Past Events

 Jan 11, 2025
11:00 am - 1:00 pm ET - Location: Zoom Webinar

Landing the Fourths: Proving A Case with Court, Land and DNA Evidence

Judy Russell

"Landing the Fourths" refers to a legal strategy in a criminal case where the prosecution aims to secure a conviction by presenting a strong combination of evidence from three key areas: court documents, physical evidence from the crime scene (land), and DNA analysis. The goal is to cover all potential angles to prove a defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, thereby "landing" a conviction on all fronts. Join us as Judy Russell, The Legal Genealogist, presents about using this strategy in researching your ancestors.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Judy G. Russell is a genealogist with a law degree who writes and lectures on topics ranging from using court records in family history to understanding DNA testing. An internationally-known lecturer and award-winning writer, she holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist® and Certified Genealogical Lecturer℠ from the Board for Certification of Genealogists®.

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 Feb 8, 2025
11:00 am - 1:00 pm ET - Location: Zoom Webinar

Mapping your Ancestors

Shamele Jordan

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 Mar 8, 2025
11:00 am - 1:00 pm ET - Location: Zoom Webinar

Databases and Holdings at the National Archives of Ireland

Dr. Marie Leoutre

We are excited to have Dr. Marie Leoutre from the National Archives of Ireland in Dublin presenting a virtual tour of the holdings available at the archive and the databases available to genealogical researchers. Note: to accommodate the hours of operation at the archive, this event will be presented on a Friday instead of our usual Saturday meetings.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Dr. Marie Leoutre is a historian and archivist with a diverse background in Irish history. Her experience includes research positions at the Royal Irish Academy, and work as an archivist with Eneclann, and also ESB. She has also worked as a researcher for the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation. Her past experience includes archival work at the National Library of Ireland. She has also held roles in academic institutions, including tutoring and lecturing at University College Dublin. She has also been involved with the Huguenot Society of Great Britain and Ireland, where she has held a committee position, and has also been the chair of the Irish section.

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 Apr 12, 2025
11:00 am - 1:00 pm ET - Location: Zoom Webinar

Proprietary and Colonial New Jersey Research

Melissa Johnson

Researching families who lived in New Jersey during the Proprietary period (1664-1703) and the Colonial period presents unique challenges. Beginning in 1664, the East and West Jersey proprietors governed New Jersey’s inhabitants. Their records, deposited at the New Jersey State Archives, are complex and require an understanding of the time period and its practices. The Colonial period offers additional record groups to consider, such as church records, land records, court records, probate records, and local records. Attendees will learn strategies useful for specific areas of New Jersey, and discover record groups specific to these time periods. This lecture by Melissa Johnson uses several case studies to illustrate how these records work together to make connections between generations.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER
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.

Melissa Johnson is a historian of women, religion, and communication in early America. Her first book project focuses on watchfulness and women’s gossip in seventeenth-century New England. She is also working on two other projects, one on domestic servitude in colonial New England and another on deception and imposters in the Atlantic world. Her research has been supported by the Massachusetts Historical Society, the New England Regional Fellowship Consortium, the Clark Memorial Library at UCLA, and the Center for the Education of Women at the University of Michigan. She received her PhD from the University of Michigan in 2019 and currently teaches history courses at community colleges in Oregon and in Washington state.

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 May 10, 2025
11:00 am - 1:00 pm ET - Location: Zoom Webinar

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Your Genealogy Research

Casey Zahn

Artificial Intelligence technology continues to grab news headlines and is finding wide-ranging use from customer service and finance to healthcare and manufacturing. But is there a way to use the technology to further family history research? Join us as Catherine "Casey" Zahn presents about some of the ways ways AI can enhance your genealogy research.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Catherine “Casey” Zahn is a past trustee of the Genealogical Society of New Jersey and was the 2008 program chair for the Federation of Genealogical Societies conference in Philadelphia.

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 June 14, 2025
11:00 am - 1:00 pm ET - Location: Zoom Webinar

Genealogy Round Table Discussion

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 July 16, 2025
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm ET - Location: Zoom Webinar

Artificial Intelligence in Genealogy SIG

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 August 13, 2025
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm ET - Location: Zoom Webinar

Artificial Intelligence in Genealogy SIG

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 September 13, 2025
11:00 am - 1:00 pm ET - Location: Zoom Webinar

Introduction to British Research

Melissa Johnson

Learn how to research your English ancestors using the variety of information available on the Internet, including vital records, immigration and emigration, military records, wills, criminal records and federal government records, as well as on-site resources in the United Kingdom.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Melissa Johnson and Johnson Genealogy Services specializes in genealogical research, lecturing, writing, editing and publishing. She has expertise in researching families with origins in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, England and Poland. Melissa has extensively researched the families of many of New Jersey’s first settlers, including those from Newark and Elizabeth(town). She is an expert in New Jersey genealogy research, and frequently teaches on NJ genealogy topics through the New Jersey Family History Institute. She is also proficient in using DNA test results to break through ancestral brick walls and assist adoptees and others with unknown parentage.

*Registration Required. Society members only. Not a member? Learn more about joining today!

 October 11, 2025
11:00 am - 1:00 pm ET - Location: Zoom Webinar

Using the NJ Room, Special Collections & University Archives, Rutgers University

Michelle Chubenko

Want to supercharge your family history research? Consider some resources beyond the usual online sites of Ancestry and Family Search. In this presentation, genealogist Michelle Chubenko walks us through how to make effective use of the resources at the New Jersey Room and the Special Collections & University Archives at Rutgers University.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Michelle Tucker Chubenko is the Europe Research Team Manager and professional genealogist with Legacy Tree Genealogists. With over 30 years’ experience researching her paternal ancestral roots in colonial America and the 20th century flair of her maternal Eastern European ancestry (Ukrainian and Hungarian); she specializes in New Jersey and Eastern European research. She is a founding member with the “Nashi Predky/Our Ancestors” Family History Group at the Ukrainian History and Education Center. She has presented locally on Eastern European research and volunteers as co-coordinator for the Facebook group “Our Ancestors - Наші Предки / Ukrainian Genealogy.”

She was a researcher on TLC’s Who Do You Think You Are? (Season one) and appeared in the Brooke Shields episode, which aired in April 2010. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, local and ethnic genealogical societies, and is active in local history organizations. Michelle has presented genealogical lectures to audiences on a local, regional (NERGC 2017), national level (FGS 2008/Philadelphia and GRIP 2017), internationally (Ontario Ancestors 2019) and attended Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), Institute of Genealogy & Historical Research (IGHR), and Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) and a ProGen17 graduate. Visit her website at: https://www.legacytree.com/michellec

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 November 4, 2025
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm ET - Location: Zoom Webinar

What's New with Family Tree Maker 2024

The Family Tree Maker team presents a free special session to learn more about the latest version of Family Tree Maker software, including tips and tricks!

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 November 8, 2025
11:00 am - 1:00 pm ET - Location: Zoom Webinar

The Fan Club and Women: Finding their Stories in US pensions

Casey Zahn

Join us as Catherine "Casey" Zahn presents on how to discover your female ancestors using U.S. pension records and more!

ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Catherine “Casey” Zahn is a past trustee of the Genealogical Society of New Jersey and was the 2008 program chair for the Federation of Genealogical Societies conference in Philadelphia.

*Registration Required. Society members only. Not a member? Learn more about joining today!