Kathryn Paulus was an orphan train rider. Using modern techniques, can we find her family and answer the question — were they orphans after all?

Many of our ancestors recorded their day-to-day lives in diaries, journals and calendars. Learn how to extract all the wonderful genealogical and historical information contained these sources and also how to physically preserve them for the next generation.

This covers customs and traditions often observed, without knowing why, in Hispanic families with Jewish ancestry (whether known, unknown, or denied). The results of a DNA test are the first indications of this heritage for many individuals, and this presentation gathers these observances and explains them to those who have long forgotten why they are still done and what they mean.

Have you noticed that the given names of our eighteenth and nineteenth century English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh ancestors were drawn from a surprisingly small pool? But how small a pool? How common were our ancestors’ given names? More importantly, how rare were the less common names? Lists of the most common 10, 20, 50 or 100 names are surprisingly unhelpful unless they include frequency statistics. For example, Jeremiah, was ranked 26th in England in the 1800s but the most useful information is its frequency; it was carried by only one man in 500. Most villages had fewer than 500 males at that time. This webinar focuses on given name popularities, changes in popularity, and the reasons for such changes. It also covers spelling variants, abbreviations, and diminutives. For example, if you don’t know that Polly was a diminutive of Mary or that Nellie was a diminutive of Ellen and Eleanor and Helen, you might struggle to find entries for your ancestors. Our ancestors’ given names and surnames are the gateways into our family history research. Learning more about their names may prove useful in determining their ancestry or finding other family connections.

Come learn how to use DNA Painter’s WATO probability prediction tool to solve unknown birth family cases.

Learn how to use the Facebook Live feature to broadcast to family, friends and colleagues.

Many Loyalists stayed in the United States. This lecture focuses on how to research them.

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.

20th Century research skills are needed for the new researchers in England seeking to get started, but also for those doing descendant research seeking to find DNA relatives to test. Research skills are needed to go back and in time and to come forward.

The presentation will focus on Free Persons of Color in the Region of Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania. The presentation will trace generations of inhabitants of those regions and their interaction with Europeans. Included in the presentation is the historical backdrop which occurred during the timelines. Ms. Wills will use…

Sometimes the answers we seek will not be in the records of our ancestor. Turning to the records of their FAN Club – their Friends/Family, Associates and Neighbors – may have what we are looking for. Join Geoff Rasmussen as he walks you through a simple case study of using the FAN Club methods.