Catalog of Lectures

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.

The choice of a genealogical software program may be one of the more personal decisions in genealogy. This lecture reviews the essential features of a smorgasbord of programs currently available to the family historian.  Programs differ in how they handle names, dates, places, sources and merging duplicates. The talk highlights key features of each with a focus on data entry, importing data, ability to tailor citations, reporting capabilities, chart generation, and reliability checks. By the end of the program, the attendee should have a good sense of which program might suit their needs and research habits. 

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.