Sarah Elizabeth Grant, also known as Betsy, was born enslaved in 1837 in Greene County, Georgia. In 2022, a tweet from the Smithsonian Transcription Center shed light on a letter she wrote to the Freedmen’s Bureau, showing up on the timeline of one of her great-nephews: Orice Jenkins. Further research by Orice revealed Betsy’s complex story, as the daughter of an enslaved woman and a free man of color, who sued her enslaver after emancipation. Various resources were used to determine the identity of her parents, including DNA results, court records, Freedmen’s Bureau records, newspapers, and the new Full-Text Search feature on FamilySearch, leading to the uncovering of a historical phenomenon in the Grant family.

If you’re just starting out, German genealogy can seem incredibly overwhelming. Records in a foreign language, which are written in old-fashioned handwriting, are enough to make finding German ancestors seem near impossible to researchers looking to cross the pond. Luckily, there’s help! In this session, learn the top seven tips to get you started – and confidently embark on – your German genealogy journey.

Filae vous ouvre les archives françaises en vous donnant un accès direct aux documents originaux grâce à l’indexation nominative : état civil, recensements, tables de successions, bulletin des lois… Ce webinaire explore nos collections et nos outils de recherche. Apprenez à mener des enquêtes efficaces pour reconstituer les familles et bâtir un arbre généalogique fiable, où chaque événement est prouvé par sa source.

Following the War of 1812 a charity called the Loyal and Patriotic Society of Upper Canada was founded to provide financial support for the families of men who were injured or died serving in the colonial militia. The report that was published in 1817 is absolute gem for genealogists researching early Ontario families. From dry-as-dust financial tables to heart-wrenching stories of pain and sacrifice, this little-known publication has it all.

The destruction of the Public Records Office in June 1922 at the outset of the Irish Civil War has cast a long shadow over Irish genealogical research. Anyone who has sought their Irish ancestors has likely encountered frustration at the gaps in available records caused by this disaster. But how much do we really know about the events that caused the fire and were all our records really lost? This talk will explore the background to the Public Record Office fire and address some of the myths that have grown up around it. It will also examine how recent advances in conservation techniques and modern technology are allowing the recovery of some records previously believed lost, with a particular focus on the recent Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland Project.

The South of Ireland was in dire straits at the end of the 18th century and on several occasions was on the verge of civil war. The Whiteboys developed as a secret oath-bound society among the poor. Their operations were chiefly in the counties of Waterford, Cork, Limerick, and Tipperary and were not directed against the government, but rather against local landlords. No amount of legislation seemed to tame the anger which had led to many “disturbances”. As a means of removing some of the rebels, offering them a new life and free land in Upper Canada, and hopefully settling the anger back home in Ireland, the government decide to pay for families to be resettled at the expense of the government. Peter Robinson, brother of John Beverley Robinson, was tasked with finding and settling the emigrants. In this presentation we will look at the history and politics that led to what has become known as the Peter Robinson’s Settlement Scheme. We will also take an in-depth look at the various resources available for researching your Peter Robinson Settler ancestors.

A detailed look at the origin and development of the American Genealogical and Biographical Index, along with detailed instructions on how to access it today.

¿Has llegado a un “muro de ladrillo” en tu investigación familiar en México? El Registro Civil es, sin duda, la fuente documental más importante para romperlo. Establecido para registrar oficialmente los eventos vitales de la población, estos documentos son pilares fundamentales para construir tu árbol genealógico. En esta clase, aprenderás a navegar y utilizar de manera efectiva los registros civiles de México para trazar tu linaje.

For the last 500 years, Mexico has been a crossroads of peoples, cultures and ethnicities. Starting in the XVI century, wave after wave of European, African and Asian people. Many records have been preserved which can help you discover your ancestor’s movements. Explore the rich migratory history of Mexico from Passenger Lists to the Indies to XX century foreign registries.