FGS 2015 Program Spotlight: Origins and Migration

Friday, February 13, 2015

Many of our ancestors arrived on the shores of this country from other places. Some of those ancestors or their descendants eventually headed west. These FGS 2015 tracks cover several countries of origin and that westward migration.

Wagon Trains, Railroads, Migration & Modern Transportation

• NARA, BLM, and the Library of Congress have federal records that present a picture of development, traffic, and travel on rivers and canals leading to Western settlement. Pamela Boyer Sayre, CG, CGL, will discuss them in Federal Records Relating to Rivers and Canals.

• Whether it was a river or canal, families used waterways for their livelihood and transportation. Join Patricia Walls Stamm, CG, CGL, for Our River Ancestors and the Records They Left Behind. 

• Learn methods to determine which railroad employed Great-Grandpa, where it was located, what the various records contain, and where records might be found. Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA, covers all that in Railroads Beyond the Mississippi: History and Records. 

• Not only did the 1920s-30s contain the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, but the records of this time show the massive migration from the south and the East to the new Paradise. J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA, will explain Finding the Migration Record and Stories of the Dust Bowl Disaster and Western Movement. 

Origins

• How can we further our German research from the comfort of our American homes? Michael Lacopo will discuss the many English and German-language websites available that may have the answers you seek in German Genealogy on the Internet: Beyond the Basics. 

• Before you flyaway to your ancestor's country of origin, you need to do your homework. Donna Moughty explains how effective search begins at home in Jumping the Pond: Finding the Origins of Your Immigrant Ancestor.

• Learn about common record types that can be used to trace the origins of a Hispanic ancestor who immigrated to the United States from Deborah Grutler, AG, in Crossing Fronteras: Immigration Sources for Hispanic Ancestors. 

• Civil registration and church registers aren't the only records providing birth, marriage and death information. Audrey Collins covers alternative sources in Lesser-Known Sources for Births, Marriages & Deaths in the British Isles. 

Check out the full program for FGS 2015 scheduled for February 11–14, 2015, in Salt Lake City, Utah and register today.