Name Changes and the Law

Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL
May 17, 2023
1.3K views
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Content

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Welcome
1m 01s
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About BCG
4m 21s
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Speaker's Introduction
1m 23s
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Introduction
3m 34s
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Brief History of Names
4m 10s
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History of Name Changes
5m 30s
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Legislative Records
7m 49s
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Court Records
8m 53s
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Published Sources
8m 39s
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Stories
10m 49s
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Announcements
58s
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Questions / answers
11m 39s

About this webinar

Names weren’t changed at Ellis Island, but in courts, legislatures and elsewhere both formally and officially — and on the fly. As genealogists, we need to know why names were changed, and how those changes might be recorded, if we want to have a chance at finding out what’s in a name.

About the speaker

About the speaker

A genealogist with a law degree, Judy G. Russell is a lecturer, educator and writer who enjoys helping others understand a wide variety of genealogical issues, including the interplay between genealogy and the law. She has a bachelor’s degre
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Comments (133)

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  1. JO
    Julia Ott
    2 years ago

    Interesting details, well researched, great stories!

    Reply
  2. SH
    Sandra Hewlett
    2 years ago

    There is still so much to learn about genealogical resources! Even after 40 years of genealogical research, Judy’s lecture open-end my eyes to several resources I did not know about! Thank you!

    Reply
  3. SB
    Sheila Breeden
    2 years ago

    Full of excellent points!

    Reply
  4. CL
    Clara Lawver
    2 years ago

    Judy explained name changes in court records in a way that was very helpful to me. Thank you.

    Reply
  5. GG
    Gary Gates
    2 years ago

    Fantastic information and wonderful suggestions on finding name change documentation. I especially liked the suggestion of tracking the timeline of major events and what name was used at that time.

    Reply
  6. CW
    Camille Woodruff
    2 years ago

    I thought this might be one of those boring and tedious topics that I, as the family history nerd, should know something about. Oh how wrong I was! Judy Russell was interesting, vibrant, and entertaining in her presentation. I am so very glad I tuned in.

    Reply
  7. PD
    Pamela Dorn
    2 years ago

    Wonderful examples. Really interesting stories behind the name changes.

    Reply
  8. KK
    Karen Kamp
    2 years ago

    Judy’s knowledge of the topic was amazing and it is obvious she also very enthusiastic about the ways and reasons people use to change their names. I was totally engrossed for the entire session. Thank you, Judy, for a fascinating session!

    Reply

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