Registration is now open for the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society Annual Genealogy Seminar, which will take place on Saturday, April 5th, 2014 at the Goleta Presbyterian Church, 6067 Shirrell Way, Goleta CA. Seminar hours 8:30am-4pm. Doors open at 7:45am

Members $40, non-members $45. Register by March 28th and get a $5.00 discount. Optional boxed lunch is available for $10. Space is limited and early registration is encouraged.

This year’s theme is “A Potpourri of Genealogy Ideas” and two highly respected, nationally recognized speakers will present eight topics structured in two seminar tracts:

Hank Jones, a professional genealogist since 1965, is an entertaining genealogical lecturer, an accomplished writer and a respected Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists. He is best known for his extensive work with Palatine genealogy and for his popular book, Psychic Roots. You will no doubt recognize Hank from his many roles on TV and movies during his long career as an entertainer and screen actor.

The second featured speaker will be J. H. (Jay) Fonkert, CG. Jay is a director of the Association of Professional Genealogists and past-president of the Minnesota Genealogical Society. His research, writing and lecturing focus on Midwest, Dutch and English genealogy, as well as genealogical methodology. He is an instructor in the Advanced Practicum Course at SLIG, and has published more than 40 research and teaching articles.

Lecture topics will include:

When The Sources Are Wrong! – A problem every genealogist has to deal with in research and what to do to solve the problems that erroneous sources present; many problems presented by new technology are also discussed, as well as the strengths and dangerous flaws in the genealogical tools we all commonly use such as the IGI and the internet. – HJ

Tracing The Origins Of Early 18th Century Palatine & Other Emigrants – The subject of many of Hank’s books and one of his special areas of expertise, “the methodology in tracing an emigrant is often the same, so other ethnic groups and time-frames and how to document them overseas are also discussed in this talk – a step by step plan for a successful emigrant search!” – HJ

Family Tradition: How To Separate Fact From Fiction In Genealogical Research – Something we all have to sort out in every family: the case history of Jost Hite – so-called “Baron of the Shenandoah Valley” is examined, dissected, and made relevant to all attendees; that Hite was eventually discovered to be the son of the local butcher in his ancestral European village – not a Baron at all- should be no surprise to experienced genealogists. – HJ

How Psychic Roots Became An Unsolved Mystery – Incorporating many experiences from his best-selling books on serendipity & intuition in genealogy, now in their 9th printings from Genealogical Publishing Co. and dramatized on NBC’s “Unsolved Mysteries” program; this talk also discusses our prime task as family historians of putting flesh and blood on our skeletons of names and dates, making our ancestors come alive again! – HJ

Getting to Here from Where? – Following Your Ancestors’ Migration Trails,

Every migration story is different, but learning about common migration routes helps us understand the migration possibilities for our individual ancestors. Learn about major 19th century American migration routes and major cultural migrations, as well as how to mine records for clues to the routes taken by your ancestor. – JHF

Genealogical Detours: Solving Problems with Indirect Evidence – Often, we can’t find evidence that directly answers our research question. Instead, we must zigzag back and forth along a crooked evidence path to arrive at a logically sound, if indirect, conclusion. Learn how to solve a problem when you can find no direct evidence answering your question. Become an “evidence weaver” and reveal your family’s history, and, enjoy the scenic evidence detours. – JHF

A Reasonably Exhaustive Search: Four Fawkner Wives – Extensive research across three dimensions — time, geography, and associations — increases your chance of success. Using an example covering five states and more than a half century, this presentation demonstrates how to link widely spread information together to solve a difficult problem. The family story was that John C. Fawkner arrived from England, changed his name, and married his cousin Ann. He hadn’t just arrived, he didn’t change his name, and Ann was not his first wife. – JHF

Finding Your Pre-1850 American Ancestors – American genealogy becomes more challenging before 1850, when the U.S. Census first listed every individual in a household. Researchers must turn to other records, including tax lists, estate records and court records to reconstruct pre-1850 families. Learn how to read the clues in post-1950 records and work your way back another generation or two. – JHF

Register now by going to sbgen.org and click on the purple “CLICK HERE TO REGISTER” button. For more info contact: events@sbgen.org or view the seminar flyer at http://www.sbgen.org/upload/events/files/1392497298_SBCGSSeminar14print.pdf

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