Bonus Sessions Offered at 2021 TxSGS Conference

12 Bonus sessions added to every package!

Check out the bonus sessions added to the 2021 TxSGS Family History Conference lineup! All registrants automatically get access to these sessions in addition to TxSGS Live! and a selection of On-Demand sessions.

 

Sponsored by the Clayton Library Friends

• “Unusual Sources” by Susan Kaufman – Beyond the usual suspect source records we use all the time, there is a whole world of unusual documents or pieces of information that tell the stories of our ancestors.  This presentation offers a few quick looks at some of those tidbits that place a person in a geographic location in a specific time period –  the quest of our research; but through sources not traditionally thought of.

Sponsored by the West Waco Library and Genealogy Center

• “Creating Custom Genealogy Maps For Free With Google” by Hanna Kubacak  – Learn how to use features of Google Earth Pro and Google Maps to create maps of your ancestors’ world. Features demonstrated will include overlaying historic maps with modern maps, finding family land, and plotting migration routes. Being able to see your ancestor’s land can provide a greater understanding of their life, and maybe even help solve a family mystery.

Sponsored by the Texas General Land Office

• “Special Collections at the GLO” by Kevin Klaus -The Texas General Land Office is home to millions of documents dealing with the transfer of land to private ownership. Among these are the GLO Special Collections, which include clerk returns, Confederate scrip vouchers, Court of Claims reports, and more. Learn the value of these records and how to access them on the GLO website.

Sponsored by MyHeritage

• “Discovering Your Family’s Story Through the U.S. Census” by Daniel Horowitz – The U.S. Census is one of the most important resources you can use to track your family across time in the United States. Starting with the 1940s and going back a step at a time, you can trace your family back to the time they immigrated and gain an inside look at how your family grew, struggled, and survived. Discover why your relatives may not appear where you expect to find them in the U.S. Census, and learn techniques and best practices to help you track them down.
• “Where There’s a Will There’s a Way … to Research your Family” by Daniel Horowitz – Asked to review a will of a distant relative to look for clues and find the person’s living relatives, Daniel found new details emerging as he examined each page. In this lecture, Daniel will showcase the tools and strategies he used to identify and locate descendants.
• “The MyHeritage Photo World” by Daniel Horowitz – Learn to colorize black and white photos and restore faded colors with MyHeritage In Color™; to bring blurry faces into sharp focus with the Photo Enhancer; to record the stories behind your family photos with the Photo Storyteller™, and much more. Daniel will show you how with MyHeritage, you can breathe new life into old photos and revive your family’s favorite memories.
• “Tears of Joy: Families Reunited Through Genetic Genealogy and MyHeritageDNA” by Daniel Horowitz – For some people, DNA testing offers the hope of reuniting with long-lost family members, and for others, general curiosity about their ethnicity sometimes leads to incredible discoveries. We’ll share some of the most moving family reunions facilitated by MyHeritage and tell you about the research that helps make such reunions possible.

Sponsored by FamilyTreeDNA

• “DNA Terminology for the Non-Scientist” by Janine Cloud – As if learning how to use DNA testing for genealogy isn’t complicated enough, the terminology often seems geared to those with degrees in genetics. This talk reviews common terms used when discussing DNA and DNA testing in as simple of terms as possible, along with the context in which they would be found.
• “Using DNA to Research Native American Ancestry” by Janine Cloud – How many of your family lines have the myth of the Native American ancestor? Probably at least one, but proving that heritage is often difficult. DNA testing can provide insight into potential Native ancestors, so this talk examines how each type of DNA test can point to Native ancestors – or not.

Other Bonus Sessions:

• “Paper in the Cloud: Preserving Records Digitally” by Tony Hanson – Genealogists soon find themselves overwhelmed by paper: records, letters, diaries, photographs, maps, and more. Learn a digitization strategy that will preserve for future generations these precious documents you’ve worked so hard to collect. Explore this digitization strategy through two case studies: a personal collection and a larger multi-year project implemented by a genealogical society.
• “Solving Photo Mysteries” by Betsy Mills – Several years ago, Betsy received several unidentified old photos from her mother-in-law’s scrap book and then a large envelope full of unidentified photographs of her father’s family. The quest to identify those photographs has evolved into sharing tips and techniques to help others learn to solve the mysteries and then new ways to share their own photos.
• “TXGenWeb to WorldGenWeb Project: Free Genealogy and Historical Records at your Fingertips!” by Paula Perkins – This worldwide project is a widely unknown resource for genealogical and historical records. With the current focus on free and fee-based genealogy megasites, many genealogists overlook the WorldGenWeb project including the USGenWeb and the TXGenWeb, a volunteer-based resource with a wealth of records. For over 25 years, the WorldGenWeb and its sister project USGenWeb have hosted a vast website of records that have been extracted and transcribed by volunteers. All the records found at these sites are available to search and view at no charge and contributions always welcome.