The recordings of the Joy Reisinger Memorial Lecture series, a 6-class series taught by the Board for Certification of Genealogists and broadcast live on Friday are now online at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com/BCG21. Taught by genealogy's elite educators (Elizabeth Shown Mills, David Ouimette, Melinda Henningfield, Patti Lee Hobs, Amy Larner Giroux and Rick Sayre), the classes are free to view through Sunday, October 31 or available anytime with an annual webinar membership.

Context: A Powerful Tool for Problem Solving by Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL  

Raw facts do not tell a story. They may not even tell the truth about what they do relate. As researchers, we seek original documents that offer us “the facts.” But facts are impish devils, and historical records do not speak for themselves. They cannot explain themselves. They are inert objects created by individuals of a different time, a different culture, and who-knows-what mindset. If taken at face value, records and their “facts” can deceive, mislead, or confuse us. The only voice that documents have is the voice we give them. With every document we find, and every story we tell, we have a choice:

• We can take what we see at face value, report it devoid of context, and run the risk of misrepresenting the circumstances. Or …
• We can seek the context we need to understand the record, the event, and the person.

Click here to view.

Seven Immigration Methodologies, with Case Studies Across the Centuries by David S. Ouimette, CG, CGL

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.

Click here to view.

Investigate the Neighborhood to Advance Your Research by Melinda Henningfield, CG, CGL

This lecture reveals the most powerful methodology available to genealogists. Family historians often begin their genealogical quest by researching only their direct ancestors. For many reasons the direct ancestor they search for may have left few records. The records that survive may not shed light on where the ancestor came from or who his parents were—or any other question about an ancestor. The records that answer questions about an ancestor are sometimes only found by researching his relatives, friends, neighbors, associates, or enemies.

Click here to view.

What am I missing? Recognizing Research Holes in Available Sources by Patti Lee Hobbs, CG

Performing reasonably exhaustive research assumes researchers recognize the resources available to solve a research question. Genealogists must recognize pertinent resources available to solve a research question and understand the limits of each of those resources. This lecture helps to navigate the pitfalls.

Click here to view.

Using Mind Mapping as a Visual Research Plan by Amy Larner Giroux, PhD, CG, CGL

Thorough analysis of each source document is how genealogists plan their next research steps. Including mind mapping as a visual method of analysis can help focus further research questions, point to missing sources, and support indirect evidence analysis.

Click here to view.

Private Land Claims—Complicated? Yes, but worth it! by Rick Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA

When the United States acquired land that had been under the governance of foreign nations (Great Britain, France, Spain, and Mexico), the U.S. government agreed to grant title to landowners who could prove prior legal land rights from those foreign governments. This webinar shows how to access and use records resulting from the adjudication of these “private land claims,” which may provide significant family information.

Click here to view.

Every Friday we're pleased to offer Legacy Family Tree Webinar members a new short ten minute or less TechZone video just for them! This Friday enjoy "From Phone to TV - How to Stream with Chromecast" by Cheri Hudson Passey.

From Phone to TV - How to Stream with Chromecast

Would you like to stream movies on the big screen? Or perhaps share a slideshow of photos on your phone. Cheri Hudson Passey shows you how to use Chromecast to stream from your phone to your TV.

About the Presenter

Joy Reisinger

We are pleased to partner with the Board for Certification of Genealogists to host six webinars live and free to the public as this year’s Reisinger Memorial Lecture Series on 8 October 2021. The hour-long webinars begin at 9:00 a.m. MDT (11:00 a.m. EDT and 1600 GMT) and continue throughout the day. Six leading genealogists will speak on topics related to the Genealogical Proof Standard, DNA, ethics, immigration, and documenting our ancestors’ lives. The webinars are part of the Joy Reisinger Memorial Lecture Series and are presented in conjunction with Legacy Family Tree Webinars. To register for the Reisinger Memorial Lecture series, use this link: https://familytreewebinars.com/upcoming-webinars/?category=bcg21.

The lecture series is presented annually in memory of BCG’s former trustee and vice president, Joy Reisinger, who began this lecture series for Family History Library staff during BCG’s fall board meetings. Joy was an advocate for open records access, a lecturer on research methods, and an expert on Canadian resources, especially those of Quebec.

