The holidays are approaching fast, and with them, family gatherings: the prime opportunity for genealogists to interview older family members, gather genealogical information, and share what they’ve learned so far with their families. This month, we have a great lineup of speakers for our free online sessions that will help you navigate family gatherings during the holidays. You’ll also explore the global virtual cemetery BillionGraves, dive into the new French records on MyHeritage, and much more.
Here’s what’s on the menu for November:
Facebook Live Sessions
No advance registration is required for these sessions: you can join them straight from our Facebook page. Simply visit the page when the session is scheduled to start, and look out for the live video broadcast at the top of the feed. We recommend following our Facebook page to get a notification when we go live. You’ll be able to ask questions in the comments, and the speakers will respond to them at the end of the session.
Can’t make it to a live session? No worries — you can still enjoy all recorded FB Live sessions in the Videos section of the MyHeritage Facebook page.
Monday, November 1, 1 P.M. EDT
Topic: Finding Your Story with BillionGraves
Speaker: Cathy Wallace
Description: BillionGraves is an invaluable repository for genealogy: crowdsourced images of gravestones from cemeteries all over the world. Join Cathy Wallace, Special Projects Coordinator for BillionGraves, as she introduces this revolutionary platform and shows you how you can use it to find information about your ancestors.
Wednesday, November 3, 2 P.M. EDT
Topic: French Historical Records on MyHeritage
Speaker: Mike Mansfield
Description: Mike Mansfield, MyHeritage’s Director of Content, will take you on a tour of all the brand-new French records recently added to MyHeritage as the result of its acquisition of French genealogy giant Filae.
Monday, November 8, 2 P.M. EST
Topic: Family Gatherings: Dragging Genealogy Information Out of Your Family
Speaker: Melissa Barker
Description: Family gatherings are a perfect setting for gathering information from family members… but not every family is eager to talk about the past. Melissa Barker, archivist and public historian, will discuss how to coax information out of reluctant relatives.
Monday, November 15, 2 P.M. EST
Topic: How to Engage Your Family During the Holidays Using MyHeritage
Speaker: Lisa Alzo
Description: The holidays are an excellent opportunity to get your family members interested in your genealogy work. Veteran genealogist and writer Lisa Alzo will show you some great ways to engage your family using MyHeritage tools.
Wednesday, November 17, 1 P.M. EST
Topic: Solving Your Family Puzzle
Speaker: A.J. Jacobs
Description: We are honored to host journalist and author A.J. Jacobs as he discusses his upcoming book, The Puzzler: One Man’s Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life — and how solving puzzles applies to genealogy. Learn how approaching your family history as a puzzle can help you break down brick walls and uncover new discoveries.
Monday, November 22, 2 P.M. EST
Topic: 5 Places to Source Photos
Speaker: Maureen Taylor
Description: Just because many of your ancestors lived before the invention of photography doesn’t mean there are no pictures of them. Maureen Taylor, the Photo Detective, and an internationally renowned expert in historic photo identification, preservation and genealogical research will join us to guide you through new places to look for photos online.
Wednesday, November 24, 8 A.M. EST
Topic: The Latest DNA Features from MyHeritage
Speaker: Ran Snir
Description: Join Ran Snir, our very own Director of Product Management, for a personal introduction to the latest DNA features on MyHeritage from the man who made it all possible.
Ask the Expert
The free Ask the Expert webinar series is hosted by our Genealogy Expert, Daniel Horowitz, every Thursday at 1 P.M. Each week Daniel focuses on a different topic, from leveraging useful MyHeritage features to searching the historical record collections, and invites users to ask questions and consult with him. Click here to register for upcoming Ask the Expert sessions.
As always, we look forward to having you join us!
