KAY ALLEN, Speaker at Family History Day

It is a pleasure to introduce Kay Allen as a speaker at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

Kay Allen is an Accredited Genealogist (accredited in the Middle Atlantic States) and has been immersed in genealogy for over 40 years since joining the Church of Jesus Christ, Latter-day Saints. She has been a Family History Consultant, a Sunday School Family History Instructor and a Ward Examiner (a person designated to check a group sheet being submitted to ensure that all was in order; this position no longer exists).  As such, not only has she learned the sources for her own on-going genealogical research, but those for areas not even close to where she is searching.

Although not yet accredited specifically in New England or the British Isles, Kay has done extensive research on her ancestors from these areas. In England, she has visited the Society of Genealogists and the National Archives in Kew Gardens. Kay has also been privileged to visit the National Archives, the National Library and the Registry of Deeds in Dublin and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland in Belfast.

Kay Allen will be presenting Hatch, Match, and Dispatch: the Essentials of English Genealogy. Learn about the B, M and D, and the records generated thereby.

JERRY UNRUH, Speaker at Family History Day

It is a pleasure to introduce Jerry Unruh who will be a speaker at Family History Day at the California State Archives.
Jerry has been researching his genealogy for more than thirty years. Early on, he wrote his own genealogy program when the few programs available were unable to meet his needs. He eventually switched to Family Tree Maker to be able to more easily exchange data when other family members became infected with the genealogy bug.

Jerry has been a member of the Placer County Genealogical Society for more than twenty years and has held several positions within the society including six years as President. He currently maintains their website, serves as newsletter editor and has been supporting their Family Tree Maker User Group for the last several years.

Jerry will be presenting Internet Research, techniques for using the world wide web in your ancestral search.

DONALD MACRAE, Ph.D., Speaker at Family History Day

Donald MacRae, holds a PhD in etymology from the University of Edinburgh. Dr. MacRae’s early interest in language and linguistics led to a broader interest in the origins of surnames, genealogy, heraldry and the history of Scottish Clans and Tartans. His professional background includes lecturing and workshops,
membership in various heraldic, genealogical and names societies.

Since 1968 he has been the Director of the American Heraldic and Genealogical Institute in Sacramento.

Dr. MacRae will be presenting the Science of Names, how the origin of surnames can help with your genealogical research.

PAMELA DALLAS, Family History Day Speaker

It is a pleasure to introduce Pamela Dallas as a speaker at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

Pamela lectures nationally and locally on a wide range of topics, speaking frequently at society meetings, conferences and presenting full-day workshops. She is a professional researcher and a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the Genealogical Speakers Bureau and several local societies. Pamela has served on the board of many societies. She played a key role in the success of the National Genealogical Society Conference held in Sacramento in 2004. Pamela has appeared on local television and radio talk shows to discuss genealogy and has written and appeared in several genealogy instructional videos aired on local TV. She believes the best part of genealogy is the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people.

Pamela will be presenting two classes:

I Can't Do My Research, the Courthouse Burned: Researching Burned Counties: Are you stuck in a “Burned County?” Burned counties (counties with extensive records loss due to fire, flood, or other disasters) offer difficult challenges for genealogists. This class will help you discover creative ways to outwit the “Burned County” problem.

Evaluating Evidence:  This class will present research practices to help you separate fact from fiction and how to document its degree of reliability.

MELINDA KUSHUBA, Speaker at Family History Day

It is a pleasure to introduce Melinda Kashuba who will be a speaker at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

Melinda Kashuba holds a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a popular lecturer and author of Walking with Your Ancestors: a Genealogist’s Guide to Using Maps and Geography (Family Tree Books, 2005) plus numerous articles in genealogical magazines and other publications. She performs genealogical research for clients and is a member of the National Genealogical Society, the Association of Professional Genealogists, California State Genealogical Alliance, and the Shasta County Genealogical Society.

Melinda possesses archival, library and courthouse research experience throughout California, Nevada, and Hawaii as well as at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, the National Archives in Washington, D.C., the Library of Congress, the Daughters of the American Revolution Library, and The Newberry Library in Chicago. Her expertise is in nineteenth and twentieth century American genealogical sources including, of course, maps. She lives with her family in Northern California.

