Topics and Speakers 2019 Conference

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Program: Topics & Speakers • TxSGS Live!Speaker Bios 

Deborah Abbott

You Only Have a Death Announcement: Now What?
Starting with a death announcement, we will look at the methodology of creating a series of questions that need answers in order to bring our subject to life. Using the clues found in the death announcement, we will identify what records are needed to help solve the unknown. The importance of carefully analyzing documents and understanding how one record leads to another will be emphasized.
Track: Methodology & Problem Solving
Level: All levels

Using City Directories: An Overlooked Source
No matter where your ancestor lived, city directories should be included in your research. These directories help fill the ten year gap between the census records and can assist in following an ancestor’s migration, occupation, and place of employment as well as confirming residency and/or address changes. City directories help to provide community insight regarding churches, names of professional/business owners, organizations, banks, clubs, unions, cemeteries, etc.
Track: Records, Resources, Repositories
Level: All levels

Breaking the Brick Wall: Researching in Black & White
The most difficult part of genealogical research for African Americans is finding and identifying slave ancestors and their owners. Using case studies, we will start with twentieth century records and follow two families from freedom to slavery. Learn the records needed to take one family who remains in Georgia and the other which begins in Georgia and ends in Texas.
Track: Ethnic – African American
Level: All levels


Dannell Altman-Newell

Boomer Sooner! The Run for Land in Oklahoma
Depicted in various popular culture mediums, the Oklahoma Land Run of 1889 heralded the opening of the Unassigned Lands for settlement. There were a total of four additional runs held, each dissecting a different piece of the Unassigned Lands and creating records that can provide helpful information. This session will provide a summary of the land runs, a brief look at each land event, and a discussion of records available.
Track: Records, Resources, Repositories
Level: Beginner, Intermediate


Mic Barnette

Texas Commissioners of Deeds: How Texas Land was Bought and Sold
There are no Texas Commissioners of Land/Deeds today. This presentation will explain how people living outside the Republic of Texas and the State of Texas in the 19th and early 20th centuries utilized the services of the Commissioners of Land/Deeds to buy and sell Texas land.
Track: Records, Resources, Repositories
Level: All levels


Nancy Calhoun

Brand New State: Researching Oklahoma
Texans were a huge percentage of the thousands who swarmed into Oklahoma and Indian Territories. But what resources are available for tracing those ancestors and family members who came for a new beginning? Knowing the history, timeline, and geography can make your research a “successful run” to stake a genealogy homestead. Follow the speaker’s own Texas born grandparents as they settle in the brand new state!
Track: Methodology & Problem Solving
Level: Beginner, Intermediate

The Blue and the Gray: Civil War Research in Oklahoma
Civil War? Oklahoma? Not only did the Five Tribes enter the conflict, they suffered immensely with repercussions still affecting life today. Most were aligned with the Confederacy, but the tribes were split between the two sides. Troops serving in I.T. also included Texans and African Americans. Those coming to the Twin Territories much later had served in other states. Learn about service records as well as Confederate and Union pensions and homes.
Track: Military
Level: Beginner, Intermediate

Way Up Yonder in The Indian Nations: Oklahoma Five Tribes Research
Learn the basics of researching Oklahoma’s Cherokee, Muscogee Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole tribes. The introduction will demonstrate how to explore the Dawes Roll and the resulting documents including census cards, packets, applications for allotment, and allotment maps, followed by a look at many other resources for researching members of these tribes. Most examples will be from Cherokee records.
Track: Ethnic – Other
Level: All levels


Esther Camacho

Hispanic Genealogy for Non-Spanish Speaking Researchers
Struggling with Hispanic genealogical research? Learn the keys to naming structure, record patterns, reading dates, and basic vocabulary without having to be proficient in the language.
Track: Ethnic – Hispanic
Level: All levels


Janine Cloud

Birds of a Feather – Y-DNA Research and Group Projects
This lecture is sponsored by FamilyTreeDNA.
Y chromosomal DNA passes only from father to son, but while the path of inheritance is simple, choosing which Y test to take can be confusing, and using the results once you have them can be even more confusing. Group projects can help alleviate some of that confusion as well as help focus research through comparison with other testers beyond simple one-to-one matching.
Track: DNA
Level: Beginner, Intermediate

