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2018 Abrams Foundation Family History Seminar
07/20/2018 – 07/21/2018
All Day
Location
Michigan Historical Center
Featuring Dave Lambert
Lambert has published many articles in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, the New Hampshire Genealogical Record, Rhode Island Roots, The Mayflower Descendant, and American Ancestors magazine. He has also published A Guide to Massachusetts Cemeteries (NEHGS, 2009). David is an elected Fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston, Mass., and a life member of the New Hampshire Society of the Cincinnati. He is also the tribal genealogist for the Massachuset-Punkapoag Indians of Massachusetts.
Seminar Details:
Schedule
Date / Time | Session |
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Friday, July 20, 2018 | |
1:00 – 1:45 p.m. | A. Break into the Past: A Game for Genealogists
Inspired by the escape room phenomenon, this game has players solve a puzzle using a series of clues, including genealogical resources. |
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. |
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2:00 – 3:00 p.m. | C. Over the Top: Researching Your Michigan World War I Ancestor
Kris Rzepczynski, Archives of Michigan Explore the fabulously rich record collections and resources available for Michigan World War I servicemen. |
D. City Directories: Not Your Average Phone Book
Daniel Earl, MS Many beginning genealogists stay close to census, birth, marriage, and death records and largely ignore a valuable resource: city directories! These records are not your average phone book to be sure. This presentation will teach participants what city directories are available online, where hard copies are located near them, and will use a case study to solve a brick wall problem. |
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E. Putting It All Together
James Jackson, Professional researcher Most lectures focus entirely on a particular type of record or research methodology, i.e. family records, church and civil records, census research, land records, military service, etc. This presentation follows one (well-known) pioneer family, through their travels ‘Out West’, examining the many records that were generated and left behind – just like your family. |
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3:30 – 4:30 p.m. | F. Anatomy of Coroner’s Records
Annakathryn Welch, Archives of Michigan One way we track our ancestors’ is through their deaths. However, some deaths can prove to be more interesting than others. This discussion will explore coroner’s records here at the Archives of Michigan and dissect the information found in them. |
G. Finding Records of Your Detroit and Wayne County Ancestor
Thomas Koselka, Michigan Genealogical Council Examines the records created by, for, and about our ancestors in Detroit and Wayne County, Michigan. We will explore who created them and when, what information is in them, why they were created, and where they can be located today. |
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H. I Have a DNA Test Result – What Comes Next?
Dr. James Sims 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. |
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Saturday, July 21, 2018 | Barbara J. Brown Family History Day
Educational programs and family fun activities throughout the Michigan History Center; held concurrently with the Abrams Foundation Family History Seminar, including an oral history recording booth and genealogical trivia. As a longtime President of the Abrams Foundation, Barbara Brown’s commitment to family history and generous support helped make the Abrams Foundation Historical Collection the destination collection that it is today. |
9:30 – 11:00 a.m. | Researching New England Vital Records
David Allen Lambert, New England Historic Genealogical Society This lecture will cover the vital record resources for each New England State from the Colonial Era through the 20th century Vital Records. The resources of original, microfilm and digitized resources for CT, MA, ME, NH, RI and VT will be discussed. |
11:00 AM – 11:45 a.m. | Mini-Sessions
Be Sure to check out the ongoing Barbara J. Brown Family History Day activities! |
J. Utilizing the Abrams Foundation Historical Collection
Kris Rzepczynski, Archives of Michigan In this mini-session, attendees will hear about the many resources available in the Abrams Foundation Historical Collection, one of the larger family history collections in the country. States of particular strength include those with historic ties to Michigan, including the New England region, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. |
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K. Naturalization Records Online! The Archives of Michigan & FamilySearch
Jill Arnold, Archives of Michigan The Archives of Michigan and FamilySearch, with assistance from the Michigan Genealogical Council, are partnering to digitize hundreds of thousands of Michigan naturalization records. In this mini-session, come hear about the current status and future plans of the project! |
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1:00 – 2:00 p.m. | L. Researching Colonial New England Probate Records
David Allen Lambert, New England Historic Genealogical Society New England Probate records were different in each colony. Learn about the resources and where to find them online from home, or how to best research without visiting the courthouse. |
2:30 – 3:30 PM | M. The Voyage to America
Katherine Willson, Researcher & lecturer Learn about your immigrant ancestors’ voyage to America, and how those journeys changed from the 17th century through the 20th century. How did our ancestors prepare for the journey? What immigration restrictions & quota laws did they face? How were ports of departure and arrival chosen? What was the ticket cost? How long would the journey take, and what were the expected ship accommodations? |
N. Licensed to Work: Professional Registries at the Archives of Michigan
Jill Arnold, Archives of Michigan Government agencies have at different times required members of certain occupational fields to register, ranging from barbers and doctors to boxers and drugless healers. This program will review how to determine an occupation for an individual, identify collections of interest within the Archives of Michigan, and review what kinds of family history information are held within these registries. |
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O. TB in the Family Tree
Jessica Trotter, Researcher & blogger This session looks at ways to find out more about TB patients, staff and other residents in the heyday of Sanatoriums in America (the early 20th century to the 1940s) with examples from the Michigan State Sanatorium. |
Speaker Bios
Arnold, Jill:
One of the Archivists frequently helping researchers in the Reading Room, Jill Arnold is a Digital Engagement Archivist with the Archives of Michigan. She works to engage a variety of audiences with Seeking Michigan (seekingmichigan.org), the online platform of the Archives of Michigan. 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.
