By
By
Webinar Library
BCG Historical Records Immigration Records Methodology and Skills Board for Certification of Genealogists Reisinger Memorial Lecture Series

Seven Immigration Methodologies, with Case Studies Across the Centuries (a 2021 Reisinger Lecture)

David S. Ouimette, CG, CGL
Oct 8, 2021
1.5K views
CC
Want to watch the full webinar?
Join now to access all 2,316 webinars and unlock all features.
Join now
Syllabus
Chat Log
Join now

Content

Play. Playing.
Welcome
38s
Play. Playing.
Speaker's Introduction
38s
Play. Playing.
Introduction
4m 10s
Play. Playing.
Family Handprint
8m 43s
Play. Playing.
Follow the Witnesses
4m 48s
Play. Playing.
Naming Patterns
8m 13s
Play. Playing.
Cluster Research
8m 12s
Play. Playing.
Surname Heat Maps
7m 41s
Play. Playing.
DNA Clusters
3m 55s
Play. Playing.
Chain Migration
12m 52s

About this webinar

Family historians face significant challenges tracing immigrant ancestors. Changes in language, culture, family composition, given name, surname, country of residence, and occupation tend to obscure the origins of many immigrants. This presentation introduces seven methodologies to effectively trace immigrant origins, illustrated with examples from the early 1600s to the early 1900s.

About the speaker

About the speaker

David S. Ouimette, CG, CGL
David Ouimette, Certified Genealogist®, Certified Genealogical Lecturer℠, manages Content Strategy for Asia and the Pacific at FamilySearch, prioritizing records of genealogical value for digital preservation and online publication. His team prior
Learn more...

Comments (151)

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

1000 characters remaining
Cancel Submit

Sort by Newest
Sort by Close.
  • Newest
  • Oldest
  • Likes
  1. GA
    Gail Albert
    3 years ago

    Excellent webinar – so many methods I can use. Thank you

    Reply
  2. MC
    Maria Capaldi
    3 years ago

    David Ouimette’s lecture was a lot of information and quick, his area of the Naming Patterns using Heat Maps I will definitely be trying as I have it on the Male and Female side…..ugh! Fingers crossed!

    Reply
  3. AD
    Alice DiMaggio
    3 years ago

    All speakers were excellent. learn so much from each of them. Slides were great. Really liked handout

    Reply
  4. JS
    James Smith
    3 years ago

    I look forward to implementing some of these methodologies in reexamining various areas of my previous research. Thank you.

    Reply
  5. BL
    Barbara L. Stanford
    3 years ago

    Very good info. Would like to see more case studies like these to help determine where immigrant ancestors came from in Europe – I know only that my immigrant ancestor, Alexander Andrew Bower (may have been Bauer back in Germany; however today we use Bowers) was German and that he came as a single man on the ship Upton into Charles Town (Charleston), South Carolina, in 1752 with other Germans. The ship left from Rotterdam to Charles Town, so how do I find from where Alexander Andrew was from originally?

    Reply
  6. MD
    Melissa Dalley
    3 years ago

    This was a superb presentation! Thank you so much! I’m excited to try the surname heat-map methodology for my mystery parish in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

    Reply
  7. LB
    Lynnea Buchanan-Barnett
    3 years ago

    Great information about Surname and Cluster research. I have to watch this again, but this time take notes.

    Reply
  8. TH
    Theresa Howell
    3 years ago

    Excellent examples of ways to research immigrant ancestors. I will definitely use these techniques in my research.

