Heritage Seekers

Putting it all Together!
2026-09-14 18:30 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Virtual Meeting
Carla Love-MaitlandTennessee Genealogical Society

You’ve taken courses, attended webinars, read books. Now what? What do you actually do with the knowledge you’ve gained? Where do you start on your genealogical journey? If you’ve already started, how can you proceed without getting bogged down? This presentation is designed to help you put together those methods and techniques you’ve learned.

Carla Love Maitland is a native Memphian and a retired award-winning educator. Those honors include being named ‘Secondary Teacher of the Year’ by the Memphis Commercial Appeal. For most of her 43-year career, she taught history. Consequently, she began researching her own family’s history in the mid-1970s, seeking to prove one “family story” true and another one false. She found quite the opposite for both!After her retirement, Carla put her many years of research to work and continued to join lineage, heritage, genealogical, and historical societies. Her memberships in those are honestly too many to list here, but she has served as an officer in several of them.At the end of this past December, Carla concluded six wonderful years as the President of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. In December of 2022, she was appointed by the Shelby County Mayor to her current position as the Genealogist for the Public Records Commission of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners.Carla enjoys writing and teaching about what she has found as she has researched her family and others’. However, her real “claim to fame” is the fact that she had three wonderful sons, one fabulous grandson, two beautiful granddaughters, and two absolutely fantastic great-grandsons.A Zoom link will be sent to members and subscribers the morning of the meeting.

The presenters retain the copyright to their presentations, including all images and other intellectual property. Copying, recording, taking screenshots, transcribing, AI note-taking, or redistributing any portion of these presentations in any form is strictly prohibited under penalty of law. The official recording of presentations will be available for a limited time in the members-only section of the Heritage Seekers website. Thank you for understanding and cooperating.

An Origin Theory: Using Sparse Findings and Indirect Evidence to Propose a Multi-family Migration, 1730-1850, Barbados>>North Carolina>>Mississippi
2026-09-28 18:30 - 20:00 | Virtual Meeting
Phillip AdderleyArk-La-Tex Genealogical Association

Professional researchers and family historians sometimes encounter research questions that cannot be fully answered or proved within a desired timeframe. In those situations, accumulated findings, timelines, and recommendations may be preserved for research to continue into future generations. Additionally, an overarching detailed theory can place unproven links within the context of established evidence and help others evaluate the most promising paths forward. Even where records are lost or surviving fragments are difficult to access, genealogical standards still guide the careful collection and evaluation of information as suitable and relevant evidence for plausible origin theories. Kinship, considered alongside historical and genealogical research, is often essential in 17th- to 19th-century migration research, as illustrated by the Robert James family of 1833 Jasper County, Mississippi, and his paternal line’s origins.

Philip Burnett Adderley is a retired professional genealogist, author, and lecturer. He holds a B.S. and B.A. in physics and mathematics as a Robert E. Lee Scholar at Washington and Lee University and an M.S.E.E. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Born in Bermuda a British subject, he lived in Colombia, South America as an exchange student, and in Spain for five and a half years as a Senior Project Manager for Lockheed Martin.

An avid genealogist since 1977, Philip completed several specialized tracks at Samford University’s Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, including its Advanced Methodology and Evidence Analysis Course, and the National Institute on Genealogical Research at the National Archives. Mr. Adderley has conducted genealogical research professionally since 2006 for private clients nationwide, with an emphasis on compiled narrative lineages and brick-wall problems, the latter augmented since 2010 by DNA testing.

In 2009, he was licensed to use the Certified Genealogist® credential for a five-year term by the Board for Certification of Genealogists. His work has been published in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and The NGS Magazine. He served the National Genealogical Society through 2011 as a grader for local land records and migration modules in American Genealogy: A Home Study Course, and later as a mentor/grader for the American Genealogical Studies course series.

After he retired from full-time work in 2015, he continued working on a limited basis for clients on long-term research projects. Philip specializes in land, courthouse, and archival records of the southern American colonies and states, as well as 17th- to 19th-century British colonial records of Bermuda. He is a member of the National Genealogical Society and a past president of the Ark-La-Tex Genealogical Association, Inc., of Shreveport, Louisiana. His lectures and seminars, which emphasize case studies and research methodology, have been well received at genealogical conferences and associations in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.