Melinda Kashuda will be presenting two classes at Family History Day:

Using Military Maps in Genealogical Research
Did your ancestor serve in the military? Have you considered locating maps to help tell the story of his or her service? Did your ancestor own land where a famous battle was fought? Were your family members residing in the South during the Civil War but you are not sure of the location of their property? Chances are great that you can locate a map created by the military to help you answer many of these questions. The Civil War was the first major war that was documented thoroughly by military cartographers on both sides of the conflict. During and after the Civil War, newspapers and book publishers also created maps to help tell the story of particular battles. This lecture is designed to show you how to access maps both in print and online related to military-map making during times of war and peace.

Civil War Research
As a product of a “mixed marriage” between a Southern father descended from Confederates, and a Northern mother, descended from Union veterans, Melinda Kashuba grew up hearing a lot about the Civil War. Spend a quick forty minutes with her learning the basics of how to research a Union or Confederate ancestor. Several major online Civil War databases will be shown. Even if your ancestor did not serve, your Southern family may have made a claim against the U.S. government or had to swear an oath of allegiance to the federal government in order to reinstate their rights. The major lineage societies related to the Civil War and their requirements for membership will be briefly mentioned.

TAFFY GOULD COUTS, Speaker at Family History Day

It is a pleasure to introduce Taffy Gould Couts as a speaker at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

An Arizona native, Mrs. Couts started working in genealogy 36 years ago. In 2006, she attended the Genealogical Institute at the National Archives.  She completed the Certificate Program in Genealogy at Boston University in July 2009.

Mrs. Couts has taught Native American Genealogical Research for the past 13 years. She has taken classes at the University of California, Davis in the Native American Studies Major. Research has been conducted at California State Library, Sutro Branch, and Sacramento Branches. She has done major research at the National Archives in San Bruno, Laguna Nigel, Fort Worth and the Washington, D.C. and College Park branches. She also has attended classes at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. She has in the past volunteered at the Auburn, California Family History Center.

For the past four years, she has donated time and research for Native Americans being disenfranchised from their tribes. Among the most treasured research she undertook and completed was to research her great-great grandmother and the Supreme Court Appeal to the Dawes Roll. She has lectured throughout Arizona and California for various genealogical societies.

Mrs. Couts has Native American ancestry from Cherokee, Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes. One of her grandfathers was listed on the Henderson Roll, another supplied meat at the Chickasaw Constitutional Convention. She has recently completed testimony for some southern California documented Indians against the tribes that have tried to unenroll them as members. Those cases now go before the U. S. Supreme Court .

Mrs. Couts will be presenting Five Civilized Tribes - Southeastern Tribes Relocated to Oklahoma.  Learn about the history and social fabric of the tribes, the agencies involved and the types of records held in them.

CALIFORNIA STATE LIBRARY (Exhibitor) and KAREN PAIGE, Speaker, at Family History Day

California State Library
Sacramento

It is a pleasure to have a "double bill" at Family History Day at the California State Archives:  the California State Library will be an exhibitor and Karen Paige, a librarian there, will be a speaker.

The California State Library, a California public research institution, provides its customers with the accurate, up-to-date information they need to do their jobs easily, quickly, and confidently. Whether you are an elected official, a state employee, a representative of one of California’s libraries, a person with special reading needs or a member of the general public, the California State Library is here for you. Our staff, including librarians, researchers, and consultants are at your service.

What We Do
The 157-year old California State Library serves the people of California in several ways:

• It is the central reference and research library for state government and the Legislature
• It provides non-partisan research to the Legislature and the Governor.
• It collects, preserves, generates and disseminates information ranging from California's priceless historical items to today's online texts.
• It advises, consults with, and provides technical assistance to California's public libraries, and it directs state and federal funds to support local public libraries and statewide library programs, and services.

Some history
In 1850, California’s new legislature, seeing that the state’s facts, figures, and documents needed to be in a central location, established the California State Library in the State Capitol. In 1917, the California State Library established the Sutro Library in San Francisco from the private library of Adolph Sutro.

