Meet Our Course Coordinators at the NGS Family History Conference

NGS exhibit booth 216 is the place to be this year at the National Genealogical Society’s Family History Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Come meet the #SLIG2017 course coordinators and get the inside scoop about their courses. Ask and learn from the best experts genealogy has to offer.

Visit us at Booth 216!

Open Q&A times:

Wednesday, 1:00 - 1:30 - Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS
   Advanced Genealogical Methods

Thursday, 1:45 - 2:15 - Angela McGhie, CG
   Advanced Evidence Practicum and Virtual Practicum

Thursday, 2:30 - 3:00 - Catherine Desmarais, CG
    The Coaching Lab: Forensic Genealogy from Inquiry to Affidavit

Friday, 10:30 - 11:00 - Pamela Boyer Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA
    Researching in Washington, D.C., without Leaving Home

Saturday, 10:30 - 11:00 - Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA
    The Family History Law Library

Saturday, 12:30 - 1:00 - Barbara Vines Little, CG, FNGS, FVGS
    Virginia from the Colonial Period to the Civil War: Her Records, Her People, Her Laws

Saturday, 2:30 - 3:00 - Jeanne Larzalere Bloom, CG
    You be the Judge: A Practicum Using Standards to Evaluate Genealogical Work

Where Can You Find D. Joshua Taylor?

D. Joshua Taylor has been mesmerizing audiences as the host of PBS' Genealogy Roadshow. He recently assumed the helm as the President and Executive Director of the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society (NYG&B). He is concurrently serving as the President for the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS).

The accomplished professional genealogist will be the coordinator in January 2017 for his course "Diving Deeper into New England" at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG). Starting with the colonial period and moving to the 1850s, “Diving Deeper into New England” will take an in-depth look at New England research, specifically focusing on little-known and underused sources.

In May, you will have the opportunity to hear Josh at the NGS Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where he will be presenting the following lectures:

• "Context and More: JSTOR for Genealogists"
• "Before You Click: Creating Your Online Research Plan"
• "To the Rescue: 10 Times a Local Society has Haved My Bacon" ($)
• "Focus on Place: Building Locality Profiles for Your Research"
• "Leaving Your Digital Footprint: Preserving Your Files"

Then you can plan to join him at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy in January 2017. Check the website at http://ugagenealogy.org/cpage.php?pt=408 to answer your SLIG questions and for information on registration.

Advanced Methodology with Thomas W. Jones

The Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) is proud to have Thomas W. Jones with us again in 2017 to coordinate his course, "Advanced Genealogical Methods." Students learn how to use and assemble evidence to rediscover ancestral origins, identities, and relationships that have been forgotten in the passage of time. 

The course will address advanced use of evidence from a variety of genealogical records and research in populations for which the usual records are in short supply. Students also will learn how to develop written proof summaries to show their conclusions’ accuracy and create a credible record of their findings for present and future generations of family historians.

If you are attending the National Genealogical Society's conference in a few short weeks, you will have the opportunity to experience for yourself Tom's knowledge and expertise. He will be presenting the following lectures:

• "Going Beyond the Bare Bones: Reconstructing Your Ancestor's Lives"
• "Systematically Using Autosomal DNA Test Results to Help Break Through Genealogical Brick Walls"
• "Missing Something? Getting the Most out of Genealogical Evidence"
• "Solving Genealogical Problems with Unimaged Original Records"

I would expect that you will be ready to hear from Tom after listening to these great lectures. If so, be sure to check http://ugagenealogy.org/cpage.php?pt=408 for updates on SLIG registration. His course fills quickly and is an educational experience that you do not want to miss!

Please note that his course has prerequisites: this intense course is targeted to “high intermediate” genealogists who have completed an intermediate level methodology course or who have equivalent experiences, and whose research includes original land and probate records or digital or microfilmed images of land and probate records.

SLIG's "Dynamic Duo" Speaking at NGS

As you wait to register for the SLIG course, "The Family History Law Library," you have the chance at the NGS conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to hear both Judy Russell and Rick Sayre as they share their knowledge with conference attendees.

