Researching Masons
Richard Schlaudroff is an historian and longtime genealogist. He holds an undergraduate degree from Austin College, graduate degrees in philosophy, theology, and history from Harvard, Columbia, and Fordham Universities, and is retired from thirty-five years in college teaching. He also holds a graduate degree and graduate certificates in library science and archival management. Richard is a two-time Past Master and current Secretary of Dallas Masonic Lodge No. 760 and has served as a presiding officer or grand officer in most Masonic appendant bodies. He currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Grand Lodge Masonic Education and Service Committee and as Librarian, Archivist, and Historian of the Dallas Scottish Rite Library & Museum.
The Archives Collection at the J. Eric Jonsson Central Library
In Search of Freedom: The Germans from Russia Story
- Duane Stabler, President, North Texas Chapter of Germans from Russia (https://ntgfr.com)
- Recorded at the November 2, 2020 German Genealogy Group meeting
- View Video (1:45:39)
- Handouts (PDF)
Enhance Your Research at the Dallas Public Library
Have you ever been researching online and hit a brick wall? The Dallas Public Library has resources to help! Genealogy & History Division Manager Stephanie Bennett outlines the plethora of print and electronic resources available for free through the Dallas Public Library.
- Stephanie Bennett - Manager of the Genealogy & History Section at the J. Eric Jonsson Central Library
- Recorded March 7, 2020
- View Video (1:10:23)
Discover New Ancestral Information by Connecting Through Social Media
Social networking tools are a great means for finding additional information about your ancestors and connecting with those researching your family. It allows you to discover living relatives, connect with unknown family members and stay in touch with ones we know. This program will focus on how to create a Facebook page with a genealogical focus with emphasis on how to keep it interesting and engaging.
Through These Doors: The Story of Virginia K. Johnson
Virginia Knight was born in Virginia and moved to Missouri with her family at a young age. As a teenager, she raised money for the Confederate Army and was jailed for her efforts. She married William H. Johnson, who later became City Attorney for Dallas. Virginia soon became what a contemporary described as a “one-woman welfare organization.” At the turn of the century, her efforts were focused on helping prostitutes find a more respectable occupation other than those afforded by Dallas’ more than 300 saloons and “houses of ill repute.” Describing herself as a “Professional Beggar”, she continued to raise money and fund her home for unwed mother until her death in 1934.
- Kelvin Meyers
- Recorded November 2, 2019
- View Video (39:53)
Understanding Cemetery Symbols
Whether you are a genealogist, historian, ghost hunter, or curiosity seeker, this photo-laden presentation reveals the forgotten meaning behind historic cemetery symbols.
- Tui Snider
- Recorded October 5, 2019
- View Video (54:30)
StoryCorps: Preserving Oral Histories
Family history through the collection of oral histories allows genealogists to capture memories, verify and preserve information that brings to life family group sheets and pedigree charts. Using StoryCorps, an inspiring archive of stories and their award-winning app, interviewers can preserve stories, testimonies, thoughts, and feelings about family history with a simple step-by-step process.
- Victor Chapa
- Recorded May 4, 2019
- View Video (1:03:59)
Military Pensions: Vital Records in Disguise!
Military pension records are an amazing source of information. This presentation reviews military records of several individuals and puts “flesh on the bones”; it also goes through the steps of retrieving pensions from various repositories while demonstrating how to link a family through these documents.
- Patti Gillespie
- Recorded April 6, 2019
- View Video (1;12:04)
How to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Cybercrime
Tony Hanson discusses the various ways scammers will attempt to obtain personal and financial information from you as well as a variety of steps you can take to protect yourself.
State and Territorial Censuses: Underused Genealogical Tools
While you are probably familiar with the decennial federal census, you may be less familiar with the availability and importance of the state and territorial census records. Mr. Meisner discusses how to locate these underutilized records as well the value of the information within them. These state and territorial census records are an excellent resource for helping to fill in the gaps for our ancestors between those federal census years.
Identifying Old Photographs: Preserving and Sharing
Old photographs provide a window into our ancestors’ lives. Besty shows us how to identify unknown photos by analyzing the type of photograph, the people in the photograph, the styles in the photograph, and other often-missed clues. She will also talk about how to preserve and share our photographs. This will be an interactive presentation that is sure to inspire you to go home and work on your own unidentified photographs!
- Betsey House Mills
- Recorded September 8, 2018
- View Video (54:07)
Migration through the South
Jim Thornhill looks at what motivated our ancestors to come to America, how travel developed in the United States, focusing on the south, and how we can use that information to identify the means our ancestors might have used to get to where we live today.
Black Courage
African-Americans served as soldiers and in other capacities during the course of the American Revolution. Their contributions were vital to the winning of the war for the patriot forces. But, an equal number of them served in the British forces and fought hard in their service. Both sides had various reasons for recruiting African-American troops and individuals had widely differing reasons for taking up arms in the conflict.
- Bill Covington
- Recorded February 3, 2018
- View Video (1:01:03)
Why Our Stories Matter
Thatcher Freund, a journalist and memoir writer, discusses the importance of stories in our lives both to ourselves and to the work we do in researching our family histories, and why it matters so much that we preserve them.