A Zoom link will be sent to members and mailing list subscribers the morning of the meeting.

The presenters retain the copyright to their presentations, including all images and other intellectual property. Copying, recording, taking screenshots, transcribing, AI note-taking, or redistributing any portion of these presentations in any form is strictly prohibited under penalty of law. The official recording of presentations will be available for a limited time in the members-only section of the Heritage Seekers website. Thank you for understanding and cooperating.

The Midwest and the Great Migration
2026-10-12 18:30 - 20:00 | Virtual Meeting
LaDonna Garner, M.A.Leafseeker Consulting

Discover repositories and record collections to explore the migration of African Americans to the Midwest from 1910 to 1970.

Donna Garner is a Historic Consultant — Historic Preservationist & Professional Genealogist — focused on historical preservation and genealogical research across the U.S. She instructs and lectures on both subjects and encourages methodical discussion. Garner is an active member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (former Board Member and Professional Development Chair) and assists numerous organizations in volunteer and leadership capacities.Researching her family history for over 30 years, Garner is passionate about documenting historic minority communities and cemeteries, genealogy education, access to archives and public records, protecting our landscapes through historic preservation, and cemetery restoration.

A Zoom link will be sent to members and mailing list subscribers the morning of the meeting.

The presenters retain the copyright to their presentations, including all images and other intellectual property. Copying, recording, taking screenshots, transcribing, AI note-taking, or redistributing any portion of these presentations in any form is strictly prohibited under penalty of law. The official recording of presentations will be available for a limited time in the members-only section of the Heritage Seekers website. Thank you for understanding and cooperating.

Watch Party for the Fall Conference of the Arkansas Genealogical Society
2026-10-17 08:15 - 16:30 | Second Presbyterian Church, 600 Pleasant Valley Dr., Room 66, Little Rock, AR, 72227-2149, United States
The Arkansas Genealogical Society presents its fall conference online, but the Heritage Seekers will gather to attend in person. Two of our favorite presenters will be featured: J. Mark Lowe and Dr. Deborah Abbott. Check back for more details.

Between Two Sons—Daniel Boone during the American Revolution
2026-10-26 18:30 - 20:00 | Virtual Meeting
Daniel Boone was a revolutionary who helped create America.When he marked his famous route, the Boone Trace, into the Kentucky wilderness in spring 1775, he began America’s First Westward Movement, which continued throughout the American Revolution. Boone was in the thick of the action on the western front as the British military leaders collaborated with their native allies to thwart the opening of Kentucky to eager, land-hungry settlers. He traveled back east of the mountain barrier several times on private business and in public service, and crossed the Ohio River as well, engaging in episodes and escapades too few of us know about. His family grew and shrank during the period—births, marriages, deaths—turning points in his life and in the lives of kin and friends. The exciting tale of Boone’s life during those tumultuous years from 1773-1783 is the story shared in the talk. Award-winning history writer and speaker Randell Jones will share this story in 50 minutes of fast-paced storytelling illustrated with images he has captured at historical reenactments during the last 20 years. His award-winning book, In the Footsteps of Daniel Boone (2005), was released as an enhanced second edition in fall 2024, now containing a 180-page narrative of the life of Daniel Boone illustrated with 330 photographs of historical reenactors; it also has a 60-page appendix taking readers to 100 sites they can visit today across Boone’s America which sprawls over what is now 11 states from Pennsylvania to Missouri and from Michigan to Florida, yes, Florida.As part of celebrating America’s 250th anniversary, author Randell Jones is donating $10 of the proceeds of each copy of In the Footsteps of Daniel Boone sold at his talks to the nonprofit organizations hosting his presentations. When you purchase this book by November 15, $10 goes to the Heritage Seekers Genealogy Club of Arkansas to support the services it offers its members. Think of this as “a donation from Daniel Boone” in honor of our collective American history reaching back at least 250 years. (“Donations from Daniel Boone” to other hosting nonprofit organizations this year currently exceed $3,500.)Randell Jones has written several books about the pioneer and Revolutionary War eras in the South, especially North Carolina history. For a dozen years, he served as an invited member of the Road Scholars Speakers Bureau of the NC Humanities Council, speaking to audiences around the state. He has received two awards from the Kentucky Historical Society and from the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution; he received its national History Award Medal for his body of work. His primary books of interest are Before They Were Heroes at King’s Mountain (2011) and In the Footsteps of Daniel Boone (2005/2024). Among his other books are Trailing Daniel Boone and A Guide to the Overmountain Victory National Historical Trail.Randell was born in North Little Rock “after the war” and grew up in Memphis. His family research in Logan and St. Francis counties sparked his interest in history. After uncovering his immigrant Jones ancestor along the James River in Virginia in 1665, he enrolled his father in the First Families of Tennessee, recording a family lineage that nobody else had bothered to document. The discovery of a Moses Jones in his mother’s McBride line was no cause for alarm, but you gotta love the name.For the last seven years, Randell has been the publisher and editor of the Personal Story Publishing Project, which has published 13 volumes of 800-word stories by aspiring and accomplished writers on announced themes. Almost all of those have appeared on his 6-minute Stories podcast, archiving over 500 personal stories. Listen for free on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Also available directly at RandellJones.com/6minutestories.For more on America 250 & the NEW! Kings Mountain Trilogy- check out www.BecomingAmerica250.com for a wealth of resources!

