All sessions are held online. Participants join from anywhere in the United States.
A hands-on orientation to the major genealogy databases including Ancestry, FamilySearch, and state-level digital archives. Participants practice search strategies and learn how to evaluate what they find.
Understanding state-by-state variation in vital records registration, locating certificates when online indexes fail, and extracting genealogical information from death certificates and marriage bonds.
Deep dive into federal census schedules across nine decades. Handwriting practice, understanding occupational codes, and strategies for finding households when names were recorded incorrectly.
An accessible introduction to autosomal DNA testing results. Centimorgans, shared segments, and the Leeds Method for sorting matches into family groups explained without technical jargon.
Before consistent federal census records, research requires different sources and methods. Land records, tax lists, church registers, and estate documents become essential. This session covers how to use them systematically.
A practical session on creating a filing system that grows with your research. Digital folder structures, naming conventions, and how to cite sources so you can always find your way back to the original record.
Tracing immigrant ancestors through port records, naturalization papers, and ship manifests. Coverage spans major immigration eras from 1820 through the 1920s quota laws, with attention to the specific challenges each period presents.