BCG Education Fund Workshop

Tuesday, 6 May 2014, 8:30 a.m–4:30 p.m.
Marriott Hotel, Richmond, Virginia


“Putting Skills to Work” is an intensive day of learning, sponsored by the BCG Education Fund, which focuses on skills needed by all genealogists and advocates quality research. Topics are geared to intermediate and advanced practitioners. The registration fee of $110 includes lunch, hands-on exercises, and handout. The workshop is limited to sixty students and registration for the NGS Conference is not required to enroll. The workshop usually fills up quickly so register on 1 December 2013 at http://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/event-registration/ or as soon thereafter as possible.

Program

Vic Dunn, CG, will lead the session, “I Rest My Case: Constructing    

Vic Dunn, CG

a Convincing Proof Argument.” You’ve spent hours searching for proof in basements and attics of court houses, requesting antiquated manuscripts from archives and libraries, and combed every feasible Internet site. At last, you find the evidence to prove that complex, seemingly unsolvable, relationship. You can breathe a sigh of relief and move on to the next generation or project. But, STOP! It’s time to commit your findings to writing for posterity either in a proof summary or a proof argument.

This session addresses the difference between proof summaries and proof arguments and examines which type of presentation is appropriate based on evidence located in the investigation. Hands-on exercises include constructing a convincing, organized proof argument for a case study.

Dunn is a board-certified genealogist and a full-time professional researcher. An instructor for the Virginia track at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University in Alabama, he is a frequent contributor to major genealogical publications including feature articles in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, NGS Magazine, BCG OnBoard, Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, and Virginia Genealogical Society Newsletter. He is a current governor of the Virginia Genealogical Society, and a past trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists and treasurer and board member of NGS.

Sharon Tate Moody, CG, will lead the session, “Passing Out the Property:

Sharon Tate Moody, CG

The Probate Process.” Death impacts family, friends, and associates emotionally and financially. Estate assets pass to others according to the testator’s will or as intestate law requires. Both procedures usually create multiple documents pointing to relationships and providing insight into the deceased’s life. From hands-on exercises participants will analyze probate documents for clues which support hypotheses or lead to other resources or conclusions about the decedent’s identity or kinships.

Moody is a retired law enforcement officer whose career with a major metropolitan Atlanta police department spanned twenty-eight years. During this time, she became a Georgia state certified law enforcement instructor and graduated from the FBI National Academy. Through her experiences, she brings a unique perspective to finding evidence and establishing proof in genealogical investigations.

Sharon qualified as a board-certified genealogist in 2001. Her specialties include court and land records, Civil War, research methodology, and editing and writing family histories. She lectures widely in the United States, including conferences of the Federation of Genealogical Societies and the National Genealogical Society. Her substantial contributions to the genealogical community include service as past president of the Georgia Genealogical Society and a founding trustee of the Friends of the Georgia Archives. Her weekly column, “Heritage Hunting,” appears in the Tampa Tribune.

Registration opens on 1 December 2013 at http://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/event-registration/. Registration is limited to sixty participants so sign up as soon as registration opens.

BCG Education Fund Workshop