From tracing ancestors on the move to understanding boundary changes to just becoming acquainted with the landscape of your ancestors' lives, maps are an incredibly important resource in your family history research. In this lecture, we will explore various ways in which maps can help broaden your genealogical horizons.
Before the Revolutionary War, geography, topography and a strong indigenous people presence shaped migration patterns. This lecture covers the dominant push-pull forces and challenges for colonial migration. Using maps and other graphics, the major migration routes by region will be described: New England, mid-Atlantic and southward from Virginia. Famous paths such as the Kings Highway, the Great Valley Road, and the Fall Line Road as well as less well-known paths such as the Greenwood Path and the Forbidden Path will be covered. Using a set of examples, the process of locating clues in local histories, land records, and maps will be discussed.
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.
As in much of genealogy, you must rely on multiple records and strategies to piece together your ancestor’s life. This is especially true for tracing ancestors on the move. This class will provide some essential strategies and research tools to understand your ancestor’s movements, providing several practical examples and case studies along the way.
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.
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.
