TxSGS Live!

Join TxSGS on Friday and Saturday, November 13-14, for TxSGS Live! to kick off our 2020 Family History Conference.  Due to COVID-19, we’re connecting with the genealogical community “virtually” this year. We hope those who have joined us in one of our Texas venues in the past will meet us virtually this year; we also hope those who have not been able to attend in this past can participate in this online event. In addition to these presentation, registrants will receive access to up to 22 additional recorded presentations and a Virtual Expo, plus bonus recordings on special topics.

Friday, November 13, 2020

Dower and Dowry: Women, Property, and Legal Records
Judy G. Russell, CG

Bringing property into marriage or trying to take it out, our female ancestors were governed by laws that generated valuable records. Learn about the common law dower and the civil law dowry, how they differed and how to find the stories the records tell.

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Whose Estate Is It Any Way!
Kelvin Meyers

Hear about the real-life adventures and encounters of a Forensic Genealogist. Hear how the estate is established as valid, and how the resources of the 21st century are used right along with good old-fashioned genealogy to determine the rightful heirs to an unclaimed estate.

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Trustworthy Trees: Using DNA Tools, Data, Evidence to form Credible Genealogical Links
Debbie Parker Wayne, CG

Examples show how real family tree links are supported or refuted and how linkage clues are discovered by merging reliable DNA analysis techniques and documentary research.

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Breaking New Ground: Creating a Locality Guide
Cari Taplin

You never know where your genealogical research will take you. Learn a method for researching a new geographical area through a real life example.

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Digital Library on American Slavery – Invaluable When Researching Formerly Enslaved Ancestors
Diane L. Richard

Researching and documenting emancipated slaves and their ancestors before the 1870 census can be extremely challenging. One key resource for researching enslaved ancestors is The Digital Library on American Slavery (DLAS), a gateway to numerous online collections. This talk discusses the databases that comprise DLAS as well as complementary projects worth a look as you research African American ancestry.

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Saturday, November 14, 2020

Shootout at the Rhododendron Lodge: Reconstructing Life-Changing Events
Judy G. Russell, CG

A 1929 shootout left the Bath County, Virginia, sheriff dead. Learn to follow the trail through all the records to reconstruct a life-changing event, and understand its unique challenges, both in terms of resources and in terms of ethics.

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Shakin’ Out The Smiths: Researching a Common Surname
Nancy Calhoun

Common surnames can be a real challenge to a genealogist. This presentation uses the speaker’s Smith line to present some research tips as they are traced from territorial days in Oklahoma, back to Texas, and home to Tennessee and North Carolina.

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Decoding Social Security: Providing Benefits to our Ancestors
Michael Strauss, AG

The passage of the Social Security Act of 1935 provided stability and reform in the US at the height of the Great Depression. By decoding Social Security Numbers including the crossover with military serial numbers we can better understand how the SSA worked. Ordering copies of Social Security applications and using delayed births researchers can find new information about ancestors who sought relief from the Federal Government.

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Researching Graphically – Expand Your Research With Timelines, Spreadsheets, and Diagrams
Ari Wilkins

Think about researching and organizing documents beyond genealogical software. Learn about new ways to visualize and analyze research by creating timelines, charts, spreadsheets and diagrams.

 

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Key Online Record Collections for Researching Your Mexican Ancestors
Colleen Robledo Greene

This lecture provides an overview of the key record collections available online to research your Mexican and Mexican-American ancestors. We will dig into a case study to demonstrate how to weave these records together to build out a robust life story. Learn how even non-Spanish speakers can be successful at this research.

Speakers and schedule subject to change.