But I Really Am Cherokee! DNA Testing and Native American Ancestry
This lecture is sponsored by FamilyTreeDNA.
Many people take a DNA test to see if family stories of having Native American ancestors are true. Unfortunately, proving descent from indigenous Americans using DNA testing is difficult, and disproving it is almost impossible. This presentation looks at how different types of DNA tests show – or do not show – Native American ancestry.
Track: DNA
Level: Beginner


Schelly Talalay Dardashti

Jewish Genealogy for Non-Jews: History, Migration and DNA
Many people who do not identify as Jewish are discovering the surprise of Middle Eastern and Jewish roots. Learn about history, migration patterns, and DNA.
Track: Ethnic – Other
Level: Beginner, Intermediate

MyHeritage: New Features and Technology
This lecture is sponsored by MyHeritage.
MyHeritage is continually developing new features and technology, such as the Theory of Family Relativity, AutoClusters, and more. This program will include all new features released up to the TxSGS 2019 Conference.
Track: Technology
Level: Intermediate


Melissa Finlay

Orphans, Infants, and Minors: Clues in Guardianship Records
What happened when an ancestor died and his heirs could not legally manage their inheritance? A guardian was appointed. But, don’t be confused or led astray by the terms used in these records such as orphan, infant, and minor! Learn more about guardianship records, the legal terms used, and the genealogy nuggets that can be found in this unique group of records.
Track: Records, Resources, Repositories
Level: Intermediate, Advanced


Gale French

Advanced Y-DNA Tools and Analysis
This class will allow you to delve into your Y-DNA details and know how it affects your genealogy. Y-DNA STR and SNP testing is the process of getting your Y-Chromosome results for comparison with other testers. Tests such as the BigY700 and others provide advanced ways of analyzing your Y-DNA.
Track: DNA
Level: Intermediate, Advanced

Gold Star Mothers – Discovering Your Veteran Ancestor’s Military Records
The number of casualties in World War I was over 37 million. Many have ancestors that were among those killed. Learn how to find and record information about those ancestors included among the casualties. Discover tools, resources, and approaches to find ancestors who were buried overseas. Find out how to obtain military records, photographs of Gold Star Mothers, grave markers, and other relevant documents along with tips for telling their stories.
Track: Military
Level: Beginner, Intermediate


Moises Garza

A Look at Colonial Mexico Catholic Church Records
Prior to 1860, the only institution that would record births, deaths, and marriages was the Catholic church. In this presentation, you will learn what genealogical information each of these records contain and also where to find these records online and offline.
Track: Ethnic – Hispanic
Level: All levels

A Look at Mexican Civil Registration Records
Since 1860, Mexican Law has required that every birth, death, and marriage event be recorded by Mexico’s Civil Registration Office. In this presentation, you will learn more about the Civil Registration and what genealogical information each of these records contain as well as where to find these records online and offline.
Track: Ethnic – Hispanic
Level: All levels


Patti Gillespie

William Eckler and Charles Arthur: One Man, Two Lives
William Eckler came to Texas to fight in the Indian Wars after the Civil War. Charles Arthur met and married his wife, started a family, and held his own as a free-born African American man in Decatur, Texas. Not until Charles Arthur applied for his federal military pension did the truth come out. Follow the facts, the documents, and the family truths of William Eckler and Charles Arthur in this presentation.
Track: Methodology & Problem Solving
Level: Intermediate

When Proof Isn’t Really Proof After All
This presentation is very helpful for beginning researchers. Several individuals whose life information is culled from newspapers, census records, and family trees are examined closely. Logical flaws are noted, further research is introduced, and entirely different conclusions are discovered.
Track: Methodology & Problem Solving
Level: All


Sharon Batiste Gillins

Research Treasures in the W.P.A. – You Won’t Believe What You’ll Find
Whether researching an ancestor or looking for historical context in the 30s to 40s, there’s something of interest in W.P.A. records. The range of subjects and products is unbelievably broad, from infrastructure projects to theatre and art programs, important historical records surveys and searing personal narratives. This lecture introduces the structure and major projects of the W.P.A. including how to use finding aids to locate information to support research goals.
Track: Records, Resources, Repositories
Level: Intermediate

Navigating Freedmen’s Bureau Records – Strategies for Research Success
This lecture explores the various options that researchers can use to access Freedmen’s Bureau records and discusses the strengths and weaknesses of each medium. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the organization of the Bureau and its record-keeping practices in order to identify and locate the records required to support researcher’s goals. Use of the Descriptive Pamphlet is demonstrated as an important component of a focused, efficient research plan.
Track: Ethnic – African American
Level: Intermediate

