After hanging up the speaking mic in October 2021, Elizabeth Shown Mills, genealogy’s pioneer in problem-solving methodology, returns in 2023 with Legacy Family Tree Webinars. Join us each month as Elizabeth encores her top-12 most beloved classes, teaching us how to break down our genealogy problems and create solutions with innovative strategies and sound methods. The classes are pre-recorded for the live watch parties.
This series is accessible only with a webinar membership. Webinar members have access to the live events, the class replays, and the class syllabus materials.
To attend the live events 1) register for the webinar (must be logged in as a webinar member to register); 2) on the day of the webinar, obtain the password (located at the top of FamilyTreeWebinars.com when logged in as a member); 3) click the Join Webinar link in your confirmation email, and enter the password when prompted.
Genetic testing has taken the genealogical world by storm—but many good genealogists feel lost in that storm; and more than a few family trees have suffered damage. How do we harness the power of genetic genealogy without being swept away in the surge? This session guides genealogists through four areas: (1) converting DNA data into evidence; (2) turning that evidence into proof; (3) crafting citations that include all genetic details needed for proof; and (4) protecting privacy throughout the research and presentation of our conclusions. The session offers simple but solid ground rules—no geek speak!—illustrated by a variety of case studies.
Genetic testing has taken the genealogical world by storm—but many good genealogists feel lost in that storm; and more than a few family trees have suffered damage. How do we harness the power of genetic genealogy without being swept away in the surge? This session guides genealogists through four areas: (1) converting DNA data into evidence; (2) turning that evidence into proof; (3) crafting citations that include all genetic details needed for proof; and (4) protecting privacy throughout the research and presentation of our conclusions. The session offers simple but solid ground rules—no geek speak!—illustrated by a variety of case studies.
Information Overload? Effective Project Planning, Research, Data Management & Analysis
Data management is not just an organizing system. Data management is a critical analytical tool. Research standards tell us that conclusions must be supported by “proof.” Standards insist that “proof” is more than “a document”—rather, it’s a conclusion based on a body of evidence created by reasonably exhaustive research. Meeting this standard creates a paradox: The more data we gather, the more confused we get!—unless we maintain that body of evidence in a way that enables us to digest it, analyze it, and correlate it with everything else we’ve found. This session presents a framework for projects of all types and sizes, building on sound research practices that carry us smoothly from problem analysis to problem resolution.
Data management is not just an organizing system. Data management is a critical analytical tool. Research standards tell us that conclusions must be supported by “proof.” Standards insist that “proof” is more than “a document”—rather, it’s a conclusion based on a body of evidence created by reasonably exhaustive research. Meeting this standard creates a paradox: The more data we gather, the more confused we get!—unless we maintain that body of evidence in a way that enables us to digest it, analyze it, and correlate it with everything else we’ve found. This session presents a framework for projects of all types and sizes, building on sound research practices that carry us smoothly from problem analysis to problem resolution.
Stuck? It happens to everybody. So, how do successful genealogists “prime their pumps” when their research wells seem to go dry? This session offers a slew of sources, methods, fresh ideas, and case studies to recharge your innovation when you think both you and your opportunities are totally exhausted.
Stuck? It happens to everybody. So, how do successful genealogists “prime their pumps” when their research wells seem to go dry? This session offers a slew of sources, methods, fresh ideas, and case studies to recharge your innovation when you think both you and your opportunities are totally exhausted.
Finding Origins & Birth Families: Methods That Work
The most important path an ancestor blazed along the way from his place of birth to where we first find him is usually not a trail that cartographers have conveniently charted for us. Successful researchers learn to recognize and analyze the elements of an ancestor’s life and times, as well as people, that serve as pointers to his path. This session examines the nature and causes of stalemates in our research; ten common traps and ways to avoid them; and innovative methodologies for working smarter, not harder!
The most important path an ancestor blazed along the way from his place of birth to where we first find him is usually not a trail that cartographers have conveniently charted for us. Successful researchers learn to recognize and analyze the elements of an ancestor’s life and times, as well as people, that serve as pointers to his path. This session examines the nature and causes of stalemates in our research; ten common traps and ways to avoid them; and innovative methodologies for working smarter, not harder!
Analyzing Deeds & Wills: I See What It Says—but What Does It Mean?!
Legalese. Boilerplate. Obsolete laws. Ancestral idiosyncrasies. The documents our ancestors created are full of such traps. This session uses two typical documents from different regions to illustrate, line by line, how to sort chaff from wheat, interpret deceptive language, and develop clues.
Legalese. Boilerplate. Obsolete laws. Ancestral idiosyncrasies. The documents our ancestors created are full of such traps. This session uses two typical documents from different regions to illustrate, line by line, how to sort chaff from wheat, interpret deceptive language, and develop clues.
