Summit of Excellence Speaker Highlight: Katherine Willson

In celebration of UGA's 50th anniversary, the "Getting Started with Genealogy Research" track is FREE and open to the public. We invite you to join us, as our instructors: Crista Cowan (a.k.a. The Barefoot Genealogist), Jana Greenhalgh, Cheri Hudson Passey, and Katherine R. Willson provide foundational instruction to get you off to a great start!

Turn contemplation into action! Katherine R Willson's passion for teaching will give you tools and practical advice for an engaging genealogical journey. 

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

Beginning Your Genealogical Journey

Build your family tree as you discover how to gather basic information, fill in common charts, locate public records, and navigate Internet resources. Overcome obstacles and avoid common pitfalls with these resources that will guide you towards excellence in your research. Full session description here.

Records, Rules, and Repositories

Learn where to locate genealogical documents for your ancestors and his/her family members, as well as the methods for analyzing those records. Our discussion will include records such as birth, marriage, and death records; census forms; military draft registration forms; and passenger lists. Full session description here.

Learn more about Katherine Willson 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.

FREE "Getting Started" Day at the Summit of Excellence

New to genealogy and family history research? Or perhaps it has been a while and you want to make sure you've covered the basics? 

This FREE day hosted by the Utah Genealogical Association (UGA), features presentations to get you off on the right foot. All presentations are delivered virtually via Zoom.

Track Presentations

The following sessions are included on Wednesday, September 15th:

Genealogy 101 with Crista Cowen: Brand new to family history? Join Crista Cowan as she guides you through the steps to getting started with building a family tree and shares some basic genealogy standards. 

Beginning Your Genealogical Journey with Katherine Willson: Build your family tree as you discover how to gather basic information, fill in common charts, locate public records, and navigate Internet resources. Overcome obstacles and avoid common pitfalls with these resources that will guide you towards excellence in your research.

Location, Location, Location! Surveying the Places Your Ancestors Lived with Jana Greenhalgh: This class will teach the importance and process of gathering geographical context to aid in our genealogy research.  techniques.

Records, Rules, and Repositories with Katherine Willson: Learn where to locate genealogical documents for your ancestors and his/her family members, as well as the methods for analyzing those records. Our discussion will include records such as birth, marriage, and death records; census forms; military draft registration forms; and passenger lists.

Beginning Strategies for Searching Online Records and Resources with Cheri Passey: Learn the best methods for searching online records. From how to get more out of your research results to locating record collections, discover strategies for searching online records and resources.

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

Join Us!

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. The "Getting Started" Track on Wednesday is completely FREE, but registration is required.

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: Technology

Are you drowning in research notes and scrap-paper tidbits? Want to find out how to keep track of your online research and make it accessible when you are away from your desk? Want to learn how to construct smarter queries for better research results, or organize, share, and store your precious photos, videos, and one-of-a-kind digital documents? Our experts will help you utilize and harness the power of technology to work smarter, not harder!

Track Presentations

The following sessions run on Saturday, September 18th:

Beyond the Basics-Online Research Techniques with Cheri Hudson Passey: Tips and tricks to help researchers move beyond the basic beginning strategies for searching online records and other resources.

Spreadsheets for Genealogists: Five Ways They Can Help You in Your Research with Mary Kircher Roddy, CG: Spreadsheets can help you in analyzing your data and keeping track of your research. Mary Roddy will present several examples of how to use this powerful tool to gain perspective and further your genealogy research. 

Digital Organization with Lianne Kruger: Photos, digital documents, and videos are wonderful for recording family history. This session will discuss a variety of ways to store these digital items online along with the pros and cons of each.

Evernote for Genealogists with Lianne Kruger: This session will illustrate how to create notes of genealogical research on a variety of platforms in Evernote and then organize and share the notes with others. 

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 Speakers at NGS Conference

The NGS Family History Conference is fast approaching, and guess who is speaking? Several presenters from UGA's Summit of Excellence also appear at NGS Live, NGS On-Demand, and as part of the NGS Focus on Societies.

Crista Cowan

AncestryDNA: Putting Your DNA Results to Work to Further Your Research (NGS Live: 20 May, 11:05 am ET)

What's New at Ancestry (Bonus-Sponsored Session, available June 15

Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL

Besieged by Baxters: A Case Study for a Common Name (NGS On-Demand, available June 15)

Rare Revolutionary Bounty Land Scrip Act Applications (NGS On-Demand, available June 15)

The Hunt for Maryland Vital Records (NGS On-Demand, available June 15)

Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA

Strategies for Resolving Conflicting Evidence (NGS On-Demand, available June 15)

Homestead Records: A GOldmine for Genealogy (NGS On-Demand, available June 15)

Research Maryland Deeds Online Using MDLandRec.net and Plats.net (NGS On-Demand, available June 15)

Anne Merrell

Digital Marketing for the Modern Society (NGS Focus on Societies: 21 May, 4:00 pm ET)

Cheri Hudson Passey

Ancestors in Southern Claims Commission Records (NGS Live: 20 May, 12:15 pm ET)

Online Meetings: Helping Your Society Move Into a Virtual World (NGS Focus on Societies: 21 May, 4:00 pm ET)

Mary Kircher Roddy

Flying Under the Radar: Discovering Charles Olin's Alias (NGS Live: 20 May, 3:45 pm ET)

Really? Proving and Refuting Family Lore (NGS On-Demand, available June 15)

Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL

Wilde Beasts, Sabbath Breakers, and Incorrigible Roughes: Early Virginia Laws (NGS Live: 20 May, 2:30 pm ET)

May I Please Have Your Permission? Using the Work of Others (NGS On-Demand, available June 15)

"To protect people who provide DNA samples": The Ethics of DNA Testing (NGS On-Demand, available June 15)

The Common Law: From Mr. Justice Blackstone to Mr. Justice Tucker (NGS On-Demand, available June 15)

Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA

Using Maps of the Mid-Atlantic Region to Further Your Genealogical Research (NGS On-Demand, available June 15)

Finding Military Records in Published Sources (NGS On-Demand, available June 15)

Research in Washington, DC (NGS On-Demand, available June 15)

Congratulations to all of these speakers, and thank you for continuing to support genealogy education!

Please visit our schedule page here to see these speaker's upcoming presentations at the UGA Summit of Excellence. Registration for the Summit of Excellence is open here.

You can also still register to attend NGS Family History Conference here.