ROOTS & BRANCHES

A long time ago in a dating galaxy far, far away, I had a disastrous first date in which I had to explain that “genealogy” was not a single lecture topic and that family history conferences could stretch on for several days with hundreds of topics.

Her reaction sealed the fate that there would be no second date: “A whole conference on genealogy? That must be really boring!”

As those who are involved with genealogical research to any degree know, there are many specialties that exist within the realm of genealogical lecturing, and in most cases, there are several people who have the same niche (or, at least, overlapping ones).

When it comes to “law and genealogy,” however, there’s really just one person and she’s Judy G. Russell, who has a law degree and is the author of The Legal Genealogist blog.

And when it comes to where she’s speaking, there’s still a chance to see her live right smack dab in the center of Pennsylvania – as in a program sponsored by the Centre County Genealogical Society in less than three weeks.

One of things that makes Russell an exceptional speaker is that she goes out of her way to customize her material – in this case, her first lecture is “Courting Pennsylvania: Courts of the Keystone State.”

Her other presentations are following:

• “When Worlds Collide: Resolving Conflicts in Genealogical Records” focuses on what to do when pieces of data – often in separate records but sometimes in the same document! – appear to contradict each other. Russel outlines the basic types of evidence conflicts and the methods to resolve them.
• “ ‘Don’t Forget the Ladies’ – A Genealogist’s Guide to Women and the Law” goes over the statutes that relegated women to second-class status and how they can be used to leverage information about our maternal ancestors.
• “ ‘No Person Shall … Gallop Horses in the Streets’ – Using Court Records to Tell the Story of Our Ancestors’ Lives” looks at the color and meaning that court records and appeal opinions give to the lives and times of our forebears.

In addition to her law degree and daily blog (which is found at www.legalgenealogist.com), Russell writes and lectures on genealogical topics that include understanding DNA testing. She is on the faculty of several genealogical institutes and holds the Certified Genealogist and Certified Genealogical Lecturer credentials from the Board for Certification of Genealogists.

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The Centre County society’s event will be held starting at 8:30 a.m., May 19, in the Foxdale Village Auditorium, 500 E. Marylyn Ave., State College, PA. To register online, go to the group’s website at www.centrecountygenealogy.org or by mail to Centre County Genealogical Society, PO Box 1135, State College, PA 16804-1135. For questions, e-mail services@centrecountygenealogy.org