Several free genealogy webinars available this week

Several webinars will be offered this week covering Jewish genealogy, DNA research and church records.

JewishGen Talks will present “Genetic Origins of the Jewish People” on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 2 p.m. The presenter is Project Administrator of the the Avotaynu DNA study. the Avotaynu DNA study has over 8,000 participants representing all known Jewish communities from China to Curacao. Adam will answer any and all DNA questions and explain how the Avotaynu study can help you understand the origins of your own family.

To register, go to:  https://tixoom.app/jewishgen/78yhejoq

The New York Public Library will present “Getting Started with Jewish Genealogy Research” on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 1 p.m. Join librarians from the Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History, and Genealogy, and the Dorot Jewish Division for a brand new online class that shows you how to begin Jewish genealogy research using collections available from The New York Public Library and elswhere.

To register, go to: https://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2020/12/02/getting-started-jewish-genealogy-nypl

Legacy Family Tree Webinars will present “Four Ways DNA Painter Can Help with Your Family Research” on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 2 p.m. DNA Painter is a website that aims to help demystify your DNA matches via chromosome mapping, tree visualizations and other useful analysis tools. This webinar will present four ways the site can be used, with examples that will be informative to beginners and experienced users alike.

To register, go to: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8149725724049657858

The Minnesota Genealogical Society will present “Cautions and Unexpected Revelations Using DNA to Grow Your Family Tree” on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 8 p.m.  Learn about the cautions while using DNA to build your family tree including privacy, trustworthiness, making contact with others, the ever-changing field, as well as unexpected revelations including half siblings, adoption, community connections, etc. Knowing the pitfalls and where to step when building your tree with DNA results will help you to stay on track and give you confidence that you are tracing the correct family lines.

To register, go to: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/71405990286096144

The Allen County Public Library will present “Which DNA Kit Should I Use?” on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 6:30 p.m. Are you planning to buy DNA kits for yourself or others during this holiday season? How can you decide among all the different options? Join us for this informative program where we will discuss the 3 different types of DNA testing for genealogy, and the 5 major companies that offer tests for the consumer. Pros and cons will be presented to help you make your decision. Register in advance for this program.

To register, go to: https://acpl.libnet.info/event/4710550

The Southern California Genealogical Society will present “Faith of our Fathers: Church Records – Part 2” on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 1 p.m. Our country is one of religious diversity. Except for the very early days in the colonies, there has never been a “state religion”. A number of different religions and their beginnings will be discussed.

To register, go to: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2879184857146848268

Four free webinars offered on ‘Giving Tuesday’

The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society will present four free webinars on Tuesday, Dec. 1 as part of Giving Tuesday.

The sessions will stream live on the NYG & B website and on its Facebook page from 4-8 p.m. No registration is necessary.

The sessions are:

*Release Your Inner Sherlock! Exploring Genealogy for the First Time

*”Deemed a Runaway” – Black Laws of the North

*What’s New in DNA Update

*Strengthen Your Analysis – Transcribing and Abstracting

For more information, go to: https://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/blog/free-education-you-nygbs-day-giving-back

Many free genealogy webinars scheduled for this week

The Wisconsin Genealogical Society will present “How Research Plans Prevent Distractions” on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 8 p.m. Eastern time. This webinar discusses barriers in genealogical research and how sticking with a research plan can help avoid barriers for correct documentation of family history preservation. Topics to be covered are the Genealogical Proof Standard, distractions, research plans and rewards.

To register, go to: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7252589107021579531

Legacy Family Tree Webinars will present “Surname Projects and DNA Projects” on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. Why create a surname project or name study? Whether it’s to help you solve a family mystery or just to answer the questions of how, we will look at how surname projects and DNA projects can be worked to answer most of your genealogy questions. From discovering NPE’s (non-parental events) to discovering your surname is a derivative of another surname, we will work a surname and show you how Surname studies and DNA can break down your brick walls.

To register, go to: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5662961374753576195

JewishGen Talks will present “The History of the Geography of New York City” on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. New York City has undergone numerous changes in its geographical boundaries over the years. An understanding of these boundaries is important in order to know what archive to search in when looking for vital records. This webinar shows the changes to New York City’s geography, and describes the difference between New York City and the City of New York. The origin of the counties and their changing boundaries, along with the early geographies of Brooklyn and Queens are presented. And finally the consolidation of 1898 that created the City of New York and defined the five boroughs is discussed.

