Presentations

Eilene is available to give presentations about genealogy, family history, and research topics. The following are a few that she has done in recent years. Other topics are listed below.

Credentials

  • Genealogical and family history researcher for over 20 years
  • Degrees in accounting and environmental biology (minors in GIS and Chemistry)
  • Former real estate broker
  • Articles published in Latah Legacy and Michigan History magazines
  • Experienced public speaker, regionally and nationally

Road Trips

New ways to look at archives and plan a research trip well.

Dear Diary

Find and use letters, diaries, and memoirs in your family history work.

Immortal Words

This presentation will give beginning and intermediate family-history bloggers tools to create an inviting blog and draw in readers.

Property Records and Maps

Learn more about the types of information you can glean from deed books and maps.

Eureka!

You might be surprised by how many people on your family tree went to California. Learn how to find them.

Elias D. Pierce

Capt. E.D. Pierce was the first to summit Mount Shasta, and started the Clearwater gold rush that led to the creation of Idaho. But he hid his family past. A case study in finding a historical figure’s roots.

Other topics

  • Question everything: Breaking through the brick walls we’ve built. Sometimes we do not realize that a brick wall is of our own making. Learn how to find the keystone that will bring it tumbling.
  • My DNA matches have completely different trees. What now?! Non-parental events are a common discovery when doing DNA research. How to follow the leads presented in your matches.
  • Extra! Extra! Using newspaper research to develop a family history story. Newspapers have a unique ability to bring the past alive. Be sure to include the news in every family history.
  • John Annable: United Empire Loyalist. Annable arrived in America just before the start of the Revolution. Naturally, he fought for the British, and wound up in Canada.
  • Death in 19th Century America. Some of the diseases and conditions that killed your ancestors before modern medical “miracles” made them a thing of the past.
  • The “Bounty” in bounty land records. Like pension records, bounty land records can provide genealogical clues.
  • San Juan Sagas: A family history derived from an antique store photograph. How researching an old photograph can reveal local history tales.
  • Overlooked records: What you can learn from lawsuits. Our ancestors relied heavily on Justices of the Peace and local courts to settle disputes, even more so than today.
  • What does it say? Reading and transcribing old documents. Transcription is a tedious, but necessary, process so that you don’t have to keep re-reading difficult documents.
  • Finding and using property records. Deeds can reveal much more than just a transfer of title to a property. You can also use them to develop maps for your family history.
  • Immersion: Developing a FAN-based local history. Understanding local history and focusing particularly on your ancestor’s friends and associates will enrich your understanding of their lives and help you build compelling family history stories.
  • Get Organized: Compiling a large research and writing project. Using Zotero, Scrivener, and Word to organize your research and write your book.
  • The Price of Pacifism: Philadelphia Quakers in the Revolution. Leading Philadelphia Quakers suffered persecution in the Revolutionary War, including imprisonment, fines, and, for some, exile to Virginia.