Meetings & Classes
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NWIGS 2023 meetings and classes will be both in-person and on Zoom when possible. Members will receive an email with Zoom information prior to the meeting. Members can also log into the member area to find the Zoom information to join in. If you are not a NWIGS member and would like to join a class, please contact nwigsweb@gmail.com. Please introduce yourself and request the code. |
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NWIGS Meetings/Classes 2023 - Third Saturday of the Month - start time is 10:00 am
Hybrid In-Person and Virtual through Zoom unless specified
Meeting 2023
APRIL 15TH, 2023 MEETING AND CLASS, IN-PERSON AND ON ZOOM
10 AM CDT AT THE MERRILLVILLE BRANCH OF LAKE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY, 1919 81ST AVE. MERRILLVILLE, IN 46410 LOWER LEVEL MEETING ROOM.
Our presenter on Zoom with be Melissa Johnson of Johnsongenealogyservices.com with information on Descendant Tracing.
Melissa Johnson is a Certified Genealogist® specializing in genealogical research on families from NJ, NY, PA and the British Isles; DNA testing for adoptees and unknown parentage; dual citizenship; lineage society research; and genealogical writing, editing, and publishing.
To register for Zoom, click here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrf-2sqT0oGNYG_PNElr2w0OHQanCYnJ2jus02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrf-2sqT0oGNYG_PNElr2w0OHQanCYnJ2j
Descendant Tracing
Take a break from researching backward in your family tree and begin “descendant tracing.” Learn how to trace all of the descendants of an ancestor (not just those in your direct line) to locate living cousins. This lecture focuses on the value of researching forward in your family tree and introduces the resources and types of records useful for this increasingly popular type of research.
10 AM CDT AT THE MERRILLVILLE BRANCH OF LAKE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY, 1919 81ST AVE. MERRILLVILLE, IN 46410 LOWER LEVEL MEETING ROOM.
Our presenter on Zoom with be Melissa Johnson of Johnsongenealogyservices.com with information on Descendant Tracing.
Melissa Johnson is a Certified Genealogist® specializing in genealogical research on families from NJ, NY, PA and the British Isles; DNA testing for adoptees and unknown parentage; dual citizenship; lineage society research; and genealogical writing, editing, and publishing.
To register for Zoom, click here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrf-2sqT0oGNYG_PNElr2w0OHQanCYnJ2jus02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrf-2sqT0oGNYG_PNElr2w0OHQanCYnJ2j
Descendant Tracing
Take a break from researching backward in your family tree and begin “descendant tracing.” Learn how to trace all of the descendants of an ancestor (not just those in your direct line) to locate living cousins. This lecture focuses on the value of researching forward in your family tree and introduces the resources and types of records useful for this increasingly popular type of research.
MARCH 18, 2023 MEETING IN-PERSON AND ON ZOOM
10 AM CENTRAL AT VALPARAISO PUBLIC LIBRARY, MEETING ROOM B
Our presenter will be Serena Ard, Curator of the Westchester Township History Museum
To register on zoom click here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMscemqqj8jHNLr40l6OFDYkRqnZeII2yv0
Preservation 101
Everyone has treasures, heirlooms, or photographs they want to preserve for future generations. Westchester Township History Museum Curator Serena Ard will give tips and tricks for taking care of your heirlooms at home to help them survive the elements, time, and handling.
Examples will be demonstrated, and a handout will be provided.
10 AM CENTRAL AT VALPARAISO PUBLIC LIBRARY, MEETING ROOM B
Our presenter will be Serena Ard, Curator of the Westchester Township History Museum
To register on zoom click here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMscemqqj8jHNLr40l6OFDYkRqnZeII2yv0
Preservation 101
Everyone has treasures, heirlooms, or photographs they want to preserve for future generations. Westchester Township History Museum Curator Serena Ard will give tips and tricks for taking care of your heirlooms at home to help them survive the elements, time, and handling.
Examples will be demonstrated, and a handout will be provided.
Past Meetings 2023
Saturday, February 18, 2023 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
Porter County Public Library 103 Jefferson St. Valparaiso, IN 46383 Room B and also on Zoom for those who cannot attend.
