The following is a press release issued by the Augusta (Georgia) Genealogical Society:

2025 ​AGS Genealogical Symposium

Build New Genealogy Skills

Featuring programs by 
Judy G. Russell, The Legal Genealogist

 

Virtual Presentation

and ​Erick Montgomery

Executive Director- Historic Augusta and Past President AGS

In Person and Virtual Presentation

Saturday, August 16, 2025
10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. EST (sign in at 9:45)  

Join the program virtually from home  
or participate in person at Brandon Wilde
Georgia Room— 4275 Owens Rd, Evans, GA 30809

Hosted by Brandon Wilde, the Augusta Premier Retirement Community

Registration Fee 
Virtual Program at Home:  $34.00
Attend the Virtual Program at Brandon Wilde, with Lunch: $49.00
Registration Deadline: August 11, 2025

Programs

Session 1: 
​Erick Montgomery  
​Finding Our Fathers (and Mothers): Using Artificial Intelligence in Genealogical Research

Artificial Intelligence is constantly in the news, but how can it assist genealogists in furthering family history research and in breaking down brick walls? Gain a very basic understanding of what AI is and how it can aid in your genealogical research. Specific step-by-step instructions will be demonstrated for using the new “FamilySearch Labs” tool to search their massive collection of digitized records that are freely available online. The handout will include an illustrated guide to ensure easy access when you try it on your own after the symposium.

Session 2: 

Judy G. Russell
​GENEALOGY & LEGAL RECORDS
NARA Mythbusters: 

​Your Family IS in the Archives

“All the military records were burned in the fire.” “There isn't any birth, marriage, or death information in federal records.” “There aren't any details about ordinary families at the National Archives.” These kinds of myth-statements stop genealogists from breaking down all kinds of brick walls using the wealth of information in NARA records. Join the Mythbusters with the treasures the National Archives holds for your family.

Session 3:

Judy G. Russell

GENEALOGY METHODOLOGY

When Worlds Collide: Resolving Conflicts in Genealogical

Records

Genealogical Proof Standard says to resolve conflicts in data... but like so many things that sound good, it’s easier said than done. What exactly are we supposed to do when we encounter conflicting evidence? What are the basic types of evidence conflicts and the methods – and tips and tricks – we can use to resolve them?

Session 4:

Judy G. Russell

GENEALOGY METHODOLOGY

Linking the Generations with Court and Land Records 

It’s the single biggest issue genealogists face: how do we connect one generation to the next with evidence we can rely on? Vital records are excellent documentation, but they often don’t exist for the time and place we’re researching. That’s when we have to find workarounds to make sure we’re not simply putting people into family lines because they share the same names. Using court and land records, we can often find the evidence we need to link the generations accurately.

Judy G. Russell, JD, CG®, CGL(sm), FUGA

Judy G. Russell, The Legal Genealogist®, is a genealogist with a law degree. She writes, teaches, and lectures on a wide variety of genealogical topics, providing expert guidance through the murky territory where law and family history intersect. A Colorado native with roots deep in the American south on her mother’s side and entirely in Germany on her father’s side, she holds a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and a law degree from Rutgers School of Law-Newark. Before she retired, she worked as a newspaper reporter, trade association writer, legal investigator, defense attorney, federal prosecutor, law editor, and, for more than 20 years, as an adjunct member of the faculty at Rutgers Law School.

She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society, and numerous state and regional genealogical societies. Named a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association in 2025, she received the 2015 UGA Silver Tray Award and the 2017 Award of Excellence from the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, where she now serves as a member of the NGSQ editorial board.
An internationally-known lecturer and course coordinator and faculty member at numerous genealogical institutes, she holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist® and Certified Genealogical Lecturer℠ from the Board for Certification of Genealogists®. Her award-winning blog appears at The Legal Genealogist® website (https://www.legalgenealogist.com).

Erick Montgomery, Executive Director– Historic Augusta, Past President– AGS  

Erick Montgomery is the Executive Director of Historic Augusta, Inc., a position he has held since 1989. Historic Augusta is an organization dedicated to the preservation
of historic sites and structures in Augusta and the Central Savannah River Area, providing technical assistance and consultation on historic rehabilitation and restoration. Genealogically, he has been an avid family historian since childhood and has published genealogical and historical articles in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ), The American Genealogist (TAG), Augusta-Richmond County History, the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly (APGQ), and the Franklin County (Tennessee) Historical Review. He formerly served as President of the Augusta Genealogical Society and was once President of the Savannah Area Genealogical Association. To advance his research skills, he has attended the Institute for Genealogical and Historical Research (IGHR) several times over the years, as well as other genealogical conferences, seminars, and workshops. 