A Zoom link will be sent to members and mailing list subscribers the morning of the meeting.

The presenters retain the copyright to their presentations, including all images and other intellectual property. Copying, recording, taking screenshots, transcribing, AI note-taking, or redistributing any portion of these presentations in any form is strictly prohibited under penalty of law. The official recording of presentations will be available for a limited time in the members-only section of the Heritage Seekers website. Thank you for understanding and cooperating.

Leaving a Legacy: Who's Writing Your Story?
2026-11-09 18:30 - 20:00 | Virtual Meeting
Deborah A. Abbott, Ph.D.

Dr. Deborah Abbott is a professional genealogist specializing in African American research, manuscript collections, and genealogy methodology. She is a Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Archives Advisory Commission member and serves on the Lake View (Ohio) Cemetery Outreach Committee. She is an associate with the Kentucky-Tennessee Associates based in Springfield, TN; past president of the African American Genealogical Society, Cleveland, OH; and a retired professor of Counseling from Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland. She holds both a BS and an M.Ed. from Tuskegee University in Alabama and a PhD from Kent State University in Ohio.

Dr. Abbott is an instructor and the coordinator for both the week-long African American tracts at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), held at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA, and the Genealogy Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), held at LaRoche University in Pittsburgh, PA. She is also an instructor at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) in Salt Lake City, UT. She presents lectures and workshops at national, state, and local genealogy conferences. She lectures at colleges, businesses & libraries. She has published in both the Ohio Genealogy News and Family Tree Magazine. Dr. Abbott can be seen teaching the African American research course “Needles & Threads” in an educational video on Ancestry Academy, available on Ancestry.com. She coordinates monthly classes for the Genealogy and Family History Clinic for the Cleveland Public Library.

A Cleveland, Ohio native, Dr. Abbott is a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the Tuskegee University National Alumni Association, and Antioch Baptist Church in Cleveland.

A Zoom link will be sent to members and mailing list subscribers the morning of the meeting.

The presenters retain the copyright to their presentations, including all images and other intellectual property. Copying, recording, taking screenshots, transcribing, AI note-taking, or redistributing any portion of these presentations in any form is strictly prohibited under penalty of law. The official recording of presentations will be available for a limited time in the members-only section of the Heritage Seekers website. Thank you for understanding and cooperating.

Holiday Potluck & Show 'n Tell
2026-12-05 12:00 - 16:00 | Centennial Bank – Community Room, 1301 Rebsamen Park Rd, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72202, United States
A fun potluck event to celebrate a great year, share some stories & socialize with other members. You can wear an “ugly sweater” if you’d like. We’ll meet in the community room at the rear of Centennial Bank in the Riverdale area.

