Will We See You at the NGS Family History Conference?

The 2022 National Genealogical Society Family History Conference takes place this week, May 24–28, 2022, in Sacramento, California––and SLIG will be there!

Come visit SLIG's booth at the NGS Conference. We will be located at booth 214 in the Expo Hall inside the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center.

PRIZE GIVEAWAY!

Sign up in person at the SLIG booth for your chance at winning an AncestryDNA test kit.

While you are at the SLIG booth, be sure to have all your SLIG questions answered by members of the SLIG Committee.

Many of SLIG's course coordinators will be making scheduled visits to the SLIG booth. Come chat with them about their courses and interests:

• Wednesday, May 25

• 10:00 am–11:00 am: David E. Rencher (SLIG 2023––Behind the Scenes at FamilySearch: Technology and Features)
• 5:00 pm–5:30 pm: D. Joshua Taylor (SLIG Fall Virtual 2022––Advanced Techniques for Mastering Online Searches and Uncovering Digital Records; SLIG 2023––Bridging the Gap: New England to the Midwest, 1780–1850)

• Thursday, May 26

• 9:30 am–10:00 am: Kelvin L. Meyers (SLIG Fall Virtual 2022––Record Loss: Overcoming Destroyed, Missing or Non-Extant Records; Sources and Techniques/Methods)
• 4:30pm–5:00 pm: Karen Stanbary (SLIG Fall Virtual 2022––Proving Your Pedigree with DNA; SLIG 2023––DNA Dreamers: Integrating DNA Evidence to Resolve Complex Cases; SLIG Academy 2023––DNA Dreamers in Action: Writing Proof Arguments)

• Friday, May 27

• 9:30 am–10:30 am: Debbie Gurtler (SLIG Fall Virtual 2022––Advanced Hispanic Research)
• 10:30 am–11:30 am: Angela Packer McFhie (SLIG Fall Virtual 2022––Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum; SLIG Academy 2023––The Art of Writing Client Reports; SLIG Academy 2023––Intermediate Evidence Analysis Practicum; SLIG Academy 2023
• 11:00 am–12:30pm: Rebecca Whitman Koford (Capitol Kin: Research Ancestors Who Lived in Washington, D.C.)

We look forward to visiting with you at NGS in Sacramento!

SLIG and Academy Coordinators to Speak at the NGS Virtual Family History Conference

 The National Genealogical Society Virtual Family History Conference being held May 19-20 will feature some of our SLIG and Academy Coordinators for our upcoming courses for 2021 and 2022.

NGS will feature two days of live sessions plus on-demand options that will begin in the middle of June.

The list of upcoming SLIG and Academy Coordinators who will speak include:

Wednesday, 19 May 2021 LIVE! Sessions:

Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, FASG, FUGA, FNGS 

-Writing About and Documenting Genealogical Conclusions Using DNA Test Results

Craig R. Scott, CG, FUGA 

-BCG Skillbuilding: Establishing Identity and Kinship with Military Records

Thursday, 20 May 2021 LIVE! Sessions:

Judy G. Russell JD, CG, CGL 

-Wilde Beasts, Sabbath Breakers, and Incorrigible Rogues: Early Virginia Laws

On-Demand Lectures:

Angela Packer McGhie, CG

 -Strategies for Resolving Conflicting Evidence

-Homestead Records: A Goldmine for Genealogy

-Research Maryland Deeds Online Using MDLandRec.net and Plats.net

Karen Mauer Jones, CG, FGBS, FUGA

-Don’t Ignore the Sisters: The Keys to Unlocking Genealogical Mysteries 

Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, FASG, FUGA, FNGS

-Building a Case with Scant Evidence

Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL 

 -May I Please Have Your Permission? Using the Work of Others 

 -To protect people who provide DNA samples”: The Ethics of DNA Testing Using DNA

Rick Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA

 -Finding Military Records in Published Sources

Craig R. Scott, CG, FUGA

The Pension Office: Getting the Old Men Paid in Virginia 

Karen Stanbary, CG

 -Chasing Opportunity from Bas Rhin to Burlington, Iowa

-Creation of a Meaningful Lump of Wax out of Teeny, Tiny Drips

Congratulations to all the SLIG and Academy Course Coordinators!