AGS Genealogical Symposium - Augusta Genealogical Society

Vestlandslag will conduct its annual meeting next month in Spicer, bringing together several organizations of descendants of emigrants from Norway to North America.

Registration is open now for the June 11-13 meeting at Hope Presbyterian Church, 7730 North Shore Drive, Spicer.

Programs may feature a variety of Norwegian cultural and educational activities, including genealogy searches/assistance, noted speakers and displays of Norwegian arts and crafts, according to the news release announcing the meeting called a stevne.

According to the news release, speakers and topics this year include the following: author Dean Urdahl, the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862; Sandra Bestland, Norwegian pioneer women; Carolyn Sowinski, the Gabriel Stene family in Kandiyohi County; artist Andrew Nordin, Norwegian ancestors in Norway; and author Candace Simar, the lives of Scandinavians in frontier Minnesota.

Vestlandslag is an umbrella organization of eight bygdelag — Hardangerlag, Møre og Romsdalslag, Nordhordlandslag / Sunnhordlandslag, Rogalandslag, Sognalag, Sunnfjordlag, and Vosselag, according to the news release announcing the event. Each "lag" seeks to preserve and strengthen bonds with its home district or community-of-origin in Norway.

The Vestlandslag website at www.fellesraad.com/vestlandslag.htmhas more information about registration and the event's program.

For any questions, contact Ann Romo, Vestlandslag president, at 507-990-6397 or email at annromo04@gmail.com .

The following is an announcement written by Fold3:

New Korean War Era Draft Registration Cards! We are happy to announce that we’ve added 2.7 million Korean War Era Draft Registration Cards to Fold3. These newly digitized records contain 5.5 million images and have been added to the collection that previously included draft cards from Alaska and Wyoming. The newly digitized draft cards come from: Colorado District of Columbia Guam Hawaii Idaho Iowa Kansas Missouri Montana New Hampshire US Virgin Islands Utah Vermont Virginia West Virginia Learn more Korean War Draft Registration Card for Medal of Honor Recipient David B. Bleak

The following is a press release written by TheGeneallogist:

Discover the Working Lives of Scientists, Engineers and Apprentices through Rare Historical Documents

TheGenealogist is proud to announce the release of over 100,000 new names in its expanding collection of occupational records. This new addition includes a rich series of publications that offer a unique glimpse into the careers and associations of individuals from the 19th and 20th centuries, many of whom played key roles in Britain’s scientific and industrial history.

These records are drawn from a series of publications, most notably the reports and member lists of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. With reports ranging from the early 1800s to the late 1920s, researchers can now explore a wide array of academic and scientific figures from conferences held in cities including Hull, Edinburgh, Plymouth, Bristol, Dundee, and even Toronto.

In addition to these scientific records, this release features engineering and apprenticeship documents, including: 

• Register of Past Apprentices, Pupils and Students of Petters Ltd, Yeovil, 1938 – A fascinating directory of those involved with this well-known engineering firm. 

• The Junior Institution of Engineers, List of Members, 8th May 1950 – Providing details of early-career engineers across the UK. 

• The British Engineers' Association Official Directory of Members, 1917 – Highlighting professionals active during a crucial time in wartime engineering.

• And many more!

  
  

A page from Early New Zealand Engineers

These resources are invaluable to family historians and researchers alike, offering insights into the professional lives of ancestors who may have worked in the fields of science, industry and engineering. Whether your ancestor presented a paper, attended meetings, or trained as an apprentice at a major engineering firm in the 1930s, this collection could provide the key to uncovering their career history.

Mark Bayley, Head of Online Content, said:
"We’re pleased to add these fascinating science and engineering records to the growing collection of occupational resources available on TheGenealogist. From teachers to tradesmen, clergy to councillors, and now solicitors to scientists, our occupational records span an incredible range of professions and public service roles. This latest release, rich with detail from scientific societies and engineering institutions, gives researchers even more ways to uncover the working lives of their ancestors."

These records are now available to Diamond subscribers of TheGenealogist, adding to its comprehensive collection of occupational records.

The inventor Joseph Swan can be found in this release - read his story here: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/MGBOCC525

Don’t miss out! For a limited time, you can subscribe to TheGenealogist for just £109.95 - Save Over £100

Not only will you get a lifetime discount, but you'll also receive a 12-Month Subscription to Discover Your Ancestors Online Magazine, a Research Pack and tickets to The Family History Show (Midlands, Liverpool, London and Online)! 

