2024 Spring Seminar

April 13, 2024

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Genealogy Jackhammers: Methods for Breaking Brick Walls

  • Going Beyond the Bare Bones: Reconstructing Your Ancestors’ Lives – Attendees will learn four ways to assemble information from frequently used genealogical sources to create biographies that will bring ancestors to life. Case studies will illustrate the options.
  • Building a Case with Scant Evidence – A case study demonstrates detecting, assembling, and interpreting scarce direct, indirect, and negative evidence and using it to prove negatives and correct entrenched errors.
  • Building a Credible Lineage, Despite Missing Information, Conflicting and Incorrect Records, and Undocumented Publications – A case study teaches how to establish credibility of undocumented genealogies, merge seemingly separate identities, remedy record errors, resolve conflicting evidence, and separate same-named men.
  • Solutions for Missing and Scarce Sources – Attendees will learn strategies for overcoming research barriers caused by lost or destroyed records, poor record-keeping, or a simple lack of records.

Location & Recordings

Join us live at the Dallas Public Library,  online on Zoom, or via recordings available for two weeks after the event.

Note that these will be live interactive virtual presentations. Tom will not appear in person at the library.

Schedule

Saturday April 13 (all times CT)

9:259:30Welcome & Opening Remarks
9:3010:30Going Beyond the Bare Bones: Reconstructing Your Ancestors’ Lives
10:3011:00Break
11:0012:00Building a Case with Scant Evidence
12:0012:45Lunch
12:451:45Building a Credible Lineage, Despite Missing Information, Conflicting and Incorrect Records, and Undocumented Publications
1:452:15Break
2:153:15Solutions for Missing and Scarce Sources
3:153:25Closing Remarks

Cost (USD)

By March 24, 2024After March 24, 2024
DGS Member$50$70
Others$60$80

Box Lunches will be available for $15 (must be ordered with a registration by April 9).

Join DGS REGISTER

Refund Policy: Requests for refunds made prior to the early-bird cutoff date (March 24, 2024) will be granted (less a $10 handling fee). DGS will not issue refunds after 5:00 pm on March 24, but we will provide a syllabus (PDF) and access to the recorded lectures for two weeks after the April 13, 2024 presentation. 

Tom Jones CG, FASG, FNGS, FUGA

Dr. Jones, co-editor of NGSQ in 2003-2018 and past APG board member, BCG trustee and president, teaches at GRIP, IGHR, and SLIG and at local, state, national, and international conferences, seminars, and workshops, in-person and virtually. Dr. Jones is a genealogical researcher, writer, editor, and educator. With nearly sixty years of research and teaching experience, he frequently lectures, teaches, and writes about genealogical methodology. He wrote the textbooks Mastering Genealogical Proof and Mastering Genealogical Documentation and chapters in Professional Genealogy and Advanced Genetic Genealogy. His specialties include genealogical problem solving and preparing genealogical research for publication. He frequently lectures, teaches, and writes about genealogical methodology. His interests include “blocked” lineages and genealogical problem solving.

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