We provide:
* research services for local records and off-site record
* mentoring services for beginning genealogists and those with tough research questions
* lectures and classes for genealogists of all levels
Our Mission is:
to adhere to the Genealogical Proof Standard and abide by the Code of Standards of the Association of Professional Genealogists and the Board for the Certification of Genealogists.
Description of Services:
One Hour
Presentations
Cemetery & Funeral Home
Research
Cemeteries represent the final resting place of our
ancestors. They may be privately owned or run by a religious group,
municipality such as a town, village, or city, by the county, or federally run
such as the National Cemetery. Each of these entities may have records. Funeral
homes, which are private businesses, may also have records.
Digging Deeper: Studying
Land Records of German Settlers
This lecture will review the use of land records to
learn more about our German ancestors. The focus will be on land records from
the federal land states, covering the Bureau of Land Management website to
locate patents for cash sales and homestead records, as well as the
FamilySearch catalog to locate land purchased locally. These records can reveal
immigration information and migration patterns of our immigrants.
Digging Deeper: Locating
Land Records to Learn More About Our Ancestor
Land records can tell us something about where our
ancestors lived. This lecture will focus on land records of the federal land
states and will cover both the Bureau of Land Management website for the first
transactions of cash sales and homestead records, and the FamilySearch catalog for
deed indexes and deeds. The technique will also help locate land locally in
county recorder offices.
Finding Records to Help Document Your Farming Ancestor
Up to about 1870, farming was the number one occupation. You probably have a large number of farmers in your family. There are types of records that document our farming ancestors such as land, tax, and probate records. Newspapers and many agricultural records can add context to their story.
Fleshing Out Your Family Using City Directories
City Directories are a
wonderful source to help fill in details of your ancestor’s life between the
census years. City Directories give
information about a resident’s address and occupation but the directories also have
lots of other information. Come learn
how to use the directories to aid in your research and where to find them in
person or online. Remember, even small
towns often had published directories.
Do you feel like your research just goes in circles, that you keep finding the same information, or you have brick walls you cannot solve? Being focused on your research will bring better results. This can be done by using research plans. I will explain how to create and use a research plan to help keep you focused on your research and get better results.
General Land Office:
Get the Most Out of the BLM-GLO Website
Did your answer
obtain land from the Federal Government in the
Public Land States? The General Land Office website has the
answers but the website can be confusing to use. This presentation will dip
deep into the website and offer tips for future research in other records. Even
if your ancestor did not get land from the Federal Government,
information from the site can be useful for your land-owning ancestors in
the Public Land States.
Probate
Records: More Than Wills
Will records are a great genealogical source as
they can name heirs and who got what assets. But not all estates involve wills,
and estates without a will often have more genealogical information than those
with wills. This session will discuss both testate (there was a will) and
intestate (there was no will) estates and how you can use them to further your
genealogical research.We'll discuss what they are, how to use them, and how to
locate the records.
Every genealogist at some time while researching runs up against brick walls. Brick walls are when a research question such as finding the parents of an ancestor cannot be answered. There are simple techniques to help break through these walls. Come learn about those techniques!
What’s the News? Your Ancestors in Newspapers
Newspapers are an excellent
source of genealogical, social, and historical information about our families
and their communities. Newspapers reveal what was happening in a time and
place—something other records might not tell us. This presentation will cover
newspapers found on free sites and subscription sites.
Research Advice and Custom Research Planning:
Let us review your previous research and help you with future research goals. Minimum 2 hours.
Record Retrieval:
Let us retrieve that vital record, land, or probate record from local government offices, obituaries and other newspaper items from libraries and archives, and other research items from archives. Locations include Alameda County, Contra Costa County, Napa County, and Solano County.
Contact:
Contact us using this link.