California History Room
in the Library Courts II building  

Karen Paige is a Librarian at the California State Library, California History Room. This division of the library holds a major collection of documents from and about California's rich history. The documents range from books, maps, newspapers, and periodicals, to pictorial materials (including daguerreotypes, lithographs, stereographs, and paintings) and ephemera (such as posters, programs, pamphlets, and sheet music). Researchers of all types—authors, historians, reporters, legislators, filmmakers, genealogists, historic preservationists, graduate students, teachers, and California citizens—visit the California History Room to use these resources. All are welcome!

Karen Paige will be presenting Genealogical Resources at the California History Room of the California State Library.  Learn about the materials in the California History Room, useful research guides, library rules of use and etiquette, photocopy service, and how to get there.

California State Library

California History Room

900 N Street, Room 200

Sacramento, CA 95814

(916) 654-0176

FAX (916) 654-8777

Email: cslcal@library.ca.gov

DONNA DUGLE YOUNG, Speaker at Family History Day

Flag of Ireland

It is a pleasure to introduce Donna Dugle Young who will be a speaker at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

Donna Dugle Young started researching her family history shortly after moving to Grass Valley from Los Gatos in 1996 and has been very active in the genealogy community ever since giving presentations at genealogy societies and seminars. She is currently Education Chairman of the Nevada County Genealogical Society and is leader of their monthly study group. She is also a member of the Placer County Genealogical Society and the Genealogical & Historical Council of Sacramento Valley. Donna was the leader of the Grass Roots Genealogy Group for six and a half years. Both Donna and Ron (her husband) are volunteer librarians at the Family History Center in Nevada City. They have made numerous research trips to Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, West Virginia, North Carolina and most recently Ireland tracking down information on their ancestors.

Donna Dugle Young will be presenting Beginning Genealogy I and II.   These classes are both an introduction for beginners and a refresher course for those who have been doing genealogy research for awhile. The presentation starts with the basics of how to write names and dates then continues to explain the reasons for the different charts and gives suggestions on how to organize your finds. In Beginning Genealogy II the emphasis is on where to find the information and documents that will enhance your family history including vital records, census and internet resources.

JUAN RAMOS and KEVIN TURNER, Speakers at Family History Day

It is a pleasure to introduce Juan Ramos and Kevin Turner who will host 40-minute tours of the California State Archives Preservation Lab and answer general questions regarding preservation of documents and bound volumes.

Hinging in the Preservation Lab

Juan Ramos has been a Document Preservation Technician for the California State Archives Preservation Lab since 1997.

Sewing in the Preservation Lab

Kevin Turner has been a Document Preservation Technician for the California State Archives Preservation Lab since 2005.

California State Archives

1020 O Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

Reference Desk Phone: 916-653-2246

Reference Desk Fax: 916-653-7743

Reference e-mail: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov

SEBASTIAN NELSON, Speaker at Family History Day

It is a pleasure to introduce Sebastian Nelson who will be a speaker at Family History day at the California State Archives.

Sebastian Nelson is an Archivist at the California State Archives and a member of the Academy of Certified Archivists. He has a Master’s degree in history from the University of Oxford and a Master’s degree in library science from San Jose State University. Sebastian studied heraldry and coats of arms as a graduate student in Great Britain. He also enjoys studying the American Civil War, researching the largest Union veterans’ organization, the Grand Army of the Republic, and watching the Antiques Roadshow on PBS.

Sebastian will be presenting Coats of Arms: Heraldry for Genealogists.  Discover how Coats of Arms can reveal clues about one’s ancestry. Learn how to find out if you have a Coat of Arms and what it looks like. Find out about records created by heralds that contain a wealth of genealogical information.

California State Archives

1020 O Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

Reference Desk Phone: 916-653-2246

Reference Desk Fax: 916-653-7743

Reference e-mail: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov

JESSICA M. HERRICK, Speaker at Family History Day

Checklist for Successful Archives Research

It is a pleasure to introduce Jessica M. Herrick who will be a speaker at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

Jessica M. Herrick is an Archivist at the California State Archives. She joined this repository in 2006 after spending more than five years as a historian for a private historical consulting firm. While working in the private sector, Jessica traveled throughout California researching in a wide variety of archives, libraries, historical societies, county and city offices, and state facilities. This extensive experience has served Jessica well as an archivist, giving her a unique perspective while assisting the public with their research needs. Jessica’s love of history was instilled in her first by parents fascinated with the American West, and subsequently during her schooling at California State University, Chico, where she received her B.A. and M.A. in History.

