Meeting Video Archive

Craig Roberts Scott, MA, CG, FUGA is the author of The ‘Lost Pensions’: Settled Accounts of the Act of 6 April 1838 (Revised) and Records of the Accounting Officers of the Department of the Treasury, Inventory 14 (Revised). His most recent work is Understanding Revolutionary War and Invalid Pension Ledgers, 1818 – 1872, and the Payment Vouchers They Represent. He has authored seventeen books and several articles in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, and other genealogical publications. He is the President and CEO of Heritage Books, Inc., a genealogical publishing firm with over 10,000 titles in print. A professional genealogical and historical researcher for more than thirty-nine years, he specializes in military records, problem-solving, Quakers, and publishing. He is a Company of Military Historians member and on the National Genealogical Society Quarterly editorial board. He is a former Director of the Association of Professional Genealogists. He is the Vice-President of the APG Writer’s SIG. He has coordinated research tracks at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, Samford University, the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, and the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh. He is currently the SLIG Guided Research and Consultation Track Coordinator, helping students solve brickwall problems. He is the host of the YouTube @Just Genealogy channel. He is a recipient of the Grahame T. Smallwood, Jr. Award and the UGA Silver Tray Award. He became a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association in 2014.

She specializes in conducting extensive family history research and then turning the genealogical facts into illustrated stories that anyone can enjoy.  After a 20-year career as a professional writer, Pam turned her full attention to her longtime love of genealogy.  Since then, her articles have appeared in the National Genealogy Society Magazine, the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly, and the Federation of Genealogical Society's Forum magazine.  As a national speaker, her lectures have taken her all over the United States.

She loves history, biography, puzzles, and a good mystery, which makes her perfectly suited to genealogy research!  She belongs to several local and regional genealogy groups as well as being a member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild and a Professional Member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. Caron teaches at the Newberry Library in Chicago and at local libraries and genealogical societies for over ten years with consistently excellent feedback.

He is a semi-retired professional genealogist, author, and teacher who researches primarily in original records and manuscripts throughout the South. He enjoys sharing what he has learned over the years through Webinars, YouTube, and Institutes. Mark has published articles in APGQ, North Carolina Genealogical Society Quarterly, SPEAK!, The Longhunter, Robertson County[Tenn.] Times. and other society publications.

Diana Elder AGⓇ, AGLTM, is a professional genealogist accredited in the Gulf South region of the United States. She is the author of Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist's Guide and co-author of Research Like a Pro with DNA: A Genealogist's Guide to Finding and Confirming Ancestors with DNA Evidence. With her daughter Nicole, Diana leads study groups and an eCourse that teaches the Research Like a Pro methodology using comprehensive video instruction and interactive learning modules.

Dawn Carlile is a native Oregonian, having grown up in Eugene and Springfield, OR, and has been involved in genealogy for 30 years, starting when her dad asked if she had ever thought about researching their family history. His mother was orphaned at age 12, and he knew very little about her family. Once she started looking into the family she was hooked. She is a professional genealogist, educator, and lecturer who began teaching classes for the Oregon Genealogical Society in 2008 and then began lecturing at libraries, genealogical societies, and cultural events. She enjoys teaching others how to research as much as she does doing research herself.

Thomas is a Baby Boomer guy with a love of punk rock music but also art history who somehow “fell” into the technology industry years ago. He left a lucrative tech career to pursue his love of family history and genealogy. Technology and historical research seem like opposites, but “tech people” like Thomas are needed to guide you through the maze of options so you can find your ancestors and bring their stories to life. As a professional genealogist, he specializes in the use of technology and social media to improve genealogical research and as a means of interacting with others in the family history community.

Christine’s interest in genealogy began in 1977 with the airing of the TV mini-series “Roots”. Her enthusiasm was piqued when she was given a typed pedigree chart, commissioned by her maternal grandfather, of their Dutch heritage from the New Netherlands in the 1650s. A native Californian, Christine is a graduate of UCLA in Political Science. She is retired and pursues her genealogy journey full time.

James is a Pennsylvania German expert, has authored four books, including a just-released second edition of Trace Your German Roots Online. He also writes the weekly column/blog “Roots & Branches,” is a German Life magazine columnist, and has been part of a weeklong institute course on U.S. church records.

