MAAAGC - Descriptions
More than 20 one-hour genealogical sessions for beginning and intermediate researchers including:
Richard E. Barnes & Bob Patrick:
Collecting Oral Histories: The Library of Congress Veterans History Project
This project, located in the American Folklife Center, is a congressionally mandated program to collect and preserve the wartime accounts and personal documents of America’s veterans. With over 55,000 collections, it is the largest oral history project in American history. This class will provide an overview of the Veterans History Project and how individuals and organizations can participate in it and use its collections. Brief instruction will be given on important tips for conducting an oral history interview with veterans and how this material can be preserved for families and the Library of Congress. Bob Patrick, Director of the Veterans History Project, assisted by Richard Barnes, Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, will be making this presentation.
Richard Burt:
Personal Ancestral File, beginning.
Personal Ancestral File (PAF) is a free genealogy and family history program that allows you to quickly and easily collect, organize, and share your family history and genealogy information. Because PAF is feature-rich, it can be confusing to the new user. This class will simplify things by covering how to set up your files and use the program to enter, modify, and store your family data. PAF will help you as you go, if initially you don't worry about all the bells and whistles. These can be added later as you become more proficient.
Hollis L. Gentry:
Resources of the Daughters of the American Revolution Library
Historians estimate the number of black soldiers in the Revolutionary War to have been about five thousand, serving in militias, seagoing services, and support activities. In some cases, slaves were offered their freedom in return for satisfactory completion of a set period of service. In this class you will learn about the DAR Library’s vast sources of stories and name files, and other resources for accomplishing the work of finding and recording details about your ancestor.
Jeffery Hartley:
Using the Congressional Serial Set for African American Genealogical Research
Although not a place to begin one’s genealogical research, the Congressional Serial Set provides a wealth of information about the activities of the U.S. federal government and its relationship to individual citizens. This session will describe the Serial Set, how to use and access it, and provide examples of the types of information that enhance African American genealogical research.
Jerry Hynson:
Civil War Draft Records
Over 2.8 million men and a few hundred women served in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War. This class will describe resources for researching the military service of individual Civil War soldiers in "Volunteer" Army units. Finding your ancestors in pension files, service records, unit histories, and photographs will make them come alive for you and will provide historical details.
Shamele Jordon:
Researching & Mapping Civil War Soldiers and Sailors
During this session you will learn about the project, Civil War Burials in Lawnside, NJ. This project began in the burial grounds of the only African American town in New Jersey and led to the National Archives in Washington, DC. First you will learn how to use Google Earth to create maps showing the locations, photographs and transcriptions of headstones. (This mapping information is useful for general cemetery research.) Then you will learn how to locate Civil War records and uncover the wealth of information available. These records may include vital records, the names of parents, children and possibly the slave owner.
Rick Kittles, Ph.D.:
Inferring the Ancestry of African Americans: Science and Cynicism
Through the development of a large database of genetic information on African maternal and paternal lineages, the African Ancestry project offers insight on genetic lineages that can be used for genealogical inference. I will describe the growing interest in inferring ancestry in general and the significance of inferring African ancestry among African Americans in particular. In addition, I will offer an analysis of important issues that emerge from inferring African ancestry by placing the research within the context of the African American community's needs, motives, goals, identity, priorities and the history of unethical research.
Rebecca Koford:
Brick Wall Session, Southern States Research Have you run into a brick wall in your research? If your ancestors are from the Southern states, get help breaking through that wall by registering for this class and sending your research problem ahead of time to Rebecca Koford at thehopechest_rebecca@msn.com. Please describe your problem, which resources you have already searched, and how you can be contacted for further questions (please mention "MAAAGC brick wall" in the subject line of your email). Deadline for submissions is March 22nd. There is no deadline for attending the class.
Class Full
Organizing Your Genealogy: Converting Paper to Plastic
This intermediate-level class is for students familiar with, or who want to be familiar with, using genealogical software to organize your research. The class will discuss software, research logs, timetables, and proper documentation and source citation of your genealogical findings, etc. Find out how to convert your paper piles into easy-to-use computer files. Find out how to file that paper (for the last time) properly and with method.
