March 25^th & 26^th, 2011

Friday Afternoon and Evening (4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.)

• Speaker Consultations
  For full details and sign-up form, please click here.

Friday Evening

• 4:30 p.m. Impossible Immigrants!:  Case Studies in Tracing Immigrant Origins (Bittner, 2 hrs.)
  Enjoy an evening learning to solve "Brick Wall" immigrant problems.  Learn how studying neighbors and relatives in the U.S. can lead to finding their places of origin.   Then follow families in European records when they are not found in the towns where they where supposedly born.  Learn techniques to correctly identify difficult families.
• 7:15 p.m. Mini-Lecture What's New at Ancestry.com (Ancestry.com, 30 min.)
• 8:00 p.m. Crossing the Ocean With the Internet (Huber, 1 hr.)
  With more sources coming online all the time, tracing your ancestors across the ocean to their European hometowns has never been easier. Familiarize yourself with some important websites for making your cross-continent connection.

Saturday (9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

The first lecture begins at 9:00 a.m., the second at 10:45 a.m., third at 1:45 p.m., and last at 3:30 p.m. Each lecture is one hour. Click here for Satruday's lecture titles in a printable (pdf) matrix (table) format.

Track 1:  “Putting the Pieces Together”

• Putting the Pieces Together: An Urban Case Study (Bittner)
  A case study of an urban family whose records are full of dead ends and “wrong” information. See the genealogical proof standard put into practice.
• The Journey Takers (Huber)
  Learn some new sources, new approaches to methodology, and new insights into our immigrant ancestors’ lives as you follow along through some case studies that are included in the recently released book, The Journey-Takers. Enjoy some stories that will remind us why we find genealogy research so fun – and so meaningful.
• Welcome to the Library:  Reading to Put Your Ancestors Into Historical Context (Bittner)
  Learn to find books about the social, cultural, political, occupational, and religious lives of your ancestors. Learn how to put your ancestors into their world on their own terms. Also learn how reading genealogical journals can help solve difficult research problems.
• Get Organized! Take Control of Your Research Projects (Huber)
  Whether you’re spending a week at an archive or an afternoon at your computer, you can’t be effective without taking time to get organized – before, during, and after your research session.

Track 2:  “Western European Research”

• Jumping Over Hurdles in Western European Research (Huber)
  Has a hurdle on your Western European research path brought you to a screeching halt? Locating hometowns, accessing records, or dealing with the language and handwriting doesn’t have to throw you out of the race. Learn how to leap over these common research hurdles.
• How German Maps Affect European Research (Bittner)
  Germany has had frequent and significant boundary changes. Learn about the 300 independent territories that have now merged to become modern Germany and how to find their records.
• Online Sources for Western European Research (Huber)
  Every day, Western European research gets a little easier as more records come online. Learn about parish, census, civil registration, and other records that are only a click away.
• Understanding and Researching Illegitimacy:  The Bittner Bastards of Bavaria (Bittner)
  Understand illegitimacy in historical context. Follow a couple with three illegitimate children born during a ten-year wait for marriage. You’ll be surprised to learn what happened.

Track 3:  “Probate Records” (Mason)

• Understanding Probate Laws and Processes
  American probate laws are based on British probate laws.  Effective genealogical research in probate records requires and understanding of probate laws and the processes they created.
• Testate and Intestate Estates
  Did your ancestor leave a will?  If not, how was their property disposed of and who received what?  What records were created and what can they tell you about your ancestor’s life and family?  Depending on the records created you can learn a great deal of information about your ancestor from probate records.
• Estate Inventories
  Was he rich or poor?  What did he do for a living?  What was his everyday life like?  Did he owe money to others or did they owe money to him?  Analyzing his estate inventory can answer many questions about an ancestor’s life.
• Guardianship Records
  In the male dominated world of the 19th century, a widow had to be appointed the guardian of her own children by the court.  The laws governing guardianships vary from state to state and time-period to time-period.  The records documenting guardianships vary as well.  Guardianship records may contain a wealth of genealogical information and leads to other records.

Track 4:  “Basics for Beginners and Beyond” (Dondero)

• Can I Download My Family Tree?
  This session is for complete beginners or those new to Internet genealogy.  What information is online for genealogists and how do you use it appropriately? 
• Citing Sources:  Why and How
  Whether you’re a beginner or just don’t fully understand citing sources, this session is for you.  Learn not only how to create a citation but why each part is important.  Examples focus on governmental (local and federal) and online sources since these are often well used by beginners but confusing.
• What is Collateral Research?
  There’s more to your genealogy than just your great grandmothers and –fathers.  Learn what collateral research is, how it can benefit you, and how to do it.
• Reporting to Yourself:  Keeping Track of What You’ve Already Done
  Genealogy is more than just names, dates, and places.  Learn how to keep track of other information for continued research success.

And More!

• Dozens on vendors (vendor area open to the public)
• Saturday mini-lectures
• Door Prizes
• Book Signing

Further details on these items will be posted as it becomes available.

Our Speakers

Warren Bittner, a genealogical researcher and lecturer, holds an M.S. degree in history from Utah State University. He is the owner of Ancestors Lost and Found, a small genealogical research firm. He is the former German Collection Manager for the Family History Library in Salt Lake City where he planned the German microfilming, indexing, book acquisitions, and internet publications.

Leslie Albrecht Huber is a freelance writer and speaker and has worked as a professional genealogist. She has published nearly 100 articles in over twenty different magazines and journals. Her website, www.understandingyourancestors.com, provides information for people tracing immigrant ancestors. Leslie is also involved in several genealogical societies.

^SM
Chuck is a Certified Genealogist SM, specializing in Southern New Jersey and 19th and 20th Century Death Records.  He is a frequent contributor to the National Genealogical Society’s magazine and authors “Genealogy News and Issues” a monthly article for their on-line newsletter “Up Front with NGS.”  In 2009 he received NGS’s Distinguished Service Award.

Jennifer is a professional genealogist living in northern Virginia.  In addition to lecturing she performs client research, specializing in lineage applications, southern research, and National Archives Records.  She previously worked for the DAR before starting her own company.  You can learn more about her at her website, www.jpgenealogy.com.

Learn about more genealogical events hosted by the Fairfax Genealogical Society at www.fxgs.org