Everyone loves a good mystery, but not when the mystery is, “Who is my great - grandfather?” or “Where did he come from? He just showed up here.” Genealogists can use common techniques employed by criminal investigators to help solve the mysteries of lineage.

One expert defines a criminal investigation as “a thorough, objective search for truthful information,” and that should also describe a genealogist’s quest for the truth about his or her ancestors. Since every case and every family is different, there are no fixed rules for an investigation. However, a good family history researcher, like a good criminal investigator, proceeds in a systematic, organized way, analyzing and evaluating all the evidence, and building a truthful case. Sometimes there is not enough evidence to prove a case, and both the investigator and the family historian must be able to move on to another case or family line. This lecture points out criminal investigation techniques that can be employed bygenealogists to effectively search for and identify ancestors, record evidence , analyze and draw accurate conclusions, and write comprehensive but concise reports. 

Bounty lands were awarded by the federal government from 1788 to 1855 to encourage and reward service in the military. Nine individual states (Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia) also awarded land as part of Revolutionary War compensation. Today more and more of these resources are available online and many records can be easily copied onto disk or digitized by the National Archives.

For our purposes manuscript collections refer to the unpublished (often handwritten) documents of the government, organizational records, and personal papers of both officials and private individuals. The range extends from the extensive correspondence files of the War Department to the diaries of individual soldiers and sailors. The genealogical applications are endless. These documents are many times the only original record or source of an event and frequently offer primary information about an event or fact. Records of birth, marriage, and death may be buried in these records and almost always these documents add context and substance to our ancestor’s lives.

General Admission Only $10.00 – Includes:

General Admission Classes, Silent Auction & Vendor Area

Featured Lectures $10 each or $30 for All with paid admission