You can attend any or all of Judy's appearances:

• "When Worlds Collide: Resolving Conflicts in Genealogical Records"
• "BCG Certification Seminar, Part 1"
• "BCG Certification Seminar, Part 2"
• "Separate but Unequal: Slave Laws and their Records"
• "Three Lawyers Walk into a Luncheon: Spilling the Goods on Copyright" ($)
• "Dower and Dowry: Women, Property, & Legal Records"
• "Laws of the Indies: Spanish Florida Laws and the Records They Produced"

Rich will be sharing his expertise on cemeteries, Florida military, land records and resources and repositories:

• "Cool Tools for the Cemetery"
• "Florida in the Civil War"
• "Mapping Apps for Genealogists (LS)"
• "Territorial Papers of the Southeastern United States (1798-1845)"

The will be teaming up together in January 2017 to coordinate their law course, which will cover the basic legal concepts and legal research approaches appropriate for genealogists and will require the student to employ these concepts with hands on exercises using the resources of the FHL. Topics will include courts and their records, estate laws, legislative records, pensions, and property law.

Additionally, elements of both English common law and Roman law will be introduced through classes on the legal concepts found in Irish, German, and French law that relate to research in those countries and their relevance to research in the United States.

For more information on the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, go to http://ugagenealogy.org/cpage.php?pt=413.

SLIG Coordinator, Barbara Vines Little, will be at NGS!

SLIG is excited to have Barbara Vines Little come out of retirement to coordinate her course, "Virginia from the Colonial Period to the Civil War: Her Records, Her People, Her Laws" in 2017!

The course will focus on Virginia resources and the background information (law, social customs, geography, etc.) needed to properly interpret them. Substitutes for missing records, Virginia records in out-of-state repositories, and unique manuscript records in small, local repositories will be addressed. Emphasis will be placed on records available either online or through microfilm loan programs; however, researchers will also be introduced to records available only in manuscript form at either the local level or in larger research repositories. 

If you like like the opportunity to learn from her expertise in the meantime, she will be speaking at the NGS conference being held in (location). Her presentation topics include:

• Chancery Records: The Secrets They Hold, the Families They Reveal
• On a Scale of One to Ten: Weighing the Evidence
• Identifying Women: The Ultimate Brick Wall
• Backtracking Your Migrating Ancestors: A Methodology That Works

Please keep referring back to the SLIG website at http://ugagenealogy.org/cpage.php?pt=408 for current information on the 2017 SLIG institute. We hope you will be joining us in January 2017!

SLIG 2017 Highlight: The Family History Law Library

Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL

Want to know one of the key differences between a good genealogist and a great one? Knowledge of and experience with court records! And who better to learn from than The Legal Genealogist herself Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL, and the knowledgeable Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA.

The course will cover the basic legal concepts and legal research approaches appropriate for genealogists, and will require the student to employ these concepts with hands on exercises using the resources of the FHL. Topics will include courts and their records, estate laws, legislative records, pensions, and property law.

Additionally, elements of both English common law and Roman law will be introduced through classes on the legal concepts found in Irish, German, and French law that relate to research in those countries and their relevance to research in the United States.

Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA

Previous attendee Michelle Ganus Taggart said of her experience, “The Law Library Course at SLIG was a fun and engaging class packed full of great information.  Coordinators Judy Russell and Rick Sayre helped us see the many ways the law impacted our ancestors' lives.  We learned where to find the laws, how to apply them, and how understanding the law of the time period can help provide clues that lead to further discoveries about our ancestors in related records. Among other things, we learned about civil law, common law, family law, probate law and military law. During the course I literally kept a running list of new things to try in my own research and I left excited to put my new knowledge to work. This class provided me with new tools that have helped me tackle some of my most stubborn genealogical problems!

Have questions about The Family History Law Library, and if it’s the right class for you? Email us at info@ugagenealogy.org.

For more information about Judy Russell, visit her blog The Legal Genealogist.