2023 Schedule of Upcoming Lectures: Stay Tuned!
Presentation Topics:
New for 2022:
Beyond the Basics
You've been bitten by the genealogy bug, and there is no cure. You've found your ancestors in census records, cemetery records, and birth, marriage and death records. What's next? Learn how to search and find information in land, probate and military records, both online and offline.
Beyond the U.S.
Even if you have an Ancestry World subscription, you may be missing out on important records of your ancestors overseas. Learn about other databases and websites that hold vital clues to your ancestors' lives in England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, Germany, and others.
Perennial favorites:
The Murder of Rhoda Jones: How a DNA Test Solved an 1883 Mystery (and what I learned along the way)
In early June of 1883, Rhoda Jones was found next to the railroad tracks a half mile from her home, her skull crushed. The newspapers called it suicide, and the case was published widely in MIchigan newspapers. However, the coroner's jury "found it curious" that her stockings were clean and she wore no shoes. Learn how DNA testing of one cousin led to her parents' names and a motive for murder, and proved the identity of her first husband, who deserted during the Civil War.
I've Done the DNA Test - Now What Do I Do?
DNA testing has become affordable for millions of people and is now an essential tool for anyone tracing their family history. Learn how to interpret your ethnicity results, sort your DNA cousins into “networks”, contact relatives, and download your raw data to transfer to other databases. Case studies will illustrate brick-wall breakthroughs, including unknown parents.
Beyond the Internet: Finding Family History Records That Are Not Online
It’s a myth and a fairy tale to think that everything related to genealogy and family history is online. Sources exist outside of the internet that can solve the hardest family puzzle – in letters, photographs, microfilms, archives, libraries and university collections. Professional genealogist Claudia Breland, author of Genealogy Offline will demonstrate the types of records and where to find them, drawing on over 40 years of research experience.
Beyond Ancestry.com: Searching for your ancestors online
Ancestry.com is one of the largest genealogy databases on the internet today, and they have the advertising dollars to make themselves known. However, there are many, many other online resources (most of them free) that can supplement the information you have on your family and fill in the missing puzzle pieces. We’ll talk about census records, vital records, online newspapers, state archives and libraries, cemetery records, military records, and more.
Finding and Using Historic Newspapers
There are many genealogy databases and family trees online where you can discover the names, dates and places of your ancestors’ lives. That’s the skeleton – now let’s put flesh on the bones and faces to the names by discovering the stories your ancestors lived. We’ll talk about the proliferation of newspaper databases online (both free and subscription) and how to obtain newspapers that are not online. Birth announcements, wedding notices, obituaries, and other stories illustrate the lives of those who came before us.
Fees for Lectures and Presentations:
I am available to give presentations to your library or genealogy society across the country. All my lectures are given in person, with a PowerPoint presentation and paper handouts, which will be emailed to the organizer at least two days before the event.
My rates vary, according to distance traveled, time needed to prepare, and number of presentations. My basic fee for presentations in Western Washington libraries is $150-250 for a two hour presentation.
My rates vary, according to distance traveled, time needed to prepare, and number of presentations. My basic fee for presentations in Western Washington libraries is $150-250 for a two hour presentation.
All content (c) Claudia Breland, 2022