Annual Meeting and Seminar
Join us for an all-day event with Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL, The Legal Genealogist®
This all-day event will include a business portion for installation of elected officers.
Session 1: “Don’t Forget the Ladies” – A Genealogist’s Guide to Women and the Law
In early America, women were all too often the people who just weren’t there: not in the records, not in the censuses, not on juries, not in the voting booth. The common law relegated women to “protected” – second-class – status, and understanding how they were treated under the law provides clues to finding their identities today.
Session 2: Living with Legal Lingo
The language of the law is part Greek, part French, part Latin, even part Saxon - and all confusing. Every family’s records are chock full of legal lingo that can appear utterly baffling to even an experienced genealogist. But whether it’s for a family as famous as Daniel Boone’s, or one as ordinary as yours or mine, understanding the legal lingo in the records is a critical part of understanding the records themselves.
Session 3: A Sentence of Transportation
The fact that England used transportation to get rid of those it didn't want is well known. What isn't as well understood is that most of the early transportees were sent to colonial America. Americans like to believe their bold ancestors sold themselves into service as indentured servants and won their freedom by hard work. Um, no... not exactly. Let’s look at the how and the why and, yes, the where of transportation from England.
Session 4: Using Google Books to Find the Law
Genealogists need to look at the law at the time and in the place where a record was created. Misunderstanding the legal context may make us miss records critical to our research or miss clues hidden in the records. But finding the law can be really complicated! Using the right tool—even the right version of Google—makes the job easier.
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About
Judy G. Russell, The Legal Genealogist®, is a genealogist with a law degree who provides expert guidance through the murky territory where law and family history intersect. An internationally-known lecturer and award-winning writer, she holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist® and Certified Genealogical Lecturer® from the Board for Certification of Genealogists® and is a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association. Her blog is at https://www.legalgenealogist.com.
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When: 10 January 2026 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM PDT
Where: Virtual on Zoom
This seminar will include a business portion for installation of elected officers for the society.
An agenda of the day along with handouts will be provided in the week before the meeting.
A link to the webinar will be sent in a separate email from Zoom.
Last day to register is January 8, 2026.
FREE FOR MEMBERS
Members can attend and view the recording for free. Members need to log in to the website to see the option to register for free.
Non-Members: $50
Non-members can become members for $30 to enjoy the above member benefits or pay $50 to attend with no access to the recording. Please visit our membership page for more information on membership or contact Margie Geiser at membership@casdgs.org
Renewing Members: To renew your membership, log into your profile on our website, and follow the prompts to renew.
For questions about this program contact Janet Cooper at programs@casdgs.org.
For questions about registration contact Regina Gigl at webmaster@casdgs.org
This program will be recorded and placed in the "Members Only" section. It will be available for viewing for a limited time.
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