolution led to a number of Federal plans to sell or grant vast acreages of public domain land. Homesteading opportunities attracted Americans and immigrants to the west after the Civil War. The availability of affordable land was a catalyst for the migration of many of our ancestors.
From the beginning of European settlement in North America, free and inexpensive land has been a tool for enticing settlers to migrate to new areas. The English and Spanish granted large tracts to individuals in return for bringing new people into areas with sparse European populations. Bounty land was granted to soldiers in America’s early wars. The end of the American Revolution led to a number of Federal plans to sell or grant vast acreages of public domain land. Homesteading opportunities attracted Americans and immigrants to the west after the Civil War. The availability of affordable land was a catalyst for the migration of many of our ancestors.
Shootout at the Rhododendron Lodge: Reconstructing Life-Changing Events
A 1929 shootout left the Bath County, Virginia, sheriff dead. Learn to follow the trail through all the records to reconstruct a life-changing event, and understand its unique challenges, both in terms of resources and in terms of ethics.
A 1929 shootout left the Bath County, Virginia, sheriff dead. Learn to follow the trail through all the records to reconstruct a life-changing event, and understand its unique challenges, both in terms of resources and in terms of ethics.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Finding Your Elusive Female Ancestors in Local Archives
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.
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.
The Everleigh Sisters: A Case Study in Conflict Resolution
Minna and Ada Everleigh, Chicago’s most famous pair of sisters, fabricated many details of their lives in order to run their shady business. Learn to sort fact from fiction.
Minna and Ada Everleigh, Chicago’s most famous pair of sisters, fabricated many details of their lives in order to run their shady business. Learn to sort fact from fiction.
Before beginning their own research, good researchers seek out the research already done by others. Find out how to do an exhaustive search for books, periodicals, and other published or unpublished printed research material that may save you time in your own research.
Before beginning their own research, good researchers seek out the research already done by others. Find out how to do an exhaustive search for books, periodicals, and other published or unpublished printed research material that may save you time in your own research.
Lost and Found: Locating Ancestral Origins with FAN Club and DNA
It’s hard to do genealogy well without studying your ancestors’ Friends & Family, Associates, and Neighbors – their FAN club. If your ancestors are Irish, you might have no luck at all without those FAN principles. But if you combine FAN club research with DNA, you might have just the winning ticket to get you back to your Irish ancestor’s origins. In this case study presentation, learn how focused research pointed the way from Ohio to townlands in County Mayo for an 1850s-era Irish immigrant.
It’s hard to do genealogy well without studying your ancestors’ Friends & Family, Associates, and Neighbors – their FAN club. If your ancestors are Irish, you might have no luck at all without those FAN principles. But if you combine FAN club research with DNA, you might have just the winning ticket to get you back to your Irish ancestor’s origins. In this case study presentation, learn how focused research pointed the way from Ohio to townlands in County Mayo for an 1850s-era Irish immigrant.
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