Turning Witnesses into Evidence
Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL
Content
Welcome
2m 32s
Class Overview
1m 58s
Introduction
8m 19s
Jacob Sessums
13m 58s
Maggie Whitaker
7m 25s
Coincoin
7m 40s
Family Tradition
13m 25s
The Rest of the Story
8m 10s
Announcements / prizes
4m 14s
Questions / answers
16m 45s
About this webinar
Witnesses are not afterthoughts tacked onto the end of documents. Although they filled a routine role for our ancestors, they are significant informants for us—once we learn how to use those names to develop evidence. This session approaches the topic in two ways: theory and application. It explores record types that offer witnesses, ways in which witnesses were used, situations that affected the choice of witnesses, signals that indicate whether a witness would be important to our research, and methods to apply in our development of the clues they offer. A challenging case study presents an unmarried freedwoman, never named in any census, who died about 1817—and applies key strategies to determine her death and burial sites.
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About the speaker
Across a long career, Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS, has been an innovator of research methods and strategies. Published widely by academic and popular presses, she edited a nationa...
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Comments (88)
What a treasure! This strategy with witnesses has opened a whole new path. Thank you for doing these webinars, Elizabeth. \n\nAnd the tour of Coincoin and the Cane River area was so very helpful to understanding how my ancestors lived/worked/bought/sold and died.
ESM this was amazing. I am so thankful for you doing these webinars.
Elizabeth is just so inspirational! I've been researching for 35 years but she gets me thinking down new or different avenues. Her presentations just ignite my genealogy research fire. Her case study here shows how important maps are to research, especially in earlier years. They are invaluable.
Fantastic examples and case study!
ESM is a fabulous presenter and one will always learn something new. Always.
I have been a student of Elizabeth's since 2002 when I took her class at Stamford. This webinar series is adding even more to my toolbox, my thinking process and my critical approach to detail. Thank you Elizabeth yet again.
Another outstanding webinar by Elizabeth. So much meat on these bones!
Priceless insights. My question: there are so many records, but our lives are short. How do you balance those facts for success? A session on possible short cuts would be helpful.