Fall Seminar

SDGS Fall Seminar 

Join us for an all day event with 4 special presentations held in person by Gena Philibert Ortega. 

Or choose to attend via Zoom if you cannot attend in person.

Session 1: And They Lived Happily Ever After: Historical Marriage

One way to research female ancestors is through their relationships with others. We know how to find proof of marriage, but can we go beyond the marriage record to understand how marriage impacted US women historically? In this presentation we will explore social history aspects of marriage and the records that are left behind. Topics explored include citizenship, coverture, the Married Women’s Property Act, domestic violence, and widowhood.

Session 2: Analyzing Gravestones: Going Beyond a Name and Date

What does your ancestor’s gravestone tell you? It’s common to find a name and a date, but what else might it tell you. The type of gravestone, the symbols, and where they are buried are all clues to their lives. Learning about their death requires some knowledge of not only gravestones but cemetery history. In this presentation we will look at examples to see how we can dive in-depth into our ancestors’ lives via their death.

Session 3: How to do Better Research: Combining History and Genealogy

Family history research requires more than understanding what genealogical resources and websites exist. Knowing more about your ancestor’s era and location is imperative. In addition, we need to know what to do when the inevitable brick wall appears. Learning more about conducting historical research can help. In this presentation we will explore resources and repositories that exist for historians that will in turn aid genealogists.

Session 4: Researching Your Ancestor’s 20 th Century Occupation

What were your ancestors’ occupations? Occupational research requires a knowledge of what records exist and understanding more about that occupation so you can tell the story. In this presentation we will explore occupation records, government records, histories, and how to put together their work life. We will look at examples that combine genealogy and social history.

Presenters bio:

 Gena Philibert-Ortega is an author, researcher, and instructor whose focus is genealogy, social and women's history. She holds a Master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (Psychology and Women's Studies) and a Master’s degree in Religion. Her published works include two books, numerous articles published in magazines and online, as well as five editions of the Tracing Your Ancestors series from Morsehead Publishing. She is the editor of the Utah Genealogical Association’s magazine, Crossroads. Her writings can be found on her blogs, Gena’s Genealogy and Food.Family.Ephemera as well as the GenealogyBank blog. She has presented to diverse groups worldwide including the Legacy Family Tree Webinar series. Her current research includes women's repatriation and citizenship in the 20th century, foodways and community in fundraising cookbooks, and women's material culture.

You can visit Gena's blog here, https://www.genagenealogy.com/