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Events

2016 Abrams Foundation Family History Seminar

Date/Time
07/08/2016 – 07/09/2016
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Location
Michigan Historical Center

Welcome to the Abrams Foundation Family History Seminar, featuring Amy Johnson Crow, and hosted by the Archives of Michigan and the Michigan Genealogical Council.

After kicking off with a tour of the Archives of Michigan, conference attendees will have the opportunity to pick from a variety of speakers and family history topics over the two-day event. For more information on schedule, programs, and speaker bios, please click the “+” on the corresponding boxes below.

The Archives of Michigan will be open for research from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m on Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Online registration for this seminar will be closing on Wednesday, July 6 at 11:59 PM. On-site registration will be available both Friday, July 8 and Saturday, July 9, but a boxed lunch is not guaranteed.

Additional Information:

Schedule

Date / Time	Session
Friday, July 8, 2016
1:00 – 1:45 PM	A. Digitization Tour Go behind the scenes at the Archives of Michigan to learn how staff scan, index, and make digital collections available through Seeking Michigan.
	B. Archives of Michigan Tour Join the Archives of Michigan staff for a behind the scenes tour of the collections, including original manuscript records and the Abrams Foundation Historical Collection.
2:00 – 3:00 PM	C. Becoming American: Research with Naturalization Records Kris Rzepczynski, Archives of Michigan This program will explore naturalization records, the many tools available to assist you in your research, and successful strategies to locate citizenship records, utilizing both online and print resources.
	D. Becoming a Genealogy NINJA: A New Look at Research Methodology & Brick Walls Daniel Earl, MS This lecture will introduce learners to the NINJA approach to doing genealogical research (Needs, Investigation, Notation, Justification, and Assessment) and will utilize real-world examples to demonstrate how the NINJA method can overcome the brick walls in your genealogy research.
	E. Law Resources in Genealogy Janice Selberg, Library of Michigan A look at finding and understanding court records, including an explanation of equity courts, records and briefs, private laws, and the arrangement of federal and state statutes. This program will also discuss the language of wills, trusts and other legal documents through an early example.
3:15 – 4:15 PM	F. Our Town: Researching Your Ancestors with County and History Books Jessica Harden, Archives of Michigan County histories can be an invaluable tool for researching ancestors who were early residents of an area. Researchers can find biographical sketches and learn about what day-to-day life may have been like. This program will give an overview of where to find county histories in print and online and how to best utilize them in your research.
	G. Ethics and Etiquette in Genealogy Research Gail Hershenzon, Woodmere Cemetery (Detroit, MI) What happens when you post your family research on a public website? What can you expect from public places when doing research? What information are you entitled to and what is off limits? These and other questions are dealt with in this PowerPoint presentation.
	H. Locating Living Relatives: The Challenges of 20th and 21st Century Research Bethany Waterbury, Professional researcher Living relatives can be a treasure trove of information, including photos, diaries, bibles and even DNA. Yet identifying and locating living relatives can be a challenge, as the techniques used and records available for 20th and 21st century research are often quite different. Learn how to utilize both online and paper record sources to find those long lost cousins.
Saturday, July 9, 2016
9:30 – 10:45 AM	I. What Do You Mean There’s No Record?! Using Vital Record Substitutes Amy Johnson Crow, CG, MLS How do we research ancestors if there are no vital records for the area? Learn about sources that may be at least as good as traditional vital records.
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM	J. Exploring Detroit at the Archives of Michigan Jill Arnold, Archives of Michigan The Archives of Michigan has received numerous collections from Detroit in the last five years, including case files from the Detroit Recorders’ Court, news clippings from the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, and assessor cards from the City of Detroit. This program will explore those collections and how best to maximize your research in them.
	K. Little-Known & Rarely-Used Google Resources & Search Tips Katherine Willson, Researcher & lecturer Many genealogists barely scratch the surface of what Google has to offer. This presentation offers tips & techniques for doing more efficient research utilizing Google’s full capabilities, and discusses Google Alerts, Google Books, Google Translation and additional Google resources that are crucial to genealogical research.
	L. Cluster Research (Or Discovering You’re Related to the Whole Block) Jessica Trotter, Researcher & blogger As Aristotle noted, “Man is by nature a social animal” – he has family, society, and throughout history, he has moved with them. This session offers tips, tricks, and examples of how researching the neighbors and neighborhood can further your research.
1:00 – 2:00 PM	M. Researching Your Civil War Ancestors Online Amy Johnson Crow, CG, MLS The Internet provides some very exciting and useful opportunities to learn more about Civil War ancestors. Learn what’s available, where to find it, and how to use it.
2:30 – 3:30 PM	N. Continuing Your Ancestral Search Offline Kris Rzepczynski, Archives of Michigan Despite the ever-increasing amount of information available online, researchers still need to utilize libraries, archives, courthouses, cemeteries, and other locations. This program will explore resources not typically found online as well as onsite research strategies for identifying and locating them.
	O. Research That Made Me LOL Jim Jackson, Professional researcher Attorneys, clerks, enumerators and sextons really do have a sense of humor. And when you take millions of people from all walks of life, mix them up with bureaucracy and throw in foreign accents, the results are unpredictable.
	P. Skeletons in the Closet: Discovering a Difficult Past Matthew LaFlash, Researcher Every family has skeletons in the closet. This case study addresses the challenges of uncovering a difficult past and examines the process used to identify the father of a girl born out of wedlock, with only a profession and nationality as a starting point.

