Family Lines & Stories

The Hidden Gems Inside Privately Published Family Histories
2026-04-06 02:22 (America/New_York)
Unpublished and privately published family histories–like county histories–are unfortunately often ignored by genealogists. However, the clues contained in undocumented family histories may provide a great jumping-off platform for research. This presentation emphasizes and demonstrates how valuable hidden gems are often discovered buried inside these types of family histories.

Denton Genealogical Society
2018-11-08 19:00 - 20:00 | Emily Fowler Denton County Library, 502 Oakland St, Denton, Texas, 76201
Proving Long-Lost Family the Indirect Way: Finding the Ancestors of F. N. Raymond

Tyler Genealogical Society
2018-11-10 14:00 - 15:00
Forgotten Treasures in the Texas Courthouse: Discovering the Miscellaneous Records

Sherman Genealogy Society
2019-01-09 13:00 - 15:00
Military Pension Records: Vital Records in Disguise!

Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG)
2019-01-14 08:00 - 2019-01-18 17:00 | Hilton SL City Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Immigrants To The United States after 1890

What's New in Genealogy?
2019-02-11 10:00 - 22:30 | First United Methodist Church, 104 S Miller St, Decatur, TX, 76234

Military Pensions: Vital Records in Disguise!
2019-02-21 18:30 - 19:30
Military pension records are an amazing source of information. This presentation puts “flesh on the bones” of several individuals whose military records are reviewed; it also goes through the steps of retrieving pensions from various repositories while demonstrating how to link a family through these documents.

RootsTech 2019 & Research
2019-02-25 08:00 - 2019-03-03 17:00
Census Sense: Clues & Conundrums for Intermediate Researchers

Taking a Genealogy Trip: Ready, Set, Let's Go!
2019-03-07 18:00 - 20:00 | Rockwall County Library, 215 E. Yellow Jacket Lane, Rockwall, TX, 75087, United States
Genealogy trips can be “the bomb” or they can explode like a bomb. An unsuccessful trip can most often be prevented by following the steps, cautions, and counsel in this presentation. A fun and lively presentation with stories of personal disasters and serendipity, this is a great way to get ready for that first (or second) genealogy research trip.

I’ve Got My Ancestry DNA Report: What Do I Do Now?
2019-03-14 19:00 - 20:00 | Emily Fowler Denton County Library, 502 Oakland St, Denton, Texas, 76201
Presented from a non-genetic genealogist point of view, this presentation explains in a fun and visual way how to choose a test, a company, what to do while waiting for the report, and how to maximize the report results. Whether deciding who to contact, how to use the research within the DNA report, or just how to link our trees to our DNA results, this session will be helpful. Besides spending time reviewing the report, the potential use of raw data is introduced with a visual step-by-step procedure for uploading raw data to other sites.

I’ve Got My Ancestry DNA Report: Evaluating My Test Results For Connections (Intermediate)
2019-03-16 14:30 - 16:00 | Emily Fowler Denton County Library, 502 Oakland St, Denton, Texas, 76201

Military Pensions: Vital Records in Disguise!
2019-04-06 11:00 - 12:00 | J. Eric Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dalas, TX, 75201, United States

Arlington Family History Seminar
2019-04-13 09:00 - 15:00 | Arlington TX LDS Stake Center
Kilts, Celts & Scots: Researching Scottish Ancestors on ScotlandsPeople
Brick Wall Busting Strategies: Hammering at the Wall

Beginning Genealogy Class
2019-04-22 18:00 - 20:00 | Decatur Public LIbrary, 1700 FM 51, Decatur, TX, 76234
This 6 week genealogy course is organized for the first time researcher and for those who would like to add to their knowledge of working with online and off-line records.