He was born and raised in northern Indiana surrounded by extended family always willing to tell tall tales. Intrigued by his maternal family’s claim to be kinfolk of Abraham Lincoln, and his paternal family’s stories of murder and mayhem, he took to genealogical research in 1980 to substantiate these family stories. Genealogical research as a hobby was in its infancy in the 1980s. Combing libraries, archives, cemeteries and courthouses as a teenager, Michael gained the skills needed to become a keen researcher.

Is a freelance writer, instructor, and internationally recognized lecturer, specializing in Eastern European genealogical research, writing your family history, and using the Internet to trace female and immigrant ancestors. She grew up in Duquesne, Pennsylvania and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1987 and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Nonfiction Writing from the University of Pittsburgh in 1997. Lisa is the author of eleven books, including The Family Tree Polish, Czech and Slovak Genealogy Guide, and the award-winning Three Slovak Women, and hundreds of magazine articles.

A native of northern England, is a professional genealogist and internationally known lecturer with 30 years’ experience, specializing in British Isles research.

Paul was raised on the West Coast of northern England. A mining engineer with a degree from the Cambourne School of Mines in Cornwall, England, he came to the U.S. in 1975 to get his graduate degree at the University of Wisconsin. He has been in the U.S. ever since, and in 2008 he became a dual citizen of both countries. In the intervening years, Paul received two graduate degrees and traveled widely throughout the world.

Richard (Rick) G. Sayre is a Certified Genealogist®, a current trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists and a past president of the board. His areas of genealogical expertise encompass records of the National Archives, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Daughters of the American Revolution, including military records, land records, using maps in genealogy, urban research, Irish research, and government documents.

He is a professional genealogist specializing in DNA evidence. In 2007 he started The Genetic Genealogist (www.thegeneticgenealogist.com), one of the earliest blogs on the topic. Blaine is the author of The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy, and co-author with Debbie Parker Wayne of the award-winning Genetic Genealogy in Practice, the world’s first genetic genealogy workbook. He also co-authored “Genetics for Genealogy” with Judy Russell in 2018’s Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice & Standards (ProGen PPS) (Elizabeth Shown Mills, Author and Editor).

Karen Stanbary, MA, LCSW, CG®, CGG SM, BCG Trustee, is an author and national lecturer focusing on topics related to using genetic evidence correlated with documentary evidence to solve genealogical brick walls. A Chicago local, she holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Chicago and has completed advanced graduate study in Social Anthropology at the Colegio de Michoacán, Mexico. Her genealogical practice specializes in Midwestern U.S., Chicago, and Mexican research as well as complex problem-solving, unknown parentage, and DNA analysis. She is a coordinator and faculty member at IGHR, and SLIG. She received the NGSQ Award for Excellence for two complex evidence case studies incorporating traditional documentary research and autosomal DNA analysis in the June 2016 and June 2023 issues of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. She published “Drowning in DNA? The Genealogical Proof Standard Tosses a Lifeline” in Debbie Parker Wayne’s book Advanced Genetic Genealogy: Techniques and Case Studies. She holds the credentials Certified Genealogist and Certified Genetic Genealogist from the Board for Certification of Genealogists where she serves as a Trustee and is chair of the DNA Committee.

Jill Morelli, CG, CGL, loves to share her passion for genealogy with others. She is a writer, lecturer and researcher specializing in the methodology, US Midwest, and Scandinavia. Jill is the founder of the Certification Discussion Group and a co-founder of the Applied Genealogy Institute, a practicum-based educational opportunity for intermediate and advanced learners. Jill has been published in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Swedish American Genealogist, and many others. Jill is past president of the Seattle Genealogical Society, program director of her local chapter of the Association for Professional Genealogists and belongs to many local genealogical societies.

Doctor Juengling received his bachelor’s degrees in German Studies and Secondary Education at Western Oregon University, his Master’s and Doctorate in Germanic Philology with minors in both English and Linguistics at the University of Minnesota. Germanic Philology is a highly specialized field of study, combining languages, linguistics, paleography and history. For his graduate degrees, Dr. Juengling was required to demonstrate competence in English, German, Medieval Latin and two other modern languages.

