Family History Research

I can't be in two places at once, so I have to figure out which of these seminars I'm going to make it to in the spring! There are so many useful topics, I'm going to have a hard time narrowing it down. Some of these are short monthly meetings, others are full-day seminars, and a few are multi-day conferences. IGHR is the  Institute of Genealogy & Historical Research , a conference held in Athens, Georgia, each year. It is pricey but the opportunity to learn how to do my job better is priceless! Registration is open now! Georgia March 7, Statesboro, GGS Quarterly Meeting, Ancestry.com March 9, Warner Robbins, CGGS meeting, land records March 14, 10am, Morrow, GA Archives tour April 4, Morrow, Symposium, Georgia History Topics July 26-31, Athens, IGHR Conference Tennessee March 21, Brentwood, MTGS, meeting topic PERSI April 3-4, Germantown, TNGS Spring Seminar Alabama March 7, Moody, ALGen Spring Seminar, Slavery Record Archvies March 8-9, Birmingham, AGS Spring

When I began this project, I only knew a few small details about Margaret Griffin from the social column of the Gadsden, Alabama newspaper and from her children’s death certificates. I made a plan, which I shared in Part 1  and I stuck to it until I finally Found A Way Through!  In Part 3, I found Margaret's obituary in an unexpected place. This document provided some key details, confirming her maiden name is Roden and leading me to the name of her brother, Solomon Roden of Albertville, Alabama. The next day, I used these details to unlock the mystery of Margaret's family history and the tragic death of her father and grandfather in a Civil War era massacre. “Margaret Roden Griffin” (1861-1935) Margaret Roden was born in Marshall County, Alabama, in March of 1861 (1900 Census). Her mother, Mary Hardcastle Stephens, was the second wife of James Roden (Alabama Marriages, 1805-1967) following the death of his first wife, Mary Rhea. Mary took care of James's eight

Photo Courtesy of @anniespratt In  Part 1 of "Finding a Way Through"  I provided a list of tips to break through Brick Walls in your Family Tree, which I have been following throughout this study of Margaret Griffin. In  Part 2 of this series , I had great intentions of jumping in to researching my great-great-grandmother, Margaret Griffin, who had been a mystery to me for many year. Last time, in Part 3, I got to work in earnest on discovering Margaret's past. I had been looking for her obituary for a long time, but couldn’t find any record of death for Margaret Griffin in Alabama. I needed Broaden the Search  to Louisiana and Georgia, where her adult children lived. I did some research on each of her children, to see if they took care of their mother after John passed away in 1925. At last, I found Margaret was living with her son, James, in New Orleans in 1935. I knew that Margaret was buried in Gadsden, Alabama, and couldn't believe she had passed awa

Photo Courtesy of @anniespratt In  Part 1 of "Finding a Way Through"  I provided a list of tips to break through Brick Walls in your Family Tree. In Part 2 of this series , I had great intentions of jumping in to researching my great-great-grandmother, Margaret Griffin, who had been a mystery to me for many year. Since clients always come before my personal projects, four week went by before I was able to work on my family tree Brick Wall. Fortunately, I have had great success with my research into the life of Margaret Griffin. If I didn't, I would tell you that too! But this time, it turned out great, and I always love a chance to tell the story of the women in my family , since historical record tends to focus on men. Today I am going to tell you about how I discovered the truth behind my great-great-grandmother's family line, and in Part 4, I will summarize my results. Following My Own Advice and Finding a Way Through I like to start with a new sheet

Photo Courtesy of @anniespratt In Part 1 of "Finding a Way Through" I provided a list of tips to break through Brick Walls in your Family Tree. Let me be honest with you: I am a professional genealogist, and yet, with all of the tools at my fingertips, I still have difficult spots in my own family tree! This month, I am going to spend some time Finding a Way Through the Brick Wall in my Griffin family line. I'm going to show you how I use my own advice and then reveal the outcome in Part 3 of this series. Finding Family in Northern Alabama When I became interested in genealogy, my mom was ready with generations of stories and photos from her side of the family. We were very quickly able to confirm eight generations of family history with solid documents and DNA evidence! My dad’s side of the family was much more challenging. There had been some hard feelings in the past and there were relationships and events that people were still hesitant to talk about, ev

Photo Courtesy of @anniespratt If you have been researching your family tree for any length of time, you've likely encountered a Brick Wall in one or more of your family lines. Some families can go back 8 or 10 generations before hitting a dead end while other family lines seem to become shrouded in mystery after just 2 or 3 generations. With persistence, you can find a way through many of the Brick Walls in your family tree. Here is a list I always refer to when I hit a difficult and frustrating spot in my family tree: 1. Start Fresh by writing a clear statement of what you'd like to find out. You could phrase it as a question, for example, "When and where did Margaret Griffin died?" 2. Break it down into steps starting with what you know and work towards finding out one part of your bigger problem. "I know Margaret was living in Gadsden, Alabama, when her husband died in 1925. I'll start by looking for records of Margaret in Gadsden after 1925

Six months ago, I began working on a Certificate in Genealogical Studies -American Records from NIGS. The courses are divided into three levels, 9 Compulsory courses at the Basic and Intermediate Levels and 10 compulsory courses at the Advanced Level, for a total of 28 courses. The first classes I took were quite easy for someone with a few years of experience researching family history. However, they quickly became more interesting and challenging. There are six Methodology coures which gave me "experience and education; a review of research standards; peer-body certification or accreditation; business planning and office organization; the kinds of services to offer; setting fees; and promotion and marketing ideas to heighten your profile." I regularly referred back to my notes and texts for the Methodology classes while doing assignments for other courses in the certificate program. There is a Methodology Certificate available which is far less involved than the Americ