Beginners

Many immigrants entered the US under the Displaced Persons Act. Based on specific criteria, eligible displaced persons (DPs) could be admitted to the US if they would not become a public charge and have safe and sanitary housing and employment without displacing some other person. The displaced person or refugee was the concern of the International Refugee Organization. The US created the Displaced Persons Commission to oversee the act’s enactment. Is your ancestor named in the record sets created? The presentation will discuss the History of the Act and the records created as a result of the Act.

Learn what FamilySearch’s full-text search capability can do for you! This class will provide you with tips and tricks for making the most of this innovation in genealogical research. We’ll cover various ways to search, how to use wildcards and other tools, ways to filter your results, how to read and save images and transcriptions, and what to do with the information you find in the records.

As genealogical interest continues to grow, new sources become available, new tools are published and new approaches are developed. Successful research demands keeping up to date, especially for a state as complex as New York. From colonial to 20th century, both online and print only, these new tools can supercharge your stagnant New York research problems!

An insight into the wealth of information that is available within newspapers including the British Newspaper Archive and The Gazette as well as hints and tips for getting more out of searching and finding useful articles within the newspapers.

Autosomal DNA (atDNA) is a powerful tool for genealogists, offering a window into your broader family tree. This lecture explores the science of atDNA inheritance, its strengths and limitations, and practical ways to apply it to your genealogical research. Discover how atDNA can help you identify unknown ancestors, connect with relatives, and solve family mysteries.

The mitochondrial tree of humanity has been rewritten, connecting all of us more closely than ever before on the new Mitotree. Everyone receives mitochondrial DNA only from their mother, who receives it from her mother, and so forth, all the way back in time to Mitochondrial Eve. Mitochondrial DNA is never admixed with the DNA of the other parent, so you never have to sort out which lines it comes from. We are all leaves on the twigs on the branches of the tree of humankind. The mitochondrial tree had not been updated since 2016, but now, with more than a Million samples to work with, 50 times more than before, the tree structure has been expanded eight-fold by combining samples from academic publications, ancient DNA, public sources and testers at FamilyTreeDNA. The new Mitotree and tools provide information never before available to genealogists about their matrilineal lineages. In addition to the vastly expanded genetic tree, FamilyTreeDNA has rolled out the companion MitoDiscover, a dozen fascinating chapters in your mitochondrial book. As a Million Mito Team member, Roberta will explain the challenges we overcame to create the tree of humanity – and how it’s useful to genealogists. All genealogists can benefit from the results of the Million Mito Project, because everyone has mitochondrial DNA that holds keys to information never before available! Let those brick walls fall!!!

Find biographical summaries, family histories, and local/county/state histories in collections from Canada (54), Europe (411), Latin America(1), Oceania (24) and the United States (1629). Tips for finding records easily – you will love the data.

Researching early families in Kentucky and Virginia can be particularly challenging. Every location has multiple people of the same name making even surviving records difficult to sort. There are few available birth and death records and other records may be difficult to locate or non-existent. Learn effective strategies for researching that difficult early Kentucky or Virginia family.

In this presentation, Adwoa Ulzen-Setrakian, founder of spanDNA and Human Temple Therapeutics LLC, explores how genetic genealogy has become a powerful tool for families of African descent to reclaim their histories and restore connections severed by displacement, migration, and historical traumas. Through a family-centered approach, Adwoa demonstrates how commercial DNA testing can do more than uncover personal ancestry—it can reconstruct the bonds of kinship across generations and continents. Drawing from real-life case studies, Adwoa will share stories of how African-descended families are using genetic genealogy to facilitate reconnecting with lost relatives, restoring collective memory, and explore opportunities for healing from intergenerational wounds. Attendees will learn about the unique challenges faced by these families, especially when traditional records and oral histories fall short, and how spanDNA’s method helps bridge the gaps using DNA analysis, compassionate research, and a collaborative, community-based approach. A key focus will be the culmination of these efforts at gatherings such as the upcoming Transatlantic Genealogy Summit 2025, where families who have reconnected through DNA will come together to celebrate their shared heritage, foster deeper connections, and continue building their family legacies. Attendees will walk away with: Insight into how genetic genealogy can be a transformative tool for family legacy-building, particularly within the African diaspora. Practical knowledge of how to use commercial DNA testing platforms to connect with genetic relatives and uncover ancestral histories. A better understanding of how family reunions and summits, such as the Transatlantic Genealogy Summit, can serve as a powerful culmination of genealogical research and DNA connections. Real-life examples of success stories and the emotional impact of restoring long-lost family ties. This presentation may inspire families to see themselves as protagonists in their own stories, capable of uncovering veiled memories and reclaiming their place within the larger, interconnected human family.