2024 TxSGS Conference Speakers and Topics

Deborah A. Abbott, PhD

• It’s a Needle in a Haystack: Slave Research – The most difficult part of genealogical research for African Americans is finding and correctly identifying slave ancestors and their owners. Researching during the slave era can present significant challenges, but as difficult as this might be, it IS possible. There is no one way to conduct slave research, but there are many strategies and resources that will guide you to success. Researching the slavery era requires time, patience, determination, and perseverance.
  Category: TxSGS Live! | Level: All Levels | Track: Ethnic – African American

• Researching Funeral Home Records: Looking for the Dead! – Funeral home records can be one of the most valuable genealogical resources for family historians trying to identify the existence of an ancestor. Funeral homes are generally private businesses; therefore, they are under no obligation to provide information to the public. Even with this obstacle, their records can often be accessed for family history/genealogy research.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: All Levels | Track: Methodology

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• Avoiding the Rabbit Hole: How to Stay Focused in Family History Research – It can be easy to get distracted while doing genealogy research. Learn some tried and true methods for staying focused and using your limited time efficiently to solve research problems and extend your pedigree.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: Beginner | Track: Methodology

• Evidence Analysis: The Gem of Genealogical Research – Every day, genealogists search for records that will solve research problems. Careful analysis of these records and the evidence therein is crucial to arriving at sound conclusions and creating proof arguments that explain what our ancestors did, why they did it, with whom they interacted, and why that is important. Learn the process of analyzing and evaluating evidence in historical documents and why evidence analysis is the gem of genealogical research.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: Intermediate | Track: Methodology

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• The Lady in the Asylum: Bringing a Hidden Ancestor into the Light – What can we learn from the shocking discovery that an ancestor was institutionalized? What records can shed light on their fate? Learn how I discovered details about the life and death of my second great-grandmother Catherine Ryan Gilbride (1855-1881) and how I sought to restore her to her rightful place in our family.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: Intermediate| Track: Methodology

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• Presidios in Colonial or Spanish Texas – New Spain’s Colonial Presidios and Military (1598-1821) were part of the government oversight of their people, communities and borders. Local men enlisted, which resulted in enlistment papers, muster rolls, presidio sacramental records, and secondary sources such as governor’s papers.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: All Levels | Track: Ethnic – Hispanic

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• Research Planning for the Win: Next Steps for Breaking Down a Brick Wall – Fruitful research begins with a plan. Learn the steps and how to harness the power of thought before action. Discover how research planning will save time and effectively focus your efforts. Learn to develop clear research objectives, analyze timelines and sources, study ancestral locations, and prioritize research strategies. Gain insights and tips to navigate challenging genealogical puzzles and make meaningful progress in your research.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: All levels | Track: Methodology

• Settlers of Indian Territory: Discovering Their Story in This Unique Place and Time – Treaties and laws resulted in the eventual removal in the 1830s of the Five Civilized Tribes from the southeast United States to present-day Oklahoma, naming it “Indian Territory.” Settlers of Indian Territory also included African Americans and white non-citizens who began entering in significant numbers in the 1880s. Learn the push/pull factors that drew settlers to Indian Territory and what records were created that reveal their actions.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: All levels | Track: Methodology

• Tracking a Migrating Ancestor Through Land and Tax Records – Migrating ancestors present challenges in discovering their actions and records. Land and tax records place an ancestor in a specific location in time and provide details to uniquely identify him from people of the same name. Learn key strategies for utilizing these important records, including where to find them and how to use them to discover more about your ancestors.
  Category: TxSGS Live! | Level: Intermediate | Track: Records

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• Using School Records to Build Your Research – School records are an often overlooked and underused resource in genealogy. These records may provide information about grades and extracurricular activities, but they can provide more! They can provide information like parent or guardian information, family addresses, and whether the individuals’ transcripts were submitted elsewhere, to a college, for example. Native American boarding school records can include documents such as letters written to and from the family, medical information, and intelligence tests.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: All levels | Track: Records

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• The Great Migration: Southern Plight & The Midwest – Discover the impact of the largest migration of Southern African Americans into the Midwest from 1910 to 1970.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: All levels | Track: Ethnic – African American

 