John C. Lyon:
Land Records and Tract Mapping
Ancient land records contain an extraordinary variety of information about our ancestors, from precisely where they lived to neighbors, relationships and circumstances. Slave ownership and manumissions are typically recorded among the land records, as well. This session will review both the types of data available and modern, easy-to-use software for mapping and location of properties.
Reverend Khadijah Matin:
The Parables of Our Journey, Part II: Building Stories
Often as we explore our history—as a country, community, and family—we consider the components of our experiences in separate categories. In this session, I will further explore the relationship between faith [in various forms] and story and how in tandem they have shaped our existence in America, drawing in audience participation and sharing, and including excerpts from my family’s stories. This hands-on session will also include participants developing individual “story-quilts” using simple tools.
Catherine S. Medich:
New Jersey State Archives
This lecture will provide an overview of records that would be of interest to researchers of African American families in New Jersey. The focus will be on New Jersey governmental records, such as vital records, land records and military records, and how they can be of assistance. Governmental records may be race neutral while others are not, and how that may make researching more of a challenge.
Floyd Riley:
Beginning African American Genealogy: Finding Your Roots
This class will show how to begin searching for and recording your African American family history through combining oral history and recorded documentation. This class will emphasize taking information passed down in your family from generation to generation & authenticating it by locating supportive documents in local, county, and state records. Tracing one’s roots can be relatively simple or quite involved, cost a few dollars or thousands, and can be a momentary pastime or a lifelong hobby. Patient, disciplined research can be profoundly rewarding, even though it may not extend to the discovery of specific African lineage but rather a deeper appreciation of one’s African American roots.
Jane Thursby:
Courthouse Records
This class will cover which types of records are kept at county & state courthouses, what genealogical information can be learned from them, and how to effectively work with county & state courthouse officials to find the specific records you need to further your genealogical research.
Dr. Ione Vargus & John Logan:
Genealogy at Family Reunions
Family reunions are a wonderful place to reveal the family history. However, for young people to listen, it must be
interesting. In this workshop, we share the many different ways that families have presented their history at family
reunions and “tell the story.”
Reginald Washington:
Southern Claims Commission Records: A Source for African American Genealogy
This lecture will include a discussion of the use, availability, and the value of Southern Claims Commission case files for African American genealogy research. The presentation will include excerpts from the testimonies of black claimants and their witnesses.
Class Full
Researching the Records of the Freedmen's Bureau
This lecture will include a discussion of the importance, availability and use, and the completion of NARA's five-year initiative to microfilm previously unfilled records of the Freedmen's Bureau. The presentation will include selected examples of the kinds of documentation found among the Bureau's files.
Angela Walton-Raji:
Class Full
Black Indian Genealogy East of the Mississippi. Researching Beyond the Dawes Rolls
There are many challenges facing African American genealogists. There are greater challenges researching families that are bi-racial and in many cases tri-racial. Oral histories prevail in many families about having Indian ancestry, usually in reference to an ancestor with specific racial features---long hair, high cheek bones. Are these references family lore? What documents does one need to look for in order to document the Indian ancestor in the family? Are there many or any records unique to families with Indian ancestry especially in eastern states? This workshop will feature present methods and will reveal documents pertaining to Black and Indian ancestry and will point out strategies and obstacles in that process.
Giles R. Wright:
Class Full
Migration in the Black Past, 1800 to 1970
This session will identify the migration experiences of black Americans that cover a period of 170 years. The period begins with the domestic slave trade and ends with the Great Migration. The presentation will underscore the fact that migration is a central theme in the African American historical narrative.
Alice Young:
Family History Centers & Familysearch.org Resources
While almost every genealogist would love the chance to visit the famous Mormon Family History Library in Salt Lake City, it's not always a possibility. The good news is smaller centers in every state. FamilySearch Internet is a computerized system of genealogical information that helps researchers identify their ancestors and organize family history information. This class will help you to understand how to prepare for your visit to a local Family History Center and what resources are available for your research process—all to help you be successful in the adventure of doing genealogy.
Catherine (Casey) Zahn:
Teaching Children Genealogy
This session will show adults how to get children actively involved with their family’s history. From children's books to hands-on activities, this class will demonstrate fun, engaging, genealogy-centered family projects to effectively share your ancestral heritage with the next generation.
Mark April 19th on your calendar now and share it with your friends.
For advance registration information for you or your organization,
go to the contact section