The schedule for the lectures is:

8:55 a.m. MDT. “Context: A Powerful Tool for Problem Solving,” Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG^®, CGL℠, FASG, FNGS, FUGA. Raw facts do not tell a story. They may not even tell the truth about what they do relate. As researchers, we seek original documents that offer us “the facts.” But facts are impish devils, and historical records do not speak for themselves. They cannot explain themselves. They are inert objects created by individuals of a different time, a different culture, and who-knows-what mindset. If taken at face value, records and their “facts” can deceive, mislead, or confuse us. The only voice that documents have is the voice we give them. With every document we find, and every story we tell, we have a choice:
• We can take what we see at face value, report it devoid of context, and run the risk of misrepresenting the circumstances. Or …
• We can seek the context we need to understand the record, the event, and the person.

10:15 a.m. MDT. “Seven Immigration Methodologies, with Case Studies Across the Centuries,” David S. Ouimette, CG^®, CGL℠. 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.

11:30 a.m. MDT. “Investigate the Neighborhood to Advance Your Research,” Melinda Daffin Henningfield, CG^® This lecture reveals the most powerful methodology available to genealogists. Family historians often begin their genealogical quest by researching only their direct ancestors. For many reasons the direct ancestor they search for may have left few records. The records that survive may not shed light on where the ancestor came from or who his parents were—or any other question about an ancestor. The records that answer questions about an ancestor are sometimes only found by researching his relatives, friends, neighbors, associates, or enemies.

1:30 p.m. MDT. “What am I missing? Recognizing Research Holes in Available Sources,” Patti Lee Hobbs, CG^® Performing reasonably exhaustive research assumes researchers recognize the resources available to solve a research question. Genealogists must recognize pertinent resources available to solve a research question and understand the limits of each of those resources. This lecture helps to navigate the pitfalls.

2:45 p.m. MDT. “Using Mind Mapping as a Visual Research Plan,” Amy Larner Giroux, CG^®, CGL℠ Thorough analysis of each source document is how genealogists plan their next research steps. Including mind mapping as a visual method of analysis can help focus further research questions, point to missing sources, and support indirect evidence analysis.

4:00 p.m. MDT. “Private Land Claims—Complicated? Yes, but Worth It!” Rick Sayre, CG^®, CGL℠, FUGA When the United States acquired land that had been under the governance of foreign nations (Great Britain, France, Spain, and Mexico), the U.S. government agreed to grant title to landowners who could prove prior legal land rights from those foreign governments. This webinar shows how to access and use records resulting from the adjudication of these private land claims, which may provide significant family information.

The words Certified Genealogist and its acronym, CG, are registered certification marks, and the designations Certified Genealogical Lecturer and its acronym, CGL, are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®, used under license by board certificants after periodic evaluation.

The recording of today's webinar by Rick Crume, "DNA Health Tests and Your Family Health History" is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

Webinar Description

If you could not make it to the live event or just want to watch it again, the 1 hour 21 minute recording of "DNA Health Tests and Your Family Health History" is now available to view in our webinar library for free for a limited time. If you have a webinar membership, it is available anytime.

Webinar Memberships/Subscriptions

Webinar Members get:

• On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 1,610 classes of genealogy education)
• On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 6,050 pages)
• On-demand access to the live webinars' chat logs
• 5% off all products at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com (must be logged in at checkout)
• Access to all future recordings for the duration of their membership
• Chance for a members-only door prize during each live webinar
• Access to register for bonus members-only webinars
• Ability to view which webinars you are registered for
• Use of the playlist, resume watching, and jump-to features

Introductory pricing:

• Annual membership: $49.95/year

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

Print the 2021 webinar brochure here.

 

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

Rick Crume is a writer for Family Tree Magazine since 1999 and a contributing editor for the publication since 2001, Rick specializes in online genealogy research. Rick has also written for other magazines and journals, including Internet Genealogy and Family Chronicle.

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, October 6, 2021 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 Carol Baxter, "A Cargo of Criminals: Transportation to Australia" is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

Webinar Description

If you could not make it to the live event or just want to watch it again, the 1 hour 26 minute recording of "A Cargo of Criminals: Transportation to Australia" is now available to view in our webinar library for free for a limited time. If you have a webinar membership, it is available anytime.