Earl, Daniel:
Daniel’s interest in genealogy was sparked at age 10 when his dad took him to visit the grave of his great-grandfather. Daniel has a Master’s degree in Psychology, serves as the Vice-President of the Michigan Genealogical Council, Vice-President of the Mid-Michigan Genealogical Society and is the President of the Hungarian Genealogical Society of Michigan. He has spoken across the US and Canada sharing his humor and insights with groups from 2 to 200.
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 Past-Camp Commander for Camp 22 (Marshall, MI) of the Sons of Union Veterans.
Koselka, Thomas:
Tom has been researching his family history for over twenty-five years. Tom is currently the President of the Detroit Society for Genealogical Research and Past-President of the Michigan Genealogical Council and the Dearborn Genealogical Society and serves as a board member, mentor, and advisor to several genealogical societies. He is retired from Dearborn Music and lives in Westland with his wife, Valerie.
Lambert, David Allen:
David Lambert has been on the staff of the New England Historic Genealogical Society since 1993 and is the organization’s Chief Genealogist. David is an internationally recognized speaker on the topics of genealogy and history. His genealogical expertise includes New England and Atlantic Canadian records of the 17th through 21st century; military records; DNA research; and Native American and African American genealogical research in New England. Lambert has published many articles in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, the New Hampshire Genealogical Record, Rhode Island Roots, The Mayflower Descendant, and American Ancestors magazine. He has also published A Guide to Massachusetts Cemeteries (NEHGS, 2009). David is an elected Fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston, Mass., and a life member of the New Hampshire Society of the Cincinnati. He is also the tribal genealogist for the Massachuset-Punkapoag Indians of Massachusetts.
Rzepczynski, Kris:
A Senior Archivist at the Archives of Michigan, where he specializes in family history and Michigan research, Kris has worked in the genealogical community for nearly 20 years. He is a former Vice-President of Membership for the Federation of Genealogical Societies and a Past-President of the Mid-Michigan Genealogical Society.
Sims, Dr. James:
A trained professional scientist, Dr. James Sims has more than 20 years of experience as an amateur genealogist working mostly in the Southern and Mid-Atlantic states from the British colonial period to the 20th century. He has more than 15 years of experience in genetic genealogy, and currently serves as the volunteer administrator of the Symes DNA project, which is associated with the Family Tree DNA testing company.
Trotter, Jessica:
Jessica Trotter holds a Master of Science in Information, Archives and Records Management Specialization from the University of Michigan—but actually works as a Selection Specialist at Capital Area District Libraries in Mid-Michigan. Her genealogy research areas include African American, British Isles, Canadian, and Early American research. She also maintains a genealogy research related blog called Genie Roadtrip (genieroadtrip.wordpress.com).
Welch, Annakathryn:
Annakathryn is an Assistant Archivist at the Archives of Michigan where she handles reference inquiries, processes reproduction and permissions requests and works on digitization projects. She is currently a graduate student in the MLIS program at Wayne State University where she is specializing in Archival Administration.
Willson, Katherine:
Katherine serves as the President of the Michigan Genealogical Council and the Virtual Genealogical Society-Michigan Chapter, Vice President of the Ford Genealogy Club, Director for the Washtenaw County Genealogical Society, Corresponding Secretary for the Detroit Society for Genealogical Research, and one of the Board of Directors for the Association of Professional Genealogists.
Registration:
Online registration is now closed, but you can register at the conference on both Friday, July 20 and Saturday, July 21. Lunch is not guaranteed.
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