Historical Records

Using case studies the lecturer builds on his previous lectures relating to the Revolutionary War tracing soldier Joseph L. Harper from before the War until his death.

This case study traces a piece of property for two hundred years, from the Native Americans to the Dutch, to the English, and through fourteen members of the Hicks family over five generations. Transfer of title occurs through various instruments, including patents, unrecorded deeds, inheritance, escheatment, private laws, entails, deeds of lease and release, life estates, and coverture. Tracing the lineage of the property elucidates family relationships that were otherwise forgotten. This class is presented live at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City as part of the Joy Reisinger Memorial Lecture Series and is being broadcasted by Legacy Family Tree Webinars.

Whether you’re missing a naturalization record or finding an unexpected one, this session helps you discover how female ancestors — both foreign-born and birthright — gained, lost, or regained citizenship in the United States between 1790 and 1945. US citizenship and attendant rights for women could be fragile, depending on marital status, prevailing laws, social norms, and other shifting factors. Examples of US naturalization and citizenship records, and search strategies for finding these records are featured in this presentation.

Well-known for their anti-slavery views, Quakers began to migrate to the slave-free territories in the 19th century. As they migrated out of the South, Quakers emancipated and traveled with their newly freed slaves. Once settled, the sect continued their abolitionist cause by supporting the Underground Railroad – transporting runaway slaves to free states. In turn, free blacks established their own settlements, while still maintaining ties with the Quaker community.

We will examine the migration patterns from Scotland to the US and Canada, looking at the push and pull factors, relevant to individual migration time periods. References and guidance will be provided for multiple waves from 17th Century to the present.

In the early days of the colonization of America and certainly the migration as land opened up further and further west of the original thirteen colonies, waterways played a vital role in the ability to “go west young man”! The Erie Canal was an integral part of that migration ability. The Erie Canal was completed in 1825 and allowed not only migration west but the ability to transport goods to other parts of the country for commerce.

Finding a U.S. ancestor’s church affiliation is the first key step to discovering their stories in related records, but it isn’t usually easy. Learn 5 essential strategies, illustrated by inspiring examples. Viewers will come away with sensible, actionable steps they can apply to their own research.

How exciting it is to find French ancestors! But finding them in records can be tricky if you don’t know what archives are available nor the language. Using MyHeritage collections, tools and features, French research will have no mystery for you after this webinar.

Continuation of: (1) Fifty Overlooked Genealogical Resources in Fifty Minutes (2) 50 Mostly “Hot off the Press” Net Sites You Want to Check Out! There are so many off-the-beaten-path websites to help genealogists, regardless of skill level and target location, that we still haven’t explored yet!