To register, go to: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3IZVjxWcQougrNIFSzQbDQ

The Southern California Genealogical Society will present “From Chernorudka to Chicago –Learnings From One Family’s Immigration Path” on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 9 p.m. Eastern time. The presenter will discuss the various methods used to trace the migration paths of his grandfather and his 3 siblings involving home sources, oral history interviews, passenger lists, naturalization documents, Russian-language directories, microfilm and other sources. Learn how you can apply this process to identify your ancestor’s town of origin and the likely route between it and the departure port and more.

To register, go to: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4702409325388642562

The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society will present “Finding Women’s Voices Through the Centuries” on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. Women from the 17th through the 20th centuries are challenging to uncover, but we may hear their voices in the documents that recorded their lives. With many examples from the speaker’s own New England, New York and Wisconsin family history, learn where to look for womenfolk in letters, diaries and journals, newspapers and various court records.

To register, go to: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8333671823617593871

The DuPage County (IL) Genealogical Society will present “Scots Immigration to the U.S.” on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. Some books claim that Scots created the Western World as we know it. Certainly, Scotland plays a huge role in American life today, from Maxwell House Coffee to Campbell’s Soup. In this webinar learn the origins and motives of the immigrants, and how they impacted the United States as we know it today.

To register, go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qN6weWoqTSK_G5_fZpijYw

The Florida State Genealogical Society will present “Traveling the U.S. Marine Highway” on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. All states have navigable waterways. Across the United States, there are 250,000 rivers and canals that create the inland waterway system. For our ancestors, marine travel was an integral part of their lives. While many researchers have river ancestors, they have no idea where to start to look for records. Discover the various avenue of research for our ancestors who lived by or used the waterways for their livelihood and transportation.

To register, go to: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5290725012900946188

The Utah Genealogical Association will present “Beyond Names and Dates: Filling in the Stories of Our Female Ancestors” on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 9 p.m. Eastern time. Notoriously difficult to trace, our female ancestors often generated few records, but using history, law, overlooked documents, and even fashion, we can tell their stories.

To register, go to: https://ugagenealogy.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_deUuycXdTBWYk7yRk2QaPg

The Connecticut Society of Genealogists will present “Introduction to Polish and European Family History” on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 1:30 p.m. This webinar will expose researchers to basic research techniques needed to assemble a Polish-American family history. American records such as ship lists, vital records, cemetery inscriptions, and census records will be featured. The historical geography of Poland and map and gazetteer sources will be presented. European records will be discussed as well as their location and methods to access them. Information on websites and digitized records will also be discussed.

To register, go to: https://ctfamilyhistory.com/event/introduction-to-polish-and-european-family-history/

The Genealogical Forum of Oregon will present “Genealogical Timelines and Research Checklists” on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 5 p.m. Eastern time. Create a timeline with what you know, identify gaps, consult a genealogical research checklist for sources to fill those gaps, and record your queries on a correspondence research log. Discover the magic of methodology that may break down those brick walls. Samples of all forms will be provided.

To register, go to: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEocOqgrToqHdaX0LJRlmsurZZUb8L0nw59

The Midwest Genealogy Center will present “East European Genealogy Research” on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 3 p .m. Eastern time. In this webinar, you will learn which countries are considered to be part of Eastern Europe and when they were established. You will explore the history of the region, discover the history of the Slavic people, their settlements, and their three ethnic groups. You will learn when and why people emigrated from these countries. The webinar will also cover how to start and focus your research, explore the records available, and which U.S. websites may be helpful in your quest.

To register, go to: https://www.mymcpl.org/events/68658/east-european-genealogy-research-zoom

 

Free webinars cover topics of merchant marines and Georgia archives

Several free genealogy webinars will be offer this week covering the topics of Merchant Marines, Georgia Archives and research strategies.

