Summit of Excellence Speaker Highlight: Gena Philibert-Ortega

Have you given up on an ancestral line because you can't find your ancestor's vital records? Have you conducted a reasonably exhaustive search and come up empty-handed? Let Gena Philibert-Ortega explain how the history of vital records in the United States can affect your research. In her second presentation, Gena will turn the boring into a lively story--you won't want to miss this colorful presentation!

Gena will present the following at the Summit of Excellence held virtually, September 15-18, 2021:

Anatomy of Birth, Marriage, and Death Records

Have a genealogy brick wall? What you don’t know about vital records could be part of the problem. Exploring vital records and their history can make all of the difference.

Full session description here.

Your Ancestor’s Life in Color: Social History and Genealogy

What is social history and what does it have to do with genealogy? Adding social history takes your genealogy from boring facts to a story your family will beg to know.

Full session description here.

Learn more about Gena Philibert-Ortega and all of our amazing speakers here.

View the full schedule for the UGA Summit of Excellence here.

Join Us in September!

The 2021 UGA Summit of Excellence celebrates UGA's 50th year. This exciting virtual conference, held September 15-18, 2021, is a four-day event with multiple tracks offering a premier educational opportunity at an extremely reasonable price. Each track features a different record set or research area such as legal records, methodology, technology, or DNA. 

Learn more about the Summit of Excellence or register to attend. Questions may be directed to the registrar: registrar@ugagenealogy.org.

Summit of Excellence Speaker Highlight: Angela Packer McGhie

If you've encountered conflicting evidence or have found little to no evidence in your research, are you ready to give up in frustration? Please reconsider! Join Angela Packer McGhie, Education Director of the National Genealogical Society, as she shares the value of evidence analysis. 

If you've ever considered becoming a Certified Genealogist or you are curious about the process, join us as Angela shares her journey for the Certified Genealogist credential.

Angela will present the following at the Summit of Excellence held virtually, September 15-18, 2021:

Analyzing and Correlating Documents: Essential Skills for Genealogists

As genealogists, we evaluate the reliability of genealogical records and compare information from one record to another. When there is little information to compare, or there are inconsistencies to resolve, the analysis and correlation process is essential to accurately identify our ancestors.  

Full session description here.

Certification: My Journey to Earn the Certified Genealogist® Credential

In this session, Angela will discuss her journey to prepare a portfolio to submit to the Board for Certification of Genealogists. She will share personal advice on working to meet genealogy standards and tips for each portfolio element.

Full session description here.

Learn more about Angela Packer McGhie and all of our amazing speakers here.

View the full schedule for the UGA Summit of Excellence here.

Join Us in September!

The 2021 UGA Summit of Excellence celebrates UGA's 50th year. This exciting virtual conference, held September 15-18, 2021, is a four-day event with multiple tracks offering a premier educational opportunity at an extremely reasonable price. Each track features a different record set or research area such as legal records, methodology, technology, or DNA. 

Learn more about the Summit of Excellence or register to attend. Questions may be directed to the registrar: registrar@ugagenealogy.org.

Summit of Excellence Speaker Highlight: Rich Venezia

Are you baffled about your immigrant ancestor's origins? Do you know where to find your ancestor's citizenship papers? Rich Venezia, an expert in twentieth-century immigration research puzzles, will guide you through the immigration maze.

Rich will present the following at the Summit of Excellence held virtually, September 15-18, 2021:

Discovering Your Immigrant’s Origins: Exhausting Every Resource

Pin down your elusive immigrant ancestor’s place of origin using some well-known – and lesser-known – record sets, ideas, and techniques.

Full session description here.

Naturalization Know-How: The Laws and Records of U.S. Citizenship

Many records were created when immigrant ancestors became American citizens. Learn what they are and how to find them.

Full session description here.

Learn more about Rich Venezia and all of our amazing speakers here.

View the full schedule for the UGA Summit of Excellence here.

Join Us in September!

The 2021 UGA Summit of Excellence celebrates UGA's 50th year. This exciting virtual conference, held September 15-18, 2021, is a four-day event with multiple tracks offering a premier educational opportunity at an extremely reasonable price. Each track features a different record set or research area such as legal records, methodology, technology, or DNA. 

Learn more about the Summit of Excellence or register to attend. Questions may be directed to the registrar: registrar@ugagenealogy.org.

