The recording of today's webinar by Angela Walton-Raji, "Cherokee, Choctaw & Chickasaw Freedmen Records and Family Stories" is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

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About the presenter

Angela Walton-Raji is known nationally for her genealogical and historical research and work with Oklahoma Native-American records. Her book, “Black Indian Genealogy Research” was the first book of its kind focusing on the unique record set reflecting Freedmen found within the Dawes Records. She also includes several chapters and documents in her book, focusing on the records that reflect Blended Families—African and Native American families in many households.

Her latest books, “Freedmen of the Frontier” volumes 1 and 2 were released in 2019 and 2020 respectively. The books present family profiles of Freedmen from the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole Nations.

Her work has also involved her researching families for several media outlets for televised broadcasts. She has spoken at RootsTech, the Genealogy Jamboree, in California, Federation of Genealogical Societies, Afro-American Historical Genealogical Society, “Behind the Big House” programs in Arkansas, and other events in numerous states from California to Virginia.

Among other genealogical focus areas are black Civil War soldiers west of the Mississippi, African American benevolent societies, and the early days of freedom.

In the 1990s, she was a founding member of AfriGeneas.com, and for ten years, Ms. Walton-Raji hosted “The African Roots Podcast”. She has produced a number of instructional videos on YouTube, and has served as an expert consultant on video documentaries, as well.

A researcher with national reputation, Ms. Walton-Raji’s talents have been recognized by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, for over a decade. In the 1990s she was a featured speaker at a number of Smithsonian events, and she was the only genealogist in the nation, to present regular genealogy lectures at the National Museum of the American Indian, in both the Washington DC and New York facilities. She was awarded the honor of presenting a special series of genealogy lectures to coincide with the Smithsonian Exhibition IndiVisible that officially launched in November 2009, that traveled for several years throughout the nation.

Her specialization in research secured an invitation to present her research at a special hearing at the Cherokee nation Supreme Court on behalf of a Cherokee Freedman citizenship case. She was invited as an expert witness in the case of Riggs vs. Ummerteskeee in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. This was a case where Cherokee Freedman descendant was filing a case against the nation for preventing citizenship to descendants of their former slaves.

In addition to the above, Ms. Walton-Raji’s comfort with language and skills in writing, make her well known and well respected in the genealogy community. And in 2017 she taught a four-week online class offered through Family Tree Magazine on Native American genealogy.

Another specialty is her experience documenting United States Colored Troops—Black Union soldiers of the western theatre of the Civil War. She has shared info on women in the Civil War, at Roots Tech, the largest genealogical event in the world, and she is a frequent presenter at the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree in Burbank California.

Ms. Walton-Raji is a founding member of MAAGI, the Midwest African-American Genealogy Institute, MAAGI is a genealogy teaching institute, (maagiinstitute.org) which is hosting its 8th consecutive event at the world famous Genealogy Center in Ft. Wayne Indiana in 2020. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from St. Louis University and a Master of Education from Antioch University. Ms. Walton-Raji resides in Maryland, where she continues to teach, research, and write.

With our Google Calendar button, you will never forget our upcoming webinars. Simply click the button to add it to your calendar. You can then optionally embed the webinar events (and even turn them on and off) into your own personal calendar. If you have already added the calendar, you do not have to do it again - the new webinar events will automatically appear.

Webinar time

The webinar will be live on Wednesday, November 30, 2022 at:

• 2pm Eastern (U.S.)
• 1pm Central
• 12pm Mountain
• 11am Pacific

Or use this Time Zone Converter.

Here's how to attend:

1. Register at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com today. It's free!
2. You will receive a confirmation email containing a link to the webinar.
3. You will receive a reminder email both 1 day and 1 hour prior to the live webinar.
4. Calculate your time zone by clicking here.
5. Check your GoToWebinar connection here.
6. Click on the webinar link (found in confirmation and reminder emails) prior to the start of the webinar. Arrive early as the room size is limited to the first 1,000 arrivals that day.
7. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone. 

We look forward to seeing you all there!

The recording of today's webinar by Lisa Medina, "Newspapers in Mexico" is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

Time travel is my favorite medium. I love its books. Back to the Future is my favorite movie trilogy. Sometimes I have dreams about my ancestors. I'd love to put aside my computer and phone and visit some of history's greatest moments. While it likely won't happen in my lifetime, if ever, there's a new next best thing.

With MyHeritage's latest innovation - AI Time Machine™ - you can now see how you might have looked as a historical figure throughout the ages. It's really quite remarkable, and looks and feels authentic. You have to see it to believe it.

Examples

Here's me as a Greek God, Viking, Renaissance Scholar, Pirate, Nobleman, and a 1970s hippie.

The technology is incredible! Nothing looks "photoshopped". I quite like some of these hair styles. I just might bring a few of them to my next haircut appointment. Notice the small AI icon in the lower left - per MyHeritage's commitment to responsible AI, watermarks are added to all images to distinguish them from authentic photos.

