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Expert Strategies for Breaking Down Genealogical Brick Walls

Presented by David Allen Lambert, Rhonda R. McClure, and Melanie McComb
Original Broadcasts: September 2024

Research your ancestry long enough and you’re bound to hit a brick wall—the paper trail vanishes, the family seemingly disappears, and you’re unable to go back to earlier generations. Whether you are struggling to find an immigrant’s exact origins, uncover a maiden name, determine parentage, discover where a family moved to, untangle common names, or find vital records about your ancestors, this five-week online seminar can help! Tackling a different research challenge each session, expert genealogists David Allen Lambert, Rhonda R. McClure, and Melanie McComb will provide real life examples and successful strategies for breaking down your genealogical brick wall.

This course includes five 90-minute classes; exclusive access to handouts and recordings of each presentation; and in-depth Q&A sessions with the instructors.

You will receive an email closer to the start of the program with a link to the course page and information on joining the live sessions. If you are unable to attend the broadcasts for any reason, you will be able to view a recording of each class on the course page.

Class 1: Who's Who?: Same Name, Same Place, Same Time, presented by Rhonda R. McClure

You may encounter several people of the same name, living in the same community, at the same time. How do you know which is your ancestor? This first class will introduce you to best practices and organizational tools to untangle common names and add people to your family tree with confidence and accuracy. 

Class 2: When the Record Doesn't Exist: Strategies for Determining Vital Data About Your Ancestors, presented by David Allen Lambert

Vital records do not survive for all time periods, or they may never have existed. Many regions in the United States, for example, didn’t start recording vital records until the late nineteenth century. In this class we will discuss how to ensure you are doing an exhaustive search, provide information on alternate sources, and how to draw conclusions from multiple sources when a “smoking gun” record doesn’t exist. We will also discuss how to narrow a timeframe when even less information can be found. 

Class 3: Finding the Elusive Maiden Name, presented by David Allen Lambert

Learning about your female ancestors and their families is dependent on knowing her maiden name. Unfortunately, all too often we find women listed by their married names only or that their maiden name is simply not recorded. Learn what records are most likely to provide this information and gain important strategies for finding that elusive maiden name.

Class 4: Confirming Parentage, presented by Rhonda R. McClure

Building your tree requires going back one generation at a time. What happens when you can’t find or confirm your ancestor’s parents? This class session will discuss broadening your search and demonstrate how to build your tree out wider to go back further.

Class 5: Origins and Migrations: Where Did They Come From, Where Did They Go?, presented by Melanie McComb

Our ancestors moved near and far seeking economic opportunities, religious freedoms, and closeness to family. These mobile ancestors, however, are notoriously difficult to research. We might have an ancestor in our sights and then—poof!—they’re gone; or we may have an ancestor for whom we have no idea of where they came from. This final session will offer several strategies for discovering ancestral origins and future movements.