Summit of Excellence Speaker Highlight: Michael L. Strauss

Did your ancestors participate in military service? If so, do you know how and where to find their military service records and draft records? Join us as military expert, Michael Strauss, leads a triumphant charge through time and place.

Michael will present the following at the Summit of Excellence held virtually, September 15-18, 2021:

Records of Military Service from the Colonial Era to Vietnam 

Vital to any military ancestor is their service records which define when an individual was mustered in and out of service. This lecture examines records from the colonial era to Vietnam. 

Full session description here.

The Draft and the Selective Service System 

Draft records are invaluable to genealogists as they provide documentary evidence of men of eligible military age who served during periods of war. These records also account for men who might not have been mustered into service. 

Full session description here.

Learn more about Michael Strauss and all of our amazing speakers here.

View the full schedule for the UGA Summit of Excellence here.

Join Us in September!

The 2021 UGA Summit of Excellence celebrates UGA's 50th year. This exciting virtual conference, held September 15-18, 2021, is a four-day event with multiple tracks offering a premier educational opportunity at an extremely reasonable price. Each track features a different record set or research area such as legal records, methodology, technology, or DNA. 

Learn more about the Summit of Excellence or register to attend. Questions may be directed to the registrar: registrar@ugagenealogy.org.

Summit of Excellence Track Highlight: Records-General

Do you know how to wring the most out of U.S. Federal Census records? Are you prepared for the release of the 1950 U.S. Census? Census records provide essential clues leading to productive research in birth, marriage, and death records. Our experts will show you how to build a solid foundation and uncover little-known information about your ancestor's story.

Track Presentations

The following sessions run on Thursday, September 16th:

Prepare for the 1950 Census by Reviewing the 1790-1940 Census Differences with Crista Cowan: The questions asked on the census have drastically changed over time. In this class, we will explore the 1790-1940 census questions and then discuss how to prepare for the 1950 census to be released in 2022.

Anatomy of Birth, Marriage, and Death Records with Gena Philibert-Ortega, MA, MAR: Have a genealogy brick wall? What you don’t know about vital records could be part of the problem. Exploring vital records and their history can make all of the difference.

Church Records for Genealogical Researchers with Rev. David McDonald, DMin: Genealogists use records to supply the data on which our family research is built. Church records, across denominational lines, often provide extensive direct and indirect information on the families we research. We'll examine the records researchers should pursue.

Read All About It – A Guide to Online Newspapers with Luana Darby, MLIS, AG: Learn more about the U.S. Newspaper Program and many other exciting places to find stories about your ancestors. 

Your Ancestor’s Life in Color: Social History and Genealogy with Gena Philbert-Ortega, MA, MAR: What is social history and what does it have to do with genealogy? Adding social history takes your genealogy from boring facts to a story your family will beg to know.

The full schedule of all presentations and links to presenter biographies may be found here. 

Join Us in September!

The 2021 UGA Summit of Excellence celebrates UGA's 50th year. This exciting virtual conference, held September 15-18, 2021, is a four-day event with multiple tracks offering a premier educational opportunity at an extremely reasonable price. Each track features a different record set or research area such as legal records, methodology, technology, or DNA. 

Learn more about the Summit of Excellence or register to attend. Questions may be directed to the registrar: registrar@ugagenealogy.org.

Summit of Excellence Speaker Highlight: Richard G. Sayre

Have you ever wondered if federal land records would help you in the hunt for your ancestors? Do you know where to find federal land records and bounty-land records? Do you know how to use the GLO website and how to access records from the National Archives? Rick Sayre is the expert who will map the way through the maze.

Rick will present the following at the Summit of Excellence held virtually, September 15-18, 2021:

Federal Land Records – A Goldmine of Kinship Information

Learn how to find kinship information in federal land records. Master using the General Land Office (GLO) website to find your ancestors.

Full session description here.

Bounty Land Records – As good a pension!

Discover the rewards of military service—thousands of soldiers and their dependents received bounty land benefits. Find out how to access the genealogical treasures buried in these records.

Full session description here.

Learn more about Rick Sayre and all of our amazing speakers here.

View the full schedule for the UGA Summit of Excellence here.

Join Us in September!