Tom has been pursuing his ancestry since 1963. For the first twenty years he was clueless about what he was trying to accomplish and how to do it. When he started climbing the genealogy learning curve he repeatedly experienced the challenges, joys, and rewards of tracing his ancestors reliably and understanding their lives. Tom eventually became an award-winning writer, board-certified genealogist, editor of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, recipient of honors from genealogical organizations, and author of the textbooks Mastering Genealogical Proof and Mastering Genealogical Documentation. Using his nearly lifelong career in education as a springboard, including classes since 1999 online, he enjoys teaching at weeklong genealogy institutes, weekend seminars, and local, national, and international genealogy conferences, either “virtually” or in person.

Debra M. Dudek is Head of Adult and Teen Services at the Fountaindale Public Library District in Bolingbrook, IL. Ms. Dudek specializes in British genealogy, World War I research, and emerging technology topics. An alumna of Olivet College (Olivet, Michigan) and the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, Scotland), Ms. Dudek holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, a Master in Information and Library Studies, and a Post Graduate Certificate in Genealogical, Paleographic & Heraldic Studies.

She owns Heritage Detective, LLC, providing professional genealogical services in research, education, and writing. She speaks on a variety of genealogical topics at the national, state, and local levels and loves helping people uncover and share their family stories. She is the coordinator of the Fall Virtual Intermediate Foundations course for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. Annette leads Best Practices Study Groups for a number of organizations, providing in-depth education on the genealogical research process in an interactive setting. She is president of the Association of Professional Genealogists and editor of The Florida Genealogist.

Lucjan’s adventure with tracing family histories started in 2013 with a visit to the Diocesan Archives in Przemyśl. A friend of his showed him what old nineteenth-century vital records looked like and what information they contained. Gradually he became more and more accustomed to various kinds of longhand and was able to maximize the results of his work while minimizing the time needed to complete it. Now, genealogy research is his full-time occupation and he is honored to have discovered the roots of many.

John’s interest in DNA began many years ago when he started wondering if his father was an only child (like he was). Digging out some old records from his “aunt”, John quickly jumped on the DNA bandwagon with an Ancestry autosomal DNA test, quickly followed by a Family Tree YDNA test. Mostly self-taught, John enjoys sharing information to enable others to jump-start their genealogy research. John is a 20-year US Air Force veteran and currently works for Boeing. He and his wife Darlene live in Shalimar Florida.

David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist has been on the staff of American Ancestors/NEHGS since 1993 and is an internationally recognized speaker on the topics of genealogy and history. He has authored many articles in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, the New Hampshire Genealogical Record, Rhode Island Roots, Mayflower Descendant, and American Ancestors magazine; and is the author of eleven books including A Guide to Massachusetts Cemeteries and Vital Records of Stoughton, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1850.

Interim Executive Director for the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, is the author of four commercially published genealogy books as well as writing “Roots & Branches,” an award-winning weekly blog/newspaper column on genealogy. He is also a columnist for German Life magazine and is editor emeritus of Der Kurier, the quarterly journal of the Mid-Atlantic Germanic Society.

After a long professional career in academic archives and genealogy libraries, Nancy E. Loe, MA, MLS, is now a genealogy educator, researcher, and writer. She specializes in U.S. and European research and provides expert guidance on information management and research skills.

Her website, sassyjanegenealogy.com offers a blog, a free monthly newsletter, and e-books on genealogy research.

He has been researching his ancestors for about fourteen years and has traced ancestors back to 1600s New England and 1730s in Poland, Germany, Bohemia, and Slovenia. He has given numerous presentations to genealogical groups and libraries in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. His goal is to share his passion for Family History.

Steve Szabados is a genealogy speaker, author, and columnist. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, and an MBA from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois.

He is a member of the Polish Genealogical Society of America, the Illinois State Genealogical Society, and Northwest Suburban Genealogical Society. He is also a genealogy volunteer at the Arlington Heights Illinois Library. He is the author of six print books – Basic Genealogy, Write Your Family History, Finding Grandma’s European Ancestors, Polish Genealogy, Memories of Dziadka, Quick Reference to U.S. Census Records, and Deciphering the 1790-1840 U.S. Census Records. He has also published five eBooks on genealogy. All are must-have books for the beginning genealogist looking for their European heritage. Steve is also the genealogy columnist for the Polish American Journal.

Carla Cegielski is a full-time family history researcher specializing in Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia research. She has been providing professional research services to attorneys, historians, genealogists, hobbyists, and others since 2007.