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 purchase the case study series, you will have access to the Research Like a Pro Webinar Series 2023 private page on FamilyLocket.com. Using the username and password you created during checkout, you can log in, view the schedule, and get information about how to watch the presentations live via Zoom. The webinars will be recorded and placed on the webinar series private webpage along with the syllabus (research report) that goes along with it. We will send you an email each month to remind you about the upcoming webinar.
Schedule
Lectures will be presented via Zoom on the following schedule for 2023. All times are 11am Mountain Time (Utah):
Saturday, January 21 – Was Rachel Cox the daughter of Benjamin Cox? A DNA Case Study
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
Tuesday, February 21 – Who was the father of Daniel Arnold? A DNA Case Study
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
Saturday, March 18 – Who was the father of Daniel Arnold, Phase 2: A DNA Case Study
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
Tuesday, 4/18/23 – John D. Isenhour’s Migration from North Carolina to Missouri: A Study in Pre-1850 Migration
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
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.
Tuesday 6/20/23 – Is Elijah Dillard the Brother of Cynthia (Dillard) Royston? A DNA Case Study
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
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
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
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
Tuesday 10/17/23 – A Father for William Boyd: A Case Study Using 18th Century Indirect Evidence
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
Saturday 11/18/23 – TBA
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
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
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.