The 2021 UGA Summit of Excellence celebrates UGA's 50th year. This exciting virtual conference, held September 15-18, 2021, is a four-day event with multiple tracks offering a premier educational opportunity at an extremely reasonable price. Each track features a different record set or research area such as legal records, methodology, technology, or DNA. 

Learn more about the Summit of Excellence or register to attend. Questions may be directed to the registrar: registrar@ugagenealogy.org.

Summit of Excellence Speaker Highlight: Judy G. Russell

Are you curious about how to utilize court records? Do you want to learn about how your ancestor's probate can lead you to genealogy breakthroughs? Judy Russell, The Legal Genealogist, will bring her legal expertise to the Summit of Excellence and help you explore these questions.

Judy will present the following at the Summit of Excellence held virtually, September 15-18, 2021:

Courting America: Using Court Records

The records created by all courts at all times offer what's often the best available evidence of the lives and times of our ancestors. But the sheer number of courts at all levels -- town, county, state, and federal -- can be overwhelming. Where do we find our best bang for the research buck? What records can we hope to find, and where can we find them? And if we spend the time learning to understand the courts and their records, what's the payoff: what can those records tell us?

Full session description here.

"To Dorothy my Dearly Beloved Wife”: Using Probate Records

Where there's a will, there should be a probate: the legal process of settling an estate. Often when there isn't a will, there's still a probate. Understanding the legal process and finding the records created when our ancestors died can help break through the brick walls we all have in our research. And the records themselves not only can help us find out who our ancestors were but also can tell us much about their lives and their times. Well beyond just the wills, the trip through the dockets, the minutes and the loose papers recording an estate can be one of genealogy's most worthwhile journeys.

Full session description here.

Learn more about Judy Russell and all of our amazing speakers here.

View the full schedule for the UGA Summit of Excellence here.

Join Us in September!

The 2021 UGA Summit of Excellence celebrates UGA's 50th year. This exciting virtual conference, held September 15-18, 2021, is a four-day event with multiple tracks offering a premier educational opportunity at an extremely reasonable price. Each track features a different record set or research area such as legal records, methodology, technology, or DNA. 

Learn more about the Summit of Excellence or register to attend. Questions may be directed to the registrar: registrar@ugagenealogy.org.

Summit of Excellence Track Highlight: Focus Areas Track 1

 Do you have roots in the United Kingdom or Italy? If so, do you need help identifying useful records for pre-1840 research? Our expert presenters will illustrate how to use Irish land records, Scottish gazetteers, English and Welsh poor law records and census substitutes, and Italian civil documents.

Track Presentations

The following sessions run on Thursday, September 16th:

Irish Land Records with Paul Milner, MDiv, FUGA: Understand Ireland’s land records and their importance to researchers, from the 17th through 20th century. Learn what has survived in originals and transcripts, their strengths, weaknesses, and how to access the originals and supporting indexes.

Finding the Correct Place: Maps and Gazetteers for Scottish Research with Paul Milner, MDiv, FUGA: Learn the important history of map-making and see examples of many different types of maps available, many now online and how they can be used to assist in your Scottish research, plus learn about the different gazetteers that will assist in finding the correct location.

Censuses and Census Substitutes for English and Welsh Research, 1690-1840 with Amy Harris, PhD, AG: Before 1841 there were no genealogically useful censuses with national coverage in England or Wales. However, there is a variety of documents that can be used as census substitutes. Additionally, there are some census records that survive for the earlier period.

English and Welsh Poor Law Records before 1834 with Amy Harris, PhD, AG: From the 1530s to 1834, Parliament passed numerous statutes establishing and governing a national poor relief system. We will discuss the variety of poor law documents covering illegitimacy, migration, employment, and family relationships.

Italian Research: Civil Registration Online and in the Archives with Suzanne Russo Adams, AG: In the last few years Italian civil records have become more readily available online. This session will reveal the best records and resources for researching civil registration. 

The full schedule of all presentations and links to presenter biographies may be found here. 

Join Us in September!

The 2021 UGA Summit of Excellence celebrates UGA's 50th year. This exciting virtual conference, held September 15-18, 2021, is a four-day event with multiple tracks offering a premier educational opportunity at an extremely reasonable price. Each track features a different record set or research area such as legal records, methodology, technology, or DNA. 

Learn more about the Summit of Excellence or register to attend. Questions may be directed to the registrar: registrar@ugagenealogy.org.