| View a listing of Past Programs (February 1994 through January 2012) |
2012
February 21, 2012 – Charles S. "Chuck" Mason, Jr. CG SM
“Mapping the Neighborhood to Understand Our Ancestor’s Lives”
Where did our ancestors live, shop, work, attend church, and go for
recreation? Coordinating the information found in our ancestors records with
maps of the area and time-period where they lived can reveal a great deal
about their lives.
Chuck specializing in Southern New Jersey and 19th and 20th Century Death
Records. He is a 1996 and 2001 graduate of NIGR, has lectured at the institute,
and is a past president of the NIGR Alumni Association. He is also past
president of both the Fairfax and the Mount Vernon Genealogical Societies
Chuck teaches genealogy classes for the Fairfax County Adult Education
program, grades lesson for the NGS home study course and has lectured at
many of the genealogical societies in the Washington DC area, Virginia
Genealogical Society, the Virginia Beach Genealogical Society, Gloucester
County NJ Historical Society, the International Association of Jewish
Genealogical Societies annual conference, and the Federation of Genealogical
Societies' conference.
Chuck is a co-host of Tracing Your Family Roots (tracingroots.nova.org) at
Fairfax Cable Television Channel 10. In July 2009 he received the Distinguished
Service Award from NGS and the MVGS Sustained Service Award in 2010.
March 20, 2012 – Marie Varrelman Melchiori, CG , CGLSM
“Using Records in the National Archives: A Researcher’s View”
This session covers National Archives records from a researcher*s view. Some
of these records are available on microfilm, some have been digitized and are
on the Internet, while some are still original/textual records only available at
NARA.
The main focus of the lecture is to describe the all important finding aids to
NARA records. The session deals more with how to locate the records rather
than the information contained in the records. By describing the finding aids
and how they work it is then possible for the researcher to locate records other
than census, pension, bounty land and complied military service records. Some
of the record series are already described in the online finding aid called
Archival Research Catalog (ARC). ARC allows the researcher to plan their trip to
NARA before they leave home.
There is an explanation of how and why the records are arranged the way they
are. So many different government agencies created the same or very similar
types of records that even if the records desired are missing there may be other
records that would furnish similar information.
Marie is a professional genealogist, specializing in military records in the
National Archives, Washington, D.C. She has lectured at National Genealogical
Society and the Federation of Genealogical Societies National Conferences since
1988. She has lectured on military records for Samford University's IGHR and
the Salt Lake Institute. She was the Assistant Director of the National Institute
on Genealogical Research from 1988 to 2002 and continues to lecture on
military records for them. She conducted workshops on military records for the
National Archives.
Marie has been a member of the Fairfax Genealogical Society since 1978,
serving as president from 1982-1983. She has been a member of the Association
of Professional Genealogists since 1983, serving as Executive Vice President
from 1990-1993, and as Trustee from 1994 thru 1999, awarded their Graham
Thomas Smallwood, Jr. Award of Merit in 1999. She was certified by the Board
for Certification of Genealogists in 1980 and served as a Trustee from 2000-
2006. She is a Charter Member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild. A member
of NGS for over 25 years she serves as a co-director for the NGS January
Research Trip to Salt Lake City.
April 17, 2012 – Robert D. McLaren
DNA Testing for Genealogy: The Basics
This session will cover the terminology used in DNA testing; how DNA samples
are collected and factors to consider in doing DNA testing; as well as the
various types of DNA testing and how the results can be used in genealogy.
Bob has been doing genealogical research for over 35 years. He has been a
professional genealogist since 1993. He is the Clan Genealogist for both the
Clan MacLaren Society (Scotland) and Clan MacLaren Society of North
America. He is the Project Administrator for four Surname DNA Projects
including the very large worldwide Clan MacLaren DNA Project.
May 21, 2012 – John Philip Colletta
Turning Biographical Facts into Real Life Events
The biographical facts you discover about your ancestors did not happen in a
vacuum. Our ancestors were born, lived, and died under specific physical
circumstances at specific times in history. This lecture demonstrates how to
turn biographical facts into the real-life experiences they were; how to gather
together and evaluate evidence about a particular event, including its historical
context, to “individualize” every ancestor in your family tree.
John has been lecturing and writing about genealogy for over 20 years. He has
conducted workshops for the National Archives and taught courses for the
Smithsonian Institution. Today he lectures nationally, teaches at local schools,
and is a faculty member of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research at
Samford University (Birmingham, AL) and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy
(Salt Lake City). He has also been an instructor and course coordinator for the
National Institute on Genealogical Research (Washington, DC), the
Genealogical Institute of Texas (Dallas), and the Genealogical Institute of Mid-
America (Springfield, IL). His publications include two manuals -- They Came in
Ships: A Guide to Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor's Arrival Record and Finding
Italian Roots: The Complete Guide for Americans -- and numerous how-to
articles. His latest book -- Only a Few Bones: A True Account of the Rolling Fork
Tragedy and Its Aftermath -- is a history of the German-speaking merchants of
the Mississippi Delta during Reconstruction. It is written around the mysterious
destruction of his great great grandfather's country store, and its five
unfortunate inhabitants. Dr. Colletta has appeared on local and national radio
and television, is featured in Episode Four of "Ancestors," the ten-part KBYU-TV
series, as well as its sequel aired in 2000. He has received many honors in his
field, including fellowship in the Utah Genealogical Association and
distinguished service awards from the Dallas Genealogical Society and the
National Society, Daughters of Colonial Founders and Patriots.
