Thank you for registering for On Demand: Piecing Together the Story: Analyzing Records and Drawing Conclusions!
When conducting family history research, it can be easy to make the misstep of treating a record like an answer key for the blank spots on your family tree—simply filling in the blanks and moving on to the next record. However, there are important stories, clues, and historical context that will be missed if you use records this way. In this five-week online seminar, you’ll learn how to slow down and scrutinize each record you find. Our genealogists will provide resources, strategies, and in-depth examples to demonstrate the rich stories and information that can uncovered when analyzing records.
This course includes five 90-minute classes and exclusive access to handouts. These recordings and all course materials will be available for the foreseeable future.
Original Broadcast: September 4, 11, 18, 25, and October 2, 6:00-7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
CLASS TOPICS
September 4 - Class 1: Analyzing, Evaluating, and Leveraging a Record, presented by Rhonda R. McClure
In this first class of the seminar, Rhonda will lay the foundation of record analysis. You’ll learn how to identify the information found in a record, understand its context, how it fits into your family history research, and what clues it can provide for the next steps in your research.
September 11 – Class 2: When a Record Gives Minimal Information, presented by Melanie McComb
Every family historian has experienced the feeling of finding a sought-after record, only to find that it includes scant information. You may have found a ship manifest listing your ancestors’ name…only to find that it lists no other identifying information for the passengers. In this class, Melanie will walk you through strategies for analyzing these types of records and finding supporting evidence.
September 18 – Class 3: Filling in the Gaps Between Records, presented by David Allen Lambert
Records like the census, city directories, tax records, and more can provide precious information about our ancestors. However, you may find that your ancestors’ circumstances changed quite a bit in the “gaps” between the records. Between one census and the next your ancestor may have moved to a different state, married, had children, and been widowed. In this class, David will discuss how to identify the missing information between record sets, and how to find clues and supporting evidence to fill in these gaps.
September 25 – Class 4: Understanding the Historical Context of a Record, presented by Rhonda R. McClure
Our ancestors’ lives were shaped by the times they lived in, and it is impossible to fully understand a record without familiarizing yourself with the historical context it was created in. For example, growing anti-immigrant sentiment in the late 19th and early 20th centuries influenced the amount of information that was gathered on passenger lists, the census, and other records. In this class, Rhonda will discuss how knowing the historical context of a record set can help you deepen your understanding of your ancestor’s story. She will also discuss its importance in understanding record availability, the amount of information recorded sets, and more.
October 2 – Class 5: Forgotten and Underrepresented Voices in Records, presented by Melanie McComb
Many records that are useful to family historians pertain to particular groups of individuals—those who owned land, those who could vote, those who left wills, and more. While this has created an abundance of records for some individuals, if you are researching ancestors who were marginalized, you will find that there are fewer records documenting their lives as they may not have had the ability to vote, own land, or to transfer money. In this lecture, Melanie will discuss how to uncover the stories of people often left out of traditional record sets such as women, enslaved people, the impoverished, Native Americans, and other forgotten and underrepresented voices in history.
COURSE HANDOUTS
Class 1 Handout
Class 1 Slides (Large)
Class 1 Slides (Worksheet)
Class 2 Handout
Class 2 Slides (Large)
Class 2 Slides (Worksheet)
FAN Club Spreadsheet
Class 3 Handout
Class 3 Slides (Large)
Class 3 Slides (Worksheet)
Class 4 Handout
Class 4 Slides (Large)
Class 4 Slides (Worksheet)
Class 5 Handout
Class 5 Slides (Large)
Class 5 Slides (Worksheet)
RECORDED PRESENTATIONS
Class 1: Analyzing, Evaluating, and Leveraging a Record
Original broadcast: September 5, 2025
Presented by Rhonda R. McClure
Running time: 1:33:01
Class 2: When a Record Gives Minimal Information
Original broadcast: September 11, 2025
Presented by Melanie McComb
Running time: 1:27:12
Class 3: Filling in the Gaps Between Records
Original broadcast: September 19, 2025
Presented by David Allen Lambert
Running time: 1:39:41
Class 4: Understanding the Historical Context of a Record
Original broadcast: September 26, 2025
Presented by Rhonda R. McClure
Running time: 1:55:38
Class 4 Video Demonstration (Also included in full class video above)
Class 5: Forgotten and Underrepresented Voices in Records
Original broadcast: October 2, 2025
Presented by Melanie McComb
Running time: 1:36:38
INSTRUCTOR BIO
David Allen Lambert Chief Genealogist, has been on the staff of American Ancestors since 1993. David is an internationally recognized speaker on the topics of genealogy and history. Lambert has published many articles in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, the New Hampshire Genealogical Record, Rhode Island Roots, Mayflower Descendant, and American Ancestors magazine. He has authored and or co-authored in the published genealogies presented to David McCullough, Ken Burns, Angela Lansbury, Michael and Kitty Dukakis, Nathaniel Philbrick, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. He has also published eleven books including A Guide to Massachusetts Cemeteries (American Ancestors, 2018), and Vital Records of Stoughton, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1850 (Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2008). David received his B.A. in History from Northeastern University. David is an elected Fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston, Mass., and a life member of the New Hampshire Society of the Cincinnati and the General Society of the War of 1812. David also serves as the tribal genealogist for the Massachusett Tribe at Punkapoag in Massachusetts. His areas of expertise include New England and Atlantic Canadian records of the 17th through 21st century; American and international military records; DNA research; and Native American and African American genealogical research in New England.
Rhonda R. McClure, Senior Genealogist is a nationally recognized professional genealogist and lecturer specializing in New England and celebrity research as well as computerized genealogy; is compiler of more than 120 celebrity family trees; has been a contributing editor for Heritage Quest Magazine, Biography magazine and was a contributor to The History Channel Magazine and American History Magazine. In addition to numerous articles, she is the author of ten books, including the award-winning The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Genealogy, now in its second edition, Finding Your Famous and Infamous Ancestors, and Digitizing Your Family History. Her areas of expertise include: Immigration and naturalization, Late 19th and early 20th Century urban research, Missionaries (primarily in association with the American Board of Commissioners of Foreign Missions), State Department Federal Records, New England, Mid-West, Southern, German, Italian, Scottish, Irish, French Canadian, and New Brunswick research as well as Internet research, genealogical software (FTM, RootsMagic, TMG, Reunion), digital peripherals, and uses both Mac and Windows machines.
Melanie McComb, Senior Genealogist, assists library visitors, both on-site and online, with their family history research. She is an international lecturer who teaches on a variety of topics. Melanie holds a B.S. degree from the State University of New York at Oswego. She previously served as the social media coordinator for the NextGen Genealogy Network, a non-profit that creates a community for younger genealogists, where she managed the Facebook and Twitter accounts. She continues her interest in helping younger genealogists get involved at American Ancestors by assisting with educational programs from local schools, scout groups, and universities. Her areas of expertise include Irish genealogy, DNA, Atlantic Canada, Jewish genealogy, and military records.
SUGGESTED RESOURCES
Book: Elements of Genealogical Analysis
Research Guide: Getting Organized