Webinar Memberships/Subscriptions

Webinar Members get:

• On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 1,610 classes of genealogy education)
• On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 6,039 pages)
• On-demand access to the live webinars' chat logs
• 5% off all products at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com (must be logged in at checkout)
• Access to all future recordings for the duration of their membership
• Chance for a members-only door prize during each live webinar
• Access to register for bonus members-only webinars
• Ability to view which webinars you are registered for
• Use of the playlist, resume watching, and jump-to features

Introductory pricing:

• Annual membership: $49.95/year

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

Print the 2021 webinar brochure here.

 

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

Carol Baxter is an experienced and informed historian and genealogist, an internationally-acclaimed, award-winning author, and a dynamic, inspirational presenter.

Carol has been a genealogist for four decades having first become interested in family history research while still at high school. Her career as a professional genealogist began when she was appointed Project Officer of the Australian Biographical and Genealogical Record (ABGR). In that role she edited six volumes of early New South Wales muster returns (similar to census returns) and later the convict indents for 1788-1812. She edited many other record series when she became General Editor of the ABGR’s new incarnation, the Biographical Database of Australia. She is a Fellow of the Society of Australian Genealogists and an adjunct lecturer at the University of New England.

Her career took a different turn in 2004 when she began writing “popular history”. Her first manuscript was picked up by the first publisher she approached within a few weeks of submission. She is now the author of six “historical true-crime thrillers” of which An Irresistible Temptation (2006), Breaking the Bank (2008), Captain Thunderbolt and his Lady (2011) and Black Widow (2015) were published by Allen & Unwin to critical acclaim. Both Breaking the Bank and Captain Thunderbolt and His Lady received first prize in writing competitions. Captain Thunderbolt and his Lady is also being turned into a TV series while Black Widow has been turned into a computer game. Allen & Unwin also published The Fabulous Flying Mrs Miller (2017). Publishers Weekly (USA) wrote that it’s a “thrilling biography”. It’s being turned into a big budget six-part TV series by the producers of the Academy Award nominated film Lion.

In 2013, Britain’s Oneworld published The Peculiar Case of the Electric Constable. The Times (London) wrote that it is “as lively and readable as a crime novel” while Britain’s Independent newspaper praised it as “totally irresistible”.

‘How to’ genealogy books are among Carol’s other works. She published Writing Interesting Family Histories in 2009 and produced a third updated edition in 2016 along with a companion volume Writing and Publishing Gripping Family Histories.

She is eager to help researchers ensure that their evidence is accurate (having encountered much historical research that is inaccurate) so she published Help! Historical and Genealogical Truth: How do I separate fact from fiction? in 2016.

Her passion for surnames and given names and the knowledge she has acquired by virtue of her linguistics degree and her years working as a transcriber led her to write “Help: Why can’t I find my ancestor’s surname?” (2014) and “The Madness of Mac Surnames”, published by Unlock the Past in 2018. A series of handy guides on English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh given names was been published by Unlock the Past (2019). Unlock the Past also published her lively and humorous pre-beginners guide ‘To Trace or Not to Trace: a family history overview for the curious’ (2018).

Carol is also a sought-after speaker. She has been a presenter at four Unlock the Past genealogical conferences on international cruise ships, teaching researching and writing skills to family historians. She is also an enrichment speaker telling her true tales of murder, mystery and mayhem on international cruise ships. Prior to the pandemic, she told Mrs Miller’s tale as a three-part mini-series on the Crystal Serenity from Los Angeles to Auckland and was booked to speak on more cruises.

In all of her books and talks, her aim is to educate and to entertain her readers or audiences. She took this one step further in 2021 by launching the Writing Fabulous Family Histories website, which includes online courses teaching genealogists writing skills and researching skills. For further information: see www.writingfabulousfamilyhistories.com.

Carol can be contacted at carol@writingfabulousfamilyhistories.com.

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 Tuesday, October 5, 2021 at:

• 9pm Eastern (U.S.)
• 8pm Central
• 7pm Mountain
• 6pm Pacific

or, in Sydney, Australia on Wednesday, October 6, 2021 at:

• 12:00pm

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 David W. Jackson, "Born a Slave: Rediscovering Arthur Jackson's African American Heritage" is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

Webinar Description

If you could not make it to the live event or just want to watch it again, the 1 hour 30 minute recording of "Born a Slave: Rediscovering Arthur Jackson's African American Heritage" is now available to view in our webinar library for free for a limited time. If you have a webinar membership, it is available anytime.