Thank you for continuing to serve the genealogy community by providing quality education!

To see the current list of upcoming courses for SLIG and the Academy please visit: 

2021 Virtual Courses

SLIG 2022

Academy 2022

To register for the NGS 2021 Family History Conference to enjoy the presentations from our coordinators please visit:

NGS Family History Coference

NGS Livestreaming Announcement - Closes May 8, 2019

Sharing a recent post by NGS. Don't miss the opportunity to learn from current and past SLIG instructors!

The National Genealogical Society will live stream ten lectures by nationally recognized speakers on some of the most popular topics in the field of genealogy during its 2019 Family History Conference. On Thursday, 09 May, three live stream lectures will focus on DNA’s role in supplementing genealogical research. Also that day, two other talks will discuss ethnic research. The five selections on Friday, 10 May feature lectures sponsored by the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) that emphasize research, analysis, and problem-solving skills. NGS members and non-members across the United States and overseas, who are unable to attend the conference in person, are invited to sign-up for these live stream broadcasts.

Registrants for live stream can sign up for a one-day or a two-day pass.

Thursday, 9 May 2019: Viewers will be able to stream five lectures from 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. (CDT), including:

• The Fisherman Who Wanted to Marry the Executioner’s Daughter: Stories From German Marriage Sources—Warren Bittner, CG®
• UK Sources for Irish Immigrants—John Grenham, FIGRS, FGSI
• Using a DNA Map to Navigate Your Brick Walls—Blaine T. Bettinger, JD, PhD
• Finding Relatives Through DNA When Family Trees Do Not Exist—Bernice Bennett
• DNA: King Arthur’s Mighty Genetic Lightsaber—Roberta J. Estes

Friday, 10 May 2019: Five BCG Skillbuilding lectures will be live streamed from 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. (CDT), including:

• Context: A Powerful Tool for Problem-Solving—Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGLSM, FASG, FNGS, FUGA
• Writing the Family Narrative: A Strategy for Breaking Down Brick Walls—Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL
• Building a Credible Lineage Despite Missing Information, Conflicting and Incorrect Records, and Undocumented Publications—Thomas Wright Jones, PhD, CG, CGL, FASG, FNGS, FUGA
• Reporting on Research: Standards Encourage Better Communication—Nancy A. Peters, CG, CGL
• Writing a Conclusion Incorporating DNA Evidence—Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, CGL

Find details about the live stream program, plus additional conference recordings, on the PlaybackNGS Website.

Visit Us at the 2018 NGS Conference - Booth 227

Come visit us at Booth 227 in the exhibition hall during the 2018 National Genealogical Society’s Family History Conference. Ask us questions and get the lowdown on our full lineup of courses in 2019, including the brand new SLIG Academy for Professionals.

We have so many of our 2019 instructors giving lectures at NGS this year. Please take some time to see these exceptional teachers at their craft.

Please check the conference app and the online program for more details.

Name / Session ID / Title

Deborah A. Abbott, Ph.D.

F328 Free Negro Registers: A Northern Resource

S415 Menus, Housekeepers, and First Ladies: Discovering Unique Michigan Manuscript Collections

Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D.

T260 Native American DNA: Separating Fact from Fiction

F350 The Danger of Distant Genetic Matches

S460 Evaluating Genealogical Conclusions Using DNA

Jeanne Larzalere Bloom, CG

W122 Give Me…Your Huddled Masses Yearning to Breathe Free: Immigration and Naturalization

T211 BCG Certification Seminar

T251 Valid and Unsound Assumptions: What Was She Thinking?

F316 Pushing Up Daisies: Cemetery Research

Angie Bush, MS.

T250 Your Cousins Are Your Secret Weapon

F361 Using Research Logs and Creating Client Reports that Include DNA Results

S461 The Professional Toolkit: Making the Most of DNA Gedcom

John Philip Colletta, Ph.D., FUGA

W101 Coming Along the Towpath: The Erie Canal and the Peopling of the Great Lakes States [Opening session!]

