2017 Schedule of Upcoming Lectures:
Wednesday, April 18, 2018, 2 pm
Frank Tobey Jones Retirement Center, Tacoma
Beyond the Internet: Finding Family History Records that are not online
Wednesday, April 25, 2018, 2 pm
Frank Tobey Jones Retirement Center, Tacoma
Finding and Using Historic Newspapers
Saturday, July 28, 2018, 2 pm
Orting Library, Orting, WA
Discover Your Family History
Presentation Topics:
New for 2018:
Becoming a Professional Genealogist
If you’ve been researching your family history for years, and have wondered what it takes to become a professional genealogist, wonder no more! This presentation will detail the education and experience needed to take this step forward. Included will be information on conferences and institutes, professional memberships, and helpful textbooks and study groups.
Genealogy In-Depth: Using Ancestry and FamilySearch Effectively
You may be using these websites every day to research your family history, but are you using them effectively? Come and learn how to navigate the millions of record collections online to their fullest advantage, and how to access records not available for home viewing.
Genealogy In-Depth: Using Local Library Databases
If you haven’t been using the terrific variety of databases the King County and Pierce County Library Systems have to offer, you’re missing out! Come learn how to use genealogy, newspaper and military databases, as well as databases that provide historical and cultural background for your ancestors.
Genealogy In-Depth: Using Land and Probate Records
You’ve collected census records, birth, marriage and death certificates, found records of gravestones and military service. Now it’s time to take your research to the next level with land and probate records. Discover what your ancestors owned, where they lived, and the relationships that are often stated in wills and deeds.
Beyond Outlander
Many of us can trace our ancestry to the English colonists, or to the Scots emigrants who fled Scotland after the Battle of Culloden. This lecture will walk you through the process of tracing these ancestors, including the best record types and online databases, as well as records that are not online.
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.
Writing Your Family History (without using genealogy software!)
It’s a dilemma that faces all genealogists: how to tell your family’s story in an interesting, engaging way that will captivate readers, even those who are not interested in names and dates. Learn how to write up your research using word processing, addressing conflicts and comparing sources, using breadcrumbs (AKA footnotes) to leave a trail of exploration for future researchers.
Case Studies in DNA
Results from DNA testing can solve family mysteries, disprove traditions, and lead to new avenues of research. In this presentation I discuss five stories, including:
1. The Girl in the Orphanage (New Jersey, 1870)
2. The Boy in the Sawmill (New Hampshire, 1812)
3. Native American Ancestry (Mississippi, 1910)
4. Who was Ruth Prosser Chase's father? (Michigan, 1860)
5. Did Rhoda Prosser Jones really commit suicide? (Michigan, 1883)
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.
Discover Your Family History: an introduction to genealogy
Interested in tracing your family history but don’t know where to start? This session will walk you through the early steps of this exciting pastime. Learn how to start filling out pedigree charts and interviewing relatives before you sit down at the computer, discover free sources online and at the library, and explore the different types of books and magazines to help you on your way. For beginners.
DNA and Genealogy:
Genealogists have been researching using paper records for centuries, and new technology has only made it better. With DNA testing becoming available and affordable, Opportunities await for those who are seeking answers to questions about their heritage. Learn (in plain English!) the basics of DNA, how it can help you discover your roots, the best companies to test with, and how to join with others to find a common heritage.
Genealogy in the Computer Age
Searching for your ancestors used to mean keeping paper records, writing letters, and visiting courthouses. With the advent of widespread computer use, genealogical research has entered a new dimension. This session will teach you how to choose and use genealogy software, online family trees, genealogy databases, 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, 2018