Jessica will be presenting The Wonderful World of Archives: A Primer. Getting started with historical research can often seem daunting and overwhelming. Drawing upon her years as a professional researcher, Jessica will give valuable tips and tricks to make visits to any archival facility easier and more efficient. How to get started, what to expect in general at an archive, and how to best use your time are topics that can benefit budding family historians and seasoned genealogists alike.

California State Archives

1020 O Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

Reference Desk Phone: 916-653-2246

Reference Desk Fax: 916-653-7743

Reference e-mail: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov

LINDA JOHNSON, Speaker at Family History Day

Ask Minerva

It is a pleasure to introduce Linda Johnson who will be a speaker at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

Linda Johnson began her own family history search in 1988 when enrolled in an undergraduate class at CSU, Sacramento. She went on to receive her Master of Arts degree in Public History in 1993. As a graduate student, she interned at the California State Archives for three years and at the San Joaquin County Historical Society for 6 months. After graduation, she worked as assistant archivist at the Sacramento Archives and Museum Collection Center, now known as the Center for Sacramento History. In 1996, she accepted a position as collections manager for the manuscript and archival collections at Shields Library, UC Davis.

In October 1997, Linda accepted a position at the California State Archives, where she has worked in a variety of program areas. She is currently the Reference Coordinator and has responsibility for all activities related to the Reference Program. Linda has participated in the annual Family History Day since its inception in 1999. In addition to the Family History Day engagements, she has been a presenter at several local genealogical and historical societies.

Linda Johnson will be presenting two sessions:

Genealogical Resources at the California State Archives will include a description of the millions of paper documents, maps, photographs, three–dimensional artifacts, and records in other formats such as audiotape and videotape held there.

Cussin' Cousins will be an open forum in which Linda will help beginning genealogists break through brickwalls.

California State Archives

1020 O Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

Reference Desk Phone: 916-653-2246

Reference Desk Fax: 916-653-7743

Reference e-mail: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov

STEPHANIE L. HAMASHIN, Speaker at Family History Day

The Stacks at the State Archives

It is a pleasure to introduce Stephanie L. Hamashin who will be a speaker at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

Stephanie L. Hamashin is an Archivist at the California State Archives. She joined this repository in 2000, after having performed archival work and projects at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, National Maritime Museum Association, Golden Gate National Recreational Area, Presidio Park Archives and Records Center (San Francisco), and the Treasure Island Museum Photographic Archives.

Stephanie will be presenting Mini-Tours of the California State Archives on Family History Day. Tours will take you behind-the-scenes of the California State Archives facility rarely seen by the public which include the stacks area, security vaults, processing area, preservation and microfilm labs. In addition, you will see the current exhibit in the Archives Gallery called "California In Focus" which is located on the 4th floor. Tours are limited to twenty guests only, and will last forty-five minutes.

California State Archives

1020 O Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

Reference Desk Phone: 916-653-2246
Reference Desk Fax: 916-653-7743

Reference e-mail: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov

LISA B. LEE, Speaker at Family History Day

It is a pleasure to introduce Lisa B. Lee who will be a speaker at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

A professional genealogist, Lisa B. Lee is the owner of GotGenealogy.com, where she publishes a monthly newsletter, the Got Genealogy Gazette, which provides timely and useful information to help genealogists make the most of their online genealogical searches. Ms. Lee is a graduate of the National Institute for Genealogical Studies (University of Toronto), where she obtained her Professional Learning Certificate in Genealogical Studies (PLCGS) with certificates in U.S., Canadian and Irish genealogy and methodology. Since the inception of ExpertConnect by Ancestry.com in 2009, Ms. Lee has been an Expert, and conducts professional research for clients all over the world on behalf of Ancestry.com. In addition to the Got Genealogy Gazette, dozens of her articles have been published in numerous genealogical journals and newsletters in North America.