T226 Your Ancestors' World Revealed: Using 19th-Century Newspapers for Family History

F349 Only a Few Bones: Case Studies in Assembling Sources to Reconstruct Real-Life Events

S416 Private Archives: What They Are and How to Use Them

Victor S. Dunn, CG

W126 Statistically Speaking—the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Vital Record Research

W151 Analyze This! Scrutinizing Evidence for Problem Solving

LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, J.D., LLM, CG

T203 Reasonably Exhaustive Research of African American Ancestors Who Came Out of Slavery

F318 Gleaning Genealogical Information About Enslaved Ancestors from the Probate Files of Slaveholding Families

S411 Transcribing Documents: There is More Than Meets the Eye!

Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS

W123 Turn a Name into a Life Story by Researching, Reasoning, and ‘Riting

T255 Using Michigan Records to Reconstruct a New England Family

F321 Using Indirect and Negative Evidence to Prove Unrecorded Events

S449 Inferential Genealogy: Deducing Ancestor’s Identities and Relationships

Michael D. Lacopo, DVM

W145 Finding Treasurers in the Hoosier Courthouse

F353 Mennonite Research: The Forgotten Swiss Germans

J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA

W146 Discovering Minister Isaac Steele and His Family Using Land Records and Manuscripts

T246 Making Those Early Census Records Talk

Angela Packer McGhie, CG

F301 History, Records and Context: Researching the Locations Your Ancestors Lived

F325 Early Land Records in Michigan and the Old Northwest Territory

David E. Rencher, AG, CG, FIGRS, FUGA

W121 The Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) is Your Friend, Not Your Enemy

S454 Methodology for Researching your Scots-Irish Ancestors

Judy G. Russell, J.D., CG, CGL

T213 The Discriminating Genealogist: Telling Good Evidence from Bad

T243 When Worlds Collide: Resolving Conflicts in Genealogical Records

F341 A Matter of Standards: DNA and the GPS

S433 Paths to Your Past: Story Telling to Bring Us Together

Pamela Boyer Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA

T258 Google Mapping Your Ancestors' Footsteps

Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA

W127 The Goldmine of Military Pensions

T201 The Poor and the Landless: Correlating Indirect Evidence to Build a Proof Argument

F314 Irish Research—Using Online Resources

Karen Stanbary, MA, LCSW, CG

S420 Weaving DNA Results into a Proof Argument

D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS

W133 Genealogical Mis-adventures from New York

T245 Fifteen Tools for Tracing Your New York Ancestors Online

Ari Wilkins

F302 The Great Migration: Tracking African Americans to Northern Industrial Cities

S448 Studying Free People of Color in Apprentice Records

Please check the official NGS app and website for details.

SLIG 2019 registration opens this July! See you then!

6 SLIG 2019 Instructors Streaming from NGS!

Not going to the National Genealogical Society's Family History Conference this May in Grand Rapids, Michigan? Well, you can stream live sessions right to your own home. SLIG is proud to have 6 instructors participating in the live streaming.

 LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG

“Reasonably Exhaustive Research of African American Ancestors who came out of Slavery”

Angie Bush, MS

“Your Cousins Are Your Secret Weapon”

Blaine Bettinger, PhD, JD

“Native American DNA: Separating Fact From Fiction”

Angela Packer McGhie, CG

“History, Records and Context: Researching the Locations Your Ancestors Lived”

Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS

“Using Indirect and Negative Evidence to Prove Unrecorded Events”

Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL

“A Matter of Standards: DNA and the GPS”

You can access the full schedule and times here: http://www.playbackngs.com/

We will publish a thorough list of all our instructors for the whole conference. Stay tuned!

SLIG at the 2017 NGS Family History Conference

 The annual National Genealogical Society's Family History Conference will be held 10-13 May 2017 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Our SLIG 2018 team will be there in full force along with many course coordinators and instructors.

 When you're strolling through the exhibit hall, stop by booth 326 and talk to our Director, Peg Ivanyo. We have many new courses available in 2018 and some classics coming back.

