Presentations

 Becoming Americans

This class is a general overview of the immigration records available that help us piece together how, when, and why our immigrant ancestors came to America.  We will discuss passenger lists, alien registration files, naturalization records, as well as many records and where to find them.

Casket Girls – Brides for French Colonists

Filles à la cassette, or Casket Girls, were women who were brought from France to the French colonies in the early 1700s to help populate French territories which were predominately settled by men. The name comes from the small chests, known as casquettes in which they carried their clothes. Learn why, to this day, these women are mentioned on every ghost tour in New Orleans. Discover who these women really were, their journey to the French colonies, and the challenges they faced once they arrived.

Criminals, Mobsters, and the Truth Behind My Name (A Case Study)

Joey Caccarozzo's grandfather told her when she was young girl that their surname, "Caccarozzo," was not their true surname.  Through the years, family members told a number of different versions of how her family came to have that surname.  Joey will take us along her journey to reveal the truth behind her surname.

DNA - Getting Started with Genetic Genealogy (Beginner)

Learn how DNA testing can help you with your family tree research.  This class will discuss the various types of DNA tests, the main testing companies, and the rewards and risks of testing your DNA.

DNA - An Essential Tool for Every Genealogist (Intermediate)

If you haven’t tested yet you should.  DNA testing can help you find missing relatives, confirm your paper trail, and even break through brick walls.  The DNA testing companies are constantly offering new and exciting advances in the field.  Joey will talk about Ancestry’s ThruLines, MyHeritage’s Theory of Relativity, 23andMe’s Relatives in Common, among others innovative resources to take your research to the next level.

DNA - How to Make Sense of Your DNA Results (Intermediate)

In this class, we will discuss how to group your matches into genetic networks to make them easier to work with. You will also learn some tricks to easily build out your matches’ family trees in order to find a common ancestor.  

DNA - GEDmatch, The Basics and Beyond (Intermediate)

GEDmatch is a website where you can upload your DNA results from most testing companies and compare them to other people in the database.  This class covers both the free tools and Tier 1 tools at GEDmatch.  We will cover the DNA matching and comparison tools, chromosome browsers, triangulation, and more.  This website is constantly coming out with new tools and this class will change to give you the most up-to-date information.

DNA - Next Steps (Intermediate)

In this class, we will discuss how to group your matches into genetic networks, ways to organize your matches, and tips on how to identify and contact your matches.  You will also learn some tricks to easily build out your matches’ family trees in order to find a common ancestor.  

DNA -  Getting the Most Out of Your DNA Results (Advanced)

This presentation will give a brief overview of several third-party tools you can use to understand, sort, organize, and analyze your DNA results.  In this session, the most popular sites will be covered including GEDMatch, DNAGedcom, Genome Mate, DNA Painter, and Genetic Affair's AutoCluster tool.  

Eastern European Research

This lecture will focus on mid-19^th century through 20^th century immigration from present day Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Hungary, Russia, and more.  Learn how to find your Eastern European ancestors through traditional and online sources, including how to identify your ancestral village.  We will also cover various challenges with researching Eastern European ancestors and how to overcome them.

Hidden History: America's Interment Camps

During World War II, over 125,000 Japanese Americans were held in internment camps. However, it is not widely known that Germans and Italians were also forcibly removed to internment camps. Thousands of others lost property, were subject to nightly curfews, or were restricted from traveling more than five miles from their home. We will explore the treatment of "enemy aliens" and what records are available to researchers.

Researching Your Ancestors in Roman Catholic Church Records

Catholicism is the largest Christian faith with nearly a billion Catholics worldwide.  Catholic records pre-date civil registrations and, in some areas, records are available from the 1400s.  In some cases, Catholic priests recorded births, marriages, and deaths of all citizens, even if they practiced a different faith.  Learn what records were created, what information may be contained in those records, how to locate which parish your ancestors belonged to, and how to access these records.

Saying I Do

An overview of Marriage records.  We will discuss marriage registers, certificates, bonds, banns, applications, returns and contracts.  What are they and where can you find them?

The Do’s and Don’ts of a Successful International Research Trip

This class will cover everything you need to plan an overseas research trip like compiling a reference notebook, what to wear, what tech gear to bring.  

Tracing Your Italian Roots 

          

Over 4 million Italians immigrated to the United States between 1880 and 1920.  Now more than 17 million Americans are descended from Italian ancestors.  This presentation will help you discover your ancestor’s place of origin, what Italian records are available and where to find them, and tips for either hiring a professional genealogist in Italy or doing your own research.