Beating the Bushes: Using the GPS to Find Jacob Bush's Father

The audience is introduced to the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) and then presented with four research questions concerning a man who is currently a patriot on a closed DAR line. The closed line needs more proof before descendants may claim his service. After going through the evidence, the audience will…

The Genealogical Proof Standard states that analysis and correlation of data is necessary before we can say something is proven, but what techniques are best? Many people collect information but don't know how to manipulate it for evidence analysis. Spreadsheets, timelines, maps, charts and tables are a few of the…

Through examples the problems with not conducting an exhaustive search will be highlighted. Assumptions, misinterpretations, and not digging deep enough into original records will all be showcased as to how they can mislead research, sometimes for years. Encouraging the audience to follow the principles of a reasonably exhaustive search should…

Testing yourself against genealogical standards is one of the many reasons to seek credentials. This presentation will discuss who should go for credentials, what the testing procedure entails and how to prepare for it.

One of the great difficulties for people researching their French immigrant ancestors’ roots is that so little is known outside of France about when and why the French left their country. This dearth of knowledge has led many family historians of the 19th century to presume Huguenot, noble émigré or Alsace-Lorraine ancestry for any ancestor with a French name. The supposition became a family legend that then became a research frustration as more recent family historians attempt to prove what was never more than a misguided supposition. This webinar looks at the many waves of French migration, as well as the three mentioned in the title, from the 17th to the 20th centuries. The historical reasons for when, why and to where they emigrated will provide the key points to bear in mind when conducting research. The bibliography, in English and French, contains not only books and articles concerning French emigration but a list of websites to aid the researcher.

In spite of birth entries for Margareta's five siblings in Hishult, there was no record of her birth in the parish. Tax records quickly identified the father, and revealed multiple moves within a narrow span of time; however, identification of the mother remained elusive. No witnesses to births of the children provided clues; no household examinations existed. Coupling the understanding of broad context (naming patterns, inheritance laws, the calendar shift, etc.) with mtDNA and documentary evidence, the mother was identified and the lack of a records was explained.

This session provides a brief overview of metes and bounds land descriptions seen in deeds, mortgages, patents, grants, and other land documents. The land descriptions are an essential part of land research. This presentation discusses metes and bounds land descriptions and how the metes and bounds can solve genealogical problems.

How do you know when you have genealogical proof? You apply the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) to your completed research. The GPS is how genealogists test conclusions–whether it is your research or other people’s research. Recognize why meeting the GPS is essential and when it is appropriate. Learn about the five interdependent components of the GPS. Understanding the GPS and being able to apply it will hone your research skills.

A quarrel between brothers turns into tragedy. The murdered man’s young widow and children leave their rural home for city life, never returning. Former family connections are forgotten in time. This webinar illustrates the case of finding the birth family of a mid-nineteenth-century South Carolina widow who left her family’s homeplace. No record provides an exact birthplace or fully identifies her parents. Learn how widow Sophia’s forgotten identity was reconstructed by understanding the era’s social context, creating and testing hypotheses, and conducting whole family research.