Mark can present the following presentations in person or virtual. All presentations are 60 minutes, including time for Q&A, unless otherwise noted.
Colonial Currency:
New Money for a New Country
Did money change form because of new technology, or did changes in marketplace demand new forms of money? In England, the Crown and investors considered the colonies to be a necessary evil, but a prosperous one, as they made money off of the colonists. Trade was for the benefit of the home country. Colonial mints were banned, money was coin only and most was shipped back to England for payment of taxes. As the colonies developed, trade changed, and there were many political debates about acceptable forms of money. Paper money was not a foregone conclusion, but developed in the colonies despite the objections of the Crown and Parliament. Learn about how the American Colonies and a new country changed currency for America, England, and the world.
Indexing Errors:
How to Find Records When You Can’t Find Records
Indexers do a wonderful job, documents can be searched for name, date or other pertinent information. But indexing is not perfect. Names can be mis-indexed and nearly impossible to find. How do you find a record when it is not indexed properly? Examples and methodology will be covered in this presentation.
One Piece of Evidence is Incomplete:
Methodology and the Genealogical Proof Standard Helps Tell a More Robust Family Narrative
This presentation is really about the Genealogical Proof Standard, doing reasonably exhaustive research, and research methodology. But that sounds intimidating; what’s that look like? Grandma’s scrapbook had a telegram that gives the date of her father’s death during WWII. But that’s just one fact; grandma dealt with a lot of other events, including the death of other loved ones and having a child, during a short six month span of time. Grandma had a whirlwind of a war, but the telegram alone does not tell the complete story! This presentations shows examples of methodology.
Cite Your Sources:
Ways To Deliver Your Research To The Future And Prove You’re Trustworthy
If you don’t know what a source citation is, are fearful of doing it wrong, or intimidated by what experts say it should be, this class will cover the necessities and more. A source citation should not strike fear in the hearts of researchers. Instead, it should be something we all practice in our daily research. Become familiar with simple practices that we can all easily learn, and why we should practice it in our everyday research.
Don’t Forget Your Home Sources:
Fabulous Finds With Family And What They Can Lead To
Most think of research as a long distance operation or an online search, while neglecting the sources right under their nose! We will look at the things you may have forgotten about, in your house or that of a relative. Good for beginners and for more experienced researchers. Examples will show how a home source can lead to other long distance sources to truly do reasonably exhaustive research.
Using Zotero for Citations in Genealogy
Zotero is a free software app for Mac and Windows that can help you with source citations in Word, Scrivener and other apps. It also works as a research log and research planner! If you struggle with tracking your research and/or your citations, Zotero can help and you should learn about this free app!
Land Records in Genealogy
Are land records in your research confusing? County borders and state lines moved over time, and how to research which county your ancestors were in. How English Common Law and Primogeniture affected land deeds and inheritance in the American colonies and the new United States. Background of both survey systems; metes and bounds, meridians and baselines, and which states will use which method. Clues can be found in platt books and maps, census records, personal letters and repositories like historical societies.
Beginning Genealogy Part 1 (3 hour presentation)
Mark Cross will provide an introduction to the basics including: setting goals, keeping organized, identifying resources, getting information from vital records and their substitutes, using census records, citing your sources, tips for online services including Ancestry.com and FamilySearch, and an introduction to the Genealogical Proof Standard.
Beginning Genealogy Part 2 (3 hour presentation)
Beginning Genealogy Part 1 covered Census and Vital Records and organization, with an intro to online records. This class picks up from there and takes you to the next level. No prerequisite required. Designed for those who want to learn more about the Genealogical Proof Standard at a basic introductory level (it really is easier than it sounds!) to provide you with an excellent foundation that will last a lifetime.