Purchasing the 2023 webinar series gives you lifetime access to the twelve lectures presented in 2023. A syllabus containing the researcher’s report will be provided with each lecture. If you have a research project to share, see the call for presentations below.

How it Works

After you register for the webinar series, you will have access to the Research Like a Pro Webinar Series 2023 course page on FamilyLocket.com. Using the username and password you created during checkout, you can log in, view recordings, and download the report PDFs.

Lectures

These lectures were presented virtually in 2023. New registrants will be able to see the recordings and read the accompanying research reports.

Saturday, 1/21/23 – Was Rachel Cox the daughter of Benjamin Cox? A DNA Case Study

Diana Elder, AG

No record states Rachel Cox as the daughter of Benjamin Cox. Following the Research Like a Pro with DNA process provided the foundation for proving the relationship using indirect documentary evidence and autosomal DNA. This case study will outline the research process and discoveries made.

Topics: Indiana, Texas, migration, marriage records, Lucidchart diagram, AncestryDNA Thrulines, pedigree triangulation

Diana Elder AGⓇ is a professional genealogist accredited in the Gulf South region of the United States. Diana authored Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist’s Guide and co-authored the companion volume, Research Like a Pro with DNA: A Genealogist’s Guide to Finding and Confirming Ancestors with DNA Evidence. Diana and her daughter, Nicole Dyer, are the hosts of the Research Like a Pro Genealogy Podcast and share research tips on their website, FamilyLocket.com.

Tuesday, 2/21/23 – Who was the father of Daniel Arnold? A DNA Case Study

Nicole Elder Dyer

Daniel Arnold was born in 1806 in Saratoga County, New York. Census records from his life and his children’s lives provide conflicting evidence about his birth and parents’ birthplaces. Careful examination of records in the locality of his marriage led to a hypothesis that was tested with DNA evidence.

Topics: New York, pre-1850 censuses, same-named individuals, atDNA, Y-DNA, gephi network graph, probate & land records

Nicole Dyer is a professional genealogist specializing in Southern United States research and genetic genealogy. She is the creator of FamilyLocket.com and the Research Like a Pro Genealogy Podcast. She co-authored Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist’s Guide and Research Like a Pro with DNA and is an instructor for the study groups of the same name. She lectures at conferences and institutes including the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research. Nicole holds a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in History Teaching. At Family Locket Genealogists, Nicole is a project manager, editor, and researcher.

Saturday, 3/18/23 – Who was the father of Daniel Arnold, Phase 2: A DNA Case Study

Alice Childs, AG

Following the Research Like a Pro with DNA process in subsequent phases of the Daniel Arnold research project helped gather and organize DNA test results for multiple test takers, create a research plan to study other children of the hypothesized father, and identify and eliminate additional paternal candidates. Seeking DNA matches who descended from Daniel’s hypothesized mother helped solidify the case.

Topics: New York, Massachusetts, Multiple test takers, AncestryDNA ThruLines, pedigree triangulation, identifying and eliminating competing hypotheses, pre-1850 censuses, land records, probate records

Alice Childs is an Accredited Genealogist® specializing in U.S. Research, specifically in the Mid-Atlantic states of New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and Delaware. She is a graduate of the Research Like a Pro and Research Like a Pro with DNA study groups and has subsequently served as a mentor for both study groups. She is also a leader and mentor for the ICAPGen Study Groups, helping candidates learn the requirements and prepare for the accreditation testing process. She currently volunteers as the Communication Manager for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) and has completed the following institute courses: The Pennsylvania German and Research in the Keystone State (SLIG), Advanced Genealogical Methods (SLIG), and Researching New York: Resources and Strategies (IGHR). Alice holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Brigham Young University. When she’s not researching, Alice enjoys spending time with family, reading historical fiction, quilting, and gardening.

Tuesday, 4/18/23 – John D. Isenhour’s Migration from North Carolina to Missouri: A Study in Pre-1850 Migration

Diana Elder, AG

When and why did John D. Isenhour move from his Lincoln County, North Carolina, home in the early 1820s? This case study will discuss how following the Research Like a Pro process found original records that pinpointed a likely date and path of migration, including a previously unknown location in Tennessee. Through studying historical accounts, the research also discovered John D. Isenhour’s motive for migration and his reason for settling in Missouri.

Topics: North Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri, German migration, land grants, deeds, tax records, census records, historical context, agriculture study, topographical maps, FAN research, boundary changes

Saturday, 5/20/23 – Who were the parents of Katherine A. E. Seher? A DNA Case Study

Barb Groth

No birth record has been found for Katherine A.E. Seher, a woman residing in Milwaukee, WI, who married twice and had nine children. Following the RLP with DNA process a relationship to her parents and grandparents was proven using documentary evidence and autosomal DNA. This case study will outline the process and results naming her parents and grandparents as well as other DNA connected relatives.

