Catalog of Lectures

For anyone with 17th-century New England colonists in their family tree, the Great Migration study project is a go-to resource. Created and researched by Robert Charles Anderson, FASG, the series provides authoritative genealogical and biographical sketches for more than 20,000 individuals who immigrated to New England between 1620 and 1635, and detailed references for many more who immigrated between 1635 to 1640. Many of these sketches are available as searchable databases on AmericanAncestors.org. Join us to learn more about these important resources and how best to search the databases.

When most family historians think about the census, we think of the population schedule—the enumeration of individuals living within a household. But there is so much more to the Federal Census that many researchers overlook! We will discuss how mortality, agriculture, manufacturing, business, and other social statistics schedules can be used in your genealogical research. We’ll review what data was collected for what years, how to access these non-population schedules, and how to leverage this information in your own family history.

Financial records can help fill in the timeline of your ancestor’s movements and explain motivations behind migrations. Deeds, pension, town, probate, tax, and employment records may exist when vital records do not. This class will demonstrate why financial records should be your go-to for tracing ancestors on the move, discuss what information is included in each, and where to find them. 

Throughout history, there are individuals who find it difficult to live within the rules of a society, often turning to criminal, illegal activities. While some criminals can skirt the law, more often they are caught, leaving a paper trail documenting their activities, whereabouts, and other valuable information that can be used in tracing family history. We will provide an overview of key resources that can be used to research the criminals in your own family tree, including newspapers, jail registers, prison records, court records, and more.

City and rural directories can be incredibly useful resources for genealogists. They can help you pinpoint a time and place for ancestors on the move, offer occupational information, and even help give clues to death and marriage dates. You will learn how these resources were created, what information is generally provided, where to locate these sources online or in print, and how to use these records effectively in your family history research.

German immigrants first arrived to American shores in large numbers in the late 17th century, and today nearly 45 million Americans have German heritage. Published resources are an essential tool for researching your German-American ancestors. There are treasure troves of published resources including general guides, dictionaries (both for words and surnames), books on paleography, and published records including immigration, census, and military records. Join our expert as they share go-to published resources for German family history research in America.

More than 400 years ago, the Mayflower landed on the shores of Massachusetts with 102 passengers aboard. Today, there are an estimated 35 million Mayflower descendants worldwide. In this lecture, our expert will discuss the foundations of researching your Mayflower ancestors, including key resources, verifying and documenting your line, applying to the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, and more.

If your ancestor had the right to vote, you can find a wealth of information in their voting records. These records can help you to verify the exact years your ancestor lived in a certain location, locate your ancestor on a state census, identify when your ancestor was naturalized, and more. Join our expert as they discuss where to find voting records, the information they contain, and how to use them to advance your family history research.

From the mid-19th through the early 20th century waves of European immigrants arrived on American shores seeking new opportunities. Unfortunately, this period also ushered in antisemitic and prejudiced attitudes toward these immigrants, which culminated in the passing of the Immigration Act of 1924. The act introduced an immigrant quota system and other policies that would cause immigration to plummet in the following years. In this lecture, our expert will discuss the historical context of the Immigration Act of 1924, how the act shaped immigration records, and how the “closing of the golden doors” impacted the lives of your ancestors.

As genealogists, we may be the only people around who can find an upside to the old adage, “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Afterall, if no one can escape taxes, then that makes tax records an ideal record set for family history research! In this lecture, our expert will provide an overview U.S. tax records—including the types of tax records available, where to locate records, and how the information in these records can advance your research.