Thank you for registering for the online course, Tracing Ancestors on the Move in America!
Our ancestors moved near and far seeking economic opportunities, religious freedoms, and closeness to family. These mobile ancestors, however, are notoriously difficult to research. We might have an ancestor in our sights and then—poof!—they’re gone; or we may have an ancestor for whom we have no idea of where they came from. This four-session online seminar will give you the context and motivations behind migrations across America from the 17th to 20th centuries, offer strategies for discovering ancestral origins and future movements, discuss go-to records, and provide tools to help track your family on the move.
This course includes four 90-minute classes and exclusive access to handouts and recordings of each presentation. These recordings and all course materials will be available for the foreseeable future.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Class 1: Colonial Migrations and Records
Presented by Lindsay Fulton
Colonial migration is complex. This first class will discuss the legal process for settlement in the American colonies and the records generated, patterns of settlement and migrations along the eastern seaboard, and the motivations behind these movements.
Class 2: Westward Migration, 1783-1900
Presented by Hallie Borstel
The 19th and 20th centuries in America are a period of mass migration across the country. This class will discuss the push-pull factors that defined this era, the opening of the West, how advances in transportation aided our ancestor’s migration, and how federal policies encouraged the expansion of settlement.
Class 3: Follow the Money: Go-To Records for Tracing Ancestors on the Move
Presented by Melanie McComb
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. In this class, Melanie McComb 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.
Class 4: Strategies for Tracking Ancestors on the Move
Presented by Ann G. Lawthers
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 final 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.
COURSE HANDOUTS
RECORDED PRESENTATIONS
Class 1: Colonial Migrations and Records
Live Broadcast: August 3, 2022
Presented by: Lindsay Fulton
Running Time: 1:44:27
Class 2: Westward Migration, 1783-1900
Live Broadcast: August 10, 2022
Presented by: Hallie Borstel
Running Time: 1:27:44
Class 3: Follow the Money: Go-To Records for Tracing Ancestors on the Move
Live Broadcast: August 17, 2022
Presented by: Melanie McComb
Running Time: 1:20:30
Class 4: Strategies for Tracking Ancestors on the Move
Live Broadcast: August 24, 2022
Presented by: Ann G. Lawthers
Running Time: 1:29:41
INSTRUCTOR BIOS
Hallie Borstel, Genealogist has a B.A. in History with minors in Art History and German Language and an M.A. in Historic Preservation. She joined American Ancestors in 2019 after several years of working in architectural restoration and preservation in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her previous work experience includes the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society, the West Virginia Railroad Museum, and Bender Library at American University. While at the NYG&B, she was part of the research team who compiled the popular New York Family History Research Guide and Gazetteer. She is also a long-time volunteer for Unclaimed-Persons.org, assisting coroners in locating next-of-kin of deceased individuals. Her areas of expertise include, 19th-century America, Germany, New York, New York City, Norway, Italy, westward migration, immigration history, and descendancy research.
Lindsay Fulton, Vice President For Research And Library Services is a nationally recognized professional genealogist and lecturer who joined American Ancestors in 2012, first as a Researcher and then as a Genealogist; now she leads the Research and Library Services team as Vice President. In addition to helping constituents with their research, Lindsay has also authored a Portable Genealogists on the topics of Applying to Lineage Societies, the United States Federal Census, 1790-1840 and the United States Federal Census, 1850-1940. She is a frequent contributor to the American Ancestors blog, Vita-Brevis, and was featured in the Emmy-Winning Program: Finding your Roots: The Seedlings, a web series inspired by the popular PBS series Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Before, American Ancestors, Lindsay worked at the National Archives and Records Administration in Waltham, Massachusetts, where she designed and implemented an original curriculum program exploring the Chinese Exclusion Era for elementary school students. She holds a B.A. from Merrimack College and M.A. from the University of Massachusetts-Boston. Her areas of expertise include, State and Federal Censuses, New England, Ireland, and New York research, with a focus on lineage society applications.
Ann G. Lawthers, Genealogist helps members and not-yet members with their family history research by providing lectures, courses, and hands-on workshops at the American Ancestors Research Center, at genealogical conferences across the country, and online. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and the Harvard School of Public Health, with Masters and Doctoral degrees in Health Policy. Her areas of particular interest include New England and New York, the Mid-Atlantic states, the southern colonies, Ireland, and migration patterns.
Melanie McComb, Genealogist assists library visitors, both on-site and online, with their family history research. She also provides lectures on a variety of genealogical topics. Melanie holds a bachelor of science degree from the State University of New York at Oswego. Her areas of research interest include Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Kansas, Prince Edward Island, Québec, and Ireland, and she is experienced in DNA, genealogical technology and social media, Jewish genealogy, and military records.