"Finding Your Elusive Ancestors" Annual Seminar by Manatee Genealogical Society

Saturday, January 25, 2025 "Finding Your Elusive Ancestors" 10:00 am to 4:15 pm EST - VIRTUAL SEMINAR Registration: https://mgsfl.org/ The Manatee Genealogical Society is hosting a Virtual Seminar on Saturday, January 25, 2025, 10:00 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. EST. Four nationally known speakers will address the theme of the seminar: “Finding Your Elusive Ancestors,” and the seminar will serve as a fund-raiser for the project to digitize the Veteran Bounty Land Records, being coordinated by the National Genealogical Society (NGS) and the National Archives Records Administration (NARA). You will be able to submit your questions to the speakers for expert guidance, and you will also have the chance to win prizes from major genealogical companies. Registered attendees will have access to recordings of the speakers for 30 days. Registrations received by December 31, 2024 will be entered in an Early Bird drawing. Program speakers and topics: Tom W. Jones, PhD, CG, CGG, FASG, FNGS, FUGA, “DNA Helps Clarify a Puzzling Relationship and Reveal forgotten Mixed-Race Ancestry: A Case Study” This presentation shows how genealogical reasoning can overcome a scarcity of records to identify unrecorded parents. The research methods it demonstrates include the resolution of conflicting evidence, recognizing that differing details refer to one person, distinguishing men of the same name, and testing multiple hypotheses to identify which of four sisters was the mother and which of twenty-four men with the same Y DNA was the father. Tom is a genealogical researcher, author, and educator whose Manatee County roots predate 1908. He has been tracing his ancestry since 1963 and teaching genealogical methods since 1997. Besides twenty-five published genealogical case studies, he wrote the textbooks Mastering Genealogical Proof and Mastering Genealogical Documentation, three chapters in Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice and Standards, and one chapter in Advanced Genetic Genealogy: Techniques and Case Studies. He edited the forthcoming book Forensic Genealogy: Theory and Practice. Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL, The Legal Genealogist, “Landing the Fourths: Proving a Case with Court, Land, and DNA Evidence” The father of Gustavus Boone Robertson (1827 MS-1903 TX) was William M. Robertson (c1795 NC-1864 MS). But who was Gustavus's mother? No record directly identifies her, but court, land, and DNA evidence combine to prove the case as to the identity of this third great-grandmother and, in doing so, landing the fourths—fourth great-grandparents, that is. Judy G. Russell, The Legal Genealogist®, is a genealogist with a law degree who provides expert guidance through the murky territory where law and family history intersect. An internationally known lecturer and award-winning writer, she holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist® and Certified Genealogical Lecturer? from the Board for Certification of Genealogists®. Her blog is at https://www.legalgenealogist.com. Richard G (Rick) Sayre, CG, CGL “Bounty Land Applications as Good as a Pension” Many bounty land records rival pension records in their genealogical value. These records provide evidence of military service and even evidence of kinship. The federal government and some states awarded land from 1776 to 1855 to encourage and reward service in the military. Awards continued into the early twentieth century. Heirs and associates may be found in these records. Strategies to locate these records will be explained. Today more and more of these resources are available online and even more will be digitized soon. Richard (Rick) G. Sayre is a Certified Genealogist®, and a Certified Genealogical Lecturer. He is also past president of the Board for Certification of Genealogists. His areas of genealogical expertise encompass records of the National Archives, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Daughters of the American Revolution, including military records, land records, using maps in genealogy, urban research, Irish research, and government documents. Lisa Louise Cooke, “Reconstruct Your Ancestors’ World with Google” A wide variety of rich resources are available for free through Google. But it’s not just Google search that can lead you to finding genealogy gems. Google’s empire includes a collection of free online tools that are all powered by the same Google search engine, and many are brimming with historical information. In this case study session, you'll learn the techniques and strategies needed to flesh out an ancestor's story using a variety of Google tools and bring it all together in a compelling video that can be shared. Lisa Louise Cooke is the author of several books including The Genealogist's Google Toolbox, 3rd edition. She produces and hosts the popular Genealogy Gems Podcast (founded in 2007) and publishes weekly videos at the Genealogy Gems YouTube channel. She offers a Premium Membership service at her website at https://lisalouisecooke.com featuring exclusive on-demand genealogy education. And she writes a regular column for Family Tree Magazine and produces the Family Tree Magazine Podcast. COST: Members - $40; Non-members: $50. Learn more about our speakers and register for the seminar at our website: https://mgsfl.org/. Hope to see you there! The Manatee Genealogical Society