Genealogy experts coming to Lawrenceville this month

AJC file photo

AJC file photo

A free family history conference will be held September 29 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Lawrenceville.

The conference at the church, located at 3355 Sugarloaf Parkway, is entitled, “Our Roots Keep Us Together.” The topics discussed could helpful for beginners as well as experienced genealogists. There will be 16 one-hour talks from genealogy experts, but you can attend only four, one each hour.

A few of the areas covered are “Inheritance 101 for Genealogical Purposes – Understanding Inheritance Laws and Practices,” presented by Terry Manning; “Making Sense of the U.S. Census,” presented by Rosemary Cantrell; “HeritageQuest — a free resource available through Georgia libraries,” from Laura Carter; “Sources at the National Archives,” by Donna Weathers; “The Body Snatcher Family — Using the Genealogical Proof Standard and DNA to Find Correct Kinship,” by Yvonne Mashburn Schmidt; and “An Introduction to Genealogy,” from Bob Volz. Four computer labs covering using the Family Search app for beginners and intermediate users are planned.

Due to space limitations, advanced registration is recommended for the computer labs. For more information on talks, speakers, directions, and to make a reservation for the computer labs, go to www.FamilyHistoryResource.com. This is an important genealogy event that has been held for several years and is well worth attending. Metro Atlanta area genealogists are lucky to have so many opportunities throughout the year for genealogy education.

Genealogist’s packing list

“A Genealogist’s Packing List” is a useful, three-page document to help you plan what to take on a genealogy research trip. Go to abundantgenealogy.com and then “Free Genealogy Resources” and “A Genealogist’s Packing List.” It’s a very well thought out list and should be helpful to anyone. Other freebies are a guide to English resources, using yearbooks, a genealogy research log, and lots more.

City directories great sources, many online

City directories are great sources for genealogy research, and exist for most medium to large cities. Ancestry.com has many online, although some are incomplete. People who lived within the city limits of a city are usually included, no matter what their race or economic and social status. Sometimes, this is the only clue for the name of a widow’s late spouse.