| Recordings | Expert Bios |
Welcome! Thank you for registering for the Virtual Genealogical Skills Boot Camp.
Take your research skills to the next level! With the sheer number of online resources at your fingertips, it's easy to dive into your family history research without any formal training as a genealogist. This intensive three-day program will set you on the right path to getting the most out of your family history research and teach you how to tackle genealogical problems like a pro. Topics include: strategies for analyzing records, online research, breaking down genealogical brick walls, and more.
Live sessions will be broadcast through Zoom Video Conferencing and links to each session can be found below. Access to a personal device and internet connection is required to take full advantage of this program.
Recordings
| Thursday, April 8: THE BASICS: RECORDS, RECORDING, ANALYZING Presented by Ann Lawthers, Genealogist |
| Welcome and Introductions |
| Genealogy 101 |
| Record Analysis, Part 1 |
| Record Analysis, Part 2 |
| Friday, April 9: BREAKING DOWN GENEALOGICAL BRICK WALLS Presented by Lindsay Fulton, Vice President of Research and Library Services |
| Taking Action: How to Create a Research Plan |
| Family Ties: Using Extended Family to Circumnavigate a Brick Wall |
| Broadening your Scope: Employing Ancestral Associates in your Research |
| Knowing the Neighbors: How Neighbors Can Help Solve Genealogical Mysteries |
| Making Your Case and Drawing Conclusions |
| Saturday, April 10: GETTING THE MOST OUT OF ONLINE RESEARCH |
| General Best Practices for Online Research & Using Google for Genealogy, with Rhonda R. McClure |
| Searching Databases on AmericanAncestors.org, with Don LeClair |
| Using Ancestry.com, Rhonda R. McClure |
| Getting the Most from FamilySearch.org, Rhonda R McClure |
Expert Bios
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Lindsay Fulton, Vice President for Research and Library Services, joined the Society in 2012, first a member of the Research Services team, and then a Genealogist in the Library. She has been the Director of Research Services since 2016. 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 has appeared as a guest on the Extreme Genes radio program. 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. Lindsay’s areas of expertise include New England and New York research, with a focus on lineage society applications. Some of which include: General Society of Mayflower Descendants, General Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, General Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, General Society of Colonial Wars, Descendants of Sheriffs & Constables of Colonial & Antebellum America, Society of the Cincinnati, Order of the Descendants of the Justiciars, The National Society of the Magna Carta Dames and Barons, and the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America. |
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Ann Lawthers, Genealogist, assists visitors to the American Ancestors Research Center, both in the building and online, with their family history research. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and the Harvard School of Public Health, with Masters and Doctoral degrees in Health Policy. With a long-term interest in history and family research, Ann lectures frequently on behalf of American Ancestors. Areas of particular interest include New England and New York, the Mid-Atlantic states, the southern colonies, Ireland, and migration patterns. |
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Don LeClair, Associate Director, Database Search and Systems, joined American Ancestors Web team in 2016 to help manage the applications and processes that support American Ancestors’s online database collections. He first got involved with genealogy while in college and spent many a day in the American Ancestors library tracing his ancestors through New England and New York. Don also did volunteer indexing work for the library before joining the staff. Don has 30 years of experience in the software industry working in and leading engineering and product management teams focused on IT Management products. Don has a B.A. and MBA from Boston University. |
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Rhonda R. McClure, Senior Genealogist, is a nationally recognized professional genealogist and lecturer specializing in New England and celebrity research as well as computerized genealogy; is compiler of more than 120 celebrity family trees; has been a contributing editor for Heritage Quest Magazine, Biography magazine and was a contributor to The History Channel Magazine and American History Magazine. In addition to numerous articles, she is the author of ten books, including the award-winning The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Genealogy, now in its second edition, Finding Your Famous and Infamous Ancestors, and Digitizing Your Family History. Areas of expertise: Immigration and naturalization, Late 19th and early 20th Century urban research, Missionaries (primarily in association with the American Board of Commissioners of Foreign Missions), State Department Federal Records, New England, Mid-West, Southern, German, Italian, Scottish, Irish, French Canadian, and New Brunswick research as well as Internet research, genealogical software (FTM, RootsMagic, TMG, Reunion), digital peripherals, and uses both Mac and Windows machines. |
HANDOUTS
Day 1
Genealogy 101
Handout
Slides (Large)
Slides (Worksheet)
Record Analysis
Handout
Slides (Large)
Slides (Worksheet)
Proof Standard Handout
Genealogy Research Map
Analyzing Information and Evidence
Handout
Slides (Large)
Slides (Worksheet)
Evidence Explained Quick Lessons
Lesson 10
Lesson 17
Lesson 26
Day 2
Taking Action: How to Create a Research Plan
Handout
Slides (Large)
Slides (Worksheet)
Family Ties: Using Extended Family to Circumnavigate a Brick Wall
Handout
Slides (Large)
Slides (Worksheet)
Broadening your Scope: Employing Ancestral Associates in your Research
Handout
Slides (Large)
Slides (Worksheet)
Knowing the Neighbors: How Neighbors Can Help Solve Genealogical Mysteries
Handout
Slides (Large)
Slides (Worksheet)
Making Your Case and Drawing Conclusions
Handout
Slides (Large)
Slides (Worksheet)
Activity Materials
Activity 1
Activity 2
Activity 3
Activity 4
Activity 5
Fitch Research Summary
Template Research Log
Day 3
General Best Practices for Online Research & Using Google for Genealogy
Handout
Slides (Large)
Slides (Worksheet)
Searching Databases on AmericanAncestors.org
Handout
Slides (Large)
Slides (Worksheet)
Using Ancestry.com
Handout
Slides (Large)
Slides (Worksheet)
Getting the Most from FamilySearch.org
Handout
Slides (Large)
Slides (Worksheet)