Sharing Session
Our first in-person meeting in two years. It will be a hybrid meeting, both in-person and on Zoom.
Rescheduled from January
Porter County Public Library 103 Jefferson St. Valparaiso, IN 46383 Room B and also on Zoom for those who cannot attend.
Sharing Session
Our first in-person meeting in two years. It will be a hybrid meeting, both in-person and on Zoom.
Rescheduled from January
Saturday January 21, 2023, 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
Sharing Session
Meeting rescheduled for February 18, 2023
Sharing Session
Meeting rescheduled for February 18, 2023
Past Meetings 2022
Saturday, February 19, 2022, 10 am -
Researching Property and House History
Serena Ard, Curator of the Westchester Township History Museum, will give tips and tricks for researching your family's property and/or house history using county records, property abstracts, architectural history, local resources, etc. All of this will be interspersed within a case study done by the museum for the Friends of Indiana Dunes house located in the Indiana Dunes National Park.
Saturday, March 19th, 10:00 am -
DNA: Using a Chromosome Browser with Your DNA
presented by Julia McIntyre
See a demonstration on how to use chromosome browsers at various websites, and learn why you might want to use one to determine who are all those people that you match at your DNA test website. You can actually identify portions of DNA you received from specific ancestors using chromosome browsers!
Saturday, April 16th, 10:00 am -
How do you use DNA in your genealogy research?
Share with the NWIGS online community how you use DNA to enhance and create new discoveries in your genealogy research.
What methods do you use and what have you found out?
With special guest: Angel Goins
Saturday, May 21st, 10:00 am -
Laws Related to Cemeteries and Available Help
presented by Jeannie Regan-Dinius, Director of Special Initiatives,
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Cemeteries tell us much about who came before us. The size, shape and documentation vary from religious groups, time period, and location. But, all are important outdoor museums. There are various state laws that protect sites and individuals interested in their protection. Jeannie R. Regan-Dinius, Director of Special Initiatives for the Department of Natural Resources' Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology, will discuss the state of cemeteries in Indiana, what is being done at various levels to protect and restore them, and what we can do to help. (Images: Jeannie Regan-Dinius; Cemetery in Martinsville, IN)
Researching Property and House History
Serena Ard, Curator of the Westchester Township History Museum, will give tips and tricks for researching your family's property and/or house history using county records, property abstracts, architectural history, local resources, etc. All of this will be interspersed within a case study done by the museum for the Friends of Indiana Dunes house located in the Indiana Dunes National Park.
Saturday, March 19th, 10:00 am -
DNA: Using a Chromosome Browser with Your DNA
presented by Julia McIntyre
See a demonstration on how to use chromosome browsers at various websites, and learn why you might want to use one to determine who are all those people that you match at your DNA test website. You can actually identify portions of DNA you received from specific ancestors using chromosome browsers!
Saturday, April 16th, 10:00 am -
How do you use DNA in your genealogy research?
Share with the NWIGS online community how you use DNA to enhance and create new discoveries in your genealogy research.
What methods do you use and what have you found out?
With special guest: Angel Goins
Saturday, May 21st, 10:00 am -
Laws Related to Cemeteries and Available Help
presented by Jeannie Regan-Dinius, Director of Special Initiatives,
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Cemeteries tell us much about who came before us. The size, shape and documentation vary from religious groups, time period, and location. But, all are important outdoor museums. There are various state laws that protect sites and individuals interested in their protection. Jeannie R. Regan-Dinius, Director of Special Initiatives for the Department of Natural Resources' Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology, will discuss the state of cemeteries in Indiana, what is being done at various levels to protect and restore them, and what we can do to help. (Images: Jeannie Regan-Dinius; Cemetery in Martinsville, IN)
Saturday June 18, 2022
No Easy Button: Using Immersion Genealogy to Understand Your Ancestors
With Lisa Alzo
Family history is so much more than just names, dates, and places, or boxes, lines, and charts. For 21st century genealogists, it is easy to limit our research to the documents or other facts we find online, or to what others tell us to be true. Learn how to take your research a step further to understand your ancestors’ lives through “immersion genealogy”—the process of discovering where they lived, worked, and worshipped, and experiencing those customs and traditions they passed down through the generations. Key resources, methodology, and tips for reaching out to relatives and repositories, and how to make the most out of a trip to your ancestor’s hometown (whether in North America or across the pond) will be discussed.