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• Tio Juvenal: Sources and Strategies for Researching Families on Both Sides of the Border – This 20th century Mexican and Mexican-American case study highlights and weaves together several types of records available online, as well as those that need to be accessed from physical archives, and family interviews. It also demonstrates the essential role that understanding historical and cultural context play in analyzing sources and building out a more comprehensive family history. Find out why Tío Juvenal and his family disappear from—and later reappear—in U.S. records.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: All levels | Track: Ethnic – Hispanic

• Using StoryMaps to Create Interactive Digital Family History Stories – StoryMaps by Esri, is a freemium model cloud-based platform for creating and sharing engaging, interactive, multimedia stories online. Weave images, videos, maps, and timelines into your ancestor stories. We will explore some StoryMaps created by the instructor; walk through the platform interface, then how to add and format content, and how to preview and publish your stories. We will also discuss best practices for planning your StoryMaps. No coding skills needed!
  Category: On-Demand | Level: All levels | Track: Technology

• Lesser-Known U.S. Immigration Records for Researching 20th Century Immigrant Ancestors – Did your ancestors immigrate to the U.S. in the 20th century? You have worked with border crossing records, ship manifest lists, and naturalization documents commonly found online. Now learn how to move on to three types of genealogically rich immigration record collections not available online: Alien- Files, C-Files, and Registry Files. Which, if any, of these applied to your ancestors? This presentation showcases Mexican examples but is relevant to all 20th century immigrants.
  Category: TxSGS Live! | Level: Intermediate/Advanced | Track: Records

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• Methodologies for Overcoming Brick Walls for Hispanic Research – When facing a brick wall in your family history research, there are several strategies you can employ to break through this obstacle. This presentation will discuss methods to find your Hispanic ancestors behind those brick walls, and can be used elsewhere in your research.
  Category: TxSGS Live! | Level: Beginner/Intermediate |Track: Ethnic – Hispanic

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• American Farming is Unique, but Texas Farms/Ranches Command Special Attention – Farmers have been a mainstay of America from the beginning of civilization; farming brings to the forefront many lifestyles, lexicons, and inventions that serve even non-farming communities. Even if your ancestor was not a farmer, knowing about the lives of the farming family can create recognition of their important role in the country’s history. Learn about agricultural records that might depict your family history from a new perspective.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: All levels | Track: Records

• Navigating the Mail Route: Inside and Out, Ancestral Post Can Lead to Research Clues – An ancestor’s letter can reveal wonderful, hard-to-find bits of information on the family, but the envelopes can reveal even more. Navigating a combination of the two can lead to discoveries that might otherwise have been lost to time.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: All levels | Track: Records

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• Following Migration Paths from Texas Civil Court Case Files – Often our previous paths are discovered by the stories of our earlier lives. Court records can include the stories and locations of a previous event or home. Discover multiple ways to find the cases and stories to help you find the trails that brought folks to a new home.
  Category: TxSGS Live! | Level: All Levels | Track: Records

• Farm Families Who Went to Texas: The Records and Stories – Farmers depended on their land and the weather to be successful. Most would cultivate a crop or livestock to sell and raise the majority of goods needed by the family on the farm. The planting of crops and daily work were often based on the almanac. Heavy corn shucks and restless hogs were used to forecast the weather. Learning the details of a farming operation will enhance your understanding of the family and their efforts.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: All Levels | Track: Records

• Let There Be Light: Using Church Related Periodicals for Answers – Our ancestors may have been exemplary citizens or just average folk. However, their faith and participation in church and related religious organizations should help us understand the community where they lived and how they functioned within that neighborhood. Religious periodicals are filled with information about members and others in the community.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: All Levels | Track: Records

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• Get Organized to Write Your Family Stories – Sharing our family stories with others is critical, but it can be daunting to know how to get started. Learn ways to organize your space, your time, your ideas, and your research results to make it easier to write your family stories.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: All Levels | Track: Methodology

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• A Last Name for Mary Ann – Finding Maiden Names for Women – Most married women in the U.S. appear on records with their husband’s last name. What records can we turn to in our pursuit of maiden names? Follow the case of Mary Ann Wolf to learn how to find and confirm a maiden name.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: Beginner | Track: Methodology

