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Past Offerings

2019 Genealogy Courses

On a regular basis, the Kentucky Genealogical Society provides educational opportunities to members and non-members. This page contains the topics from the 2019 Kentucky Genealogical Society meetings.

These events give perspective members an idea of the value provided by the organization. You can find current educational events that are available free to non-members on our Calendar of Events page.

As a service to our members, past educational recordings and handouts are available as on-demand learning in our Member Portal page.

December 2019

Resources for Kentucky African American Genealogy

Speakers

Our speakers review the many resources their organizations offer to those seeking to learn their African American family history in Kentucky. 

November 2019

Beginning and Extending Your Research of German Ancestry

Speaker: Kent Robinson

Robinson is the past president of the Indiana Chapter and immediate past National president of Palatines to America – German Genealogy Society. He has focused his research during the past 15 years on his mother's paternal ancestry in Germany, tracing them back to 1593.

Presentation covers these resources and strategies:

  • Sources for discovering the name and location of the ancestral village
  • Introduction to the history and geography of Germany
  • A variety of items and terms that researchers will encounter
  • Record types, the info they include, and how to access them
  • Suggestions to make research of German records easier even if you do not know the German language

 

September 2019

Using DeedMapper and Land Surveys

Speaker: Betty Warren

Session One: Finding the Family Farm

The search for the 50-acre farm started with the will of George Admire, dated 1804, leaving the "land whereon I now live, I give and bequeath unto my daughter Sally Williams to her and her heirs forever" in Henry County, Ky. The estate settlement showed a cash settlement to Williams and wife Sally but no land transfer. Present-day family members wanted to know where the 50 acres was and what had happened to it. The 50 acres was "found" through an intensive search of tax lists, deeds, original surveys, land grants, maps, and atlases. Using the DeedMapper™ software program, I was able to assemble and plat the data, then determine the current property owner and place the 50 acres on a present-day map of Oldham County, Ky.  

 

Session Two: Rectangular Land Survey

A detailed description of the section-township-range survey system with practical applications
Many descendants of early Kentucky pioneers moved on into the Northwest Territory and states further west. Most of those states used a survey method that uses principal meridians and base lines as the reference points involving the invisible latitude and longitude lines of a globe making a rectangular grid pattern. This rectangular survey system applies the basics of linear and angular measurement involving geometry and trigonometry in relationship to the compass points to determine the position of a tract of land. It sounds rather complicated, but it is really very simple!

Sessions handouts available 

June 2019

Advanced Genealogy Research Sources

Speaker: Joe Hardesty

Session One: The SAR Genealogical Research Library And Revolutionary War Ancestor Research

The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) Library is more than a wealth of printed works of genealogical value. Participants learn in this lecture how to access much of this collection in your own home with a focus on researching Revolutionary War ancestors. 

Session Two: Advanced Genealogy Research Online

Ancestry.com is not the only game in town! In this lecture, you will learn the powerful resources available that many experienced genealogist don’t know (or forgot to remember). 

Session handouts available