No Easy Button: Using Immersion Genealogy to Understand Your Ancestors
With Lisa Alzo
Family history is so much more than just names, dates, and places, or boxes, lines, and charts. For 21st century genealogists, it is easy to limit our research to the documents or other facts we find online, or to what others tell us to be true. Learn how to take your research a step further to understand your ancestors’ lives through “immersion genealogy”—the process of discovering where they lived, worked, and worshipped, and experiencing those customs and traditions they passed down through the generations. Key resources, methodology, and tips for reaching out to relatives and repositories, and how to make the most out of a trip to your ancestor’s hometown (whether in North America or across the pond) will be discussed.
Saturday July 16, 2022, 10:00 am Central Time
Sharing Session
Share your genealogy projects, discoveries or stories with others online.
Saturday August 20, 2022, 10:00 am
Beginner's Guide to French-Canadian Genealogy
Presented by Judy Nimer Muhn
Sharing Session
Share your genealogy projects, discoveries or stories with others online.
Saturday August 20, 2022, 10:00 am
Beginner's Guide to French-Canadian Genealogy
Presented by Judy Nimer Muhn
Saturday September 17, 2022, 10:00 am
Mind the Gap: Filling Holes in Genealogical Research
Presented by Suz Bates
Mind the Gap: Filling Holes in Genealogical Research
Presented by Suz Bates
Saturday October 15, 2022, 10:00 am
The National Road and Westward Migration 1830s and 1840s
with Kay Ford
The National Road and Westward Migration 1830s and 1840s
with Kay Ford
Saturday November 19, 2022, 10:00 am Central Time
Exploring Family Geography
With Mike Longan
Genealogy is most often associated with history. Yet, as anyone beginning to explore their family history quickly learns, questions about where things happened are just as important as questions about when they happened. In this presentation professor Longan draws on examples from his own family’s history to show how focusing upon family geography may alter the kinds of questions we ask about our family’s history and help us to value sources of information in new ways. Exploring and mapping places where events took place in the lives of a family complicates questions about origins and reveals the social forces that shaped family history. Addresses and occupations in city directories and corporate photographs reveal the ways that places where our ancestors lived influenced their vocations and vice-versa. Vacation photographs considered across generations reveal extraordinary places that shaped ancestor’s lives beyond the everyday. Focusing on geography in family history provides context and explanations for events in ancestors’ lives and potentially helps us connect the biographies of our ancestors to our own, even if our paths never crossed in time.
Exploring Family Geography
With Mike Longan
Genealogy is most often associated with history. Yet, as anyone beginning to explore their family history quickly learns, questions about where things happened are just as important as questions about when they happened. In this presentation professor Longan draws on examples from his own family’s history to show how focusing upon family geography may alter the kinds of questions we ask about our family’s history and help us to value sources of information in new ways. Exploring and mapping places where events took place in the lives of a family complicates questions about origins and reveals the social forces that shaped family history. Addresses and occupations in city directories and corporate photographs reveal the ways that places where our ancestors lived influenced their vocations and vice-versa. Vacation photographs considered across generations reveal extraordinary places that shaped ancestor’s lives beyond the everyday. Focusing on geography in family history provides context and explanations for events in ancestors’ lives and potentially helps us connect the biographies of our ancestors to our own, even if our paths never crossed in time.
Past Meetings 2021
Saturday January 16th, 2021 - 10:00 am ( appx. 1 hour) – Google Meet
Sharing Session
Share your genealogy projects, discoveries or stories since we last met.
Saturday, February 20th, 2021 – 10:00 am (appx. 1 hour) – Google Meet
Topic: Latino and Hispanic Genealogy: The Basics
Nicole Martinez-LeGrand Coordinator, Multicultural Collections at the Indiana Historical Society.
Latin America is the largest grouping of countries and dependencies in of the Western Hemisphere. Presently, one of the largest growing demographics in the United States. Learn about Latino and Hispanic culture through genealogy in the United States and in Latin America. This course speaks to the history of colonization in Latin American countries to present day immigration to the United States.
