About 25 Dames attended our virtual Spring Program, Not Your Grandmother’s Genealogy. Fellow Dame and President of the Minnesota Genealogical Society Shirleen Hoffman shared some of her extensive knowledge of genealogy resources. Things have changed since she began writing letters to relatives in 1966 asking for information! She gave us tips on specific Ancestry collections, including The Great Migration Collection, Mayflower Births and Deaths, and Social Security Indexes among others. Shirleen also introduced us to the New England Historical and Genealogical Society’s American Ancestors site, a variety of Minnesota resources, and provided tips and hints on searching FamilySearch. We wrapped up with a brief discussion of what to do with all that information you find (she uses Ancestry, FamilySearch, and keeps a copy on her computer using FamilyTreeMaker). She gave us advice from Lois Mackin, write the story of that ancestor, not just the collection of facts. Links to Shirleen’s handouts are posted below.

Thank you Shirleen for a wonderful presentation, and to Jenny Norris Peterson and Lois Mackin for arranging the program..