Join our experts at the Hagen History Center in Erie, Pennsylvania!

Our ancestors moved near and far seeking economic opportunities, religious freedoms, and closeness to family. These mobile ancestors, however, are notoriously difficult to research. We might have an ancestor in our sights and then—poof!—they’re gone; or we may have an ancestor for whom we have no idea of where they came from. This one-day seminar will give you the context and motivations behind migrations across America from the 17th to 20th centuries, offer strategies for discovering ancestral origins and future movements, discuss go-to records, and provide tools to help track your family on the move.

AGENDA
10:00 a.m. Check in, breakfast (included)

10:25 a.m. Welcome and Introductions

10:30 a.m. Lecture: Colonial Migrations in the Northeast, Kyle Hurst

11:30 a.m. Lecture: Westward Migration, 1783-1900, Melanie McComb

12:30 p.m. Lunch (included)

1:30 p.m. Lecture: Follow the Money, Melanie McComb

2:30 p.m. Lecture: Strategies for Tracking Migrating Ancestors, Kyle Hurst

3:30 p.m. Break

3:45 p.m. Demonstration: Mapping Ancestors on the Move, Melanie McComb

4:30 p.m. Extended Q&A; door prize winner announced

5:00 p.m. Program concludes