Following is the selection of Topics and Speakers available through the Partner Society Webinar Series for 2024. Speakers and topics were selected to provide a variety of subjects from well-known speakers. For more information on scheduling a topic for your society, please see https://www.txsgs.org/partner-society-resources/2024-partner-society-webinars/. These presentations will be available until January 31, 2025. TxSGS recommends that partner societies submit webinar requests at least two weeks in advance to allow sufficient processing time.
Information on this page can be copied for purposes of promoting a webinar as a society program.
Susan E. Ball, President, TxSGS
Topic: “Using Timelines to Focus Your Research”
Topic Description: The most important tool you can use to research your ancestor is a timeline. Learn how to construct a timeline for your ancestor and use it to uncover previously overlooked avenues for research.
About the Speaker: A genealogist for over 30 years, Susan Ball is TxSGS president, co-editor of Stirpes, and president of the San Angelo Genealogical and Historical Society. A strong supporter of records abstraction and publication, Susan has compiled four books of genealogical records, three of which have won TSGS book awards including the coveted grand prize. She also serves her local society as editor of the SAGHS Newsletter and assistant editor of Stalkin’ Kin of Old West Texas, the SAGHS biannual journal. Having received a master’s degree in electrical engineering, Susan worked as a project engineer for a defense contractor, as a patent engineer, and as CEO of her own database development company. In addition to giving presentations and seminars to numerous societies and the TxSGS Annual Conference, Susan has been the workshop speaker for the Amarillo Genealogical Society, the Permian Basin Genealogical Society, and twice for the Kerrville Genealogical Society.
Tony Hanson
Topic: “Choosing Genealogy Services & Software”
Topic Description: This presentation will provide a high-level overview of the capabilities offered by “online genealogical services,” “genetic DNA testing services,” and “family tree software providers” with the goal of helping participants make informed choices from the wide range of products and services that are available.
About the Speaker: Tony Hanson earned degrees in Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications and is now retired following a 32-year career as a manager with AT&T. He has been researching his family for 22 years. Currently serving as the Director of Membership for the Texas State Genealogical Society, Tony is also the President of the Dallas Genealogical Society. In addition to his present DGS position, he has held numerous positions on the Board of Directors of the Dallas Genealogical Society. He has received numerous awards from the Dallas Genealogical Society (Volunteer of the Year, Heritage Preservation, Award of Merit, and Presidents Special Award) and the Texas State Genealogical Society (Volunteer of the Year and Presidential Citations) recognizing his many contributions of time and talent.
Emily Coffman Richardson
Topic 1: Using Documentation – (Identifying Documentation as found in Genealogical Records with an Eye on Proof and Citations)
Topic Description: This course is designed for the beginner, as well as the seasoned genealogist. The content has been designed to help the researcher better understand the sources that they have found, with a grasp of information and evidence. Documentation in general shows the quality and quantity of sources used to do our research and make our conclusions. Proper documentation avoids repetitive research and plagiarism. This course helps one to gain an understanding of what needs to be documented and why documentation is a critical skill for all genealogists.
Topic 2: “No Fear: Citations for Genealogists”
Topic Description: As genealogists we are told to “cite our sources.” Yet, rarely are there classes to understand the importance of citations, and why it is critical to cite as we research. We learn as we become more experienced that the format used for genealogy might be based on the Chicago Style Manual; but the complexity of our sources has required a special style guide, as found in Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace by Elizabeth Shown Mills. This course will lead you through understanding the basic elements of every citation, so that as you research you can capture them. Once you have the elements, you can choose to use a template from Evidence Explained or allow an online citation builder to create it for you! Citations need to become a critical key skill as a genealogist.
About the Speaker: Emily Coffman Richardson is a professional genealogist and lecturer who began her genealogy research working with her mother in courthouses and cemeteries finding records for her ancestors in Ohio and Pennsylvania. From 2014 – 2018, Emily lived and worked in Charlotte, North Carolina, during which time she researched her husband’s Richardson family in Nash County North Carolina and did pro-bono client work researching in both the archives in North Carolina and South Carolina.
In 2019, she retired from higher education as a faculty member and administrator, moved to Texas, and opened Kinsearchers, the original name of her mother’s business as a genealogist.
She served as the secretary of the Texas State Genealogical Society for the past four years and currently is on the executive committee as Director-at-Large. Emily oversees the production of the TxSGS Podcast, Lone Star Family Trails and is the programming chair for the Robson Ranch Genealogy Club. She teaches genealogy courses for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) for the University of North Texas. She speaks to local and regional genealogy societies on a variety of topics.
Emily has participated in several week-long institutes, including SLIG (Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy), IGHR (Institute of Genealogical Studies), and TIGR (Texas Institute of Genealogical Research), as well as ProGen34. Emily’s clientele includes genealogists who have a brick wall, out -of-state inquiries for record pulls in Texas, and research for those who are interested in joining one of the many lineage societies.
Kim Richardson
Topic: “Relatively Cheap Research and Education for the Frugal Genealogist”
Topic Description: Frugality and practicality are habits and lifestyle choices that can translate easily into genealogy research and education.
About the Speaker: Kim Richardson began her genealogy journey out of her love of family history. She is passionate about her work as a professional genealogist and enjoys serving the genealogy community by teaching and enabling others to do their own research successfully. She speaks often to genealogists across the country. In her role as a genealogist, she not only helps her clients achieve their own genealogy goals, but she has also researched for various authors and for Finding Your Roots and Who Do You Think You Are?
Richardson lives in Oxford, Mississippi, and graduated from Mississippi State University in 1996 with a BA in Communication. Since then, she has been serving the state of Mississippi, working in highway safety programs and as an advocate for victims of violent crimes.
Jim Thornhill
Topic: “Take a Deep Dive in the U.S. Census”
Topic Description: A thorough look at all 16 censuses and what you can learn from them, including where to go find the records they point you to. Includes the non-population schedules and ED maps. 1-Pre 1850 hashmarks and what we learn from them 2-Unique information in the census and how to follow the trail 3-Comparing census years 4-ED maps 5-non-population schedule
About the Speaker: Jim Thornhill has been researching his family’s history for 15 years, three of those as a professional genealogist. Jim is chief researcher for Heroes of the Past, a company that seeks to delight clients, provide context in our ancestor’s lives, and show how we all have Heroes in our Pasts.
Jim is a graduate of the ProGen professional genealogy course, the Genealogy Proof course, Research in the South, the Trans Mississippi South at IGHR in Athens Georgia, and countless webinars and local and virtual genealogy presentations. Jim is an active member in the Association for Professional Genealogists, the Texas State Genealogical Society, the Dallas Genealogical Society, where he serves as IT Administrator, and the Rockwall County Genealogical Society, where he serves a Vice President in Charge of Programming.
Jim is a native Texan who has been living in the Dallas area his entire life and has roots in pre-civil war Texas. Both his and his wife’s family came to Texas in the same ways he talks about in his presentation.
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