Here's my wife as a 1930s British Lady, 1970s Hippie, Egyptian Queen, WWII Nurse, 1920s, Rainforest Tribe Member. I hope I'm still married after she see these. Isn't she beautiful though??!!

Getting Started and Cost

It's really simple to get started. Visit https://www.myheritage.com/ai-time-machine. Then upload 10-25 photos of the same person. In 20-30 minutes you'll get an email with a link to view the results. AI Time Machine™ is currently available on the MyHeritage website and via mobile web browser.

The feature is free at launch for a limited introductory period (with a limit of one model and 50 themes per user, for a total of 400 images), following which it will become a paid feature. So if you're not yet a MyHeritage subscriber, get started right away. Users with a MyHeritage Complete plan will enjoy a higher usage quota at no additional cost. More details to come.

What will I do with this?

My Mom just came in the room and absolutely loved this! Then she asked, "so what will you do with these?" It's a good question. For now I'll have fun and probably update my Facebook profile a few times. Maybe I could frame them for a fun wall display. Or create ornaments for the tree. I could even create an entire photo album and convince my kids that their parents are real time travelers. Now that'd be fun. I think that is what this is all about - having fun enjoying history together.

Learn More

Read more about AI Time Machine™ on MyHeritage's blog.

Last week I asked a question. As genealogists, we collect handouts from society meetings, seminars, webinars, and conferences. What do you do with those handouts? How can we best utilize this massive amount of information that we collect?

Legacy readers answered with their ideas. I want to spotlight some of these answers to give other readers ideas for the best use of the information they collect.

Technology to the Rescue

In some cases, readers use technology to annotate, organize, and store their handouts. Reader Joyce Ann Luallen-Black uses an E-Ink writing tablet called Remarkable which is similar to other tablets but is not for internet searching:

"I have a Remarkable and load the handout to my Remarkable. So I can then make notes on the handout, underline, use asterisks and even add note pages. I make my handouts a document that I can use. I can also save the file when I am done to my computer in my designated directory. Before getting my Remarkable, I always printed and made notes, highlighted, take notes during the presentation. Of course, when I am done, I can make a digital copy. When I get a really good syllabus and notes that I know I can use regularly, I keep it in the paper version for quick access. Now that I have my Remarkable, I can keep it stored there also for quick access."

Some readers utilize cloud storage programs like Dropbox to organize handouts. Geraldine Knatz writes:

"I have a separate folder in my Dropbox for handouts, and I categorize them by topic. If it is something that I just learned about that I want to act on quickly, I will print it out and keep it on my desk until I follow up."

The great thing about using cloud storage is that you have access to those materials anywhere you have the Internet. Some handouts can be great tools to use when researching at a repository because they provide instructions.

More than One Way to Use a Handout

Some readers have multiple ways of dealing with handouts depending on what the handout is for. One example is provided by Howland Davis:

"How I use handouts and syllabi: I have two situations. If it is a talk of interest, I keep notes on a separate page, which I then neatly add to the handout/syllabus (since my writing of notes is terrible and I have trouble deciphering them 24 hours later. On the other hand, I have kept a file of all handouts by presenters to the Summit County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society since 1994 with indexes by date and by keyword. These are available to our members (I should scan them all so they can be easily sent)."

Jerry Kocis downloads webinar handouts before the event so he can make notes and then scans the handout so it includes his annotations:

"I like to download and print the handout before the webinar starts. During the presentation, I try to follow along and take notes on the handout. Later, I scan the handout, which by this point contains my handwritten notes, and store the image as a .pdf file, sorted by topic, on an external hard drive that I use to maintain reference materials. Sometimes a presentation will touch upon more than one of the topics that I've established for reference notes. In that case, the .pdf file is stored under each of the topic categories to which it relates. And, yes, that external drive is backed up to OneDrive."

How Do You Use Handouts?

The benefit of a handout or syllabus is evident: it provides the participant with resources and information that they can use once the presentation is over. How you decide to take advantage of that resource is up to you. As our readers explain, there are several ways to utilize those pieces of information to enhance our genealogical research. What’s important is for you to decide now how to best use handouts and start utilizing that plan to make the most of what you learn.

Gena Philibert-Ortega is an author, instructor, and researcher. She blogs at Gena's Genealogy and Food.Family.Ephemera. You can find her presentations on the Legacy Family Tree Webinars website.

Test Your Webinar Connection

To ensure that your webinar connection is ready to go, click here.

Can't make it to the live event?

No worries. Its recording will be available for a limited time. Webinar Subscribers have unlimited access to all webinar recordings for the duration of their membership.

About the presenter

Lisa Medina is an enthusiastic and experienced lecturer who brings together the stories and methodologies of genealogy with the effective pedagogies of a teacher in her presentations. She has experience researching in several U.S. states, as well as in the Mexican states of Jalisco, Nuevo León, Chihuahua, Sonora and Sinaloa. When not researching, Lisa is a Director of Admissions and Registrar at a California State University.