African American Ancestors in Wills, Probate, Land, and Property Records
Wills, probate, land, and property records are inextricably linked. When a planter landowner dies, important assets such as land and enslaved people held as personal property must be identified and their disposition decided, usually passing to family members as heirs and legally recorded in the county. These records can often lead to discovery of the last slave holder and close associates, an important step in extending research beyond emancipation.
Track: Ethnic – African American
Level: Intermediate


Tony Hanson

Digital Images Demystified
Most of us don’t know how a JPEG file differs from a TIFF file and whether or not that difference is important. This presentation will provide you with a basic understanding of how images are digitized, and it will familiarize you with some of the fundamental characteristics of digital image files.
Track: Technology
Level: Intermediate


Kevin Klaus

German-Texan Research at the GLO
An overview of the history of the Adelsverein provides background for German-Texan research from the 1840s. Learn techniques for tracing your ancestor using GLO land grant files as well as techniques for researching German records overseas. A case study of the early German immigrant Adolf Fuchs will illustrate methods for discovering your ancestors in Germany. This presentation will cover new material found this year after visiting archives in Wiesbaden, Mönchengladbach, and Dusseldorf, Germany.
Track: Ethnic – Other
Level: All levels


Andrew Lee

From Microfilm to Hyperspace: Billions of Family Records at Your Fingertips
While indexes help us access records on genealogy websites, there are lots of genealogically valuable records that are not searchable including court papers, land records, books, wills, and church records. The Family History Library has digitized hundreds of thousands of microfilms. Most of these images are available for online browsing. Learn how to find these records on FamilySearch and how to browse them without having to go through each image.
Track: Technology
Level: Intermediate, Advanced

Workshop:  DNA Tree Building When Your GEDMatch Matches Don’t Respond (optional for additional fee)


Devon Noel Lee

Organizing Your Genealogy While Downsizing and Planning for Your Retirement
Are you drowning in so much research that you’re wasting time and not climbing your family tree? Are you concerned that no one will want your research when you’re finished with it? Learn how to organize your research with an eye toward efficiency and preserving for the future.
Track: Skill building
Level: All levels

Workshop:  Gone But Not Forgotten: How to Quickly Write a Narrative About An Ancestor Using the Records You Have Gathered (optional for additional fee)


Dana Leeds

Leeds Method: Identify Common Ancestors with DNA Match Clusters
The Leeds Method is a free tool that helps you sort your DNA matches into clusters likely based on your four grandparent lines. This method is a great place to start for those who are new to working with DNA, adoptees searching for biological family, and those who don’t want to spend a lot of time on DNA but want to get results.
Track: DNA
Level: All levels

Utilizing DNA Match Clustering Tools to Further Family Lines
DNA Match Clustering tools create visual genetic networks – groups of DNA matches who are likely related to you through a common ancestor. This session, led by a pioneer in this field, will teach you to create, interpret, and analyze results from “Leeds Method-like” automated clustering tools like Genetic Affair’s AutoClustering and DNAGedcom’s Collins’ Leeds Method (CLM) tool.
Track: DNA
Level: All levels

After the Test: Getting Started with Your DNA Matches
You’ve got your DNA results, but now what? This beginner-level session will help you understand your test results and work with your DNA matches. There will also be time set aside for your questions to be answered. Come and learn how to use your DNA results.
Track: DNA
Level: Beginner


Bernard Meisner

Applying Family Naming Traditions to Your Genealogical Research
Can’t find your ancestors? Found two couples with the same names? Who were your ancestor’s parents? Knowledge of traditional naming practices may answer those questions.
Track: Methodology & Problem Solving
Level: All levels

Using the Power of Spreadsheets to Answer Genealogical Questions
Learn how to import search results from web sites into spreadsheets and process them to investigate possible group migrations and family relationships.
Track: Technology
Level: Intermediate


Kelvin Meyers

Workshop Overcoming Record Loss
(optional for additional fee)


Betsy Mills

Old Photographs: Identifying, Preserving, and Sharing
Learn how to identify old photographs by analyzing the type of photograph, the people in the photograph, the styles in the photograph, and other often-missed clues. Preserve those photographs by scanning and sharing them! Several fun ideas are presented that will get the listener excited. This interactive presentation engages the audience and inspires them to go home and work on their own unidentified photographs.
Track: Publishing, Storytelling, Preservation
Level: All levels


