A Dozen Names for Alcina: An Identity Case Study

In A Dozen Names for Alcina: An Identity Case Study, genealogical researcher Margaret Fortier walks through a real-life “who was she, really?” problem that many family historians recognize: an immigrant woman in 19th-century New England whose identity is scattered across records under a bewildering mix of given names and surnames. Centered on a French Canadian woman known in Vermont as Alcina (and several other names), the webinar demonstrates how identity in genealogy is proven not by a single record, but by building a persuasive, systematic body of evidence—especially valuable when direct records (a clear birth or marriage record) are missing or misleading.

• Identity is an evidence “assemblage,” not a name. The case study shows how age, place, religion, associates, and family structure can outweigh inconsistent spellings and shifting first names—particularly for immigrants and illiterate ancestors whose names were recorded by others.

• French Canadian naming practices are predictable once understood. The webinar highlights dit/dite names, translation/anglicization patterns, and why pronunciation often mattered more than spelling—turning what looks like chaos into solvable methodology.

• A practical roadmap for tough cases emerges. Instead of fixating on one elusive record, the research expands outward: children’s baptisms and marriages, godparents, neighbors (the FAN principle), land deeds, and original church registers—plus an important reminder to treat record extracts cautiously and seek the full entry when possible.

To get the full benefit, view the complete webinar to see how the evidence is organized, compared, and weighed across dozens of records—and how small clues (a neighbor, a sponsor, a single wording in a church register) can unlock a stubborn identity problem. The session offers techniques that transfer directly to other “many-named” ancestors, especially women, immigrants, and anyone living in a record-sparse time and place. The syllabus adds extra value beyond the presentation itself, guiding further exploration of French Canadian resources, naming guides, and reference works that can accelerate similar breakthroughs in future research.