With the release of the 1950 U.S. Federal Census, family historians of all levels are primed to uncover new—or to verify already-known—information about their ancestry. Using new machine learning and optical character recognition technology, this is the first time that a census will be searchable upon its release on the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) website. In this session, Vice President of Library and Research Services Lindsay Fulton will discuss what information is provided, how to search the indexed and non-indexed databases, and provide tips on how the 1950 census can be a springboard to other records.

Virginia was not only the largest and most populous of the American colonies, but its population was also highly migratory within Virginia’s borders and beyond. Little wonder then that so many family historians need to research Virginian ancestors. In this webinar, we will share go-to Virginia-based resources within five categories: genealogies, journals, land, taxation, and history. Learn about essential published sources that discuss family groups and help us to trace Virginian ancestors through time and place. NOTE: West Virginia (up until its separation from Virginia in 1863) will be included in this presentation.

Women make up 50% of your ancestry, yet their lives, experiences, and even complete names are all too often forgotten by written history. When they survive, diaries, letters, account books, family bibles, samplers, organization records, and more can reveal more about a woman’s daily life than any government document. We will discuss how these unique records and manuscripts can be used to piece together a family story and how digging in the archives can hit genealogical gold.

This lecture introduces the participant to the challenges and joys of researching one’s Irish ancestors. Major sources of information as well as strategies for tracking elusive ancestors are presented. Throughout the lecture examples illustrate the principles of genealogical research including learning all you can about your immigrant ancestor. 

Whether Ohio was a final destination for your ancestor or a stop along their journey west, published genealogical resources for the state and the Western Reserve are important for many family historians. In this webinar, we will share go-to Ohio-based resources within five categories: histories, genealogies, land, tax, and military. Learn about essential published sources that discuss family groups and help us to trace Ohio ancestors through time and place.

Using several examples and case studies, this final class will demonstrate some key strategies for breaking down genealogical brick walls in German research, including finding your ancestor’s origins and hometown, maiden names of female ancestors, parent’s names, and connecting generations. 

Understanding where your ancestor is living at a given time can be a loaded question—and to answer it completely, you need to know the broader geo-political and historical context. And as records are most often arranged by place, the “where” becomes especially important for family historians. In this webinar, we will demonstrate how to research boundary changes and understand jurisdictional levels using maps, primary and secondary sources, and other records.

As with any type of family history research, civil and religious records are your first, go-to resource in German genealogy. For many locations in Germany, civil registration began as early as the late 18th century and some church records (Kirchenbücher) date back to the 16th century. Beyond baptisms, marriages, and burials, many churches also kept family registers (Familienregister or Familienbücher). This session will discuss what records exist, what information they contain, and how to access these important resources. 

As family historians, we focus on tracing our ancestry further and further into the past, going back one generation at a time. There are, however, cases when we need to do the opposite and trace lines forward. In this webinar, we will discuss how descendancy research, i.e. tracing all descendants of an individual to the present, can help you further your research. Whether you are building out your ancestors’ network of extended family, hoping to understand DNA connections, working on a study project, creating a family association, or just want to connect with distant family, this webinar will give you the necessary tools and strategies for finding living relations.

Historical bank records are an overlooked resource for family historians. When they survive, these records can provide information about an ancestor’s residence, occupation, family relationships, and even immigrant origins. And don’t assume that your ancestor was too poor to have had a bank account! Savings banks were established with those very individuals in mind. In this webinar, we will present a brief history of savings banks in the United States, how to locate these records, and what information is provided. We will focus on examples from the Emigrant Savings Bank, Freedman’s Savings and Trust, and Provident Institution for Savings.