June 19, 2012 – Constance Potter
World War I Graves Registration and Gold Star Mothers
Beginning in World War I, the military began an extensive program of marking
the graves of soldiers and later consolidating the burials in a central cemetery.
In the early 1930s, the Federal government paid for a trip for the mothers and
widows of World War I soldiers killed and buried overseas. The women visited
Paris and the grave sites of their sons and husbands. Because of the 1973 fire in
St. Louis, these graves registration records can be the best source of
information for a World War I soldier.
Constance Potter is a reference archivist at the National Archives and Records
Administration Washington, DC. She writes and speaks about federal record of
interest to genealogists including federal census records, Laura Ingalls Wilder,
World War I graves registration and Gold Star Mothers, the effects of weather
on family history, and women during the Revolutionary War era. She is
working on the reference aspects of the 1940 census. Potter has worked at the
National Archives since 1983.
July 17, 2012 – Sharon Hodges
200 Hundred Years Ago – The War of 1812
Two Hundred years ago the United States was in its second war with Great
Britain. Discover the reasons why the war began and where to locate the
various records – service records, pensions, bounty land, and impressed
seaman – and many others that hold genealogical information.
A professional genealogist, teacher, author and lecturer, Sharon has been
involved in genealogical research for over 20 years. She has presented
presentations at numerous Genealogical Society meetings and conferences in
the mid-Atlantic region; is a grader for the NGS Home Study Course and a
graduate of the National Institute for Genealogical Research. She is a member
of the Fairfax Genealogical Society and the Mount Vernon Genealogical Society,
having served as a member of the Board of Directors of both organizations. In
addition Sharon is a member of NGS, the Mid-Atlantic Germanic Society, and
numerous New Jersey and Virginia genealogical organizations and specializes in
Northern New Jersey, District of Columbia, and Northern Virginia research.
August 21, 2012- Leslie Bouvier
Postal Routes and Our Ancestors
The who, what, where, when, why and how of mail from before the Revolution
into the 19th century and what we can learn about our ancestors by looking at
the records.
Leslie Dalley Bouvier was born in Washington, D.C., and has been a genealogist
for over 20 years and a professional genealogist for over 8 years. She was on
the Executive Board of the Fairfax Genealogical Society, and has sponsored 2
Special Interest Groups (SIGs). She specializes in Colonial American research;
New Amsterdam/New York City; northern New Jersey; Germany; and
Scandinavia.
September 18, 2012 – Vic Dunn
Solving Problems with Tax Records
When other sources fail, tax lists often provide resolution to same-name
scenarios, evidence of relationships, estimated birth and death dates and proof
of migration.
Vic Dunn, CG, is a former NGS treasurer, is a BCG trustee, and instructor at
IGHR. He is a frequent contributor to NGSQ.
October 16, 2012 – Pamela Boyer Sayre
“Rogues and Rascals: Divorced, Litigious or Downright Criminal Relatives!"
Many researchers from "good" families never consider looking for ancestors in
records like court minutes, divorce actions, or prison logs. This lecture presents
ideas for unlikely sources to search, with examples from the lecturer's own
family. We will take a humorous look at why genealogists should be delighted
to find such records.
Pam is the principal researcher, author, lecturer, and president of Memory Lane
Genealogy and an associate of the Board for Certification of Genealogists
(BCG. She is a past board member of the National Genealogical Society, past
board member of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, and an honorary life
member of the St. Louis Genealogical Society. In addition, Pam is past editor of
the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly, former chair of St. Louis
Genealogical Society's Computer Interest Group, and a former genealogy
instructor at St. Louis Community College.
November 20, 2012 – Pamela Cressey
“Discovering the Past through Documents and Dirt”
More can be learned about our past by using both the written record and
archaeological finds together. In some cases, oral history can also provide
major insights to expand our appreciation of the past in conjunction with the
dirt and the documents. Information found about people through deeds, wills,
and other sources leads to greater insight about the past when coupled with
the places and artifacts discovered by archaeological investigations. Ms.
Cressey will use case studies of archaeological sites found in Alexandria during
this presentation.
Ms. Cressey has been the City Archaeologist of Alexandria since 1977 and
teaches at The George Washington University in the departments of
Anthropology and American Studies. Her specializations include Historical and
Urban Archaeology; Community Archaeology; Archaeological Management;
Preservation Planning, Politics and Law; Amenities Planning and Development;
Public Archaeology; Archaeology Museums and Collections Management; and
Heritage Tourism. For Alexandria Ms. Cressey is involved in, among other
projects for Alexandria, the Alexandria Afro-American Neighborhood Project;
The Waterfront Project; The Alexandria Canal Project; Quakers and Alexandria
Development; Alexandria Archaeological Atlas Project, and the Freedmen’s
Cemetery Project.
December 18, 2012 – Holiday party
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