Ms. Lee speaks and conducts workshops at genealogical societies and conferences in the U.S. and Canada where her animated style, infinite knowledge of everything internet, wit and perverted humor ensure that attendees will not only learn a lot but will have fun doing so. All of her workshops feature a free raffle where attendees can win valuable prizes, and if you ask her a genealogical question she can’t answer, you’ll win an awesome reward. Mind you, your question has to be pretty hard to stump her, especially since she’s memorized the internet by heart. If genealogy isn’t fun, then why do it?  She invites you to join her on FaceBook at www.facebook.com/got.genealogy?

Ms. Lee will be presenting two sessions:

Really Cool Ways to Find Black Ancestors Online: Whether your black ancestors were free or enslaved, their lives were documented in the U.S. and Canada. However, not all of this information has made it into online databases intact. Blacks are coded as whites, whites as mulattos, men as women, etc. You need to be aware of how to get around these shortcomings, and how to read subtle clues to help you differentiate your ancestor from another with the same name. Yes, the Freedman's Bank and Freedmens Bureau and incredibly important for researching blacks, but they're just the tip of the iceberg. I'll explain what it really means if your ancestor was listed as "Egyptian" or "Ethopian," and new ways to discover the name of the last legal slave owner in databases you've probably ignored. Finally, I'll show you which subscription databases are worth their weight in gold and which should be avoided like the plague.

Researching Canadians From Afar:  Just because you're thousands of miles away is no excuse for not researching and finding your Canadian ancestors. I'll show where to find useful military, land, church, cemetery, census and vital records, plus an amazing collection of online historical Canadian newspapers and digitized books. In addition, we'll examine what's at the various local and provincial archives and how to request information from the Library and Archives Canada. I'll explain why InterLibrary Loans are better than using the Family History Library system and show you a cheaper way to access Ancestry.ca (the Canadian version of Ancestry.com) without having to purchase the World Deluxe subscription.

LINDA TODD, Speaker at Family History Day

It is a pleasure to introduce Linda Todd as a speaker at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

Linda Todd was raised in Sacramento, California and attended California state colleges. She worked 40 years for the State of California. All of the time Linda worked for the state she was involved with computer technology. Linda has always been interested in her family history. She has spent more than 35 years researching family history. Her research has taken her to Germany, Texas, Ohio, Missouri and North Carolina. She currently works at the Regional Family History Center in Sacramento, helping patrons with their research and she also teaches classes at the Center as she continues her family research.

Linda Todd will be presenting Understanding and Organizing PC Files and Folders. All the information on your computer is stored in files. Learning how to use files and folders is a necessary skill for all computer users. This class will discuss the directory tree, creating and organizing files and folders, searching for files, techniques and tips on viewing and navigating through your files and folders.

RON YOUNG, Speaker at Family History Day

It is a pleasure to introduce Ron Young as a speaker at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

Ron was first a Navy pilot and then a magnetic media engineer directing the manufacture of tape recording equipment, video tape and computer hard disks. Since retirement, his interests mainly focus on computer hardware and software and its application to genealogy. He has given presentations to local computer and genealogy societies on Google, Publishing Books on Lulu.com, Converting 35mm slides to Electronic Storage, Converting LP records to MP3 format and 10 Free Programs to Replace Microsoft and Adobe. He writes a series of columns on Computer Genealogy for the Nevada County Genealogical Society (NCGS) newsletter, Kith & Kin . Ron is the current President of the NCGS.

Ron Young will be presenting two classes:

10 Free non-Microsoft Programs: If you are loading a new computer with software or just haven’t wanted to pay the significant prices for the Microsoft Office Suite or the Adobe photo handling programs, Ron will introduce you to a set of programs to do the same job for a fraction of the price (FREE). These programs are Open Source so they may be used and distributed freely. Some are even available for both Mac and Windows Systems. A CD with the loading files and instructions for all the programs is available for $1.00.

Google - Searching in Depth: The simple appearance of the Google search window hides a browser capability of extreme power. Knowledge of how the search engine works and the few extra characters that can be added to modify the search function can routinely reduce millions of search results to the one or two you really want. We will go through these few commands and see how they function to get where you want to be. If required to read a search document, it can even translate to or from a foreign language.