Explore these new records and start your genealogical journey today with TheGenealogist by claiming this offer here:https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/affiliate/?affid=lzupkh&page=2889

Offer expires 30th June 2025.

This new occupational records release includes: British Association for the Advancement of Science, List of Members 1838; Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Plymouth, 1877; Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Edinburgh, 1892; Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Nottingham, 1893; Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Toronto, 1897; Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Bristol, 1898; Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Southport, 1903; Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Cambridge, 1904; Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Dundee, 1912; Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Manchester, 1915; Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Newcastle-On-Tyne, 1916; Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, 1917; The British Engineers’ Association Official Directory of Members, 1917; British Association for the Advancement of Science, Report of 87th Meeting, 1919; British Association for the Advancement of Science, Report of the 90th Meeting, Hull 1922; British Association for the Advancement of Science, Report of the 93rd Meeting, 1925; British Association for the Advancement of Science, Report of 94th Meeting, 1926; British Association for the Advancement of Science, Report of the 96th Meeting, Glasgow, 1928; Register of Past Apprentices, Pupils and Students of Petters Ltd, Yeovil, 1938; The Junior Institution of Engineers, List of Members, 8th May 1950; Early New Zealand Engineers

About TheGenealogist

TheGenealogist is an award-winning online family history website, who put a wealth of information at the fingertips of family historians. Their approach is to bring hard to use physical records to life online with easy to use interfaces such as their Tithe and newly released Lloyd George Domesday collections. 

TheGenealogist’s innovative SmartSearch technology links records together to help you find your ancestors more easily. TheGenealogist is one of the leading providers of online family history records. Along with the standard Birth, Marriage, Death and Census records, they also have significant collections of Parish and Nonconformist records, PCC Will Records, Irish Records, Military records, Occupations, Newspaper record collections amongst many others.

TheGenealogist uses the latest technology to help you bring your family history to life. Use TheGenealogist to find your ancestors today!

####

As the 22nd series of the TV show Who Do You Think You Are? is broadcasting across the nation, family history website Findmypast is offering people the chance to win a free subscription to its service.

Findmypast is giving away two family history packages to help people learn more about their ancestors.

The packages include a 12-month subscription, which is worth £199.99, and a one-on-one consultation with the website's professional genealogist, Jen Baldwin.

The subscription gives people unlimited access to billions of records, including all British censuses, historical newspapers and military records.

The consultation will help the winners get started on building their family tree.

Recently, interest in genealogy is on the rise, with more people wanting to learn about their ancestry. However, research by Findmypast has found that just 10 per cent of Brits know any general information about their family history beyond their grandparents' generation. Nearly half have never even seen a photo of them.

The research also found that around a third of people have already started researching their family history, but nearly half say it is difficult to start.

Jen Baldwin, professional genealogist at Findmypast, said: "Genealogy TV shows remind us just how compelling our history can be. Just like the celebrities on screen, it’s easier than ever to have your own genealogy reveal.

"With sites like Findmypast, you can delve deeper into millions of online records to build a detailed picture of your ancestors’ lives.

"We’re giving two lucky winners a personal boost, helping them to get started and have their own family history ‘wow’ moment with our one-off competition – make sure to enter now."

To enter the giveaway, people need to register an account on the Findmypast website at findmypast.co.uk before 11.59pm on Friday, June 20.

Existing customers can enter by visiting the Findmypast Family History Forum. Terms and conditions apply.

Findmypast's collection includes billions of historical records dating back to the reign of Henry VIII, as well as more than 90 million newspaper pages stretching right up to the modern day.

The website also has guides and a Facebook community to help people get started with their family tree and delve deeper into their research.

The following article discusses a radio show broadcast in England:

Dr Michala Hulme (Image: Supplied)

DR Michala Hulme, known for her genealogy work on popular TV shows, is set to feature on The DeeBrief.

The historian, genealogist, and author will join Penny Dee on Cheshire Mix 56 for an episode focused on ancestry and family secrets.

Listeners can expect discussions on DNA surprises, the growing interest in family tree research, and historical mysteries.

Dr Hulme is noted for her ability to bring history to life, making her a fascinating guest for the show.

The episode promises to be a captivating listen for anyone interested in exploring their roots or who enjoys a historical mystery.

The DeeBrief, hosted by Penny Dee, will air the special episode this Friday at midday on Mix56.

The programme can be accessed live via mix56.co.uk or caught up with later.

Dr Hulme is widely recognised for her work on Who Do You Think You Are? and DNA Journey.

