Virginia Genealogical Society

Establishing the True Identities of "Felix Richards Slaves" – with Amy Bertsch [9 Feb 2023]
2023-02-08 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
This lecture will examine a chancery suit, federal compensation claim, and other records that resulted in the identification of enslaved African Americans in a rare photograph. Discover tips and resources from this case study to advance your family history research.

Amy Bertsch is a historian and genealogist specializing in African American and Virginia history. Amy has taught historical archaeology in the Public History and Historic Preservation certificate program at Northern Virginia Community College, and she previously worked in public history at the Office of Historic Alexandria which operates the City of Alexandria’s museums, historic sites, archives and archaeology program. She has an M.A. in history from Sam Houston State University and her published work includes the “Lost Potters of Loudoun County, Virginia: The Gardner-Duncan Family” in the Journal of Early Southern Decorative Arts.

VGS live webinars are open to all. However, the handout and recording for each webinar are VGS member benefits. Webinars are held the second Wednesday of February, April, June, August, and December at 7 p.m. EST.

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Webinar with Vic Dunn
2022-12-14 19:00 - 20:00
“Deeds, Surveys, Land Books, and Other Records” – Vic Dunn, CG

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Join us on 14 December 2022 at 7:00 PM Eastern Time when Victor S. Dunn presents “Deeds, Surveys, Land Books, and Other Records.” Research in land records is essential in solving Virginia genealogical research problems. Explore the records that are available including little known sources that may provide the key to solving your problem.

Victor S. “Vic” Dunn, CG, is a full-time professional researcher who specializes in Virginia research, with an emphasis on brick-wall problem resolution and lineage society applications. He serves as the coordinator of the Virginia research track for the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research. A lecturer at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and other national platforms, he is a frequent contributor to major genealogical publications including feature articles in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, The Genealogist, BCG OnBoard, and Magazine of Virginia Genealogy. In 2014 he received the Mosher Award for Colonial Virginia Research and was named as the official genealogist of the Order of First Families of Virginia. He is a member of the Jamestowne Society and the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. He is a past trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, past treasurer of the National Genealogical Society and past governor of the Virginia Genealogical Society.

Webinar with Roccie Hill
2022-08-10 19:00 - 20:00
“Native American Databases and Other Resources: The Secret Keys to Your Families” – Roccie None Hill, MA

Lecture Description: Finding information about Native American ancestors has long been a complex endeavor for many reasons: the lack of written records by native authors, cultural differences in naming traditions, language barriers, errors in non-native records, and forced transport of indigenous peoples, individually or in groups, to distant parts of the country. Understanding the historical context of bands and tribes is crucial to locating and analyzing written documentation, as is knowing where to look. We will discuss these contexts through treaties and other political or military actions, as well as identify online and physical repositories where both federally created and indigenous generated records are kept. We will review the efficacy of DNA to identify indigenous ancestry. Finally, we will review federal and state recognized tribes and sample paths to enrollment, since that is the Number 1 topic today in Native American genealogy.

Roccie None Hill, MA, Co-Owner of Past & Present Pathways, www.pastpresentpathways.com, has been doing genealogy research since 1990, and professionally since 2009. She specializes in Native American research, as well as Southwestern US genealogy including tribal and borderlands.

She is fluent in French, has worked extensively with French Canadian records, and has a working knowledge of Spanish. She has a BA from UCLA in Philosophy/History, and an MA from San Francisco State University in English/History.

She has written various articles for www.genealogists.com and for the Tennessee Genealogical Society, has lectured on military records and land records across the US, and has published two novels, Three Minutes on Love, 2008 and Window of Exposure, 2015 (The Permanent Press), as well as the play, Our Scars, in 2017, which was produced in Portland, Oregon, at the Fertile Grounds festival.

Roccie is a member of the DAR (past 2nd & 1st Regent at the Cahuilla Chapter), the National Society Colonial Dames of the XVII Century, APG Second Life (Vice President), Tennessee Genealogical Society (former Associate Editor of Ansearchin’ quarterly), Genealogical Society of Hispanic America (past Chair, Marketing Committee), National Genealogical Society, Virginia Genealogical Society, NEHGS/American Ancestors, Melungeon Heritage Association, Palm Springs Genealogical Society, and the New Mexico Genealogical Society.

She is a former cataloguing volunteer at the Research Library of the Smithsonian Affiliate, the Museum of the West in Scottsdale. She is currently a paleography volunteer for the Mellon Foundation-funded project, Native Bound Unbound, Archive of Indigenous Americans Enslaved.

She is also an experienced nonprofit grant writer.

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