Seminar Series: Discovering Your Bluegrass Roots

With the advent of the internet and digitized information, it’s easier than ever to research your family history. At the same time, it can be a challenge to find the information you need in an online world filled with irrelevant data. 

If you’re researching your Kentucky family history, take advantage of our eight-part Discovering Your Bluegrass Roots series.

Learn about Researching in Kentucky

  • Learn what you need to know about researching your Kentucky family tree today. Join these experts as they explore each topic in depth.
  • You’ll develop a deeper understanding of how to do family history research—from biographical research to the latest genealogy thinking.
  • Our expert-level genealogists curated this content to give you the best genealogy training about Kentucky and genealogy available. 

This content is available in our Member Portal, but if you join you will have access as part of your membership package

Designed with Kentucky Researchers in Mind

Our expert-level genealogists curated this content to give you the best genealogy training about Kentucky and genealogy available. 

This series is suited to beginners or those with advanced skills. 

 

Series Content

  • Proven Strategies for Researching in Kentucky
    Proven Strategies for Researching in Kentucky

    The best place to research your ancestors in Kentucky is not always in Kentucky! Let’s learn what is available to help discover our ancestors as they migrated to and through Kentucky.

    Presenter: Peggy Lynn Clemens Lauritzen

  • Researching Kentucky at the County and Local Levels
    Researching Kentucky at the County and Local Levels

    Expert genealogist Dave Schroeder provides some tips and tricks for discovering your Kentucky ancestors.

  • Using Maps in Genealogy
    Using Maps in Genealogy

    There are a vast number of map types that can assist us in our genealogical research and add context to our ancestral stories. This presentation examines both historical and contemporary maps (census, plat, topographic, insurance, military, railway, etc.) as well as where to find them online and offline.

    Katherine R. Willson is an engaging & dynamic genealogy lecturer.

  • Discovering African Americans in Kentucky Prior to 1870
    Discovering African Americans in Kentucky Prior to 1870

    This webinar covers: things to consider before and during research, general information regarding antebellum African Americans in Kentucky and a dozen different records from the mid-1860s back to 1840 which hold genealogically significant information about free and enslaved African Americans.

    Presenter: Cynthia Maharrey

  • 10 Things a Genealogist Must Do Before Leaving a Kentucky Library or the State Archives
    10 Things a Genealogist Must Do Before Leaving a Kentucky Library or the State Archives

    Have you ever gotten home from a genealogy research trip and said to yourself “I forgot to do that”?

    Learn the 10 things genealogists should do before they leave a library and archives to make the research trip a success!

    Presenter: Melissa Barker is a Certified Archives Manager for the Houston County, Tennessee, Archives.

  • Strategies to Analyze Endogamous DNA
    Strategies to Analyze Endogamous DNA

    Endogamy, marrying and having children predominantly within one’s group, allows DNA matches to appear to be more closely related to each other than they actually are. Alec Ferretti will teach us the current rules of thumb for weeding through endogamous matches, including learning how to visualize matches in ways to both help understand and analyze endogamy.

  • Kentucky Genealogy Brick Wall Brainstorm
    Kentucky Genealogy Brick Wall Brainstorm

    Our experienced family researchers work through some brick walls submitted by our attendees. A fun and engaging session with lots of suggestions.

  • LGBTQ Genealogy
    LGBTQ Genealogy

    Stewart tells stories of many LGBTQ ancestors in the historical context of LGBTQ rights. Clues to ancestors can be found in photographs, census, newspapers, obituaries, cemeteries, military records, marriage records, and LGBTQ Archives around the world.

    Dr. Stewart Traiman is a professional genealogist.