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We know December can be a bit crazy, with all the shopping, caroling and decking the
halls. Find a moment of calm among the clatter by blocking out time for one—or both—of
Family Tree University’s December live webinars … and keep your genealogical research
on track.

 




State Genealogy Series

Kansas Genealogy
Crash Course: Find Your Sunflower State Ancestors

Searching for your Sunflower State ancestors? In the 19th century, this Midwest plot
of prairie was home to Native Americans and European settlers alike. If your ancestors
lived in the vicinity of Topeka, Wichita or Kansas City, let presenter Kathleen Reid
Rippel lead you to your roots.

Date: Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012
Time: 7pm EST/6pm CST/5pm MST/4pm PST
Duration: 1 hour
Price: $49.99 ($39.99 through tomorrow, Nov. 29)

What You’ll Learn:

• Fundamental Kansas history, from the Louisiana Purchase to the American Civil War
• State-specific tips for tracing American Indian, English, Spanish and African-American
  and other ethnic ancestors
• Key online sources for Kansas records
• Tricks for finding your roots from Topeka to Wichita, Dodge City to Kansas City
• PLUS: This webinar comes with two free downloads: a copy of our Kansas
  State Research Guide and our Kansas City Guide.

Register Here: Kansas
Genealogy Crash Course: Find Your Sunflower State Ancestors

Four Fun Factoids from Presenter Kathleen Reid Rippel:

• The Pikes Peak Gold Rush was actually in Kansas territory.
• The Kansas State Historical Society was created by newspapers editors in 1875. It’s
  no surprise, then, that Kansas is one of the best states for newspaper research.
• Kansas is one of the few states that regularly took a state census. These are still
  available and provide some extra information. The 1885 and 1895 schedules are especially
  helpful since the 1890 Federal census is not available.
• Even if your ancestors didn’t settle in Kansas, many researchers discover that their
  family members stayed for awhile, then returned home or went further west. Others
  passed through on major trails, including the Oregon Trail and the Santa Fe Trail.

Discover and Preserve Your Family History Series

Using
Criminal Court Records Webinar 

Sift through criminal case files to find your ancestors in criminal court records.
Judy Russell, The Legal Genealogist, will present the essential strategies for locating
your ancestors.

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012
Time: 7pm EST/6pm CST/5pm MST/4pm PST
Duration: 1 hour
Price: $49.99 ($39.99 until Dec. 4)

What You’ll Learn:

• Explanation of the complaint and indictment process as it affected your ancestors
• The paper trail generated from arrests and gathering witnesses
• How to find records of pretrial and trial proceedings and what they can tell you about
  your ancestors
• How sentences—from the stocks to the penitentiary—were issued and documented
• PLUS: This webinar comes with a free PDF download: a copy of Court Orders,
  our guide to courthouse records.

Register Here: Using
Criminal Courts Webinar

Four Fun Factoids from Judy Russell, The Legal Genealogist:

• Americans love to trace their roots to the Mayflower. But the first convicted killer
  in America was John Billington, who arrived on (yep, you guess it) the Mayflower.
• Throughout history, the criminal law has treated women differently from men: in some
  cases, more leniently, in others, more harshly. Only a woman, for example, could be
  convicted of being a common scold.
• One of the biggest boosts to law enforcement was the development of photography. It
  made it more difficult for a bad guy to just change his name and move down the road.
  Many photographs exist from criminal cases starting in the late 1800s, and a fair
  number can be found online—and not just from the United States.
• From 1919-1933, large numbers of criminal prosecutions were for alcohol-related offenses,
  thanks to Prohibition. But Prohibition gave birth to a new type of crime, Organized
  Crime (with capital letters)—and an explosion of records, particularly at the federal
  level.

AND, A REMINDER …

Don’t miss out! Our one-week workshop, Using
Free Genealogy Websites, begins Friday and runs through Friday, Dec. 7. In just
one week, this Family Tree University workshop will teach you secrets for gleaning
more ancestral information from free sites and databases; for searching the web more
effectively; and for taking advantage of fantastic free tools you’re not already using. Click
here to register.