Upcoming Webinars
November 2024
400,000 German POWs in the U.S.: How did they affect your community and family?
- Presenter: Mary Risseeuw
- Date: Tuesday, November 19, 2024
- Time: 7:00 PM Central
- Webinar Description: For millions of rural Americans, farmers and owners of small businesses, POW labor was a life-saver for a country where a labor shortage had been created by the war. Abandoned Civilian Conservation Corps camps built during the Depression were the sites of the first camps as boat loads of German POWs were brought to the U.S. There were over 700 camps established throughout the country. This had a huge affect on the communities where these camps were located. The stories of the interactions between prisoners and civilians and their impact were not talked about for decades. The stories are still being uncovered.
- Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2651988396843855199
December 2024
The American Revolution Beyond the US: French Canadian Patriots
- Presenter: Bryna O’Sullivan
- Date: Tuesday, December 17, 2024
- Time: 7:00 PM Central
- Webinar Description: The battle for control of the American colonies went beyond the current US colonies and into what we now know as Canada. This presentation will introduce the history of the French Canadian patriot and describe how to document their service
- Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/392482106596505182
January 2025
Aspects of adoption
- Presenter: Dr Penny Walters
- Date: Tuesday January 21, 2025
- Time: 7:00 PM Central
- Webinar Description: This session will discuss the practical realities, the excitement and pain of researching a ‘new’ family. We will look at the invaluable information that can be revealed to adopted people through DNA testing. Reunions may not go as well as expected, so some adopted people can find a lot of satisfaction in finding other relatives, or constructing an ancestral tree, all of which can help with the impact on identity and personal narratives. Penny will reflect briefly on her own adoption story, and discuss the variety of ethical dilemmas that can arise.
- Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5684581111695499101
February 2025
Pinning Down Your Ancestors' Locations
- Presenter: Pam Vestal
- Date: Tuesday February 18, 2025
- Time: 7:00 PM Central
- Webinar Description: Where did your ancestors come from? Where did they disappear to? Although finding locations can be the key to following our ancestors back in time, we often slam up against brick walls. In this talk, we'll explore practical strategies for tracking down our ancestors' whereabouts by overcoming spelling and handwriting problems and using collateral research, gazetteers, image searches, maps, and loads of unexpected and underused resources.
- Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3737785823555379291
March 2025
Translating, Transcribing and Summarizing Documents Using AI
- Presenter: Thomas MacEntee
- Date: Tuesday March 18, 2025
- Time: 7:00 PM Central
- Webinar Description: Learn how to harness the power of artificial intelligence to assist in translating, transcribing, and summarizing a variety of genealogy records. A handwritten baptismal record from the 1800s? No problem. A faded newspaper obituary? No problem. We’ll cover the best AI platforms as well as how to craft a solid prompt to get you the results you need.
- Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2773503130879580251
April 2025
From Clutter to Clean
- Presenter: Allyson Maughan
- Date: Tuesday April 15, 2025
- Time: 7:00 PM Central
- Webinar Description: You were given family history pictures that have been handed down for years. They pile up in folders and boxes in the garage and basement. The quantity or disorganization keeps you from digging into these priceless documents. You know your family history is located in them, but you have been unable to unlock the mystery because of the clutter. In this class, six steps will be discussed to help you move your pictures from a tower of clutter to photo box of clean.
- Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/453172956458340440
May 2025
Kansas City Here I Come! Researching in this Midwest City
- Presenter: Cynthia Keefer Patton
- Date: Tuesday May 20, 2025
- Time: 7:00 PM Central
- Webinar Description: Did your grandfather serve in World War I? Need to retrieve Naturalization documents at NARA? Learn all that Kansas City has to offer genealogy researchers. From the Midwest Genealogy Center to the Truman Library and several university special collections, this vibrant city offers genealogists a wonderful destination to research, discover, and enjoy the local attractions.
- Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1884408341846019424
June 2025
Unlocking Genealogical Mysteries: Strategies and Tools for Autosomal DNA Investigations
- Presenter: Aimee Rose-Haynes
- Date: Tuesday June 17, 2025
- Time: 7:00 PM Central
- Webinar Description: Discover various at-home DNA testing options and their significance in genealogical research. This session explores the basics of autosomal DNA, Y DNA, and mtDNA, and highlights the importance of centimorgans (cM) in determining genetic relationships. Gain insights into effective methodologies such as the Dana Leeds Method, which includes color coding on Ancestry DNA, and learn about tools like Banyan DNA for complex cases. Understand the Shared cM Project and WATO (What Are The Odds) for relationship predictions. Explore resources like Newspapers, Public Records, Fold3, and Google to enhance your family research. Recommended readings for further understanding will also be provided. Equip yourself with essential strategies and tools to unravel genealogical mysteries through autosomal DNA investigations.
- Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6444059972489234521
July 2025
Introduction to U.S. Naturalization
- Presenter: Sara Cochran
- Date: Tuesday July 15, 2025
- Time: 7:00 PM Central
- Webinar Description: Millions came, stayed, and naturalized. The benefits of becoming a U.S. citizen were significant and included the right to vote and claim land under the homestead act. In this overview of the naturalization process we’ll look at key laws and requirements for citizenship, from 1776 to the mid-1900s, and the records generated by the process.
- Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/302981867127784795
August 2025
Clues to Conclusions: Can You Prove It? Intro to the Genealogical Proof Standard
- Presenter: Marian Burk Wood
- Date: Tuesday August 19, 2025
- Time: 7:00 PM Central
- Webinar Description: To go from clues to answers for tough family history challenges, find out what it means to "prove" something in genealogy. With several intriguing real-world case studies, this how-to presentation defines and demonstrates the use of the Genealogical Proof Standard for planning research, analyzing sources and details, resolving conflicting clues, and coming to a credible solution with higher confidence. Seeing the proof process in action can provide insights and practical ideas for turning clues into provable conclusions.
- Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7182520569005984858
September 2025
Tech Skills for Genealogists
- Presenter: Natalie Webb
- Date: Tuesday September 16, 2025
- Time: 7:00 PM Central
- Webinar Description: Coming to genealogy from a long career in IT, I quickly realized how many genealogists could benefit from education on basic tech skills. In today's world, so much of genealogical research is intertwined with technology, and this course aims to give genealogists the basic tools they need to succeed.
Note: This program is designed to be software agnostic, making it suitable for both Microsoft and Apple users. I will be utilizing free tools such as Google Sheets and ChatGPT for live demonstrations and homework assignments, ensuring that it will be accessible to everyone.
- Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5570907002546827866
October 2025
Alienation of Affection Divorce in the United States
- Presenter: Christine Cohen
- Date: Tuesday October 21, 2025
- Time: 7:00 PM Central
- Webinar Description: Divorce is not just a 20th Century phenomenon. At first, granted by the State Legislature and then by the Courts, these are public records. The case files can include marriage date and place, names and ages of children, current and former residences, and affidavits by the spouses about their marriage and reason for divorce. Clues are in the Census, City Directories, Military Pensions, County Histories, County Courthouses & especially in Newspapers. This could be the reason for a "lost spouse".
- Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8363356474818860639
November 2025
Society Briefs, Village News … or the other “Gossip Columns”
- Presenter: Mary Risseeuw
- Date: Tuesday November 18, 2025
- Time: 7:00 PM Central
- Webinar Description: Before Facebook there was an interesting tradition in journalism: the society and small-town correspondent columns. You could read about anniversary celebrations, illnesses, business trips and who came from out of town for a visit. These columns can provide useful, and often amusing, tidbits that can fill in the blanks and connect the dots about your family and community. Examples are from around the world and also chronicle 54 years of a woman’s life through the use of one-liners in the village news.
- Registration: Coming Soon
December 2025
Are you a Quebec Daughter or Son of the American Revolution?
- Presenter: Lisa Elvin-Staltari
- Date: Tuesday December 16, 2025
- Time: 7:00 PM Central
- Webinar Description: In this presentation we will be examining the role that Quebec( French) citizens played in the American Revolution, helping the Cause, and defying the British government. This involvement by these “French Canadian Patriots” can become the source of admission to the D.A.R. or S.A.R. We will explore the history of Quebec (New France) prior to 1776, and the locations where the War of Independence was fought in Quebec. Following a short description of the Lineage societies, we will explore some resources to create a lineage to a French-Canadian Patriot. Finishing up, three case studies will be examined.
- Registration: Coming Soon
|
