Beginning Genealogy

• 10 Steps to Jump Start Your Genealogical Research. Genealogy is a fascinating hobby that will make you part detective, part puzzle solver. Here are 10 steps to get you started. (beginner)

• Digging into Census Records. How to use census records and the amazing amount of information they contain. (beginner)

Records Research

• Court Records: Defendants, Judges, Jurors, Debtors, Social History. Court Records offer a lot of information about the community and the time period - and you will often see your ancestor in court as a plaintiff, defendant, witness, or juror. (intermediate - advanced)

• Deeds, Wills and Probate Records Point to Relationships. Learn how to read the legal language and learn how deeds, wills and probate records can clarify family relationships. (intermediate)

• Finding Your Way to the Cemetery. How to locate a cemetery, look for burial lists, identify people buried with no marker. (intermediate)

• Inlaws and Outlaws: Lawbreakers in the Family. Notice I didn't say criminals. Laws changed over time. When you research, you will find records of ancestors convicted of cursing in public, or cast out of their church for "consorting with the Methodists." Today even smoking in a restaurant or on an airplane can get you arrested for breaking the law. Fortunately, there are records of these lawbreakers. (intermediate)

• Marriage, Separation, and Divorce Records - Marriages of our ancestors are sometimes idealized. We think of them marrying for life and perhaps living happily ever after. But researching often uncovers women living apart from their husbands, running away from their homes and families, and even divorcing or being divorced. Learn how to recognize and account for women who don't fit into the married for life model. (beginner - intermediate)

• The Naturalization Process. Becoming a citizen was not always easy and finding naturalization records can be a challenging task. (intermediate)

• The Tax Man Came and He Left Records. The census taker came once every ten years and often missed people. The tax collector came every year and seldom missed anyone. (intermediate - advanced)

• Using Maps to Find Your Way to Your Ancestors. Maps come in all shapes and detail. Finding the right map can lead you all the way back to your ancestors. (all levels)

Developing Research Skills

• Introduction to the National Archives in Denver. The local branch of the National Archives contains census records, ship passenger lists, American Revolutionary War pension applications, city directories for 1930, and much more. (beginner - intermediate)

• Organizing Your Genealogy is a State of Mind - You're faced with a pile of documents, a camera card full of unlabeled photos, and more than one flash drive full of microfilm pages. When it's hard to know where to start organizing, you need to start with a goal. Learn how to determine your goal and focus on a plan to meet that goal through organization. [all levels]

• Successful Research Techniques for Your Ancestor’s Town or County – All records are created on the local level so it’s vital that you learn as much as possible about the history, population, geography, crops, occupations, and records for your ancestor’s hometown. (all levels)

• Putting Your Research Into Writing: Whether you're writing a compiled genealogy or a family history, putting the facts on paper and bringing the ancestor to life can be challenging and fun. (advanced)

• Research is Not a Four-Letter Word: Genealogy is part jigsaw puzzle, part detective work, part knowledge of sources, and part research skills. (all levels)

• Research Mania: How to Research and How Much is Enough. Learn how to organize your search, collect and record information, compare various facts, and reach a conclusion. (all levels)

• Researching back before 1850. Researching Back Before 1850. Don't be discouraged when you learn that only the head of the household was named in censuses before 1850. You can use land records, tax records, wills and probate records, and Revolutionary War pension applications to flesh out the family. (beginner - intermediate - advanced)

• Using Timelines to Solve Problems. Create a timeline that includes major historical events and the documented events in the life of your ancestor. Timelines can often help you break through a brick wall. (intermediate - advanced)

• Why Did They Do What They Did? Social and Cultural Influences on Our Ancestors. People are affected by the belief system, the laws, the climate, and the technology, as well as religious and ethnic influences of the time they live in. We want to know why they do what they did. (intermediate - advanced)

Luncheon Speeches and Non-Genealogy Groups

• Cemetery Symbolism - Telling a story in stone and deciphering the message. (genealogy and non-genealogy groups)

• Going Back in Time. Travel the time machine back to learn what events affected your ancestors and perhaps caused them to leave a record behind. (beginner - intermediate)

• Writing Memory Memos. Write a one-page memory memo for your family about the most important day in your life. (beginner and non-genealogy groups)

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Carol Cooke Darrow is a Certified Genealogist who works as a lecturer and researcher. She has a degree in history from the University of Texas and has been a Certified Genealogist since 2005. She is the co-author of The Genealogist's Guide to Researching Tax Records published in 2007. She is available to present at your genealogical meetings nationwide. Her current schedule of lectures and presentations is listed above.

Carol Cooke Darrow, CG, and Susan Winchester, Ph.D. and CPA, are co-authors of The Genealogist's Guide to Researching Tax Records. The book is a how-to guide to help you identify, locate, and understand the wealth of information available in these annual records. Tax records can be as helpful as census records in locating ancestors who lived before the first census in 1790 or who lived in areas with lost census records. The book was published by Heritage Books and is available at www.HeritageBooks.com

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Selected Genealogical Links

• Colorado Genealogical Society
• Association of Professional Genealogists
• Board for Certification of Genealogists
• Colorado Society of Hispanic Genealogy
• Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet
• Denver Public Library: Western History and Genealogy
• Directory of Genealogy Libraries in the USA
• Enslaved Ancestors Abstracted from Granville County, NC Deed Books - 1746-1864
• Find A Grave
• GenForum
• Goggle Search Features
• Historical County Lines
• LDS Family History Library Catalog
• LDS FamilySearch Record Search (Pilot Project)
• Jewish Genealogy
• NARA - Genealogy
• National Genealogical Society
• RootsWeb.com
• Social Security Death Index (SSDI)
• State of Colorado (Archives) Historical Record Search (Select 'Start Your Search'; works best with IE)
• U.S. Civil War Soldier and Sailor System (by the National Park Service)
• U.S. Census Bureau: Genealogy
• The USGenWeb Project
• Yahoo! Search: Genealogy

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