    Reply
Show all comments

Related Webinars

1:06:01
BCGMethodology and Skills
Oral Genealogy in Asia-Pacific: The Essence of Personal Identity and Tribal Connections
David S. Ouimette, CG, CGL
146 views
CC
Oral Genealogy in Asia-Pacific: The Essence of Personal Identity and Tribal Connections
Oral genealogies celebrate ancestral connections in indigenous cultures across Asia-Pacific. As one paramount chief in Samoa declared, “The most important thing for children to understand is their family connections. The knowledge of history is their treasure—not gold and silver, but genealogy.” Learn about the significance and richness of oral genealogies and current efforts to preserve them in Asia and the Pacific.
BCGMethodology and Skills
Oral Genealogy in Asia-Pacific: The Essence of Personal Identity and Tribal Connections
CC
David S. Ouimette, CG, CGL
146 views
Oral genealogies celebrate ancestral connections in indigenous cultures across Asia-Pacific. As one paramount chief in Samoa declared, “The most important thing for children to understand is their family connections. The knowledge of history is their treasure—not gold and silver, but genealogy.” Learn about the significance and richness of oral genealogies and current efforts to preserve them in Asia and the Pacific.
Wed, July 17 2024: 0:00 UTC
Register for free
1:10:04
BCGMethodology and SkillsDNA Testing
Proving Parentage Two Centuries Later Using DNA Evidence
David S. Ouimette, CG, CGL
3.5K views
CC
Proving Parentage Two Centuries Later Using DNA Evidence
Proving immigrant origins may seem daunting, especially when the family lived hundreds of years ago. This presentation shows how to navigate multiple border crossings, name changes, and cultural challenges and apply DNA techniques to trace a family of Canadian immigrants from town to town. The right combination of documentary evidence and biological evidence, coupled with sound methodology, reveals the origins of this family.
BCGMethodology and SkillsDNA Testing
Proving Parentage Two Centuries Later Using DNA Evidence
CC
David S. Ouimette, CG, CGL
3.5K views
Proving immigrant origins may seem daunting, especially when the family lived hundreds of years ago. This presentation shows how to navigate multiple border crossings, name changes, and cultural challenges and apply DNA techniques to trace a family of Canadian immigrants from town to town. The right combination of documentary evidence and biological evidence, coupled with sound methodology, reveals the origins of this family.
Wed, April 20 2022: 0:00 UTC
Register for free
1:22:51
BCGMethodology and SkillsPlaces and Ethnicities
Genealogical Treasures in Irish Archives
David S. Ouimette, CG, CGL
13.6K views
CC
Genealogical Treasures in Irish Archives
An enormous variety of Irish manuscripts tell the stories of our ancestors. Parish registers, census returns, Griffith’s Valuation, and civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths provide a great beginning for Irish family history research. However, a careful search of record repositories in the Republic of Ireland and the United…
BCGMethodology and SkillsPlaces and Ethnicities
Genealogical Treasures in Irish Archives
CC
David S. Ouimette, CG, CGL
13.6K views
An enormous variety of Irish manuscripts tell the stories of our ancestors. Parish registers, census returns, Griffith’s Valuation, and civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths provide a great beginning for Irish family history research. However, a careful search of record repositories in the Republic of Ireland and the United…
Tue, June 16 2020: 0:00 UTC
Register for free
1:17:07
BCGMethodology and Skills
Databases, Search Engines, and the Genealogical Proof Standard
David S. Ouimette, CG, CGL
3.8K views
Databases, Search Engines, and the Genealogical Proof Standard
With billions of indexed records available online, what methodologies should the researcher employ to best leverage these resources in keeping with genealogical standards?
BCGMethodology and Skills
Databases, Search Engines, and the Genealogical Proof Standard
David S. Ouimette, CG, CGL
3.8K views
With billions of indexed records available online, what methodologies should the researcher employ to best leverage these resources in keeping with genealogical standards?
Tue, October 17 2017: 0:00 UTC
Register for free
1:11:59
BCGMethodology and SkillsWriting and Publishing
Dear Me: Writing Research Reports to Yourself
Yvette Hoitink, MLitt, CG, QG
1.6K views
CC
Dear Me: Writing Research Reports to Yourself
Research reports are not just for professionals, but are a great tool for anyone who wants to answer their research questions. Write a research report to yourself to organize your thoughts, analyze the evidence, document your findings, and solve your puzzles. Using an example from the Netherlands, this presentation demonstrates how you can organize a research report to spot more clues in records, discover and resolve discrepancies, and build reliable conclusions.
BCGMethodology and SkillsWriting and Publishing
Dear Me: Writing Research Reports to Yourself
CC
Yvette Hoitink, MLitt, CG, QG
1.6K views
Research reports are not just for professionals, but are a great tool for anyone who wants to answer their research questions. Write a research report to yourself to organize your thoughts, analyze the evidence, document your findings, and solve your puzzles. Using an example from the Netherlands, this presentation demonstrates how you can organize a research report to spot more clues in records, discover and resolve discrepancies, and build reliable conclusions.
Tue, November 19 2024: 19:00 UTC
Register for free
1:13:06
BCGMethodology and Skills
Sense and Sensibility: The Power of Logic, Intuition, and Critical Thinking
Robbie Johnson, CG
1.0K views
CC
