The Hidden Gems Inside Privately Published Family Histories
2026-04-08 13:58 (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Unpublished and privately published family histories–like county histories–are unfortunately often ignored by genealogists.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.

I’ve Got—Or I’m Getting—My DNA Report: Now What Do I Do? (Beginner)
2020-06-25 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Weatherford Public Library, 1014 Charles Street, Weatherford, TX, 76086
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.

Brick Wall Busting Strategies: Hammering at the Wall
2020-07-09 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | 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.

I’ve Got—Or I’m Getting—My DNA Report: Now What Do I Do? (Beginner)
2020-07-14 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | George W. Hawkes Arlington Downtown Public Library, 100 S. Center Street, Arlington, TX, 76010

Armchair Mysteries Solved at Home with Old School Communication and New School Technology
2020-07-18 10:00 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | Haggard Library, 2501 Coit Road, Plano, TX, 75074
This presentation offers abundant tips, tricks, and examples for a researcher who’s looking for answers far from home and is not online. Often underused research and resource opportunities are just an email away—and sometimes still a phone call away! The techniques presented here often provide successful means to resolving the mysteries of our ancestors using both online sites and offline sources for information

I’ve Got My Ancestry DNA Report: Evaluating My Test Results For Connections (Intermediate)
2020-08-04 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Weatherford Public Library, 1014 Charles Street, Weatherford, TX, 76086
This presentation takes understanding of the DNA report to the next level. As a warm-up, we will touch on the DNA Ethnicity Report, the DNA Circles, and the DNA Story; more importantly, we will calculate find matches, evaluate the degree of relationship, and compare DNA. This course is geared for those who are beyond beginner and looking to build a greater knowledge of the power of genetics in genealogy.

Census Sense: Clues & Conundrums for Intermediate Researchers
2020-08-08 09:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Broadmoor Methodist Church, 3715 Youree Drive, Shreveport, LA, 71105
Based on the federal census site, this presentation focuses on federal census headings and codes, alternate federal censuses, state censuses, and their use in our research.

16 Death Records that Will Bring Your Research to Life!
2020-08-08 09:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Broadmoor Methodist Church, 3715 Youree Drive, Shreveport, LA, 71105
Knowing where to look can sometimes be the most difficult part of the research. This presentation is filled with stories and examples of the often unknown, unfound, and unused death documents.

Chasing the Children to Find the Father’s Lineage: A Strategy with Stories
2020-08-08 09:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Broadmoor Methodist Church, 3715 Youree Drive, Shreveport, LA, 71105
When a straight-line pedigree is interrupted by a disappearing ancestor, there are several strategies that can help us in our search. This presentation will demonstrate these proven alternate strategies with fascinating stories and amazing information.

Brick Wall Busting Strategies: Hammering at the Wall
2020-08-08 09:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Broadmoor Methodist Church, 3715 Youree Drive, Shreveport, LA, 71105
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 Genealogy Societies (FGS)
2020-09-01 08:00 - 2020-09-04 17:00 (America/New_York) | Kansas City, Missouri

Courthouse Records: One Stop Shopping for Family Secrets
2020-09-03 15:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Kansas City Convention Center, Kansas City, MO
Wonderful stories of individuals and families are told in a well-paced introduction to documents found in courthouses. Birth, death and marriage certificates, probate & wills, land, court case documents and guardianship papers are part of these stories. The benefits of courthouse research become clear to the researcher not familiar with these documents.

Military Pensions: Vital Records in Disguise!
2020-09-04 17:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | Kansas City Convention Center, Kansas City, MO
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.

Census Sense: Clues & Conundrums for Intermediate Researchers
2020-09-05 15:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Kansas City Convention Center, Kansas City, MO

Fort Worth Genealogy Society Seminar
2020-09-12 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | TBA, McKinney, TX, 75069
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Van Zandt County Genealogical Society Seminar
2020-09-26 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York)

I’ve Got—Or I’m Getting—My DNA Report: Now What Do I Do? (Beginner)
2022-04-12 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom

Denton Discovery Day
2022-04-30 10:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)

I’ve Got My Ancestry DNA Report: Evaluating My Test Results For Connections (Intermediate)
2022-05-10 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom
This presentation takes understanding the DNA report to the next level. As a warm-up, we will touch on the DNA Ethnicity Report, the DNA Circles, and the DNA Story; more importantly, we will calculate find matches, evaluate the degree of relationship, and compare DNA. This course is geared for those who are beyond beginners and looking to build a greater knowledge of the power of genetics in genealogy.

