Topeka Genealogical Society

Special Program Hosted by the Johnson County Genealogical Society, supported by funding from the Johnson County Library Foundation and Friends of the Library. Email info@jcgsks.org at least 2 days in advance to get the Zoom link for joining the program.

Presented: Mary Risseeuw

Summary: Women throughout U.S. history have ‘lost their identity’ by taking their husband’s name when they married. Prior to the 20th century, most historical records were written about and for men. This discussion will help you identify the varieties of source material that can help you break through that brick wall. You will also learn the many reasons why women are harder to trace and how legal and social status affected this. In examining lesser used sources – including ephemera such as letters and diaries – you can unlock your female ancestor’s identity.

About Mary: Mary Risseeuw is a genealogist, historian, writer and lecturer. She has researched 19th & 20th century Dutch immigration to Wisconsin for over 30 years and has published and lectured throughout the Midwest and the Netherlands. She serves on the Board of the Association for the Advancement of Dutch American Studies.

Saturday, June 26

Trains West: Crossing the Continent 1840 - 1869 (Regional Events)

10:00 am

Virtual Meeting - Online with Zoom

Presenter: Mary Kircher Roddy

Summary: Before the transcontinental railroad was completed Easterners and MidWesterners began to settle the West. How did they get there and what was the journey like? Presentation covers overland and water routes with descriptions of the journey and using clues to discover how and when your ancestor traveled.

About Mary: Mary is a Certified Genealogist and also a Certified Public Accountant. She lectures in Washington State and across the US, and is a regular presenter for LegacyFamilyTree Webinars. She has written for Internet Genealogy, NGS Magazine, FGS Forum, Family Chronicle and The National Genealogical Society Quarterly and numerous society publications. Mary currently serves as Treasurer for the Association of Professional Genealogists. You can read more about her at MKR Genealogy – www.mkrgenealogy.com.

Saturday, August 28

Overlooked and Underused Subscription Sites (Regional Events)

10:00 am

Virtual Meeting - Online with Zoom

Presenter: Luana Darby

Summary: Ancestry.com may be genealogy's biggest subscription web site, but it's not the only one in town. Quite a few smaller and newer sites offer some of the same collections as Ancestry.com, as well as their own unique and valuable resources for research. From Fold3.com to Accessible Archives, we’ll explore several lesser-known subscription sites in detail.

About Luana: Genealogy and the recording of family history has always been a passion for Luana. She began organizing photos, documents, and information on her grandmother's family in 1977 and has researched for others since 1985, working as a professional genealogist since 1995 and as a forensic genealogist since 2014. She frequently travels to Europe for genealogical research on site in archives in Germany, Poland France, and Italy. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the Genealogical Speaker's Guild, the National Genealogical Society and the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors (IFSHWE). She has served as director (2009-2011), vice president (2009), president (2010-2011), and treasurer (2012) of the Utah Genealogical Association and served on the board of the Association of Professional Genealogists and as an indexer for the Illinois State Genealogical Society Quarterly. In January 2015, she joined the faculty of BYUIdaho as an online family history instructor teaching analysis and genealogy as a business course. She worked as an in-house genealogist for BYU-TV’s series Relative Race in seasons 3 & 4 and was the chair of the NGS 2020 virtual conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Saturday, September 25

Researching Ancestors of Color (Regional Events)

10:00 am

Virtual Meeting - Online with Zoom

Presenter: Renate Yarborough Sanders

Summary: This session is specific to researching ancestors of color, to include formerly enslaved and free people of color. Participants learn which record types and web sites are most helpful in this type of research and how to extract data about people of color from various document types.

About Renate: Renate Yarborough Sanders, genealogist, is the descendant of formerly enslaved ancestors, as well as enslavers and free people of color. She is the author of two blogs: “Into the LIGHT”, which focuses on her own family history; and, “Genea-Related”, a platform for presenting a variety of information of genealogical interest. Renate also produces a “(Mostly) African-American Funeral Programs” online database, in which she publishes vital data extracted from funeral programs. Renate is a member of several national and community genealogical and historical societies. She is a panelist on BlackProGen LIVE, an online live show presenting topics of interest for people researching ancestors of color and co-hosts a YouTube series, “Let’s Talk North Carolina Genealogy,” which focuses on topics specific to North Carolina research.

Saturday, October 9

Wichita Genealogical Society 2021 Annual Conference (Regional Events)

Wichita, KS - To be announced

Save the Date! - Wichita Genealogical Society Annual Conference, with Lisa Louise Cooke as featured speaker

Saturday, October 23

Writing Ancestral Stories Your Relatives Will Want to Read (Regional Events)

10:00 am

Virtual Meeting - Online with Zoom

Presenter: Pam Vestal

Summary: Part of the thrill of genealogy is sharing our discoveries with those we love, so it can be disappointing when our family members and friends have no interest in the subject. However, with good research, thoughtful planning, and a dash of ingenuity, we can create engaging stories designed to entice even the most reluctant readers. This session is specific to researching ancestors of color, to include formerly enslaved and free people of color. Participants learn which record types and web sites are most helpful in this type of research and how to extract data about people of color from various document types.

About Pam: Pam Vestal is a professional genealogist and lecturer from Oregon whose research extends far beyond the Pacific Northwest, with clients all over the U.S. and research that reaches beyond our borders. After 20 years as a professional writer, Pam turned her full attention to her longtime love of genealogy. Since then, her articles have appeared in the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly and FGS’s Forum magazine, and her lectures take her from coast to coast.