Catalog of Lectures

The 20th century was the age of the passenger list. Unlike the previous centuries, ship manifests from this time focused on the individual passengers and provide a goldmine of information for family historians. To fully understand and analyze passenger lists, we need to understand how they were created, what information is included, and what inferences can be made. This presentation will also discuss strategies for narrowing your search when a passenger list can’t be found and piecing together an entire family’s movements to the United States. 

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, American cities seemingly sprang up overnight as new industries, new immigrant populations, and new opportunities blossomed. Finding your ancestor in a growing metropolis can be tricky. Luckily there are several resources, records, and research strategies available to assist you in your search. We will discuss some of these key sources and techniques for researching your urban ancestry.

The first Scandinavians arrived in North America nearly 1,000 years ago on Viking ships. Today, an estimated 11 million Americans have Scandinavian ancestry. This webinar will provide an introduction to essential records, repositories, and strategies for exploring your Scandinavian roots, focusing on Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. You’ll learn how to address challenges in Scandinavian research including language barriers, common names, patronymic surnames, name changes, and more. We will also discuss the historical context that transformed the region and influenced the lives of your ancestors.

Throughout American history, brave men and women have answered the call to serve our country and defend our families. Many of us can claim these courageous citizens as our ancestors. But how do we learn more about their service? Join American Ancestors for an overview of local, state, and federal sources for researching your ancestors in the Civil War, WWI, and WWII. 

Learn about the go-to records, resources, and research techniques for researching your Connecticut ancestors. This presentation will cover 17th to 20th century resources available at the state, county, and town level. 

Continued urbanization characterized much of 20th-century Pennsylvania. This lecture will look at records that emerge in the 20th century—including state-wide vital records—as well as changes in records and record keeping that persisted since the 17th century. We will also discuss the topic of “access” and a review of key research repositories.
 

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.

In this lecture, our expert will discuss the historical context of Ohio’s settlement—from early fur traders in the 18th century, to westward-bound homesteaders, African Americans travelling in the Great Migration of the 20th century, and beyond. You will learn how this history shaped the records available for your Ohio Ancestors.

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.