Judy G Russell, JD,CG, CGL "The Legal Genealogist"

Note: In-person attendees may change to virtual the week before the seminar. A notice will be sent out with this option.

Judy G. Russell is a genealogist with a law degree, whose purpose is, in part, to help folks understand the often arcane and even impenetrable legal concepts and terminology that are so very important to those of us studying family history. Without understanding the context in which events took place and records were created, we miss so much of both the significance and the flavor of what happened.

Judy has a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a political science minor from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and a law degree from Rutgers School of Law-Newark. She has worked as a newspaper reporter, trade association writer, legal investigator, defense attorney, federal prosecutor, law editor and was an adjunct member of the faculty at Rutgers Law School.

Judy is a Certified Genealogist® and Certified Genealogical LecturerSM from the Board for Certification of Genealogists® and a member of the National Genealogical Society, the Association of Professional Genealogists, and, among others, the state genealogical societies of Colorado, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia, Texas and Illinois. I’m privileged to serve on the faculty at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), the Midwest African American Genealogy Institute (MAAGI), and the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed).

Schedule (Doors open 9:30 a.m.)

9:45 – 10 am – registration and announcements. There will be 15-minute breaks between sessions. Drawings for door prizes will be after lunch and following the fourth session.

10 – 11 am: Revelers, Hogkillers and Disobedient Children: Early State Laws. The laws our ancestors lived by tell their own story of life in earlier times, and early state laws from every part of the nation tell the stories of Blue Laws, wild animals, and children needing humbling.

11:15 am – 12:15 pm: Advertising the Law: The Gems in the Legal Notices. So many statutes required notice that someone wanted something done, and the legal notices in newspapers can be priceless sources of genealogical clues.

12:15– 1:30 pm – lunch and door prizes

1:30 – 2:30 pm: “An Act for the Relief of Gregory Thomas and Others” – The Private Laws of the Federal and State Governments. Few researchers realize that many early federal and state laws were private laws - specifically for the benefit of individuals or families. The records can be fabulous for genealogists. Learn how to find these genealogical gems in federal and state collections

2:45 – 3:45 pm: Margaret’s Mother: Using DNA to Solve a Mystery. Family lore assigns the maiden name of Battles to Margaret (c1827-c1890), wife of Daniel Shew, of Cherokee County, Alabama. Documentary evidence identifies William Battles (c1794-1874) as her father, but he was married twice and no paper trail identifies either wife as the mother. Can DNA solve the mystery and identify Margaret.

NOTE: In person ticket holders may attend on Zoom if unable to make event in person.

Website The colorado Genealogical Society https://cogensoc.us/index.php