Caldwell County’s Memorial Day observance began early Monday morning with a historic walking tour of Cedar Hill Cemetery, offering a tribute to veterans of past wars and a glimpse into the area’s rich military heritage.

Carolyn Traum, the new incoming Regent for the General John Caldwell Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, narrated the cemetery walk held at 8:00 a.m. Monday. She told WPKY’s News Edge that the tradition at Cedar Hill Cemetery dates back to the early 1890s.

Traum noted that this year’s cemetery walk, which visited the grave sites of 16 soldiers, served as a fundraising event.

Traum shared that about a dozen people attended the walk, which was sponsored by the Caldwell County Genealogy Society and the Captain William Prince Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.

With its rare books and research, genealogy and cartography, wide-ranging classes and deep outreach, it is no wonder that the Newberry Library would also present the very best of storytelling. Renowned Harvard professor and host of PBS’s Finding Your Roots, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. had guests spellbound when he shared personal stories around libraries and genetic genealogy in conversation with the Newberry’s President and Librarian Astrida Orle Tantillo at the recent annual award celebration. He received the Library’s Annual award recognizing leaders in the Humanities in the filled Drake Hotel ballroom with its magnificent lake views.

Gates is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University. In addition, he is an Emmy, DuPont, and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar, cultural critic, and institution builder. He has published numerous books and produced and hosted an array of documentary films, including The Black Church (PBS), Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches (HBO), Gospel (PBS), and Great Migrations(PBS). Finding Your Roots, Gates’s groundbreaking genealogy and genetics series, now in its eleventh season on PBS, was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 2024.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. joined Newberry President and Librarian Astrida Orle Tantillo in conversation

“Among the Newberry’s greatest strengths are its collections related to genealogy and local history,” Tantillo told the audience. “Henry Louis Gates keenly understands the importance of such collections to researchers doing the deeply personal work of tracing their family’s history. It was an honor to celebrate his achievements in this area, as well as his acumen as a historian, and to reflect on the importance of institutions such as the Newberry as well as the often-transformative exploration of finding one’s roots.” 

The Newberry is home to a vast collection that intersects with Gates’ works on several fronts. From a rare set of lantern slides from the Great Migration and valuable resources for those researching African American ancestry to primary sources dating back to the early history of the United States of America, the Newberry continues to care for and grow a collection that surfaces countless important stories, both personal and historic.  

Several hundred guests gathered to celebrate Gates, who was presented the Newberry Library Award by event chair and Newberry Trustee Gregory L. Barton. In their discussion, Gates and Tantillo focused on the importance of libraries such as the Newberry to those seeking to understand history. Gates told of his early dream of being a librarian so that he could surround himself with books and spoke of libraries having a long view of history, collecting both that which is used in the current moment and that which remains shelved with the understanding that those categories will shift over time. The conversation ended with Gates discussing Finding Your Roots and recounting the powerful, personal, and sometimes emotional stories of discovery that come through genealogical research, showing clips of family mysteries solved for celebrity and other guests. 

The Newberry’s genealogy collection is an invaluable resource for anyone researching their family history, especially those whose roots trace back to Chicago or the broader Midwest. Family and local histories, city directories, biographical tools, census data, land ownership maps, and immigration information—all of this resides at the Newberry and informs from where we’ve come. 

The Newberry Library Award is presented annually to recognize achievement in the humanities in the tradition of the Newberry, which has fostered a deeper understanding of our world by inspiring research and learning in the humanities since its founding in 1887. Past recipients include Drew Gilpin Faust, Arthur Kingsley Porter University Research Professor at Harvard University; documentarian Ken Burns; Ira Glass and This American Life; and Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.  

All proceeds from the Award Celebration support the Newberry’s collection and programs. 

For more information about the Newberry Library, visit:  newberry.org.

JD Vance takes pride in declaring himself to be a “Scots-Irish hillbilly at heart” but a trawl of genealogy records has found no evidence linking the US vice-president to Ireland.

In an attempt to link Vance to Ulster, a DUP minister commissioned researchers to dig into the ancestral past of the controversial Republican Party politician.

A glossy 24-page dossier titled “The Family Footsteps of JD Vance” was produced, but researchers admitted they had “not established a conclusive family link” to Northern Ireland.

Gordon Lyons, the Northern Ireland minister for communities, had been ­hoping to present a copy of the report personally to Vance over the St Patrick’s Day period in Washington DC.

President Trump’s right-hand man has long claimed to have Celtic links, writingin his bestselling 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy: “To understand me, you must understand that I am a Scots-Irish ­hillbilly at heart.”