Legacy Family Tree Webinars will present “Deeds Not Words: Finding Your Merchant Marine Ancestors” on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. The Merchant Marines have always played a pivotal and important role in American history. Without their efforts and sacrifice the wars of the 20th century could have turned out very differently. A series of acts passed by Congress in 1916, 1920, and 1936 would officially organize the Merchant Marines into a well-trained and disciplined organization set about to answer the call to action during World War II. Many genealogically valuable records can be searched to find your merchant mariner ancestors.

To register, go to: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/781870818265554947

The Georgia Genealogical Society will present “Georgia Virtual Vault” on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 8 p.m. The Georgia Archives’ online records repository, the Virtual Vault, has some new features for displaying records. Learn about these new display features, recently added records, how to navigate the Virtual Vault, and search strategies, including using the Advanced Search feature.

To register, go to:  https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1715538715705526795

The San Diego Genealogical Society will present “Genealogy Research Strategies” on Saturday, Nov. 14 from 1-3 p.m. Eastern time.  The first part of the presentation will coverCollaboration, Coordination, Cooperation & Communication – The Four C’s to Success “ and the second part will cover “Applying Artificial Intelligence to Your Genealogy Research.”

To register, go to: https://casdgs.org/event-3582556

Family History Library offers free genealogy consultations

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City provides free online consultations to help genealogists with their research.

Consultants can help with evidence analysis, translation of key words, or to identify a good next step. Please note the following details:

  • The online research consultations are 20 minutes.
  • Please have your ancestor’s information and any digital copies of relevant documents available for reference at your consultation.
  • Please provide as much information as possible about the research problem on the bookings form.
  • There are a limited number of consultations available. Please allow as many people as possible to receive help by not booking more than one consultation in any given week.

Consultations are available for a limited number of countries. When you click the link to obtain a consultation, check to see if your country of interest is listed. After you make a booking, you will receive a confirmation email that will contain a link to an online meeting on Microsoft Teams.

To make a booking or for more information about the online consultations, go to: https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Family_History_Library_Online_Consultations#Before_You_Schedule_an_Appointment

JSTOR free online reading program is extended

JSTOR, a digital library for researchers, students and genealogists, will expand its free online reading program until the end of 2020.

You can read 100 articles for free each month without needing an institution affiliation. All you need to do is set up a free account.

There are more than 12 millions academic journals articles, books and primary sources across 75 disciplines. For genealogists, JSTOR is a source to understand local history during the time their ancestors lived.

There are many journals available from state historical societies. Try searching on keywords for places and occupations. Or browsing by topic in the History category may also unearth interesting articles.

To get started searching, go to: www.jstor.org

Genealogy Federation of Long Island March calendar now available

The Genealogy Federation of Long Island (GFLI) March calendar is now available.

You can click on the link below or go to the federation website at:  https://gfli.net 

Genealogy Federation of Long Island March Calendar

 

A Genealogist’s New Year’s Resolutions for 2020

Since it’s that time of year, here are some ideas for New Year’s resolutions for your genealogy research.

  • Join a local genealogy group.
  • Interview your oldest relative.
  • Scan photos and documents and store them in the cloud and/or on storage media devices such as an external hard drive, flash drive, etc.
  • Join an indexing project on FamilySearch.org
  • Listen to a genealogy podcast.
  • Attend the New York State Family History Conference in Albany this September.
  • Share your family history research with family members.
  • Take a DNA test.
  • Watch some of the free webinars posted on this blog.
  • Take advantage of your home library’s free databases such as Ancestry Library Edition, HeritageQuest, Historical New York Times, etc. Many databases can be accessed at home by using your library barcode.

Genealogy Federation of Long Island December calendar now available

The Genealogy Federation of Long Island December calendar is now available.

You can click on the link below or go to the federation website at:  https://gfli.net 

Genealogy Federation of Long Island December Calendar

Free access to AmericanAncestors begins on Tuesday

Free access to AmericanAncestors begins on Tuesday

The genealogy website, AmericanAncestors, will be offering free access to its databases from Tuesday, Nov. 12 through Tuesday, Nov. 19,

AmericanAncestors is the website for the New England Historic Genealogical Society based in Boston. During this free week, you will have access to over 1.4 billion names.

You will need to set up a free user name and password to use the website.

To get started, go to: https://www.americanancestors.org/free-billion