Speaker Bios

Arnold, Jill:
One of the Archivists frequently helping researchers in the Reading Room at the Archives of Michigan, Jill delivers educational programs to both adults and children, and also develops content and features for Seeking Michigan (seekingmichigan.org), the online platform of the Archives. Jill earned a Master of Science in Information with a specialization of Library & Information Science as well as Archives & Records Management from the University of Michigan.

Crow, Amy Johnson:
Amy Johnson Crow is a Certified Genealogist and earned her Master of Library and Information Science Degree at Kent State University. She is a professional researcher, lecturer, author, editor, and blogger. On her blog at AmyJohnsonCrow.com, she offers practical advice for genealogists to help them make more discoveries and have more fun. Her research specialties include Ohio and the Civil War, and she has a special interest in the U.S. Colored Troops as well as the Deaf. She is a recipient of the Federation of Genealogical Societies’ Award of Merit and is a Fellow of the Ohio Genealogical Society.

Earl, Daniel:
Daniel’s interest in genealogy was sparked at age 10 when he visited the grave of his great-grandfather with his own father. He has a Master’s degree in Psychology, serves as the President of the Hungarian Genealogical Society of Michigan and is the Continuing Education Chair for the Michigan Genealogical Council. Daniel has taught groups from 2 to 200 with his trademark humor and unique insights for people of all levels of genealogical experience.

Harden, Jessica:
An Archivist at the Archives of Michigan, Jessica currently works with records from the Office of the Great Seal, assists researchers at the reference desk, gives presentations about Archives of Michigan resources, and contributes to digitization projects at Seeking Michigan (seekingmichigan.org). She earned a Master of Library and Information Science and Archives Administration graduate certificate from Wayne State University.

Hershenzon, Gail:
Gail Hershenzon volunteers at the historic Woodmere Cemetery, helping those looking for family information that may be found in the cemetery’s records. She speaks to genealogical societies and other groups about the history of Woodmere Cemetery and also how to be successful when doing cemetery research. In addition, Gail has created Woodmere Cemetery Research and is the author of Detroit’s Woodmere Cemetery and Michigan Memorial Park.

Jackson, James:
Interested in genealogy and local history since the mid-1970’s, Jim has served as President of the Detroit Society for Genealogical Research, Oakland County Genealogical Society, and Calhoun County Genealogical Society. He has been the index editor of the DSGR Magazine since 1994 and is the current Commander of Camp 22 (Marshall, MI) Sons of Union Veterans.

LaFlash, Matthew:
Always curious, Matt has grown up looking at family photographs, listening to the stories that they would inspire, and asking questions. Now with almost 20 years of genealogy experience, Matt is the Publicity Chair for the Indiana Genealogical Society and also volunteers with the Georgia Genealogical Society.

Rzepczynski, Kris:
A Senior Archivist at the Archives of Michigan, where he specializes in family history and Michigan research, Kris previously worked for a number of years at the Library of Michigan as the Michigan/Genealogy Coordinator. Kris is also a past Vice-President of Membership for the Federation of Genealogical Societies and a Past-President of the Mid-Michigan Genealogical Society.

Selberg, Janice:
Janice Selberg is Law Reference Librarian at the State Law Library and a member of the State Bar of Michigan. She holds a BA and a JD from Michigan State University, an AMLS from the University of Michigan, and a Graduate Certificate in Archival Administration from Wayne State University. Janice has held corporate, academic, government, and United Nations law library positions over her career, and is a genealogy hobbyist.

Trotter, Jessica:
Jessica holds a BA in History from Michigan State University and MS in Information, Archives and Records Management Specialization from the University of Michigan—but, through some strange twist of fate, she currently serves as the Head of Public Services at the Downtown Lansing Library of the Capital Area District Libraries (CADL). Jessica also teaches introductory Genealogy classes for CADL and maintains a research related blog called Genie Roadtrip (genieroadtrip.wordpress.com).

Waterbury, Bethany:
Owner of Next of Kin Research (nextofkinresearch.com), Bethany is a full-time professional genealogist with over 12 years of genealogical experience. She specializes in locating living individuals, utilizing 20th and 21st century research techniques and DNA testing. Ms. Waterbury is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and was recently appointed to the newly-formed NGS Genetic Genealogy Committee.

Willson, Katherine:
Katherine is a nationally-known public speaker on the topics of genealogy, military life & art. She is the Vice-President of the Michigan Genealogical Council and the Ford Genealogy Club, a Director for the Washtenaw County Genealogical Society, the Corresponding Secretary for the Detroit Society for Genealogical Research, and currently serves on the Membership Committee of the Federation of Genealogical Societies.

Online registration is now closed, but you can register at the conference on either Friday or Saturday.