With our Google Calendar button, you will never forget our upcoming webinars. Simply click the button to add it to your calendar. You can then optionally embed the webinar events (and even turn them on and off) into your own personal calendar. If you have already added the calendar, you do not have to do it again - the new webinar events will automatically appear.

Webinar time

The webinar will be live on Friday, November 18, 2022 at:

• 2pm Eastern (U.S.)
• 1pm Central
• 12pm Mountain
• 11am Pacific

Or use this Time Zone Converter.

Here's how to attend:

1. Register at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com today. It's free!
2. You will receive a confirmation email containing a link to the webinar.
3. You will receive a reminder email both 1 day and 1 hour prior to the live webinar.
4. Calculate your time zone by clicking here.
5. Check your GoToWebinar connection here.
6. Click on the webinar link (found in confirmation and reminder emails) prior to the start of the webinar. Arrive early as the room size is limited to the first 1,000 arrivals that day.
7. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone. 

We look forward to seeing you all there!

The recording of today's webinar by Teresa Steinkamp McMillin, CG, "Hunting For Henry: A Case Study Using Collaterals" is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

Test Your Webinar Connection

To ensure that your webinar connection is ready to go, click here.

Can't make it to the live event?

No worries. Its recording will be available for a limited time. Webinar Subscribers have unlimited access to all webinar recordings for the duration of their membership.

About the presenter

Teresa Steinkamp McMillin, Certified Genealogist®, author of the Guide to Hanover Military Records, 1514-1866 on Microfilm at the Family History Library, is the owner of Lind Street Research, a company dedicated to helping people discover their German ancestry. She is a popular speaker for national, regional, and local genealogical societies. Recently she created and recorded two courses for Ancestry Academy at Ancestry.com. She has taught at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR). Reading German gothic script found in German records prior to the mid-1900s is second nature to her. Researching ancestors in Chicago and other areas of the Midwest is another of Teresa’s specialty areas. She is a multi-year attendee of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG). Teresa is a member of the National Genealogical Society, the Association of Professional Genealogists, as well as many German and local genealogical societies. Teresa chairs the committee for the Board for Certification of Genealogists monthly webinar series. She is the webmaster for the Northwest Suburban Genealogy Society in Arlington Heights, Illinois and is a genealogy volunteer at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library.

With our Google Calendar button, you will never forget our upcoming webinars. Simply click the button to add it to your calendar. You can then optionally embed the webinar events (and even turn them on and off) into your own personal calendar. If you have already added the calendar, you do not have to do it again - the new webinar events will automatically appear.

Webinar time

The webinar will be live on Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at:

• 2pm Eastern (U.S.)
• 1pm Central
• 12pm Mountain
• 11am Pacific

Or use this Time Zone Converter.

Here's how to attend:

1. Register at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com today. It's free!
2. You will receive a confirmation email containing a link to the webinar.
3. You will receive a reminder email both 1 day and 1 hour prior to the live webinar.
4. Calculate your time zone by clicking here.
5. Check your GoToWebinar connection here.
6. Click on the webinar link (found in confirmation and reminder emails) prior to the start of the webinar. Arrive early as the room size is limited to the first 1,000 arrivals that day.
7. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone. 

We look forward to seeing you all there!

The recording of tonight's webinar by the Board for Certification of Genealogists and Nicole Gilkison LaRue, CG, "Their Mark Here: Signatures and Marks as Identifying Tools" is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com/BCG for free for a limited time.

Test Your Webinar Connection

To ensure that your webinar connection is ready to go, click here.

Can't make it to the live event?

No worries. Its recording will be available for a limited time. Webinar Subscribers have unlimited access to all webinar recordings for the duration of their membership.

About the presenter

Nicole Gilkison LaRue, CG, is a full-time professional genealogist with articles in NGS Magazine and NGSQ. Nicole has served on the board of directors of the Association of Professional Genealogists and has presented at national conferences, in addition to teaching at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG). Special interests include researching women, “brick-wall” obstacles, and paleography.

With our Google Calendar button, you will never forget our upcoming webinars. Simply click the button to add it to your calendar. You can then optionally embed the webinar events (and even turn them on and off) into your own personal calendar. If you have already added the calendar, you do not have to do it again - the new webinar events will automatically appear.

Webinar time

The webinar will be live on Wednesday, November 15, 2022 at:

• 8pm Eastern (U.S.)
• 7pm Central
• 6pm Mountain
• 5pm Pacific

Or use this Time Zone Converter.

Here's how to attend:

1. Register at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com today. It's free!
2. You will receive a confirmation email containing a link to the webinar.
3. You will receive a reminder email both 1 day and 1 hour prior to the live webinar.
4. Calculate your time zone by clicking here.
5. Check your GoToWebinar connection here.
6. Click on the webinar link (found in confirmation and reminder emails) prior to the start of the webinar. Arrive early as the room size is limited to the first 1,000 arrivals that day.
7. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone. 

We look forward to seeing you all there!