Sense and Sensibility: The Power of Logic, Intuition, and Critical Thinking
Is it logical that a woman born in 1752 gave birth to a son in 1848? Do I have enough evidence to conclude that Johan Kannon of Trondheim, Norway, was the same person as John Connell from Cut-and-Shoot, Texas? Why do I share 300 cM of DNA with three people I’ve never heard of? Genealogists make hundreds of decisions everyday based on thousands of pieces of information harvested from various sources. We automatically, and often unconsciously, use common sense, logic, and even intuition, to identify relevant evidence, problem-solve, and answer complex questions. Learning to harness the power of logic, syllogism, and our own “Spidey-senses,” can help scale brick-walls, solve DNA mysteries, and organize mountains of information. This talk focuses on how to incorporate logic, common sense, and critical thinking in a more deliberate way to create hypotheses, test theories, and support conclusions. Johnson will share exercises that can bulk up logic and critical thought muscles, as well as practical tips on how to apply common sense and sensibility to your family history research and writing.
BCGMethodology and Skills
Sense and Sensibility: The Power of Logic, Intuition, and Critical Thinking
CC
Robbie Johnson, CG
1.0K views
Is it logical that a woman born in 1752 gave birth to a son in 1848? Do I have enough evidence to conclude that Johan Kannon of Trondheim, Norway, was the same person as John Connell from Cut-and-Shoot, Texas? Why do I share 300 cM of DNA with three people I’ve never heard of? Genealogists make hundreds of decisions everyday based on thousands of pieces of information harvested from various sources. We automatically, and often unconsciously, use common sense, logic, and even intuition, to identify relevant evidence, problem-solve, and answer complex questions. Learning to harness the power of logic, syllogism, and our own “Spidey-senses,” can help scale brick-walls, solve DNA mysteries, and organize mountains of information. This talk focuses on how to incorporate logic, common sense, and critical thinking in a more deliberate way to create hypotheses, test theories, and support conclusions. Johnson will share exercises that can bulk up logic and critical thought muscles, as well as practical tips on how to apply common sense and sensibility to your family history research and writing.
Wed, October 16 2024: 0:00 UTC
Register for free
1:11:40
Places and EthnicitiesBCGMethodology and Skills
A Myriad of Slave Databases
LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG...
925 views
CC
A Myriad of Slave Databases
In the summer of 2023 American Ancestors/New England Historic Genealogical Society announced the collaborative 10 Million Names project, an undertaking to recover the names of people of African descent who were enslaved in the area of the United States. This monumental task of centralizing datasets about African Americans is likely to take years to accomplish; in the interim, this webinar provides a useful survey of the many existing databases that serve a similar purpose though limited in scope.
Places and EthnicitiesBCGMethodology and Skills
A Myriad of Slave Databases
CC
LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG, CGL, FASG
925 views
In the summer of 2023 American Ancestors/New England Historic Genealogical Society announced the collaborative 10 Million Names project, an undertaking to recover the names of people of African descent who were enslaved in the area of the United States. This monumental task of centralizing datasets about African Americans is likely to take years to accomplish; in the interim, this webinar provides a useful survey of the many existing databases that serve a similar purpose though limited in scope.
Wed, September 18 2024: 0:00 UTC
Register for free
1:16:31
BCGMethodology and Skills
He Had a Brother Who Disappeared: Finding John H. Hickey, Formerly of Rockton, Winnebago County, Illinois
Debra S. Mieszala, CG
982 views
CC
He Had a Brother Who Disappeared: Finding John H. Hickey, Formerly of Rockton, Winnebago County, Illinois
Family tradition holds that John H. Hickey of Rockton, Winnebago County, Illinois, disappeared. This case study proves John "disappeared" and establishes the missing man's fate. A patchwork of records allowed a glimpse into the life of a person thought dead.
BCGMethodology and Skills
He Had a Brother Who Disappeared: Finding John H. Hickey, Formerly of Rockton, Winnebago County, Illinois
CC
Debra S. Mieszala, CG
982 views
Family tradition holds that John H. Hickey of Rockton, Winnebago County, Illinois, disappeared. This case study proves John "disappeared" and establishes the missing man's fate. A patchwork of records allowed a glimpse into the life of a person thought dead.
Wed, August 21 2024: 0:00 UTC
Register for free
1:12:13
Historical RecordsMyHeritage
Using MyHeritage DNA to Determine Immigrant Origins
Melanie McComb
1.2K views
CC
Free
Using MyHeritage DNA to Determine Immigrant Origins
This class will briefly explain the different types of DNA (autosomal, Y-DNA and mtDNA) and provide helpful tips for analyzing your DNA matches to identify your strongest matches to help you go back to your immigrant ancestor. A few examples of using this approach will be shown through mini case studies.
Historical RecordsMyHeritage
Using MyHeritage DNA to Determine Immigrant Origins
CC
Free
Melanie McComb
1.2K views
This class will briefly explain the different types of DNA (autosomal, Y-DNA and mtDNA) and provide helpful tips for analyzing your DNA matches to identify your strongest matches to help you go back to your immigrant ancestor. A few examples of using this approach will be shown through mini case studies.
Tue, August 13 2024: 18:00 UTC
Register for free