MGC 2020: Origins & Destinations
Presentations
Sara Campbell
Using Old Maps in Your Genealogy Research
Learning about the places our ancestors lived will help put their lives in perspective. This talk helps us understand the history of map-making, categories of maps that can be used, and where to find them. Correlating maps with other records of the time period helps us find details that might not have been uncovered otherwise.
Carol Clingan
Introduction to Jewish-American Genealogy
Researching Jewish ancestry can be a complex endeavor. You may be able to find something quickly, or you can search for years to find one piece of information. It requires persistence, patience, networking and research knowledge. Our presenter has traced each of her grandparents’ families back to the early 19th century in the Former Soviet Union, and done extensive research for other relatives and friends.
Ariana Fiorella-Omatosho
Two Worlds; One Family (African American Genealogy)
The premise of my talk will be about my unique experience as an adoptee seeking to find an identity through the joint ancestry of my adoption family and my birth family and the intertwining origin stories that in the end lead to me. I will emphasize the types of research that goes into finding African American records and the complexities of that research, juxtaposing it with the region and language barriers of Italian ancestry. At the very end I will touch on DNA use specifically for African American and adoption genealogy.
Margaret Fortier
Andiamo! Finding Your Italian Family
To efficiently research your Italian ancestors, understand who they were and why they emigrated. Starting with some specialized US resources to discover the town of origin, we will then explore Italian records. This includes navigating Italian records online, Italian record types, challenges of language and paleography, and how to access records not online,
Pamela Guye Holland
DNA Painter and Chromosome Mapping
DNA Painter is a colorful, easy-to-use tool for understanding the chromosome segments you received from an ancestor. This free programs lets you map DNA segments and assign or "paint" them various colors on your different chromosomes. Learn how to create a chromosome map for your own research using DNA results from FamilyTreeDNA, 23andMe, MyHeritage or GEDmatch. Please note that AncestryDNA cannot be used in DNA Painter unless you have transferred your results to GEDmatch.
Jennifer Hornsby and Meaghan Wright
Genealogical Resources at the Phillips Library
Come hear a brief history of the Phillips Library of the Peabody Essex Museum, a two-hundred-and-twenty-year-old library with archival resources of particular relevance to Essex County, MA. The talk will include an overview of their collections, information about secondary and primary sources that can support genealogical research, and how to access these materials.
Richard Howe
Failure as Opportunity: The Birth, Decline and Revival of Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell burst on the American scene in the 1820s as the center of textile manufacturing in America. Innovation was central to Lowell’s success and the city became a magnet for those with talent, energy and drive. But after the Civil War, a host of factors contributed to the city’s gradual decline. The Great Depression came early and stayed late in Lowell. Then in the late 1970s, things changed. The meteoric rise of Wang Labs, the creation of Lowell National Historic Park and inspired civic and political leadership launched a revival that has made Lowell one of the most exciting mid-sized cities in post-industrial America. Lowell historian Richard P. Howe Jr., will share the story of this fascinating city and its people.
Susan O'Connor
Adding Spreadsheets to Your Genealogy Toolbox
Spreadsheets aren’t just for number crunching! With Excel or another spreadsheet program in your genealogy toolkit you can create research logs, produce parallel time lines for multiple individuals, analyze data to identify patterns and problems, and design diagrams depicting complex family and inter-family relationships. Examples of each of these will be presented in the context of actual research along with tips and tricks for creating them.
Sonia Pacheco
Figuring Out Your Portuguese-American Roots: how archives can help you be a better genealogist
This talk will provide some context to Portuguese-American immigration; will discuss how the Ferreira-Mendes Portuguese-American Archives might be of assistance to your research; and will cover some of the key issues that all genealogists need to be aware of when tracing their Portuguese ancestors, such as vital records and naming conventions (or lack there of!)
This list of presentation is arranged by the name of the speaker. To see the presentations arranged by track, click here.