Genealogical Research & Writing: Are You a Saint, Sinner, or Bumfuzzled Soul?
As researchers, family historians, compilers, bloggers, or writers of other ilk, genealogists face legal and ethical perils they often do not anticipate. This crash course offers practical guidance to enhance your skills and keep you safe as you explore history, reconstruct lives, and “write up” your findings. While the issues are serious—from the legal issue of copyright to the ethical issue of plagiarism—the lessons are taught with a light heart and humor.
As researchers, family historians, compilers, bloggers, or writers of other ilk, genealogists face legal and ethical perils they often do not anticipate. This crash course offers practical guidance to enhance your skills and keep you safe as you explore history, reconstruct lives, and “write up” your findings. While the issues are serious—from the legal issue of copyright to the ethical issue of plagiarism—the lessons are taught with a light heart and humor.
Oral history provides the foundation for all family research. Documentary evidence builds structure on that foundation. But documents often conflict with family traditions. How do we determine the core truths that are essential to understanding our own past? This class examines the causes of those conflicts and demonstrates how to peel away generations of confusion to find the real story that underpins family lore. Case studies include both Native American and African American traditions.
Oral history provides the foundation for all family research. Documentary evidence builds structure on that foundation. But documents often conflict with family traditions. How do we determine the core truths that are essential to understanding our own past? This class examines the causes of those conflicts and demonstrates how to peel away generations of confusion to find the real story that underpins family lore. Case studies include both Native American and African American traditions.
Identity Crises: Right Name, Wrong Man? Wrong Name, Right Man?
What do we do with ancestors whose names don’t “match” from one record to the next? Or those who pose the opposite problem: too many men or women of the same name? This session examines a litany of social customs and naming patterns that cause ancestors to be known by different names—then offers techniques and strategies by which we can establish that any two records do or do not apply to the same person. A variety of case studies demonstrate the problems and the methods we can use to overcome them.
What do we do with ancestors whose names don’t “match” from one record to the next? Or those who pose the opposite problem: too many men or women of the same name? This session examines a litany of social customs and naming patterns that cause ancestors to be known by different names—then offers techniques and strategies by which we can establish that any two records do or do not apply to the same person. A variety of case studies demonstrate the problems and the methods we can use to overcome them.
Tax Rolls: Getting Our Money’s Worth from the Taxes Our Ancestors Paid
Tax rolls have traditionally been used as a “census substitute”—a list of names to show that someone of a certain name was in a certain jurisdiction, in this year or that. But tax rolls can be developed into so much more. This session demonstrates how to use tax rolls to separate same-name people, determine ages of men and date their marriages, establish times of death, identify parents and the maiden identity of wives, track migration, document inheritances when probate records are destroyed, and so much more!
Tax rolls have traditionally been used as a “census substitute”—a list of names to show that someone of a certain name was in a certain jurisdiction, in this year or that. But tax rolls can be developed into so much more. This session demonstrates how to use tax rolls to separate same-name people, determine ages of men and date their marriages, establish times of death, identify parents and the maiden identity of wives, track migration, document inheritances when probate records are destroyed, and so much more!
Census Clues: Sweet Potato Simon, White Potato Willie, & Cows that Grow Wool
Census records are the most used—and yet the most underused—of all genealogical resources. Every major provider offers them, along with an index so we can easily find our people. Aside from a year here or there, when a pesky ancestor seems to have eluded the census taker, the use of censuses seems fairly straightforward: We use a search engine to find our person and we copy down the data. There, done!
No. Not at all! Censuses provide “facts,” but in between those “facts” there are a wealth of clues we can mine to solve our worst problems with identity, origin, and parentage. This session is for advanced researchers who think they “already know all about census records” and for newer researchers who want to avoid the mistakes most researchers make.
** This is a members-only webinar **
Census records are the most used—and yet the most underused—of all genealogical resources. Every major provider offers them, along with an index so we can easily find our people. Aside from a year here or there, when a pesky ancestor seems to have eluded the census taker, the use of censuses seems fairly straightforward: We use a search engine to find our person and we copy down the data. There, done!
No. Not at all! Censuses provide “facts,” but in between those “facts” there are a wealth of clues we can mine to solve our worst problems with identity, origin, and parentage. This session is for advanced researchers who think they “already know all about census records” and for newer researchers who want to avoid the mistakes most researchers make.
** This is a members-only webinar **
One of the toughest challenges faced by genealogists is the difficulty of identifying and tracking females. Wives and mothers traditionally have been “supporting characters” to the roles played by their husbands and sons—bearing no known name other than that of the males they married or bore. Historically, social mores and law codes made them second-class citizens, without a legal identity of their own and few rights or opportunities to create the range of records that genealogists customarily use to trace males. This session presents an array of resources—and, more importantly, techniques and strategies backed by case studies—we can use to establish the identities of elusive females.