Genealogy Classes for Beginners
2019-04-29 18:00 - 20:00 | Decatur Public LIbrary, 1700 FM 51, Decatur, TX, 76234

Genealogy for Beginners
2019-05-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Decatur Public LIbrary, 1700 FM 51, Decatur, TX, 76234

Ready, Set, Go! Taking a Genealogy Research Trip
2019-05-07 19:00 - 20:00 | Robson Ranch Clubhouse, 9400 Ed Robson Blvd, Denton, TX, 76207

Texas Institute of Genealogical Research (TIGR)
2019-06-09 08:00 - 2019-06-14 17:00
Forgotten Treasures in the Texas Courthouse: Discovering the Miscellaneous Books
Texas County Land Records: Fixin’ to Search & Find

I’ve Got—Or I’m Getting—My DNA Report: Now What Do I Do?
2019-07-09 19:00 - 20:00 | George W. Hawkes Arlington Downtown Public Library, 100 S. Center Street, Arlington, TX, 76010

Brick Wall Busting Strategies: Hammering at the Wall
2019-07-11 18:45 - 20:00 | Roy & Helen Hall Memorial Library, 101 E. Hunt Street, McKinney, TX, 75063, United States
This is a fun presentation with strategies, sources and a variety of documents that just might hammer down that frustrating brick wall. Examples of brick walls broken down are demonstrated by using vital records, military records, census, prison, land records, newspapers, passenger manifests and divorce records including a complicated story tracking a woman whose name changed 3 times in public records.

Federation of Genealogical Societies
2019-08-21 08:00 - 2019-08-24 17:00 | Washington D.C.

APG Professional Management Conference
2019-09-19 08:00 - 2019-09-21 17:00 | Salt Lake City, Utah

Kerrville Genealogy Society Seminar
2019-10-05 08:00 - 17:00 | Upper Guadalupe Building, 125 Lehmann Drive, Suite 102, Kerrville, Texas, 78028
4 presentations tbd

William Eckler and Charles Arthur: One Man, Two Lives
2019-10-11 - 2019-10-13 | Omni Hotel, 9281 Colonnade Blvd, San Antonio, TX, 78230
William Eckler came to Texas to fight in the Indian Wars after the Civil War. After being honorably discharged, he disappeared. Shortly thereafter, Charles Arthur met and married his wife, started a family, and held his own as a free Black man in a largely Confederate community. Not until Charles Arthur applied for his federal military pension did the truth come out. Follow the facts, the documents, and the family truths of William Eckler and Charles Arthur in this presentation.

When Proof Isn't Really Proof After All
2019-10-11 - 2019-10-13 | Omni Hotel, 9281 Colonnade Blvd, San Antonio, TX, 78230
This presentation is very helpful for beginning researchers. Several individuals whose life information is culled from newspapers, censuses, and family trees are examined closely. Logical flaws are noted, further research is introduced, and entirely different conclusions are discovered.

Armchair Mysteries Solved at Home: Old School Communication and New School Technology
2019-10-19 10:30 - 11:30 | Sussex County (DE) Genealogical Society
Webinar

Researching in 3 Steps: Documents, Context, and Citation
2020-02-08 14:00 - 15:00
Combining beginning and intermediate opportunities, this presentation combines fascinating stories of humanity paired with opportunities for compassionate context and an analysis of appropriate citation for the documents utilized.

Researching in 3 Steps: Documents, Citation & Context
2020-02-08 14:00 - 15:00 | Tyler Public Library, 201 S College Ave, Tyler, 75702, United States
Combining beginning and intermediate opportunities, this presentation combines fascinating stories of humanity paired with opportunities for compassionate context with citations for the documents utilized.

Brick Wall Busting Strategies: Hammering at the Wall
2020-02-22 10:30 - 11:30 | Granbury TX Stake Center, 1226 Ross Ln, Granbury, 76048, United States
This is a fun presentation with strategies, sources and a variety of documents that just might hammer down that frustrating brick wall. Examples of brick walls broken down are demonstrated by using vital records, military records, census, prison, land records, newspapers, passenger manifests, and divorce records including a complicated story tracking a woman whose name changed 3 times in public records.

Forgotten Treasures in the Texas Courthouse: Discovering Miscellaneous Records
2020-02-22 13:00 - 14:00 | Granbury TX Stake Center, 1226 Ross Ln, Granbury, 76048, United States
Are you looking for context and documentation? Do you have an ancestor that seems to have slipped between the cracks? Then these Texas gems hidden away in our county courthouses may hold an answer for you. This presentation not only presents 2 fun Texan stories that have come to life with information found within Miscellaneous Books, but also abundant examples of assorted documents.
