Track: General Ethnic

Tracks at the TxSGS 2019 Family History Conference are designed to help you concentrate on a specific area of research or skill development. Use this information as you plan your schedule.

All lectures included in your registration if you sign up for the full conference. If your register for a single day, all lectures on that are included. Workshops are optional and have limited seating. You must register in advance. Lunches with speakers are also optional and must be purchased in advance. These may be selected during registration or added before September 30.

Ethnic – Jewish, Native American, German, and Russian

America is a melting pot, and many of us we have multiple ethnic ingredients in our ancestry. Learn more about researching your Jewish, Native American German, and Eastern European ancestor through records, research, and DNA. See all tracks and learn more about speakers on our website. Register online now!

Saturday, 10:30 am to 11:30 am – Jewish Genealogy for Non-Jews: History, Migration, and DNA, Schelly Talalay Dardashti
Many people who do not identify as Jewish are discovering the surprise of Middle Eastern and Jewish roots. Learn about history, migration patterns, and DNA. (Beginner, Intermediate)

Saturday, 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm – Way Up Yonder In The Indian Nations: Oklahoma Five Tribes Research, Nancy Calhoun
Learn the basics of researching Oklahoma’s Cherokee, Muscogee Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole tribes. The introduction will demonstrate how to explore the Dawes Roll and the resulting documents including census cards, packets, applications for allotment, and allotment maps, followed by a look at many other resources for researching members of these tribes. Most examples will be from Cherokee records. (All levels)

Sunday, 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm – German-Texan Research at the GLO, Kevin Klaus
An overview of the history of the Adelsverein provides background for German-Texan research from the 1840s. Learn techniques for tracing your ancestor using GLO land grant files as well as techniques for researching German records overseas. A case study of the early German immigrant Adolf Fuchs will illustrate methods for discovering your ancestors in Germany. This presentation will cover new material found this year after visiting archives in Wiesbaden, Mönchengladbach, and Dusseldorf, Germany. (All levels)

Sunday, 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm – From Minsk to Manhattan: Using Maps to Retrace an Ancestor’s Journey, David Passman
When an immigrant ancestor leaves no letters or journals, retracing their transmigrant experience proves problematic. Through steamship and railway records, wide-ranging sources reveal a complex integrated transportation system. Passenger lists, published memoirs, newspaper accounts, meteorological data, naturalization indexes, and UK census records, used in conjunction with period maps, reveal aspects of David’s journey, retracing his travels during the Age of Steam. (Beginner)

For a look at DNA testing and Native American ancestry, see:

Friday, 10:30 am to 11:30 am – But I Really Am Cherokee! DNA Testing and Native American Ancestry, Janine Cloud

Many people take a DNA test to see if family stories of Native American ancestry are true. Proving descent from indigenous Americans using DNA testing is difficult; disproving it is almost impossible. Learn how different types of DNA tests depict Native American ancestry. (Beginner) Lecture sponsored by FamilyTreeDNA.