Elizabeth O’Neal

Get Started Blogging Your Family History
Have you thought about starting your own genealogy blog, but weren’t quite sure how to do it? More than 3,300 genealogists are already blogging their family history, and it has never been easier for you to get started! Blogging not only lets you share your research with other family members, but it also helps potential cousins to find you – and who knows what information they may have to share!
Track: Technology
Level: All levels

Great-Grandpa Wore Gray: Researching Your Confederate Ancestor
Confederate ancestors may be more difficult – and controversial – to research than their Union counterparts, but that doesn’t mean you should overlook the records they left behind. Bringing your Confederate ancestors’ military service to life will give you a better understanding of why they served and what life was like for them. From their service records to the pensions they may have received, learn how and where to find Confederate records.
Track: Military
Level: Beginner, Intermediate

Using Digital Libraries: Search Strategies for Family Historians
Looking for books about your family history? You may be able to find them without leaving the comfort of your home! Millions of books have already been digitized and are free to use as well as download to your personal library. Learn where to find the best digital book collections, how to strategically search them, and how to save your finds to your computer or cloud storage for later reference.
Track: Skill building
Level: Beginner, Intermediate


David B. Passman

Who Are Charles L. B. McCrory’s Parents? A Case Study Using Indirect Evidence
Indirect evidence provides clues to an ancestor’s parents when a single conclusive record remains unlocated. A records search encompassing obituaries, wills, and death certificates; federal and school census records; pension applications; deed transactions; Bible records; newspapers and letters; as well as studying onomastic evidence and family tradition for the McCrorys of Middle Tennessee solved the research question. Evidence connecting Charles L. McCrory to his siblings, Rachel and Joseph, established a credible lineage.
Track: Methodology & Problem Solving
Level: Intermediate

From Minsk to Manhattan: Using Maps to Retrace an Ancestor’s Journey
When an immigrant ancestor leaves no letters or journals, retracing their transmigrant experience proves problematic. Through steamship and railway records, wide-ranging sources reveal a complex integrated transportation system including ship and dock registers, crew lists, and timetables. Passenger lists, published memoirs, newspaper accounts, meteorological data, naturalization indexes, and UK census records, used in conjunction with period maps, reveal aspects of David’s journey, retracing his travels during the Age of Steam.
Track: Ethnic – Other
Level: Beginner


Paula Perkins

Skirts & Skirmishes, Wars & Widows: Finding Service Records, Pensions, & More
Nearly all your ancestors were eligible for military service. Records, pensions, citizen files, enlistments, and draft registrations can easily be located. Veterans, widows, and heirs made claims creating a wealth of information proving migration patterns, children, births, deaths, and marriages. Exciting facts and discoveries are just waiting to be found!
Track: Military
Level: All levels


Lisa Reed

What Else the CCC Built: A New Deal Education Program
The Civilian Conservation Corps is well-known for reforestation and building parks and bridges. Less known is that the CCC was involved in building up its Corps members through a formal educational program and informal literacy aids, such as camp newspapers. Learn about the history and records of your CCC teacher.
Track: Records, Resources, Repositories
Level: All levels


Mary Roddy, CG

Ins and Outs of Indexes – Unlock County and State Records
Indexes for county records can be the key to finding deeds, probates, vital records, naturalizations, and more. Whether you’re researching in county archives or in unindexed records on FamilySearch, it’s crucial to be familiar with the different indexing systems and how to use them. This presentation will give you the skills to decipher these important tools and strategies to tackle unfamiliar indexes.
Track: Records, Resources, Repositories
Level: Intermediate, Advanced

Read ‘Em or Weep: Promise and Pitfalls in Newspaper OCR
Learn where to find free and pay newspaper sites online. Understand how to put OCR mistakes to work for you to increase search results. Discover a method to make sure you do thorough searching in every newspaper every time.
Track: Records, Resources, Repositories
Level: Beginner, Intermediate


Renate Sanders

Finding Calvin: Following My Enslaved Ancestor Through Multiple Owners – A Case Study
In this case study, the presenter demonstrates, step by step, how she first confirmed her ancestor’s status as enslaved and then, using exhaustive research techniques, followed him through 25 years of enslavement with several different owners. Participants will learn to use specific documents to identify and document the lives of enslaved individuals.
Track: Ethnic – African American
Level: All levels


