Solving Tough Problems on a Rough Day

When I'm having a rough day due to my health, like today, and can't drum up much energy to post, I post one of those amazing videos from the Legacy Family Tree Webinars series. 

James Ison (AG) recorded GPS: Finding Your Way Through Tough Research Problems earlier today:

Life is good when records with direct evidence exist. Typically that doesn't last long. At some point, one finds only bits and pieces of indirect or conflicting evidence and progress often comes to a screeching halt. This class examines a case study prepared for application to the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) where direct evidence was non-existent in identifying the family of  Jesse Roberts of Greenville County, South Carolina. Key strategies are presented to piece together strands and threads of evidence from disparate sources using the Genealogical Proof Standard.

1 hour 21 minutes

Free to non-subscribers through August 28, 2018

If you aren't a subscriber to this ridiculously affordable service you are missing out.



© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Limited Time Free Webinar: "Better Together: Making Your Case with Documents and DNA" by Patti Lee Hobbs

You've taken one or more DNA tests.  Now what do you do with that information?  Let Patti Lee Hobbs, CG show you some of the ways that professional genealogists use the results of DNA tests in her webinar "Better Together: Making Your Case with Documents and DNA:"

The genealogical proof standard requires reasonably exhaustive research in solving ancestral-identity problems. DNA evidence is now often part of that research. Even the best DNA evidence must be combined with some traditional research. This webinar will show different ways that genealogical problems have been solved by integrating DNA evidence with the paper trail.

Runs 1 hour 28 minutes
Free to non-subscribers through April 24



© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Limited Time Free Webinar: Catherine B. Wiest Desmarais presents "From Baltimore to Burlington: Hazen P. Day's Neighbors Bring Him Home"

I've been going through my 4th great grandfather Solomon Hartley's neighbors and associates in Philadelphia for years now, trying to see if I can find any more hints about his ancestry:

Solomon Joseph Hartley; 
Update on Solomon Joseph Hartley;
Update on the Update; 
Brick Wall part 1;
Brick Wall part 2;
Some Notes on People living along Coates' in Philadelphia circa 1810)

Plus, today I submit a summary of people living at the same address as Solomon Hartley in the Philadelphia directories (1807-1814):

1807
Emlen's Court
Barber John M (1768-1828?) bricklayer Emlen's court
Hartly Solomon, rigger Emlen's court
Parker Phoebe widow Emlen's court

1808
Emlen's Court
Barber John M. bricklayer Emlen's court
Hartley Solomon, rigger Emlen's court
Miller Michael, shoemaker Emlen's court
Wiley (?) Richard (1765-1842), ship joiner Emlen's court
 (note: "Wildey Richard, shipjoiner, Emlin's court" in 1809 city directory: http://www.archive.org/stream/philadelphiadire1809phil#page/312/mode/2up)

1810
43 Coates'
Hartley Soloman, rigger 43 Coates'
Stackhouse H. [Hastings?] (1781-1840)hatter 43 Coates' alley

1811
43 Coates'
Anderson John, rigger, near 43 Coates'
Hartley Solomon, rigger, 43 Coates'

1813
49 Browne/Brown
Fisher, Jacob (1777-1850) 49 Brown
Hartley Solomon 49 Browne
Shaffer John, tanner back 49 Browne

1814
49 Browne/Brown
Fisher George, drover 49 Browne
Fisher Jacob, carpenter 49 Browne
(note by 1830 Philadelphia city directory has him as "Fisher Jacob, house carp 50 Browne")
Hartley Solomon, mariner 49 Browne
Shaffer John, tanner back 49 Browne

I feel confident that he at least knew these people listed at the same address.  What relation or association they had with Solomon is as yet unknown, but they are leads.

I was very happy to see a similar FAN-type approach in a webinar presented this week by Catherine B. Wiest Desmarais, "From Baltimore to Burlington: Hazen P. Day's Neighbors Bring Him Home:"

A Maryland resident claimed an 1816 Vermont birth to Vermont-born parents, but no known record provides his specific birthplace or his parents' or siblings' names. Studying his ties to his neighbors and those associates who shared close geographic, vocational, political and religious proximity brings a Maryland man home to his Vermont family. Learn how the presenter analyzed, correlated, and  assembled common and lesser-known records to build a persuasive case.

Board for Certification of Genealogists
Runs 1 hour 11 minutes
Free to non-subscribers through March 27, 2018







© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Limited Time Free Webinar: Pam Stone Eagleson presents "Finding Thomas' Father: an 18th Century Prince William County Virginia Case Study"

Oh boy do I have a few of these types in my ancestry--Virginians in the 1700s:

Thomas Stone left few records when he died in 1791 in Prince William County Virginia. No document or reference names his parentage. Finding Thomas's father took thirty years. Using indirect evidence and helped by technological advances, Thomas's father has been found. Land records make the case. This presentation demonstrates the process of creating a proof argument to identify Thomas's father.

Pam Stone Eagleson presented this Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) webinar, "Finding Thomas' Father: an 18th Century Prince William County Virginia Case Study," on January 16, 2018.