Ron can be reached at ryoung9@pacbell.net

GLENDA G. LLOYD, Speaker at Family History Day

It is a pleasure to introduce Glenda Gardner Lloyd as a speaker at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

Glenda Gardner Lloyd teaches genealogy classes through San Juan Adult Education Center in Citrus Heights, California. She participates in local seminars for the California State Archives, the Regional Family History Center , the Sacramento City Library, and does workshops for many local societies. She has lectured for the Salt Lake Institute for Genealogy.

Glenda is a founding member and past President of Root Cellar-Sacramento Genealogical Society. She is currently the Society's Parlimentarian and contributor to the Society's quarterly periodical, The Preserves. Genealogy is her hobby and her passion which she hopes to share with all of you. Glenda is an avid quilter when she's not teaching genealogy or researching her family's ancestral roots.

Glenda Gardner Lloyd will be presenting two classes:

Census records: Census records are the backbone of American genealogy. They place your family in a location every ten years from 1790 to 1930. Later census show family relatonships, year of immigration, naturalization and many many other clues to suggest further research.

Vital records: Birth, marriage and death records are the foundation for your genealogical records. These records may be at the state, county or town level; each level of jurisdiction should be searched. Some of these records are available online.

PAT JOHNSON, Family History Day Speaker

It is a pleasure to introduce Pat Johnson as a speaker at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

Pat Johnson is Senior Archivist at The Center for Sacramento History, formerly the Sacramento Archives and Museum Collection Center. She has served the center since 1995. A native Californian, she received her B. A. and an M. A. in history from California State University, Sacramento where she focused her studies on western history and particularly California history. She received her archival training at both the California State Archives and at the Center for Sacramento History. She did her master's thesis on former Sacramento Mayor Anne Rudin’s papers held at the California State Archives.

At the Center, Ms. Johnson's duties include reference services, supervising student interns and volunteers, processing collections, conducting research in the collections, giving tours, doing outreach including workshops and seminars, preserving collections, and many other activities. She is a past president of the Society of California Archivists and remains actively involved with the society. Most recently, Ms. Johnson taught the graduate level class in archives and manuscripts for the history department at California State University, Sacramento.

Pat Johnson will be presenting Researching Your Family History at the Center for Sacramento History. This class will focus on how to use the resources of both the public records and the private manuscripts held by the Center for Sacramento History to tell the stories of Sacramento's past generations. As an example, a case study will demonstrate how a researcher can use these records to find the answers to genealogical questions.

Center for Sacramento History

551 Sequoia Pacific Blvd

Sacramento, CA 95811-0229
TEL (916) 808-7072

SHIRLEY RIEMER - Family History Day Speaker

It is a pleasure to introduce Shirley Riemer who will be a speaker at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Shirley Riemer earned her Masters Degree in English from Carnegie-Mellon University. She taught high school English for ten years, then worked in communications for 22 years in Pennsylvania. Following her retirement, her book, The German Research Companion, was published in 1997, followed by a second edition in 2000, now sold out. For the third edition, which appeared in April 2010, she added two additional authors: Dr. Roger P. Minert and Jennifer A. Anderson. In 2001 she co-authored with Dr. Roger P. Minert the book Researching in Germany: A Handbook for Your Visit to the Homeland of Your Ancestors. For the last 18 years, she has published Der Blumenbaum, the award-winning quarterly journal of the Sacramento German Genealogy Society. For the last nine years she has also published the quarterly newsletter, Mitteilungen, for the Sacramento Turn Verein German-American Cultural Center – Library.

In response to her never-ending awe of the history and culture of our ancestors, she will have ventured out onto her 41st visit to Germany in August this year. As the editor of German-interest publications, Shirley has worked extensively with German family history researchers known nationally for their expertise in the field – in order to disseminate information helpful to descendants of German immigrants who are actively pursuing their German family history.

Shirley Riemer will present Getting Started In German Genealogy.
This session will focus on the first steps the German family historian must take to gain an understanding of the cultural, historical and genealogical facts essential to German ancestral research. The basics of the Second German Empire as they are relative to German research will be laid out so as to create an understanding of the basic organization of German and German-American records. A brief overview of German church and civil records, some peculiarities of such records, and several other basic research tools will be discussed.