This presentation will ask attendees to put on their “CSI” hat and utilize their “detective” skills to solve a genealogical research problem when little information is known. Starting with a newspaper death announcement, we will look at the methodology of creating a series of questions that need answers in order to bring our subject to life. Using the clues found in the death announcement, together we will identify and determine what records are needed to help solve the unknown. The importance of carefully analyzing documents, determining where to find them, and understanding how one record can lead to another will be emphasized. Learn how to successfully scale this “brick wall.”
Deborah A. Abbott, PhD, is a professional genealogist specializing in genealogical methodology, manuscript collections, and African American family research. She is a member of the Cuyahoga County (OH) Archives Commission, the Lakeview Cemetery Community Outreach Committee (Cleveland, OH), past president of the African American Genealogical Society, Cleveland, Ohio, and a retired professor of Counseling from Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland. She holds both the BS and MEd degrees from Tuskegee University and the PhD degree from Kent State University.
Dr. Abbott is coordinator of the African American Track at both the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) in Athens, Georgia, and the GRIP Genealogy Institute of the National Genealogical Society. She teaches at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) and the Texas Institute of Genealogical Research (TIGR).
Dr. Abbott has articles published in the Ohio Genealogy News and Family Tree magazines. She can be found teaching African American genealogy in a segment entitled “Needles & Threads” on Ancestry Academy, an educational video course for Ancestry.com. Dr. Abbott also coordinates the “Genealogy and Family History Clinic” for the Cleveland Public Library.
She is a member of the National Genealogical Society (NGS), the Association of Professional Genealogist (APG) and the Genealogical Speakers Guild (GSG). A Cleveland, Ohio native, Dr. Abbott is a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the Tuskegee University National Alumni Association, and Antioch Baptist Church in Cleveland.
Please register in advance at the following link:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. If you do not receive a Zoom link within 15 minutes after registering, please check your spam folder.
NOTE: The presentation will begin at 7pm (Central Time), there will be a period to socialize between 6:30-7:00 pm.
This event is co-sponsored by the Champaign County Historical Archives at The Urbana Free Library. This event is free and open to the public. A recording of the presentation will be made available to CCGS members following the event.