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• Lost in Your Genealogical Research? Would A Map Help? – Discover how maps can help determine where your ancestors lived, attended school and church, when and where their records might be found, how they migrated, and who their neighbors were. Learn about the variety of maps that are available, where they can be found, and how to incorporate them into your research. Also learn how to plot properties using metes and bounds, or township-range-section descriptions.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: Intermediate, Advanced | Track: Methodology

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• Collateral Relatives: Your Ancestor’s FFA (Friends, Family, and Associates) – Your ancestor’s Family, Friends, and Associates are especially important to your research. Our ancestors did not live a solitary life. They lived, loved, hated, sued, were sued, and died within a particular group of people. The community of kinship is especially important. Locating these people may be the only way to get to your ancestor and answer the questions concerning him. Researching neighbors and clusters of people can be particularly helpful when you understand the process.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: Intermediate | Track: Methodology

• Abstract vs. Original: Do I Need Both? – You’ve located abstracts of deeds, court minutes, or probate records for your ancestor’s county at the local library—but is that enough? This presentation explores the critical importance of accessing original records. Through practical examples, it will highlight the limitations of relying solely on abstracts and why obtaining original documents is key for accurate genealogical research. Designed for beginner and intermediate researchers, this lecture will emphasize how original records can provide deeper insights and prevent errors in your family history research.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: Beginner, Intermediate | Track: Records

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• Are You Making the Best Use of FamilySearch.org for your Research? –Beginning and many more seasoned researchers are not accessing all the digitized records available to them through FamilySearch.org. Successful use of these records can quickly reduce the amount of travel required to do successful research. This lecture is designed to show researchers how to best access records from their desk, to make the best use of the Research Wiki, and to use some of the tools now in development such as “Full Text Search.”
  Category: On-Demand | Level: All Levels | Track: Methodology

• Letters, Cards, and Paraphernalia: Finding the Story in the Chaos – Your grandmother kept those letters and cards for the memories they held. Pitching them to the curb for trash pickup may be the easiest course. However, the clues and details that the old letters, cards, and paraphernalia in that keepsake box contain may point to information and specific details not available anywhere else. Learn to be a better detective when examining old correspondence and keepsakes.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: All Levels | Track: Methodology

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• Reconstructing Pre-1850 Census Families – Tick marks in pre-1850 census entries have you confused? We will see how to reconstruct a potential family structure where only household heads are named.
  Category: TxSGS Live! | Level: Intermediate | Track: Methodology

 

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• Enhancing Genealogy with Artificial Intelligence (AI): Tips, Tools, and Techniques – Discover how AI is transforming the way genealogists research, document, preserve and share family histories. Based on Andrew’s own insights and experiences, learn more about the intersection of family history and artificial intelligence and how this technology can revolutionize the way we understand and appreciate our family heritage. This session is highly practical with live demonstrations used to showcase the various tools available, while also addressing privacy and ethical concerns with regards to AI.
  Category: TxSGS Live! | Level: All Levels | Track: Artificial Intelligence

•  Digital Ancestry: Sharing Your Family’s Legacy with Artificial Intelligence and Technology – Explore alternative ways to share your research findings with family members and the wider community other than in printed book form. Participants will be inspired to share bite-size stories from their research using modern digital tools and software—much of which is free or readily available—after seeing many practical examples. Techniques demonstrated will include how to get started with short videos, blog posts, social media posts, graphics, images, and much more.
• Category: On-Demand | Level: All Levels | Track: Technology

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• Follow Your Compass to U.K. Resources and Beyond Benefiting 17th-18th Century U.S., Caribbean Research – Though a trip across the pond would be fun and rewarding, we can explore resources to fill in details of British Colonial Era ancestors without leaving home. Some platforms for doing so are U.S.-created, while others come to us from the U.K. (free and subscription). There has been an explosion in our access to U.K. databases, which is priceless. Let’s discuss several of these Colonial-Era gems as we explore our pre-Revolutionary War era ancestors.
  Category: TxSGS Live! | Level: Advanced | Track: Records

