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.
Since its founding in 1630, the City of Boston has kept records pertaining to its citizens, including several unique resources. Join us to learn what records exist for Boston, tips for using them in your research, and where to find them. Special attention will be given to records from the 17th through 19th centuries.
The military records at the National Archives detail service given between 1775 and 1916. We will discuss how to locate, access, and utilize compiled service records, pension applications, and other resources that detail your veteran ancestor’s service. We will also discuss briefly more recent records available through the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis (WWI–present).
By the end of the War of 1812, nearly 35,000 American Regulars and 458,000 militia had served on land and sea. In this webinar, we will discuss the key records and resources to learn more about your veteran ancestor. We will review compiled service and pension records, muster rolls, correspondence from officers, town histories, and a new database from AmericanAncestors.org.
Lithuanians have been immigrating to America since as early as the 17th century. Yet, rapidly changing boundaries, unfamiliar languages, and late civil registration are just some of the challenges faced by family historians trying to trace their Lithuanian roots. You willl gain a better understanding of the waves of immigration to the United States, what types of records exist, and how to get started in Lithuanian family history research.
In the 19th century, hundreds of towns and counties across the United States published biographical histories—or “mug books.” These can be valuable resources for family historians—providing a great deal of genealogical data and images—however, because the sketches are unsourced and arguably biased, the information should always be taken with a grain of salt. Join us to learn how to identify, access, evaluate, and use mug books responsibly.
The US Federal Census is often the go-to resource for family historians researching ancestors from the 19th and 20th centuries. To get the most out of this resource, it’s important to understand the record’s context, specific search tips, and shortcomings. Join us for an overview of the Federal Census and gain valuable search techniques for using this important resource.
Throughout its history, the United States has offered several land incentives to encourage settlement and migration westward. In this class, we will first discuss federal bounty land warrants for military service between 1775 and 1855 and then delve more deeply into homesteading records including land entry case files, patents, and tract books.
Land, Court, and Probate records contain key information that can connect generations, confirm family groups, provide vital data, and build the stories of your ancestors. This online seminar demonstrates how to get the most out of these important resources. This three-session seminar focuses on New England resources from the 17th century to present day, but many of the strategies and methods discussed can be applied to other regions of the country.
Whether your ancestors lived in New England in the 17th century or the 21st century, this presentation will give you the basic information to begin—and advance—your research into New England records. In preparation for the release of the Sixth Edition of Genealogist’s Handbook for New England Research, this presentation will give you the basic historical context, general organization of records, go-to resources, and unique strategies that will give you a good foundation to succeed in tracing your New England ancestors. NOTE: New England includes the present-day states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