One of the toughest challenges faced by genealogists is the difficulty of identifying and tracking females. Wives and mothers traditionally have been “supporting characters” to the roles played by their husbands and sons—bearing no known name other than that of the males they married or bore. Historically, social mores and law codes made them second-class citizens, without a legal identity of their own and few rights or opportunities to create the range of records that genealogists customarily use to trace males. This session presents an array of resources—and, more importantly, techniques and strategies backed by case studies—we can use to establish the identities of elusive females.
Finding Fathers: Tracking Males Who “Disappeared” or “Just Showed Up”
The legendary Choctaw Chief Pushmataha swore that he sprang full grown from Mother Earth. As genealogists, we sometimes wonder whether our ancestors did the same. Most elusive men do have traceable origins, once we learn to deal with the issues that thwart us—migration, high mortality rates, and illegitimacy being not the least of them. This hour offers practical suggestions and strategies for extending paternal lines, focusing upon the pre-1850 period when censuses don’t identify children in parental households.
The legendary Choctaw Chief Pushmataha swore that he sprang full grown from Mother Earth. As genealogists, we sometimes wonder whether our ancestors did the same. Most elusive men do have traceable origins, once we learn to deal with the issues that thwart us—migration, high mortality rates, and illegitimacy being not the least of them. This hour offers practical suggestions and strategies for extending paternal lines, focusing upon the pre-1850 period when censuses don’t identify children in parental households.
A Gateway to 5.7 Million Records: Using MyHeritage’s “HISTORIES, MEMORIES, & BIOGRAPHIES” Collection
Tue, June 10 2025: 18:00 UTC
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.
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.
Top 5 Strategies for Researching Early Kentucky and Virginia Families
Thu, June 12 2025: 0:00 UTC
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.
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.
Family Legacies Reclaimed: “Building Family Ties Through Genetic Genealogy”
Fri, June 13 2025: 18:00 UTC
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.
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.
A one place study explores an ancestral place in depth by studying the history, the environment, and the people of a place over time. Learn practical strategies for conducting your own OPS and how it helps you meet the Genealogy Standards. See how the assembled information can add rich context to your ancestors’ lives, fill gaps where records are lacking, and uncover forgotten connections within a community.
A one place study explores an ancestral place in depth by studying the history, the environment, and the people of a place over time. Learn practical strategies for conducting your own OPS and how it helps you meet the Genealogy Standards. See how the assembled information can add rich context to your ancestors’ lives, fill gaps where records are lacking, and uncover forgotten connections within a community.
Over the past few years, the website for Library and Archives Canada has undergone a number of changes. For some long-time users of the old site, this has caused moments of frustration. In this talk we take a look at the new site, touch upon using the new census search system, and explore other resources they have made available to us.
Over the past few years, the website for Library and Archives Canada has undergone a number of changes. For some long-time users of the old site, this has caused moments of frustration. In this talk we take a look at the new site, touch upon using the new census search system, and explore other resources they have made available to us.
More and more, people are preferring to use their mobile devices to access their favorite software and services — and genealogists shouldn’t be left behind. MyHeritage continues to improve the genealogy-on-the-go experience from the MyHeritage mobile app, making it easier than ever to manage your family tree and conduct research from the palm of your hand. In this session, Gilad Katz, Senior Product Manager at MyHeritage, will show you the latest developments in the mobile app.
More and more, people are preferring to use their mobile devices to access their favorite software and services — and genealogists shouldn’t be left behind. MyHeritage continues to improve the genealogy-on-the-go experience from the MyHeritage mobile app, making it easier than ever to manage your family tree and conduct research from the palm of your hand. In this session, Gilad Katz, Senior Product Manager at MyHeritage, will show you the latest developments in the mobile app.
Southern Ancestors…Black and White…in the Freedmen’s Bureau
Wed, June 25 2025: 18:00 UTC
Explore the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands to discover details of the Reconstruction lives of black freedmen and free people of color as well as white farmers and wealthy planters.
Explore the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands to discover details of the Reconstruction lives of black freedmen and free people of color as well as white farmers and wealthy planters.
Hand-written Text Recognition: Harnessing the Power of Artificial Intelligence to Transcribe and Search
Fri, June 27 2025: 18:00 UTC
Hand-written text recognition software can turn manuscripts into searchable transcriptions. Learn how to use these tools and what they can (and cannot) do for you. The presentation includes a demonstration of Transkribus.
Hand-written text recognition software can turn manuscripts into searchable transcriptions. Learn how to use these tools and what they can (and cannot) do for you. The presentation includes a demonstration of Transkribus.
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