A heroic rescue, a love story and a 30-foot wall of water. That’s just part of my ancestors’ experience in the Great Johnstown Flood of 1889. Come learn how to reconstruct fascinating experiences from your own family history by combining clues from your family’s knowledge, documents from genealogy websites, good historical research and Googling to fill in the gaps. All while learning the riveting story of one of the worst disasters in U.S. history.

Cousin Bait helps connect with others who may have information about your family. Learn the best ways to share so others can find you.

Learn from an archivist the best practices to preserving your ancestor’s textiles and handmade items. Everything from Grandma’s quilt, that old Christening gown, your Dad’s letterman jacket and military uniforms. These textiles and handmade items need special care and consideration when it comes to preservation and storage.

The genealogy webinar experience just got a whole lot better! Join Geoff Rasmussen as he guides you through the new look and layout of the Legacy Family Tree Webinars website. You'll enjoy the same exceptional content with a friendly new interface that's super easy to use.

The Moravians in the 1700s not only settled Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, but their mission work took them to other areas to work with Native Americans. Moravian records include Community Diaries which were required to be kept by each settlement. They were a way for them to record not only ecclesiastical events but other events that affected their settlement such as their interactions with native populations and slaves as they went about doing their missionary work. The German heritage of the Moravians shows in the details of naming visitors (along with any aliases) and relationships among the individuals mentioned. The Moravian records are truly a treasure-trove for anyone whose ancestors were in the same vicinity or time.

Sometimes we cannot see the forest for the trees. Let’s back up and look at the research question from a different perspective.

In family history research, all documents, even “official” ones, should be viewed with a critical eye. In this lecture, Daniel will walk you through some of the documentation errors he’s found over the years while conducting his personal family history research. He’ll discuss the importance of historical documents in genealogy research, where and how to find them (online, at home, and through family members), possible mistakes, and how best to analyze them before extracting information, rather than trusting them blindly.

The study of letters, documents, and artifacts often tell the deeper stories of our Ancestors and their neighbors. Finding the wonderful stories and information preserved in private letters and manuscripts is worth the extra effort.

There are over 200 lineage societies that exist today – more than the commonly known societies. Perhaps you have an ancestor that was accused of witchcraft? A founder of a town? A colonial tradesman? British royalty? There is a society for all of these and many more.

Tracking a rascally ancestor through the records can be great fun – and a great challenge. When every record he ever left appears to be a lie, where is the truth to be found?

Learn how to read the features of a building as a multi-layered story and interpret them in a historical and ethnocultural context. Discover documentation from a wide variety of sources that will bring life and identity to your understanding of your four (or more!) walls. Questions we’ll learn how to…

Using the basic tools of family history research, discover additional family information with these records and writings. Learn the importance of analyzing the information that you find and realizing how important collateral/cluster line research is in helping to move you toward success in the genealogical process.