Saturday, March 20th, 2021 - 10:00 am ( appx. 1 hour) - Google Meet
Topic: "I Have a Civil War Ancestor... Now What?"
Brian Rhinehart from Rhinehart Roots
Civil War soldiers often left a rich genealogical paper trail. Many of these records are tucked away at the National Archives in Washington DC. Learn what records are available for your ancestors only at the National Archives, what records are online already, and how to access all of them. These records may unlock some of the family stories that have been forgotten over time, as well as break down a brick wall or two!
Saturday, April 17th, 2021 - 10:00 am ( appx. 1 hour) - Google Meet
Topic: Writing Your Family Story
Patrick Thornton
Join professional writer and editor Patrick Thornton for a lecture about transforming all the research that you’ve compiled over the years into an engaging narrative for your family and future generations. This lecture will break down how to transform dense research into prose, with examples from Patrick’s own family history, going back to the 1600s.
Saturday, May 15th, 2021 - 10:00 am (appx. 1 hour) - Zoom
Sharing Session
Share a story and details of the life of an ancestor you have researched or share your genealogy projects, discoveries or stories since we last met. Or tell us about your research specialties and share tips from what you have learned.
Saturday, June 19th, 2021 - 10:00 am ( appx. 1 hour) - Google Meet
Topic: Finding Your New England Ancestors
David B. Appleton
David B. Appleton (B.S. History) internationally known author and lecturer will discuss genealogical research in the six New England states Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. This can sometimes be seen as easier to do than in many other regions in the United States. "These people killed themselves to make sure there was a paper trail." (Quote by Michael Comeaux, Assistant Archivist, Massachusetts State Archives.) But that strength, the many records available, can also make genealogical research in New England challenging, because it can take a lot of hunting to locate all the specific records that may relate to New England ancestors. Learn about some of the peculiarities of genealogical research in New England and discover many of the most useful places to start looking for genealogical information there.
Saturday July 17th 10:00 am ( appx. 1 hour) - Google Meet
Topic: Uncovering North Township: A digitization journey at the Hammond Public Library
Amanda Aguilera
Description: Amanda Aguilera, Special Collections Librarian from the Hammond Public Library's Suzanne G Long Local History Room will be our speaker. Follow along as Local History Librarian Amanda Aguilera discusses the various digitization projects she and community volunteers Martha Latko and Lauren Rhein are working on at the Hammond Public Library. Their projects include the Hammond Technical-Vocational High School World War II job training records put out by the United States Department of Education and cover a span of 4 years during World War II. During this time, students came from all over the country to be trained in war-related technical skills and vocations. While incredibly important to the local historical World War II narrative, this collection also maps the changes that the United States workforce underwent during this crucial period. Amanda will also talk about a smaller, though no less interesting, collection of Hammond police tickets from 1911-1914 that give us a glimpse of the darker side of North Township’s past. Finally, she will go over their largest collection and digitization project to date, the North Township land abstract collection. Spanning several decades at the turn of the 20th century, and has documents from Hammond, Highland, Munster, Whiting and East Chicago. These land abstracts offer us a fascinating glimpse not only into routine transactions that occur during the sale of land, but provide a fascinating window into the real lives of early North Township settlers through legal documents such as warranty deeds, wills, estates, guardianships, and partitions.
Sharing Session
Share your genealogy projects, discoveries or stories since we last met.
Saturday, February 20th, 2021 – 10:00 am (appx. 1 hour) – Google Meet
Topic: Latino and Hispanic Genealogy: The Basics
Nicole Martinez-LeGrand Coordinator, Multicultural Collections at the Indiana Historical Society.
Latin America is the largest grouping of countries and dependencies in of the Western Hemisphere. Presently, one of the largest growing demographics in the United States. Learn about Latino and Hispanic culture through genealogy in the United States and in Latin America. This course speaks to the history of colonization in Latin American countries to present day immigration to the United States.
Saturday, March 20th, 2021 - 10:00 am ( appx. 1 hour) - Google Meet
Topic: "I Have a Civil War Ancestor... Now What?"