Webinar Memberships/Subscriptions

Webinar Members get:

• On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 1,609 classes of genealogy education)
• On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 6,039 pages)
• On-demand access to the live webinars' chat logs
• 5% off all products at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com (must be logged in at checkout)
• Access to all future recordings for the duration of their membership
• Chance for a members-only door prize during each live webinar
• Access to register for bonus members-only webinars
• Ability to view which webinars you are registered for
• Use of the playlist, resume watching, and jump-to features

Introductory pricing:

• Annual membership: $49.95/year

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

Print the 2021 webinar brochure here.

We've tallied the numbers and made a list of the Top 10 FamilyTreeWebinars.com classes for September 2021! Are your favorite topics or instructors among the list? Need something new to learn? Use the list to get inspired!

Each month thousands of Legacy Family Tree Webinar subscribers head for the library to learn new skills and techniques to help improve their genealogy research. Among the now-1,608 genealogy classes in the members-only library, these were the most frequently played during the month of September 2021.  They aren't necessarily the newest classes but rather the topics that were sought out by our members.

Have you seen any of these classes? Are these among your favorites too? Some of these classes (and topics) might be new to you! Get inspired to learn more and make your genealogy journey more fun!

The Top 10 for September 2021

1. Cluster Research: Using Groups of People to Find Your People by Robyn Smith

2. Paint Your Way Up Your Tree with MyHeritage and DNAPainter by Roberta Estes

3. Tracing Your 20th Century English Ancestors by Paul Milner

4. Notes and Documents of Free Persons of Color by Anita Wills

5. Were they Orphans at all? DNA and the Orphan Train: Finding Kathryn’s Family by Nancy Gavin Koester

6. The new and improved Legacy Family Tree Webinars website by Geoff Rasmussen

7. Your DNA Questions Answered Live with Diahan by Diahan Southard

8. A Toboggan Ride Through Canadian Records, eh! by Lianne Kruger

9. Seventeen Secrets to Successful Scanning by Denise May Levenick

10. FAN Club in Action: a Simple Case Study by Geoff Rasmussen

The Runner-Ups

11. British and Irish Given Names – Part 1 by Carol Baxter

12. Federal Records Relating to Rivers and Canals by Pamela Boyer Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA

13.Beginning Ukrainian Genealogy by Michelle Chubenko

14. A Step Through Time(lines) by Fiona Brooker

15. What are the Odds? Finding Answers Using DNA Painter’s WATO Tool by Debra Renard

16. An Introduction to DNA Painter by Jonny Perl

17. Linking Family Trees to DNA Results by Michelle Leonard

18. Finding Jane Graham’s Parents: Using Clusters and Records in Three Countries by Mary Kircher Roddy, CG

19. Researching Immigrants to New England in the Great Migration, 1620-1640 by James Tanner

20. British and Irish Given Names – Part 2 by Carol Baxter

The 2nd Runner-Ups

21. Diaries, Journals and Calendars: Preserving and Document Your Ancestor’s Day-to-Day Life by Melissa Barker

22. 10 Ways to Find Your Native American Ancestor Using Y, Mitochondrial and Autosomal DNA by Roberta Estes

23. NEVER GIVE UP: 5 Strategies for Overcoming Genealogical Angst by DearMYRTLE and Russ Worthington

24. ‘What are the Odds?’ An online tool that can help solve DNA puzzles by Jonny Perl

25. One Family, Many Connections: Using the FAN club in one Australian locality by Cathie Sherwood

26. Beginning Hungarian Genealogy by Lisa Toth Salinas

27. Inferred Mapping Explained by Michelle Leonard

28. America’s Turnpikes, Rivers, and Canals by Peggy Clemens Lauritzen, AG

29. Discover the new Legacy Family Tree 9 by Geoff Rasmussen

30. The New Family Tree and Relationship Diagram by Uri Gonen

Access to classes in the Legacy Family Tree Webinar library are available with an webinar membership. Not a member? Become one! Or watch one of our free classes here.

Every Friday we're pleased to offer Legacy Family Tree Webinar members a new, short ten minute or less TechZone video just for them! This Friday enjoy "Working with Snagit's Scrolling Tools" by Colleen Robledo Greene, MLIS.

Working with Snagit's Scrolling Tools

Learn how to use Snagit’s Scrolling Capture and Panoramic Capture features to generate and annotate screenshots of those hard-to-fit web pages and documents.

About the Presenter