Topics: Wisconsin, New Jersey, Germany, marriage records, census, military records, newspapers, court documents, research log and timelines with Airtable, Lucidchart diagram, Ancestry DNA matches and Thrulines.

Barb Groth is a dedicated family historian, working toward accreditation with the help of ProGen and ICAPGen study group. She began her journey into genealogy in the late 1990’s and was fortunate to work with both her parents’ first cousins solving the stories of their roots in the German communities of Wisconsin. In 2014, Barb and her adopted son, attended Rootstech, heard CeCe Moore’s lecture and took DNA tests with FTDNA and 23&me. Armed with this information and desire to solve the mystery, she found a half sibling of her son and both his birth parents. This opportunity to use DNA, with limited documentary evidence, and focused research was just the beginning for this amateur genealogist.

Tuesday 6/20/23 – Is Elijah Dillard the Brother of Cynthia (Dillard) Royston? A DNA Case Study

Diana Elder, AG

Analysis of a network graph led to the discovery of a cluster of Dillard/Royston DNA matches for Cynthia Dillard’s great-grandson. This cluster connected to a cluster of DNA matches descending from a man named Elijah Dillard. With Elijah Dillard identified as the Most Recent Common Ancestor of this cluster, the research sought to find a connection to his possible sister, Cynthia (Dillard) Royston. DNA analysis involved diagramming the DNA matches, analyzing generational links, and checking the amount of shared DNA against statistical probabilities. The documentary research centered on the southeast Alabama counties of Macon, Pike, Barbour, and Dale.

Topics: network graph analysis, Leeds method, diagramming DNA relationships, probate and court records, federal land patents, county boundary changes, historical setting, correlating documentary evidence

Saturday 7/22/23 – Who were the parents of David R. Matheson? A DNA Case Study

Alice Childs, AG

David R. Matheson emigrated from Nova Scotia to California as a young adult, where he later married, had two children, and died young – at the age of forty-two. Documents created throughout David’s life in California fail to identify the names of his parents. This case study will discuss how following the Research Like a Pro with DNA process helped identify David’s ancestral family, identify and eliminate paternal candidates, and solidify biological relationships to both parents.

Topics: California, Nova Scotia, naturalization records, censuses, probate records, land records, local history, network graphs, diagramming with LucidChart, the shared cM project.

Tuesday 8/15/23- Surprise! My Great-Grandfather was the Milkman! – A DNA Case Study

Ruth Campbell

Jacob Rouse was born in 1804 in Pennsylvania and died in 1885 in Michigan. Since Jacob Rouse was my 3rd Great-Grandfather, I wanted to use DNA to discover who his parents were. My Uncle Gordon was the perfect candidate and was tested at 111 markers using Y DNA. The results from the Y DNA test sent me on a journey to uncover a secret no one knew about.

Topics: Michigan, California, WWI Draft Registration, city directories, voter registrations, atDNA, Y DNA

Ruth Campbell’s passion for genealogy has spanned over 40 years. She researches in Canada, England, and the United States. She completed a National Institute of Genealogy Studies (NIGS) certificate in Canadian Studies and Family History certificate from BYU-Idaho. Ruth has volunteered at several Family History libraries over the years and headed up the Cook County, Illinois, vital records indexing project for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in New Jersey. Ruth has completed and mentored the Research Like A Pro Study Group several times. She enjoys attending Family History conferences all over the United States and presenting. Ruth started a monthly community class called “Let’s Talk DNA” in Fayetteville, Georgia.  Recently, Ruth solved two DNA research projects on her maternal line dating back to the 1800s. When she is not researching, she enjoys quilting, golfing, and traveling with her family.

Saturday 9/23/23 – Incorporate DNA into your German Research: The Schlag Case

Heidi Mathis

Who were the parents of Burkhard Schlag, a mid-19th century German immigrant? Indirect documentary evidence points to parents. Does DNA evidence confirm this hypothesis?

Topics: German research, 19th-century immigration, DNA evidence, indirect evidence

Heidi Mathis is a graduate of the Research Like a Pro with DNA and Research Like a Pro study groups. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, with a minor in English Literature from California Polytechnic State University. Her areas of genealogical research are German, Irish, Dutch, and Swiss Americans, mostly in the Midwest states and in those countries of origin. She loves using genealogical research as an excuse to read as much history as possible.