Brian Rhinehart from Rhinehart Roots
Civil War soldiers often left a rich genealogical paper trail. Many of these records are tucked away at the National Archives in Washington DC. Learn what records are available for your ancestors only at the National Archives, what records are online already, and how to access all of them. These records may unlock some of the family stories that have been forgotten over time, as well as break down a brick wall or two!
Saturday, April 17th, 2021 - 10:00 am ( appx. 1 hour) - Google Meet
Topic: Writing Your Family Story
Patrick Thornton
Join professional writer and editor Patrick Thornton for a lecture about transforming all the research that you’ve compiled over the years into an engaging narrative for your family and future generations. This lecture will break down how to transform dense research into prose, with examples from Patrick’s own family history, going back to the 1600s.
Saturday, May 15th, 2021 - 10:00 am (appx. 1 hour) - Zoom
Sharing Session
Share a story and details of the life of an ancestor you have researched or share your genealogy projects, discoveries or stories since we last met. Or tell us about your research specialties and share tips from what you have learned.
Saturday, June 19th, 2021 - 10:00 am ( appx. 1 hour) - Google Meet
Topic: Finding Your New England Ancestors
David B. Appleton
David B. Appleton (B.S. History) internationally known author and lecturer will discuss genealogical research in the six New England states Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. This can sometimes be seen as easier to do than in many other regions in the United States. "These people killed themselves to make sure there was a paper trail." (Quote by Michael Comeaux, Assistant Archivist, Massachusetts State Archives.) But that strength, the many records available, can also make genealogical research in New England challenging, because it can take a lot of hunting to locate all the specific records that may relate to New England ancestors. Learn about some of the peculiarities of genealogical research in New England and discover many of the most useful places to start looking for genealogical information there.
Saturday July 17th 10:00 am ( appx. 1 hour) - Google Meet
Topic: Uncovering North Township: A digitization journey at the Hammond Public Library
Amanda Aguilera
Description: Amanda Aguilera, Special Collections Librarian from the Hammond Public Library's Suzanne G Long Local History Room will be our speaker. Follow along as Local History Librarian Amanda Aguilera discusses the various digitization projects she and community volunteers Martha Latko and Lauren Rhein are working on at the Hammond Public Library. Their projects include the Hammond Technical-Vocational High School World War II job training records put out by the United States Department of Education and cover a span of 4 years during World War II. During this time, students came from all over the country to be trained in war-related technical skills and vocations. While incredibly important to the local historical World War II narrative, this collection also maps the changes that the United States workforce underwent during this crucial period. Amanda will also talk about a smaller, though no less interesting, collection of Hammond police tickets from 1911-1914 that give us a glimpse of the darker side of North Township’s past. Finally, she will go over their largest collection and digitization project to date, the North Township land abstract collection. Spanning several decades at the turn of the 20th century, and has documents from Hammond, Highland, Munster, Whiting and East Chicago. These land abstracts offer us a fascinating glimpse not only into routine transactions that occur during the sale of land, but provide a fascinating window into the real lives of early North Township settlers through legal documents such as warranty deeds, wills, estates, guardianships, and partitions.
Saturday, August 21st, 2021 - 10:00 am (appx. 1 hour) - Google Meet
Topic: The Overland Trails: Westward Migration in the 19th Century
Amber Oldenburg
This lecture will discuss why people headed west, the trails used, what the pioneer experience was like, and how to discover the records left behind.
Topic: The Overland Trails: Westward Migration in the 19th Century
Amber Oldenburg
This lecture will discuss why people headed west, the trails used, what the pioneer experience was like, and how to discover the records left behind.
Saturday, September 18th, 2021 - 10:00 am (1 hour plus Q & A) - Google Meet
Topic: “Research Your Overseas Ancestors Without Going ‘Across the Pond”
Vicki Ruthe Hahn
Learn how to find your immigrant ancestors’ information in U.S. records, in over-seas on-line genealogy databases, & in other (mostly-free) resources. Using histories & maps to help track immigration. What to do about language barriers. Emphasis on England, Ireland, Germany, & Norway.