As Scots-Irish, or Ulster-Scots, his ­family history would be tied directly to plantation-era Scots settlers whose descendants, generations after arrival in Ireland, set out for America.

One historian in Northern Ireland had noted at the time that one of Vance’s ancestors might have been killed during the 1689 Siege of Derry, a powerful event in the unionist story during which Protestants held out in the walled city against Catholic forces for 105 days.

That point was raised within the Department for Communities, as research for the dossier was commissioned via the Public Records Office for Northern Ireland in November.

Emails obtained via a freedom of information request show that in February Lyons’s office was advised that “it has not been possible to establish conclusive proof of a direct Vance link back to Ulster at this stage”.

He noted that inquiries were continuing in the US but that the researcher had “run into the proverbial brick wall” and amid continuing work there was “no guarantee” of success.

An official at Lyons’s office said: “There is maybe a bit more to do locally to better trace [the vice-president’s] roots, but at this stage I think we have to go with what we have.”

He said that work should begin “to get a draft done in a day or so but this is a top priority”.

There was not enough time for a hardback edition, which the minister had requested, but a “coated paper” production of 25 copies was sanctioned, which Lyons would sign. 

The family were at the time rooted in Appalachia, a narrative that Vance, 40, championed in his memoir.

Yet from there the trail runs cold, with no solid evidence linking to an Andrew Williamson Vance, born in Ireland circa 1666 and who emigrated circa 1733 to America.

He is a descendant of Lancelot Vance, who died in the Siege of Derry and who was the son of Reverend John Vance, who left Scotland for Ireland in 1611.

John Hagan, a Co Tyrone historian, said he had traced Vance’s ancestors to the village of Coagh, insisting ties existed to Reverend Vance.

However, the Vance Family Association, which traces their ancestry to settlers in Ulster in the 17th century, does not support claims that Vance is linked to Reverend John Vance.

Its president, Dave Vance, said it had been running a genealogical research project using DNA for a decade and was certain the vice-president had no direct connection to “the John Vance who is popularly assumed by many genealogists to be the sole progenitor of all Irish Vances”.

In his memoir Vance said that, rather than identifying with “white Anglo-Saxon Protestant” pioneers, he felt instead part of “the millions of working-class white Americans of Scots-Irish descent who have no college degree”.

Liam Kennedy, professor of American studies and director of the Clinton ­Institute at University College Dublin, said while the claim to “white working class Scots-Irish identity” had become vital to Vance’s projected image, it ­“merits more attention”.

He added: “It is an effort to claim a ‘real’ white working-class association — in the sense that it is based on pioneer not immigrant origins.”

A Department for Communities spokesman said: “The research results traced a potential link to an Andrew ­Williamson Vance who was born in ­Ireland circa 1666 and emigrated circa 1733 to America. 

“The research has been passed to US government officials and is hoped to be formally presented at a future date.”

Coinciding with this year's Local History Month, Historic England has launched a new Local Heritage Hub. With nearly 400 locations, every county, city, district, major town, and national park in England now has a dedicated digital page that uncovers its rich and layered history.

Offering a wide range of content, from fascinating aerial photographs showing towns and villages through time, to curated selections of listed buildings, videos, blogs, and podcasts, the Local Heritage Hub invites members of the public to discover their local area through a new lens.

Understanding and connecting with local heritage is an important part of building strong communities. With this new service, we hope people across England will be able to explore hidden histories, reconnect with their surroundings, and feel a sense of pride in their local area. I’d encourage everyone to explore the new Local Heritage Hub and see what they might discover about a place that means something to them.

Duncan Wilson, Chief ExecutiveHistoric England 

With 71%¹ of people wanting to see more recognition of heritage in their area and 58%² agreeing that local heritage enhances their daily lives, this new platform reflects what people are looking for in their local areas. It’s designed not only to inform, but also to also encourage people to see familiar places in unfamiliar ways.

The new service - which will continue to expand with new places, information, and sections added over time - will make local heritage and histories more relevant, relatable, and engaging to more people's everyday lives, inspiring conversations, unlocking memories, and sparking new interests.

Local history is full of surprises, from unexpected stories to long-forgotten views of familiar streets. With the Local Heritage Hub, we’re excited to bring those moments of discovery to more people throughout the country.

It’s a chance to see our everyday surroundings in a new light and to connect with the past in ways that feel relevant today. We are looking forward to exploring new ways to engage with our heritage and seeing how Local Heritage Hub grows over time.