Tuesday 10/17/23 – A Father for William Boyd: A Case Study Using 18th Century Indirect Evidence

Rick Wilson

William Boyd was born in 1753 in Plumstead, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and he was poor during his lifetime. No direct evidence exists linking him directly to his father. Only indirect evidence is available. This case study introduces a Genealogy Evidentiary Network diagram to visualize and organize the evidence to support the report’s conclusion.

Topics: Pennsylvania, Tax Records, Wills & Estates, Land Deeds, Revolutionary War Pension Application, Civil & Criminal Court Records, AncestryDNA

Rick has 30+ years of genealogical research experience and has worked with Y-DNA since 2006 and autosomal DNA since 2011. He also operates a family history blog and website at MyFamilyPattern.com. Professionally, Rick teaches Marketing at Texas State University.

Saturday 11/18/23 – November: Origins of Isabella McFall: an Early 19th-Century British Immigrant DNA Case Study

Melanie Whitt, MSc, QG

Isabella McFall’s kin and homeland origins are mostly lost to history. She immigrated to Michigan by 1838 and died there in 1865 before the advent of death certificates. Conflicting records identified England and Scotland as Isabella’s c1815 birthplace, though research has not identified her in those countries’ collections. DNA analysis uncovered evidence for her origins, and produced a specific geographic location for continued documentary research. This case study features analysis of a composite DNA network graph created in Gephi from the combined matches of three descendants who tested with AncestryDNA.

Topics: 19th-century US Immigration, England, Scotland, Ireland, Conflated British Identity, Michigan, Cluster Research, Genetic Genealogy Strategies, DNA Network Graphs, Gephi

Melanie Whitt is a professional genealogist who works as contractor for Family Locket Genealogists and private clients. She earned a Master of Science with Distinction in Genealogical, Paleographic, and Heraldic Studies from the University of Strathclyde. She is accredited as a Qualified Genealogist with the Register of Qualified Genealogists in the UK. As a product of recent immigration to the US, her work has a strong international focus in France, Sweden, Germany, and the British Isles, in addition to extensive practice in the Great Lakes and Northwest regions of the US. She regularly incorporates DNA analysis in her research and has solved biological family identity cases for clients. She is a graduate of both Research Like a Pro and Research Like a Pro with DNA study groups, serving as a mentor for the latter. When she’s not researching, Melanie enjoys spending time with her family, eating out, traveling, and playing pickleball.

Tuesday 12/19/23 – Proving the Mother of Cornelia Roberson Hickerson: A DNA Case Study

Candy Risher

Only two documents tentatively connected Cornelia Roberson Hickerson to her biological mother. Cornelia’s descendants believed that she made the journey from Tennessee to Texas in 1872 alone to start a new life as a teacher at 16. No documentary evidence of her life in Tennessee had been located. A biological relationship to Cornelia Roberson Hickerson’s mother and maternal grandmother was proven using the RLP with DNA process from start to finish. This case study will outline the process and results, naming Cornelia’s mother, grandmother, and previously unknown siblings.

Topics: Texas, Tennessee, census records, marriage records, burned counties, newspapers, research log and timeline on Airtable, Diagrams.net, Gephi, AncestryDNA, MyHeritage DNA, 23andMe, FamilyTreeDNA

Candy Risher got hooked on genealogy at the age of 13 when her parents bought an early version of Family Tree Maker from the bargain bin. This led to many late nights and weekends at the local library doing the best research she could do with limited resources. As an adult and with the advent of online research and resources, Candy continued to research her family with mixed results until she finally decided to get serious in 2020. A Google search led to the Research Like a Pro process and suddenly brick walls started to crumble. Candy specializes in research in the Southern United States with a special emphasis on Texas research. Candy has completed the Research Like a Pro Study Group and the Research Like a Pro with DNA study group and has mentored in both. She also completed the ICAPGEN Level 1 Study Group and is preparing to submit her Level 1 Research to begin the process of accreditation in earnest. Candy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Texas at Dallas. She is a member of the National Genealogical Society, the Denton County (Texas) Genealogical Society and Association of Professional Genealogists.

Call for Presentations

We are looking for case studies showing how you have worked on a case following the Research Like a Pro process or Research Like a Pro with DNA process. The Research Like a Pro and RLP with DNA steps are taught in our books, courses, and study groups. The lecture should show what you did for each step of the process (i.e. objective, timeline, citations, analysis, locality guide, research logging, report writing, etc.) The RLP with DNA process includes additional steps.

The syllabus/handout should be your completed report. Selected lecturers will be paid $125 per lecture and receive complimentary access to the year’s webinar series. Lectures should be about 60 minutes with 15 minutes of question and answers afterward. The call for presentations is available here: https://forms.gle/UgZmnU1kcBgw4U3g6