Presentations

Research Planning

"When A Goodman is Hard to Find, Let the GPS Be Your Guide"

When answers to our genealogical research questions do not come easily, the elements of Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) can provide guidelines for evaluating the strength of our research and its conclusions. The GPS requires rigor in our research methodology.

In this case, the parents of peddler Alexander Goodman, who first appeared in Lancaster (in the 1850s) and later in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were unknown. No direct evidence of his origins was found in any USA records. No one record provided the answer. Efforts to solve this case involved utilizing many types of records for numerous people and several families in two countries over four generations. The solution lay in correlating evidence from many records and making the connections that the GPS requires. Now we have a family for Alexander Goodman!

"When It Takes a Village: Applying Cluster Research Techniques" 

Sometimes tracking ancestors tests all our research acumen. Identifying a subject ancestor, their origins and parentage; tracking that subject through time and space; and constructing a biography to place that person in their social context is best approached by broadening research to  include family members, associates and neighbors. 

This presentation outline a program for solving genealogical research problems via cluster and collateral research techniques. Topics include: appropriate application, research planning, commonly used resources and documents, and a case study successfully tracking individuals from Europe to the United States, overcoming name and residential changes and using DNA evidence.

"Conflict Management: Evaluating Evidence of Identity"

Genealogy research documents our families, determines identities of our forgotten or unknown relatives, and reconstructs relationships. But, the records we seek do not always cooperate. Records may wrong, records may lie.

After the excitement of our early research, it may become more difficult to locate our quarry. Identifying relatives in records may require understanding how, why and under what circumstances particular records were created. How did our relatives interact with record-generating organizations? We may have to creatively out-smart incorrect information in records by corroborating or clarifying with information from other sources. It can get complicated.

This talk discusses research challenges presented in a case study in U.S. records and explains procedures for gathering, evaluating and analyzing evidence f our relatives' lives. If we master techniques of record and evidence analysis in our present country, it will prepare us for possibly more challenging research in the old country. 

 

"Memory and Mystery: Breaking Down Family Lore"  

Does your family have stories that have defied genealogical documentation? What steps should be taken to understand them and determine the truth? This presentation explores exhaustively researching our stories and evaluating and melding paper documentation and DNA results. 

 

"Planning for Success: A Strategy for Effective Family History Research"

Approaching genealogy research in an organized fashion can not only save time and effort, but can also improve research results. This talk outlines strategies and suggests formats for successful family history research including: forumating research questions, evaluating what we already know, brainstorming one's approach, conducting research, and getting it all down on paper.

 

"Six Elements of Success for Beginning Ashkenazi Genetic Genealogists"

Planning for and basic analysis of DNA matches should involve neither anxiety nor an advanced degree in biology. Even when endogamy (marrying within the tribe) is involved, there are steps one may take to sort through matches, identify the ones that should be researched further, and find success.

This presentation focuses on autosomal DNA, which is tested by  the major genetic genealogy testing companies. There are differences in the tools available at each site for analyses of test results. We review six actions one can take to improve the odds of finding previously unknown cousins.

 

"Become An Expert: Create a Resource Guide" 

The greatest challenge when starting research in a new area is learning and understanding the resources that are available. Maps, gazetteers, archive finding aids, Yizkor books, and local histories are just a few of the resources needed to build a research tool box. This presentation will walk through the steps of building one's own resource guide - a valuable tool that may serve as a foundation for one's research for years to come.

Getting It Done! 

"Jewish Research in Galicia, Austrian Empire"

Understanding the records left by Jewish people in Galicia, Austrian Empire, requires knowledge of the history of Jewish settlement in the area and the laws under which they lived. These changed through time, as did the records we seek. This presentations will take us through the acquisition of the Galicia area by the Austrian Empire, Jewish surname adoption, and a variety of Jewish records including vital and land ownership records.

 

"Town Counsel: Finding Your European Town of Origin"

One of the basic building blocks of Jewish genealogy research is determining not only the names of our ancestors' communities, but also where those places are on today's maps. One cannot successfully jump the pond to Eastern Europe with one's research until one has established that information from immigrant ancestors' and relatives' records in their adopted countries. 

This talk covers strategies to implement and datasets to check to ensure exhaustive research on towns of origin.

"All Was Not Lost: Researching Relatives in the Holocaust"

Family history research is a powerful tool to reconstruct families torn apart by genocide during World War II. Learn about numerous sources, both online and in archives, that can reaffirm ties that could not be destroyed.

"Beyond the Manifest: Methods for Confirming One's Ancestral Origins"

When several communities in Eastern Europe have similar names and their names have been changed over the years, it may be difficult to unambiguously identify one's family shtetl of origin. Considering our investment in time and energy in genealogy research, it is imperative that we apply rigor in identifying our families' communities of origin. The Genealogical Proof Standard requires rigor in research methodology. With its application and a well-designed research plan, we assure that our findings are robust and our conclusions nor easily challenged.

