George Memorial Library To Host Online Genealogy Symposium For Family-History Month

George Memorial Library To Host Online Genealogy Symposium For Family-History Month


Oct 15, 2021

In recognition of Family-History Month in October, Fort Bend County Libraries’ Genealogy & Local History department at George Memorial Library will join the Genealogy Network of Texas (GNT) in a state-wide, collaborative Online Genealogy Symposium for family-history buffs on Friday, October 15, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

This virtual program will be presented online so that participants may view the programs from home; it will NOT be in person at the library.

A series of programs with up-to-date topics of interest to family-history researchers will be presented throughout the day. Participants may view all the sessions, or they may choose to watch individual ones. The schedule is as follows:

  • 10:00-10:50 am– “NARA Mythbusters: Your Family IS in the Archives,” presented by The Legal Genealogist blogger Judy Russell, an internationally-known certified genealogist with a law degree who provides insight into areas where law and family history intersect. Russell will dispel many misconceptions about the information that is available to genealogists through the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Learn about the family-history treasures that can be discovered among these records. This presentation is sponsored by the Friends of Corpus Christi Public Libraries.
  • 11:00-11:50 am– “So, You’ve Found Your German Town of Origin – Now What?” presented by Teresa McMillin, a certified genealogist and author of the Guide to Hanover Military Records, 1514-1866, on Microfilm at the Family History Library. Tracing one’s ancestors to their place of origin in Europe can be exciting, but how does one continue their research from across the globe? McMillin will talk about how to get records from towns in Germany. Highlights include verifying the location and identifying misspelled town names, finding historical jurisdictions and records for that area, and suggesting useful aids for reading those records. This presentation is sponsored by the Waco-McLennan County Library.
  • 12:00 noon-1:10 pm– “Fingerprinting Our Families: Using Ancestral Origins as a Genealogical Research Key,” presented by Curt B. Witcher, Director of Special Collections and senior manager of the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library in Indiana. Identifying the ethnic group of one’s ancestors can provide significant leads in one’s family-history research. Witcher will talk about ways of building a historical context for one’s ancestor, studying population clusters, paying attention to patterns (naming, migration, settlement), understanding motives for migration, and locating resource repositories.
  • 1:25-3:40 pm– “Attacking 18th & 19th-Century Mysteries with DNA,” presented by Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D. A professional genealogist specializing in DNA evidence, Bettinger is the author of the long-running blog The Genetic Genealogist. DNA and genetic networks can be helpful tools in finding clues and solving mysteries in one’s family-history research. Learn how to harness the power of Shared Matching to pull out matches related via a mystery ancestor, how to build Research Trees to quickly identify common ancestry, and more! This presentation is sponsored by the Waco-McLennan County Library.
  • 2:45-3:40 pm– “Filling in The Family Stories,” presented by Susan Kaufman, Senior Manager of the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research at Houston Public Library. Social history helps one to better understand lives, provides background to research, adds interest to the pedigree chart, and can also lead to additional records. Kaufman will talk about sources of information that help one understand the context in which families lived, celebrated, cooked, listened to music, and other daily activities that all help provide the stories that make family histories come to life.
  • 3:50-4:50 pm– “Discover Genealogical Treasure Using Historic U.S. Maps,” presented by Hannah Kubacak, a genealogy librarian for the Genealogy Center at the Waco-McLennan County Library. Maps provide a valuable tool for understanding the world as it was when one’s ancestors lived. Explore a variety of resources for finding and using historic maps, such as fire insurance maps, county boundaries, Public Land Survey System maps, and land grants.

Spearheaded by the Genealogy Center of the Waco-McClennan County Library, the GNT is a state-wide initiative to provide educational and research opportunities for libraries and genealogists. The workshop is co-sponsored by the Central Texas Genealogical Society and the Texas State Genealogical Society.

These video presentations may be viewed on the day of the event ONLY.

The online workshop is free and open to the public. Reservations are required; links to the presentations will be sent to all who register. To register online at the library’s website (www.fortbend.lib.tx.us), click on “Classes & Events,” select “Virtual Programs,” and find the program. Participants may also register by calling the library’s Genealogy & Local History Department at 281-341-2608.

 

 

 

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