The Minnesota Genealogical Society has a great lineup of webinars for 2015! These are FREE and begin at 7:00pm on the dates listed below. For more information, or to register, visit the Minnesota Genealogical Society website at
http://mngs.org/ . The press release below is shared courtesy of
GeneaPress.
Minnesota Genealogical Society announces its
2015 Webinar Series:
- February 4th – Genealogy Do-Over™: A Year of Learning from Research Mistakes
– Thomas MacEntee. It isn’t often that we get a “do-over” when it comes
to stuff that matters in life. When you first got started researching
your family history, did you do some things that now are just plain
“embarrassing” such as name collecting, not citing sources and more?
Well, now there’s hope since genealogists from beginner to advanced are
employing new research methodologies and documentation practices. Follow
genealogist Thomas MacEntee as he basically starts his genealogy
research from scratch but includes sound research practices and
methodologies as well as new templates, tools and the latest technology
to create a better body of family history research.
- March 4th – Midwestern & Plains State Level Census Records
– Paula Stuart-Warren. Many Midwestern and Plains states have superb
state census records. Learn about the indexes, the many personal details
these censuses include, locating the censuses, and alternate sources.
The lecture includes many specific examples from these enumerations,
provides an overview of state censuses for Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota,
and Wisconsin, and indicates where they may be found. The personal
details vary but may include names of children, maiden names, military
service, religious denomination, mother of how many children,
occupation, value of real estate, and other helpful details.
- April 1st – Find Your American Ancestor Using Canadian Records – Kathryn
Lake Hogan. When you can't find your ancestor's birth, marriage or
death registration, or their name on a ship list or immigration record
at Ellis Island, then it's time to consider your ancestor may have been
in Canada. Whether your ancestor was here for a day or for many years,
he/she left behind records. When you hit a brick wall in your research,
it's time to consider Canada. Even if you think your American or
immigrant ancestors were never in Canada, discover eight reasons why
they actually may have been there. Learn how and where to find the
Canadian or provincial records that will help you fill in the missing
pieces of your ancestors' lives.
- May 6th – Researching Your Swedish Ancestry in the 21st Century
– Ginny Sharp Sommarstrom. Researching your Swedish-American ancestors
has become much easier in the last ten years, thanks to the availability
of numerous Swedish and American resources in digital format, all
accessible from the comforts of your home. This presentation will
provide a framework for tracing Swedish- American ancestry that is based
on four essential questions that must be answered. Resources for
answering those questions are illustrated and discussed. With answers to
those four questions in hand, we will delve into U.S. immigration,
Swedish emigration, and Swedish church records. Clear step-by-step
examples will help the listener find their own ancestors in these
records.
- June 3rd – Genealogy and GIS: A Beginner’s How-To
– Jennifer Alford. When you dig into genealogy, a repeated lesson is to
know your location. We’ll uncover how using GIS can connect geospatial
history with your family history research. In this session, we’ll cover
the exciting historical geospatial information that is now available for
use in Google Earth and the many other tools available online. I’ll
present the many options and databases that could be an invaluable tool
in your research. We’ll discuss the importance of historical context and
the kinds of data that can be used to further your genealogical
research.
- August 5th – A Guided Tour to Cyndi’s List 2.0
– Cyndi Ingle. This begins with a brief history of Cyndi's List,
followed by an overview of how to navigate the site and how to tell when
the site is updated. Learn how to effectively use this valuable
resource tool as your jumping-off point onto the Internet.
- September 2nd – Genealogical Research Using Facebook’s 4,000+ Genealogical Pages & Groups
– Katherine R. Willson. Facebook is quickly becoming a favorite
resource among genealogical researchers for its vast networking
capabilities. With many thousands of regional and surname-specific
genealogy groups, researchers are discovering relatives, sharing photos,
finding obituaries and breaking down brick walls that have blocked them
for years - often within 24 hours of posting a query! This presentation
introduces members to Facebook as a genealogical research tool and
guides them through the process of efficiently utilizing Facebook for
specific genealogical needs. Participants are also given the link to the
120-page PDF file listing 4,000+ genealogical pages & groups on
Facebook.
- October 7th – Engaging the Next Generation
– Shannon Combs-Bennett. The youth are our future is stated many times
through different organizations. Genealogy is no different. Today there
are children and young adults you know who want to learn more. Most
people, however, do not know how to do it. In this presentation, I will
go through ways to engage, interact, and teach the youth in your life
about family history. Not all of them may grow up to be professionals
but through education they will develop an appreciation for what their
ancestors did and where research can take them.
- November 4th – Research Logs and Plans for Every Genealogist
– Lisa Alzo. Whether you’re a beginner, or an experienced genealogist,
learn how create and maintain research plans and logs to maximize your
research time and increase success. Through examples, you will discover
how simple it is to develop easy-to-use research plans and logs you can
access no matter where you are. Session will demonstrate key steps such
as deciding on a format (Excel spreadsheet, Google Drive, or Evernote),
creating the columns you'll need, designing the document, entering
information, and using and maintaining the database.
- December 2nd – Passenger Lists: A Boat-Load of Records, 1565–1954
– Valerie Eichler Lair. There truly is a “boat-load” of records on
passenger lists! Learn what you need to know before searching, how to
find these valuable records and available resources, and really cool
information you’ll get about the ancestors who took the journey across
the “Big Pond.” In addition to researching for passenger lists, we’ll
cover a bit about immigration records.
All webinars are held at
7:00 pm Central. Visit the Minnesota Genealogical Society website at
http://mngs.org/ for more information.
If you are like me and are unable to be in Salt Lake City this week for RootsTech, then you may like to watch some of the sessions LIVE on the internet. Here is the schedule of sessions that will be streamed live on the home page of RootsTech.org.
After the conference, recordings of these sessions will be posted on the
website for a limited time.