Michael Strauss

More than just Obituaries: Genealogical Newspaper Research
One of our great statesmen, Thomas Jefferson, summed up his feelings about the press when he wrote, “Where the Press is Free and Every man able to Read, all is Safe.” Historically published daily, weekly, and monthly, newspapers contain information about our ancestors that might not be found anywhere else. From obituaries, legal notices, and business information, these records are the fabric of our national identity.
Track: Records, Resources, Repositories
Level: Beginner, Intermediate

That Splendid Little War: Your Ancestors in the Spanish-American War
The end of the nineteenth century witnessed the transformation of the United States from a developing nation into a global power. This lecture focuses on the war against Spain and includes the fighting during the Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902) in which US soldiers participated. Records discussed will include those from the National Archives, National Personnel Record Center, and other sources.
Track: Military
Level: Beginner, Intermediate

Women’s Suffrage: Their Rights, Roles, and Limitations
Life for the early American woman was often burdened with setbacks. With no voting rights, limited educational opportunities, and virtually no legal identity, women sought to be equals in society. This presentation focuses on the history of women from colonial times to the twentieth century. Numerous genealogical records are examined from English common law to citizenship and later as women gained the right to vote.
Track: Skill building
Level: Beginner, Intermediate

Workshop:  Descendancy Research: Another Pathway to Genealogy
(optional for additional fee)


Cari A. Taplin

How’d You Find That?!? Tips for Locating Hidden Records
Obscure and hidden records are “out there” that can solve tough problems. How do you find them? Hear tips and methods for performing better searches and using copy services. Time will be spent on identifying appropriate repositories such as manuscript collections and archives. Finding these records will enhance your research and give color to your ancestors’ stories. Let’s learn how to be more successful!
Track: Methodology & Problem Solving
Level: Intermediate

Making Molehills out of Mountains: Organizing Your Research Piles
Organization allows researchers to better utilize research time. In addition to time management techniques, learn methods for organizing documents and notes as well as how to build a better research log. Being organized either digitally or on paper gives you more time for the thrill of the chase and stops you from repeating research steps you’ve done before. Turn those mountainous piles into organized files!
Track: Skill Building
Level: All levels


Mary Torres

Beginning Hispanic Genealogy
This class will focus on the basic research techniques and resources needed to find your Hispanic ancestors in Northeastern Mexico and South Texas. Learn how to use various resources including genealogical websites, both free and fee-based; libraries; archives; interviews with family members; as well as census, church, civil, and other record types.
Track: Ethnic – Hispanic
Level: Beginner, Intermediate


Lisa Toth-Salinas

Roman Catholics, Records & Rites of Passage
Each life has rites of passage, ceremonies through which an individual passes before moving on to the next stage in life. Important events within the lives of Catholic ancestors are recorded within sacramental records, and clues to their important milestones and to their life stories can be found within these and other key records of the Church.
Track: Records, Resources, Repositories
Level: Beginner, Intermediate


Pam Vestal

Teasing Out the Hidden Story Behind the Genealogical Facts
One of the biggest challenges we face when writing family histories is how to turn the bare facts into tales worthy of being read, showing that our ancestors were real people, not just names, dates, and places. By digging deeply into the genealogical details, we can bring their stories to life.
Track: Skill Building
Level: All levels

Discovering Your Ancestor’s Life in Records of Death
Sometimes the best way to learn about an ancestor’s life is to dig into the mountain of paperwork created by his death. We’ll explore the surprisingly abundant information that is collected when a death occurs and glimpse just how much these records can reveal, not only about our ancestors’ deaths, but also about their lives.
Track: Records, Resources, Repositories
Level: All levels


Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, CGL

Raw DNA Data: Alleles, Algorithms, Analysis
Learn how algorithms, lab processes, and imputation can affect your DNA matches at the different testing companies and third-party tools. Advanced concepts are explained in a clear and basic way.
Track: DNA
Level: Intermediate, Advanced


Ari Wilkins

Finding the Last Slave Owner
Locating the last slave owner is essential in African American research. Explore records that will help transition your research from 1870 into the Antebellum Era.
Track: Ethnic – African American
Level: All levels

Incorporating Oral History into Your Research
Oral histories can sometimes offer more information than traditional records. They can reveal motives for migration, explanations of marriages, or descriptions of an ancestor’s personality.
Track: Publishing, Storytelling, Preservation
Level: Intermediate

Reconstructing Communities Using Genealogical Resources
Recreating communities can provide rich and insightful details about an ancestor’s life and surroundings. This lecture will demonstrate ways to combine data from census records, Sanborn maps and city directories.
Track: Skill Building
Level: Beginner

The TxSGS DNA Project