US Genealogy for Australians

While Illinois genealogy research is no easier or more difficult than other states, there are special resources with which many genealogists are unfamiliar. Learn about the history of the Prairie State and its migration patterns to understand how your ancestors lived and how to find them!

Participants will learn the basics of researching their New Jersey ancestors starting with the early history as part of the New Netherlands colony to the present-day. Does the search for your New Jersey ancestors often take you to a dead end? What are the best strategies for Garden State research…

Participants will learn the basics of researching their Wisconsin ancestors starting with the early history as part of the Northwest Territory up through the present-day. While many of our ancestors may have settled in or passed through Wisconsin, finding them and the records left behind is another story. Wisconsin research…

While many of our ancestors may have come from New York, finding them and the records left behind is another story. New York research offers certain challenges and it helps to know the strategies needed to tackle those Empire State records. You'll not only get a quick lesson in New…

As a major center of American history and starting point for westward migration, Philadelphia has much more to offer genealogists than just tourist sites. The greater Philadelphia area is home to a variety of underrated libraries and archives that should not be missed by serious family historians.

What are the secrets to finding New England vital records today? If you understand how they were made, and all the things that have happened to them since, you will bring new skills and insight to your vital records research. Also, let's develop some strategies for those times when the record cannot be found.

The Oregon Trail extended approximately 2,000 miles from Independence, Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon from 1840 to 1869. More than 50,000 people traveled to Oregon and a great number died on the journey. This talk will cover resources for conducting research on the people and their lives along the trail.

Kentucky and Virginia have some of the most complete tax lists in the United States. Their value in research often goes unrecognized by even the experienced researcher. Tax lists can be a primary tool for solving difficult research problems and are invaluable when used with other records. Learn how to access original records, to best organize them for study, and to interpret their meaning. The lecture will use case studies to show their use in tracking individuals across time, estimating birth dates and death dates, separating individuals of the same name, determining the identity of other family members, and using them as substitutes for deeds, court records, and estate records in burned counties.

Researching Puerto Rican ancestors is a unique experience, requiring a knowledge of both Latin American and North American record types and strategies. We'll talk basics about finding your hometown and what records can help you trace your ancestry on both sides of the sea.