 SLIG 2018 Course Coordinators and Instructors at NGS

ANGELA PACKER MCGHIE, CG

W126 Using Identity Characteristics to Locate Your Ancestors

T217 Beyond Population: Researching in the Special Census Schedules

CARI A. TAPLIN, CG

W125 The Most Prominent Citizens: Using County Histories in Your Research

CRAIG ROBERTS SCOTT, MA, CG, FUGA

W158 North Carolina in the War of 1812

F325 Researching a Revolutionary War Ancestor in North Carolina and Virginia

DAVID OUIMETTE, CG, CGL

T251 Silent Border Crossings: Tracing the Elusive Immigrant Who Left Only Breadcrumbs for Clues

JOHN PHILIP COLLETTA, PHD, FUGA

W159 Understanding Archives: What They Are and How to Use Them

T203 Hacks and Hookers and Putting Up Pickles: Snares of Yesteryear’s English

S433 Lectures vs. Talks: Documentability on a Sliding Scale? ($)

F313 The Library of Congress: An Introduction and Overview

JUDY G. RUSSELL, JD, CG, CGL

W133 Preserving the past, protecting the future: FGS + RPAC ($)

W121 The Law and the Reasonably Exhaustive (Re)Search

T242 DNA and the Hidden Half of the Family (LS)

S403 Courting North Carolina: The Courts of the Tarheel State

F307 Rainbows and Kaleidoscopes: Inclusion as a Professional and Personal Genealogical Standard

MICHAEL D. LACOPO, DVM

S459 “She Bore Her Suffering with Christian Fortitude”: Using Religious Newspapers and Periodicals

F317 “She came from Nowhere…” - A Case Study approach to a difficult Genealogical Problem.

MICHAEL L. STRAUSS, AG

F355 Refugees, Claims, and Conscription: Your Ancestors During the Reconstruction Era

PAMELA BOYER SAYRE, CG, CGL, FUGA

T247 Newspapers and Periodicals at the Library of Congress

T202 When You’re Not Who You Thought You Were (LS)

S413 Clues in Missouri Migration

RICHARD G. SAYRE, CG, CGL, FUGA

W148 The Mexican War—An Important War for Southern Research

T211 BCG Certification Seminar

F324 Using Maps of the Southeast United States to further your Genealogical Research

F305 Finding your Ancestor in Military Bounty Land Applications

THOMAS W. JONES, PHD, CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS

F305 Finding your Ancestor in Military Bounty Land Applications

W153 Planning “Reasonably Exhaustive” Research

S431 Citing Your Sources: Comedy or Tragedy? ($)

S427 Genealogical Documentation: The What, Why, Where, and How

F351 Converting a Bunch of Information into a Credible Conclusion (LS)

Please check the NGS online schedule for specific dates and times.

Hope to see you there!

SLIG in Florida!

 We attended the National Genealogical Society's annual Family History Conference in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida this year. SLIG was there with a booth set up in the exhibition hall where we were able to talk to long-time SLIG participants and reach out to those who haven't attended an institute before. Our booth was attended by SLIG Director, Peg Ivanyo, and SLIG Marketing Coordinator, Mary Jane Saylor, and help from Paul Hawthorne, Stephanie Saylor, and a handful of SLIG volunteers.

Mary Jane Saylor and Valerie Elkins

Stephanie Saylor answering questions

We had the fortunate support from some of our upcoming course coordinators who stopped by to answer questions to prospective students. Lots of past students also stopped by to say hello and find out about the upcoming courses in 2017.

Thomas W. Jones

Catherine W. Desmarais

Peg A. Ivanyo with prospective student

Mary Jane Saylor and Peg A. Ivanyo

 We would like to thank all the wonderful course coordinators for spending time at the booth answering questions about their course.

• Thomas W. Jones
• Angela McGhie
• Catherine Desmarais
• Pamela Boyer Sayre
• Richard G, Sayre
• Barbara Vines Little
• Jeanne Larzalere Bloom

     Thank You!

 Please be sure to visit our website for the upcoming 2017 courses offered. Click here.

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