Runs 1 hour 23 minutes
Free through January 23, 2018

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Limited Time Free Legacy Family Tree Webinar: "The Law and the Reasonably Exhaustive (Re)Search" presented by Judy G. Russell

I've been waiting for this one for a while!  The Law and the Reasonably Exhaustive (Re)Search
by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL:

There's a difference between searching and researching, and understanding how the law impacts records and research is critical to the reasonably exhaustive research needed to meet the Genealogical Proof Standard. Learn how the law impacts records -- and how finding the right law for the right place and time is critical to genealogy.

This webinar is hosted and sponsored by the Board for Certification of Genealogists (check out the updated website!).

Free to non-subscribers through December 26, 2017



© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Limited Free Time Webinar: David Ouimette presents "Databases, Search Engines, and the Genealogical Proof Standard"

The Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) videos at Legacy Family Tree Webinars continues to grow (35 available for subscribers as of today).  You can see one their latest ones, "Databases, Search Engines, and the Genealogical Proof Standard" presented by David Ouimette, for free for a limited time (through October 24, 2017):

With billions of indexed records available online, what methodologies should the researcher employ to best leverage these resources in keeping with genealogical standards?

Runs 1 hour 17 minutes.  
Originally aired October 24, 2017


© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Limited Time Free Webinar: "Analyzing Documents Sparks Ideas for Further Research" Presented by Angela Packer McGhie, CG

You are missing out if you don't have a subscription to Legacy Family Tree Webinars.  They have amazing presentations on all aspects of genealogy released on a continual basis, and most of it is NOT available to non-subscribers.

A subset of their offerings are hosted and sponsored by the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG), a highly respected organization that professional genealogists often use as part of their education.  If you are like me and can't physically attend the various institutes and seminars provided throughout the country, this is a great way to further your skills from your computer.

Today's webinar is in the BCG category and is presented by Angela Packer McGhie, "Analyzing Documents Sparks Ideas for Further Research":

Taking the time to analyze documents for reliability, context and information can provided useful clues. Using these clues to map out a research plan can advance your research.

1 hour 25 minutes.  Originally recorded July 18, 2017, and is free for non-subscribers through July 25, 2017.




© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Thursday Night Free Webinar: Elissa Scalise Powell presents "Beating the Bushes: Using the GPS to Find Jacob Bush's Father"

One of my former teachers at the Boston University Online Genealogical Program, Elissa Scalise Powell, presents a another great webinar, "Beating the Bushes: Using the GPS to Find Jacob Bush's Father."

Eli Bush's grandfather was reported to be Daniel Bush, but was his father Jacob? Witness the research process unfold as land, probate, census, tax lists, and church records are correlated. Watch out for pitfalls such as different men with the same name and other red herrings.

Runs 1 hour 24 minutes.  Recorded June 20, 2017, and is free to non-subscribers through June 27, 2017.





© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Thursday Night Free Webinar: Debbie Parker Wayne Presents "MAXY DNA: Correlating mt-at-X-Y DNA with the GPS"

Need tips from an expert on using the DNA results in a genealogical proof standard?  You know I do!

Debbie Wayne Parker presented "MAXY DNA: Correlating mt-at-X-Y DNA with the GPS" on May 16, 2017:

MAXY DNA includes mitochondrial DNA (M), autosomal DNA (A), X-DNA (X), and Y-DNA (Y). Case studies demonstrate analysis principles and techniques that work. Learn to correlate DNA test results with documentary research as part of the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS).

This webinar is hosted and sponsored by the Board for Certification of Genealogists.

1 hour 27 minutes.  Free for non-subscribers through May 23, 2017.



© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Saturday Night Free Webinar: Rick Sayre presents "The Genealogy in Government Documents"

Rick Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA presents the webinar "The Genealogy in Government Documents":

An often under used resource, evidence of kinship abounds in publication such as the Serial Set, American State Papers, and the Territorial Papers. We explore these publications and discover efficient ways to access them. 

This webinar is hosted and sponsored by the Board for Certification of Genealogists.

If you, like me, have limited experience or exposure to these kinds of documents, you'll really want to watch this one!



Originally recorded April 18, 2017.  Runs 1 hour 29 minutes. Free for non-subscribers through April 25, 2017.





© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Two New Webinars on Using DNA at Legacy Family Tree Webinars

I am very pleased to see that Legacy Family Tree Webinars has two DNA webinars this week.

"Weaving DNA Test Results into a Proof Argument" (free for non-subscribers through February 28, 2017) presented by Karen Stanbary, is labeled as part of the webinar library's Board for Certification of Genealogists collection:

This lecture illustrates how to integrate each element of the Genealogical Proof Standard in a proof argument that relies heavily on autosomal DNA test results to answer a relationship research question. The examples are drawn from "Rafael Arriaga, A Mexican Father in Michigan: Autosomal DNA Helps Identify Paternity." National Genealogical Society Quarterly (June 2016).

"Finding Missing Persons With DNA Testing" (free for non-subscribers through March 1, 2017) presented by Diahan Southard:

Do you have an adoption in your line, or are you adopted yourself? Do you have an ancestor who just refuses to be found? DNA testing can be a very powerful tool to help fill in the blanks in your family tree. But how helpful can it really be when you know absolutely nothing about the person you are trying to find? As it turns out, with the right techniques and a careful search, your DNA might be able to tell you more than you think.

© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.