Saturday, October 16th, 2021 -
10:00 am (appx. 1 hour)
Topic: Tips and Tricks To Discover Your Croatian Roots
Robert Jerin
Description: Robert has been researching Croatian family histories since 1986 and for the past 18 years he has been conducting Croatian Genealogy Workshops across the US and Croatia. In those 18 years he has helped connect dozens of families around the world. Robert enjoys helping people discover their Croatian family history and realized that many descendants of Croatians from the second, third and fourth generations know very little about Croatian history and culture.
Saturday, November 20th, 2021 - 10:00 am (appx. 1 hour) - Zoom
Topic: "The 1950 US Census: Are You Ready?"
Thomas MacEntee
Description: Participants will get up to speed on the history of the 1950 US Census, why the 1950 US Census form is radically different than previous forms, and how the data will be accessed. In addition we’ll cover what you can do NOW to prepare for the release of the 1950 US Census as well as volunteer projects related to indexing and finding aids. Finally, we’ll cover how you can always get the latest information related to the release of the 1950 US Census data!
The registration link is located in the members area of this web site by logging in or contact: webmaster@nwigs.com
Past Meetings 2020
Saturday November 21st -
10:00 am ( appx. 1 hour)
Researching Women in Your Family History
The search for the women in your family history can be riddled with roadblocks like wrong or missing information. Westchester Township History Museum Curator Serena Ard will discuss the reasons for research troubles (like when women could/could not file wills, own property, etc.) as well as tips and tricks for finding and documenting the women in your family.
Saturday October 17th - 10:00 am ( appx. 1 hour)
Joseph Bailly of Bailly Homestead
Randa J. Duvick, Professor of French at Valparaiso University will speak about Joseph Bailly, his account book (the volume that is owned by our own Porter County Museum in particular), and the fur trade in early Indiana and Michigan.
Saturday September 17th - 10:00 am ( appx. 1 hour)
Organizing Your DNA Matches
with NWIGS member Gerard Dupczak
Gerard will show us a way to label and organize our DNA matches.
Saturday August 15th - 10:00 am (appx. 1 hour)
DNA Matching with Angel Goines - Google Meet
Description: Class by Angel Goines. What does that DNA report really mean? How can you best use your data? What is a centimorgan? Why such a large range in centimorgans and still my 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. cousin? My goal is to answer these questions in a clear and user friendly manner. Please bring your DNA report issues, questions, problems, dilemmas or roadblocks and I will try work my way through them.
Saturday July 25th 10:00 am ( appx. 1 hour) - Google Meet
Sharing Session: Tell the Story of An Ancestor - Google Meet
Google Meets - Invitation email has been sent to members
Share a story and details of the life of an ancestor you have researched.
June 20th – Mayflower Ancestors and Research - -CANCELED
Merrillville Branch Library
Jenny Warner genealogist and librarian who serves as the President of DuPage County Genealogical Society will be our speaker.
May 16th - Discovering Our FANs and Collaterals - -CANCELED
Valparaiso Public Library
Melissa Tennant from Allen County Public Library
This session will show how exploring the Friends, Acquaintances, Neighbors (FANs) and relatives of your direct ancestor can help demolish the genealogical brick wall.
March 21st - Researching Women in Your Family History -CANCELLED
Rescheduled for November 21, 2020
Valparaiso Public Library
The search for the women in your family history can be riddled with roadblocks like wrong or missing information. Westchester Township History Museum Curator Serena Ard will discuss the reasons for research troubles (like when women could/could not file wills, own property, etc.) as well as tips and tricks for finding and documenting the women in your family.
February 15th – Proving Adoption
Merrillville Branch Library
One of the hardest obstacles a genealogy researcher can face are adoptions within the family. On July 1, 2018 the Indiana Law changed making it possible for some adoptees to obtain their original birth record.
Marlene Polster began her Indiana adoption journey after hearing about her own father's adoption. In her presentation "Proving Adoption," she will explain how a family member can prepare to research information they need on a family adoption. She will also go over the process that it takes for Indiana adoptees to get their records
January 18th – Webinar and Discussion: Are you related to someone famous?
Valparaiso Public Library
Watch a webinar about websites that can help you find famous ancestors in your tree. We will discuss famouskin.com