Catalog of Lectures

The American War of Independence was not only a fight for freedom from a tyrannical world superpower. For the thousands of Black soldiers who fought for the patriot cause, and even more—tens of thousands—for the Loyalists, emancipation was on the line. In this online lecture, we will provide a brief history of Black soldiers during the Revolutionary War and their motivations for joining either side; and discuss several resources, records, and strategies for piecing together the service and stories of individuals.

Learn about researching your Colonial era Ancestors. After a short introduction to European settlement along the eastern seaboard, we will discuss published and other resources for learning about your ancestor. The available resources will differ depending on region: New England, mid-Atlantic or Southern colonies.  

Breaking through the 1870 brick wall to discover more about ancestors prior to the end of slavery can prove challenging. Changing surnames, families ripped apart, and identifying the former enslaver are just a few roadblocks when researching enslaved families. This session will dive deep into creating a research strategy and organizing the records uncovered. We will also provide tips for making sense of all the information unearthed in the search and constructing a proof argument when records are limited. Best suited for those with intermediate-advanced genealogical skills.

As in much of genealogy, you must rely on multiple records and strategies to piece together your ancestor’s life. This is especially true for tracing ancestors on the move. This  class will provide some essential strategies and research tools to understand your ancestor’s movements, providing several practical examples and case studies along the way. 

Whether you are just starting your research or wrapping up years of genealogical investigation, you’re probably thinking about how to share your findings with family, the greater genealogical community, and generations to come. Consider writing a book! This lecture will give a brief overview of the key steps to writing and publishing your family history.

Pennsylvania played a critical role in the formation of America and its principles of government. While the colony was at the center of a nation-making movement in the 18th century, it was also during this period that Pennsylvania saw several localized changes: the start of passenger lists and city directories; boundary shifts; westward expansion; greater record keeping around land, probate, court, military, taxes; and more. In this lecture we will look at tracing your ancestors during this pivotal period.

This lecture explores the history, people, and resources for 17th-century Pennsylvania genealogical research. From Pennsylvania’s Native population to the earliest European settlers (the Swedes and Dutch) to William Penn’s settlement of the royal colony as a haven for Quakers, you will learn about published resources, where to find primary record sources, and strategies for overcoming early research challenges.

Scottish census and census substitutes can provide important details about the immediate family of your ancestors. This lecture reviews what censuses exist, what information they provide, and where to access both transcriptions and digitized images.

Researching civil registrations and church records of births/baptisms, marriages, and deaths is often the first thing that family historians do when they learn they have ancestry in Scotland. In this lecture, our expert reviews what information is provided in each record type and how to locate and access these resources.
 

Many Americans and Canadians have Scottish ancestry. Determining exactly where in Scotland your ancestors came from, however, can be the hardest part of researching them. By understanding the history of Scotland and the many waves of emigration, you can start to narrow down possible origins. This first lecture reviews the many waves of Scottish immigration and the push-pull factors that led them to making their way to America.