In this talk, we explore applied methodology and suggest genealogical sources and techniques. resources include landsmanshaft burial data, online archival material and Shoah databases.

 

"It's What They Answered To: Understanding Ashkenazic Jewish Names" 

First names and surnames of Jewish people in Europe were the result of a complex amalgam of family, business, social, and religious influences, as well as their interaction with the government. Unlike their Christian neighbors, most Jewish people only adopted permanent family surnames when required by the government. Ashkenazi Jews, depending upon context, may have answered to several different forenames in several different languages. This presentation will discuss the structure of Hebrew and Yiddish names, as well as those used in official government interactions. Finding ancestors in the new world and the old is dependent upon seeking out and understanding the clues that may come from a variety of records.

Emigration Series

"It's Hard to Say, 'Good-bye': Challenges Faced By Eastern European Jewish Emigrants"

There were times when it was more difficult for many Jews to leave the Russian Empire than to enter the United States. What did emigrants have to do to get from their towns of origin to their ports of departure? What were the steps they had to take before leaving their communities? What did the Russian government require of potential emigrants? How and where did emigrants acquire tickets to sail? What routes might our ancestors have taken to get from their homes to ports of departure? 

This presentation will answer these general questions and suggest how we can find likely answers for our relatives.

"How Did They Get From There to Here? Bradshaw's Railway Guide and Other Tools of Discovery" 

How did your European ancestors get from their homes to ports of embarkation? This presentation will feature resources to help us understand transmigration (European migrants' overland journeys) between about 1880 and 1914. What did emigrants know before they set off on the overland legs of their journeys? Which routes might they have taken? What did they likely experience during travel from their places of origin to European ports? Resources will include gazetteers, Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, the Jewish Colonization Association's Algemeyne Yediot, high definition maps, and immigrant journals.

"Parsing the Ocean Voyage: Tracking Emigrants Frm Europe to the USA" 

This session takes travelers on their routes from ports of embarkation to ocean voyage to immigration via the passenger manifest. We will use and correlate information on a variety of passenger manifests and indexes from a variety of ports of departure and arrival, to reconstruct not only emigrant ocean voyages, but also land transmigration across Europe. Despite record we can often reconstruct the emigrant journey. 

"Alien, Enemy, Declarant - Grief: Learning from Missteps in the Naturalization Process" 

Naturalization is a legal procedure whereby an alien becomes a citizen. Records created before, during or after the citizenship process may provide additional understanding of the legal and societal challenges faced by immigrants. This talk will include a short summary of the naturalization process and records created in the United States. The majority of the presentation includes several unusual cases whose records provide deeper understanding of the context of our ancestors' experiences in both the old country and the United States. 

For Beginners

"Building Your Family Tree"

A graphic family tree is a terrific tool for organizing genealogy research findings. In addition, accessing family trees made by other researchers can provide clues to help research yours. Whether building your own tree or viewing others', there are important best practices and caveats to make sure your research continues to move in productive directions.

This talk covers the variety of available online family trees and best practices for using them, as well as family trees kept on your own computer.

 

"Learning Our Craft: Online Opportunities for Improving Our Research Skills" 

To do quality research, never stop learning. Webcasts, webinars, online courses, blogs, podcasts, FaceBook, YouTube, discussion groups, wikis - these are a few of the plethora of opportunities for genealogy enthusiasts to hone their skills.

Since there are many different learning styles, this talk focuses on types of online opportunities (their strengths and weaknesses) and where to find them. Topics also include developing a personalized learning plan and fitting learning into our busy lives.

"Blogging Family History: Reading, Writing and Sharing"

Blogs are easily updated websites that can provide a great venue for not only learning about family history, but also sharing research results. This presentation discusses reading blogs for our own edification and creating them to share our research findings with family, friends and like-minded researchers.

Topics include: blog aggregators (such as Feedly), considerations for starting a blog (goals, audience, and privacy), steps for creating a blog using Google's Blogger application, and suggestions for making a blog an important part of the research process.

"Where's the Beef? Finding Critical Information for Your Jewish Family History Research"

This introductory presentation walks through the process of starting Jewish family history research in United States records and locating information to effectively follow immigrant ancestors back overseas. We will study the case of Clara Peller, who became famous in 1984 as the octogenarian spokeswoman for Wendy's fast-food chain. What was Clara's name in the old country and where was she born?

"Developing Your Jewish Family History"

Jewish family history research has challenges like research into other ethnic groups, plus a few definite distinctions. Two pieces of information are critical for building our plans for researching Jewish ancestors across the pond: our immigrant relatives' original names and their places of origin. Without this information searches into old country records will be frustrating and, likely, fruitless.

In this regard, the most importantly strategy for genealogists is exhaustively researching for relevant information in documents associated with immigrants and their family members where they settled. If the subjects of your research lived in New York, you may be in luck. This presentation will outline methods, information, and records in the New York and Jewish genealogy toolbox. Several records sets common to family historians, such as census records, vital records, and draft records may help us find the information and evidence we seek. Additional Jewish-specific records may help as well.