Colonial Research: Proving/Disproving an Undocumented Family Line
2022-05-16 06:00 - 07:30 (America/New_York)
Many families take great pride in their colonial ancestral lines. This presentation examines the research plan and process of proving such a family line from Ohio back to the Colony of New Hampshire and then to Massachusetts Bay Colony. Online research is always helpful, but it is the results of offline research at archives, repositories, and libraries that provide the thrill. Anyone who is interested yet reluctant about beginning colonial research, this presentation hopes to take away the worries and replace them with wonder.

Searching Newspapers: Tips, Tricks, Sites, and Context
2022-07-14 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
An up-to-date presentation of tips, tricks, and techniques using newspapers in our research. Several case examples are included as to the value of newspapers in our research as well as an online search of a variety of free newspaper search sites. This presentation will instruct and entertain every researcher.

Colonial Research: Proving/Disproving an Undocumented Family Line
2022-09-24 09:00 (America/New_York)
Many families take great pride in their colonial ancestral lines. This presentation examines the research plan and process of proving such a family line from Ohio back to the Colony of New Hampshire and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Online research is always helpful, but the results of offline research at archives, repositories, and libraries provide the thrill. Anyone who is interested yet reluctant about beginning colonial research, this presentation hopes to take away the worries and replace wonder.

Armchair Mysteries Solved at Home with Old School Communication and New School Technology
2023-01-05 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Grand Prairie [TX] Main Library, 901 Conover Dr.
This presentation offers abundant tips, tricks, and examples for a researcher who’s looking for answers far from home which are not online. Often underused research and resource opportunities are just an email away—and sometimes still a phone call away! The techniques presented here often provide successful means to resolving the mysteries of our ancestors using both online sites and offline sources for information.

Forgotten Treasures in the Texas Courthouse: Discovering the Miscellaneous Records
2023-01-07 10:30 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | J. Eric Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dalas, TX, 75201, 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 features 2 touching stories of Texans, and also abundant examples of useful assorted documents found within Miscellaneous records.

DNA Today
2023-01-10 07:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
An in-person 30 minute presentation about DNA and today

Colonial Research: Proving/Disproving an Undocumented Family Line
2023-02-11 13:30 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Many families take great pride in their colonial ancestral lines. This presentation examines the research plan and process of proving such a family line from Ohio back to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Online research is always helpful, but results of offline research at archives, repositories and libraries should not be forgotten for the thrill of documentation. Anyone who is interested yet reluctant about beginning colonial research, this presentation hopes to take away the worries and replace it with wonder.

16 Death Records that Will Bring Your Research to Life!
2023-02-23 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Denver)
Knowing where to look can sometimes be the most difficult part of research. This presentation is filled with stories and examples of often unknown, unfound, and unused death documents.

I’ve Got—Or I’m Getting—My DNA Report: Now What Do I Do? (Beginner)
2023-02-25 10:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | Lancaster Veterans’ Memorial Library, 1600 Veterans' Memorial Pkwy, Lancaster, Lancaster, Texas, 75134
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. This session will be helpful for beginners.

FamilySearch: Finding What You Need and What You Didn’t Know You Wanted
2023-03-02 09:30 - 10:30 (Asia/Dubai)
Before Ancestry there was FamilySearch—and FamilySearch continues today as a thriving and consistently updated website for researchers. While many researchers are fond of FamilySearch Wiki and the main research page, this presentation focuses on the hidden gems within the wonderful research world of the FamilySearch indexed and unindexed digitized records.

Hidden Stories Discovered in Just 3 Documents
2023-03-02 15:00 - 16:00 (Asia/Dubai) | Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, 100 S W Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84101
The death of a young bride, the parentless pastor, a murdered husband cut down in his prime—all are stories that come to light with just 3 original documents. This presentation encourages researching beyond just one record. Haunting stories are shared that demonstrate breaking down brick walls can be successful when we just keep looking for more information.
