Olympia Genealogical Society

2023 OGS Spring Seminar

Judy Russell, CG
Date: Saturday, April 15, 2023
 
Speaker: Judy Russell
 
Printable 1-page flyer (8-1/2 x 11 pdf)
 
Registration (required):
-- Registration is closed.
-- Your payment receipt will be your registration confirmation. As the Seminar approaches, registrants will receive additional information via email.
-- A recording of each presentation will be available for 30 days after the Seminar for those who register.
 
Seminar Program Outline:
-- Where There Is – or Isn’t – a Will
-- Property Rights and Wrongs – African-Americans at the Courthouse
-- Linking the Generations with Court and Land Records
-- "Don’t Forget the Ladies" – A Genealogist’s Guide to Women and the Law
 
 
 
Questions: Email us at Events@OlyGenSoc.org
 
 
 

Seminar Program:

Where There Is – or Isn’t – a Will -- Where there’s a will, there’s a probate. And often when there isn’t a will, there’s still a probate. Understanding the process and finding the records created when our ancestors died can help break through those brick walls.
 
Property Rights and Wrongs – African-Americans at the Courthouse -- From being treated as property to having their children and their property stolen by those who used the law against the freedmen, African Americans’ experience at the courthouse had only one bright spot: it created records for the genealogist-descendants of enslaved and enslavers alike.
 
Linking the Generations with Court and Land Records -- It’s the single biggest issue genealogists face: how do we connect one generation to the next with evidence we can rely on? Vital records are excellent documentation, but they often don’t exist for the time and place we’re researching. That’s when we have to find workarounds to make sure we’re not simply putting people into family lines because they share the same names. Using court and land records, we can often find the evidence we need to link the generations accurately.
 
“Don’t Forget the Ladies” – A Genealogist’s Guide to Women and the Law -- In early America, women were all too often the people who just weren’t there: not in the records, not in the censuses, not on juries, not in the voting booth. The common law relegated women to “protected” – second-class – status, and understanding how they were treated under the law provides clues to finding their identities today.
 
 

Speaker:

Judy Russell
 
Judy G. Russell, The Legal Genealogist®, is a genealogist with a law degree who provides expert guidance through the murky territory where law and family history intersect. An internationally-known lecturer and award-winning writer, she holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist® and Certified Genealogical Lecturer℠ from the Board for Certification of Genealogists®. Her blog is at https://www.legalgenealogist.com.
 
 

Detailed Agenda:

08:30 - 08:50 Zoom meeting opens
08:50 - 09:00
General Announcements and Introduction
09:00 - 10:00
Presentation 1: Where There Is – or Isn’t – a Will
10:00 - 10:15
Break
10:15 - 11:15
Presentation 2: Property Rights and Wrongs – African-Americans at the Courthouse
11:15 - 11:45
Lunch break
11:45 - 12:00
Questions & Answers
12:00 - 01:00
Presentation 3: Linking the Generations with Court and Land Records
01:00 - 01:15
Break
01:15 - 02:15
Presentation 4: “Don’t Forget the Ladies” – A Genealogist’s Guide to Women and the Law
02:15 - 02:30 Questions & Answers
 
 

Information for Registered Attendees:

In preparation for the OGS Spring Seminar 2023, we encourage you to do the following:
  1. Zoom app -- If you don't already have it, download the free Zoom app to your desktop computer or laptop at https://zoom.us/download (Zoom Client for Meetings).  We strongly recommend that you use a desktop computer, laptop, or iPad/tablet with a large screen for better viewing.  If you will be using an iPad or iPhone, download “Zoom Cloud Meetings” from the App Store.  For Android devices, download the app from Google Play. 
  2. Speakers/Headphones -- You must have speakers or headphones to hear the presenter. 
  3. Webcam -- Not needed for the April 15 sessions.
  4. Microphone – If you have a microphone, it will be muted during the sessions. However, during the lunch break you will need a microphone if you would like to ask questions of the speaker, just like you could at an in-person event.
  5. Training/Orientation
    1. You can learn how to participate in a Zoom meeting by viewing "Joining a Zoom Call for the First Time" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9isp3qPeQ0E. If you haven’t used Zoom previously, after you download the app, try it out by having a virtual visit with friends using Zoom!
    2. Spend some time familiarizing yourself with the chat feature in Zoom; that is where you will post any questions during each session.  The chat and microphone features will be reviewed prior to the start of the seminar.  At the end of each presentation, Judy will be happy to answer questions as time permits.  You’ll be able to type in your questions in the chat box.  Your questions will be asked and answered at the end of each presentation.
On Friday, April 14, 2022 you’ll receive another email from us with a detailed schedule for the four presentations on Saturday and the syllabi for the presentations along with a Zoom link.  We recommend that participants download and print the syllabi in advance.  The Zoom link will have an embedded password.  The Zoom session will open for attendees at 8:30 am and will end at about 2:30 pm.
 
A friendly reminder:
The materials provided by Judy Russell, including the syllabi, presentations, and resulting recordings, are copyrighted by the speaker.  They are provided only to the paid attendees of the "Olympia Genealogical Society Spring Seminar 2023".  The recordings will be accessible for 30 days.  Sharing or duplicating these materials in any way is expressly prohibited.