• Free Persons of Color – Some Were Required to Register – In the early 19th century, FPOC rights eroded, and registration requirements ensued. We’ll explore laws and extant records for NC, OH, TN, VA, GA, IN, and more. We’ll navigate the extant records available and explore what information they contain—names, birthplaces, birth years or age, and sometimes even physical descriptions.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: Intermediate | Track: Ethnic – African American

• Your Genealogy Research Journey is Not Complete Unless You Explore Scholarly/Academic Resources – Academicians do deep dives into genealogically relevant topics. Most genealogists don’t take advantage of this already-done, FREELY accessible research located on non-genealogical platforms—we should! Whether it’s digitized books, scholarly articles, theses/dissertations, datasets, or more, we benefit from the in-depth research done by non-genealogists into topics relevant to our research. Let’s explore a sampling of these “nerdy” platforms (with examples from the U.S., Canada, and U.K.) that we frequently ignore!
  Category: On-Demand | Level: Intermediate | Track: Technology

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• Breaking Maternal Brick Walls with DNA and Group Projects –Through a combination of autosomal DNA, mtDNA, and Group Projects at FamilyTreeDNA, Katy was able to break a brick wall on her direct maternal line. Discover new mtDNA research tools and examine the methodology you can apply to your own research for success.
  Category: TxSGS Live! | Level: All Levels  | Track: DNA

• Discover Your Paternal Heritage and Expand Your Family Tree with Y-DNA – Reach back further with Y-DNA! Learn how to use Y-DNA results to discover more about your father’s heritage and break brick walls.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: Beginner, Intermediate | Track: DNA

• Maximize Your Maternal Research with Mito Discover and the New Mitotree – New mtDNA developments can help you unlock the story of your direct maternal line. With the updated Mitotree and Mito Discover, mtDNA has become a powerful tool to learn about your matrilineal ancestors.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: All Levels | Track: DNA

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• Why Can’t I Find My Irish Ancestors?: Solutions for Your Irish Research – Irish research has a reputation for being difficult. It can be easy to become frustrated and think you will never break through those Irish brick walls. But is it truly impossible? Or is there a potential way around some of those obstacles? This webinar will examine some of the common barriers that are often encountered when researching Irish ancestors and define solutions.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: Beginner | Track: Ethnic – Irish

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Michael L. Strauss, AG®

• The Road to Independence: Revolutionary War Research – The Revolutionary War was fought in part over tensions between England and her colonies that escalated over time into violence, with the opening shots fired in Massachusetts in April 1775. Some of the historical records to be examined will include compiled military service records, pensions, state and federal bounty land, and local militia records, along with records from the Continental Navy and Marine Corps. We’ll explore historical context including some of the national emergencies after the end of the war in 1783, such as Shay’s Rebellion and the Whiskey Rebellion.
  Category: TxSGS Live! | Level: All Levels | Track: Records, Military

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• Enriching Genealogical Writing with Artificial Intelligence – Artificial Intelligence is the newest tool available to genealogists, and there are several use cases that can enhance our writing. We will use AI to generate, summarize, and translate using a variety of examples; use AI to determine if the Genealogical Proof Standard was met; and explore other applications to assist in writing our genealogical stories.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: All Levels | Track: Artificial Intelligence

• How atDNA and Y-DNA and WATO Analysis Solved a Family Mystery – This project started with atDNA results of distant cousin matches and admixture estimates that evolved over time, followed by more atDNA testing and the Big Y-DNA test, uncovering a patrilineal Misattributed Parentage Event (MPE). This presentation will include a review of the discovery timeline; the documentary, methodological, and identity issues raised in this case; advantages and disadvantages of atDNA; and using the What are the Odds (WATO) analysis which led to case resolution.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: All Levels | Track: DNA

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• Genealogy in the AI Era: What You Can Do with ChatGPT – This presentation introduces ChatGPT’s role in genealogy, demonstrating its ability to process and apply natural language for researching family histories. Through diverse case examples, participants learn to utilize ChatGPT for tasks such as extracting data from obituaries, storytelling, translating documents, and more, enhancing their genealogical work with artificial intelligence (AI). It also covers crafting effective AI prompts and addresses ethical considerations like privacy and accuracy, while contemplating the future of AI in genealogy.
  Category: On-Demand | Level: All Levels |Track: Artificial Intelligence