Show ‘n Tell! Bring a family heirloom, pension records, war medals, scrapbooks, old photographs, toys, family Bibles, Civil War relics, a simple story, or a new discovery, etc. Be prepared to tell the story of your items – who they belonged to, how you came to have them, etc. You just never know what folks will bring! Great fun!

Potluck! Everyone brings a dish & recipe card! Names beginning with A-L bring main dishes and/or desserts. Names M-Z bring veggies, sides, salads, or bread.

Also, please remember to bring the necessary serving utensils for your dish (spoons, tongs, etc.) Heritage Seekers will supply drinks, eating utensils & paper goods.

Hope to see you there!

Where Do I Look? Land Research Along the Missouri-Arkansas Border: 1795-1830
2027-01-25 18:30 - 2027-01-26 20:00 | Arkansas
Bill Eddleman, Cape Girardeau Genealogical Society/State Historical Society of Missouri (SHSMO)

Check back for updated details.

A Zoom link will be sent to members and mailing list subscribers the morning of the meeting.

The presenters retain the copyright to their presentations, including all images and other intellectual property. Copying, recording, taking screenshots, transcribing, AI note-taking, or redistributing any portion of these presentations in any form is strictly prohibited under penalty of law. The official recording of presentations will be available for a limited time in the members-only section of the Heritage Seekers website. Thank you for understanding and cooperating.

I Didn't Know What I Didn't Know! Finding the Truth about Aunt Gwen
2027-02-08 18:30 - 20:00 | Virtual Meeting
Diana Chrisman-Smith

We know we need to do reasonably exhaustive searches for information in genealogy – but do we really think about WHAT we need to research? Diana thought she knew all about her Great-Aunt Gwen – she had known her, her husband George, their daughter, and grandchildren all her life. But when someone asked her a simple family question, she discovered she didn’t have an answer. That search turned into a really interesting and eye-opening experience. Come along as this case study takes us on some unusual twists and turns – including multiple marriages, divorces, and more.

Diana Crisman Smith began researching her family in childhood, and has been researching, speaking, writing, and teaching for over 5 decades. She has particularly enjoyed researching her US, Canadian, and Danish ancestors in a wide variety of records and repositories (both in person and online), with her late husband. She is a past board member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the Florida State Genealogical Society, the Genealogical Speakers Guild, and several local societies. Her work has included online courses for land records, death records, Scandinavian research, Danish research, RootsMagic software, military records, and more. She has published numerous magazine articles, a newspaper column, and is the author of 3 books (so far). She and her husband served as lay librarians at a Family History Center (now FamilySearch Center) in Ohio for over 20 years. She has presented at conferences around the USA (in person and virtually), and at sea, and is currently enjoying “traveling” through virtual programs.

A Zoom link will be sent to members and mailing list subscribers the morning of the meeting.

The presenters retain the copyright to their presentations, including all images and other intellectual property. Copying, recording, taking screenshots, transcribing, AI note-taking, or redistributing any portion of these presentations in any form is strictly prohibited under penalty of law. The official recording of presentations will be available for a limited time in the members-only section of the Heritage Seekers website. Thank you for understanding and cooperating.

It's the Economy! How did Economic Busts & Booms Affect Your Ancestor's Emigration Decisions?
2027-03-08 18:30 - 20:00 | Arkansas
Gay Solomon, MS, CG

Check back for more details.

A Zoom link will be sent to members and mailing list subscribers the morning of the meeting.

The presenters retain the copyright to their presentations, including all images and other intellectual property. Copying, recording, taking screenshots, transcribing, AI note-taking, or redistributing any portion of these presentations in any form is strictly prohibited under penalty of law. The official recording of presentations will be available for a limited time in the members-only section of the Heritage Seekers website. Thank you for understanding and cooperating.

Avoiding Bias: Consider All The Possibilities
2027-03-22 18:30 - 20:00 | Arkansas
Barbara Coakley

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A Zoom link will be sent to members and mailing list subscribers the morning of the meeting.

The presenters retain the copyright to their presentations, including all images and other intellectual property. Copying, recording, taking screenshots, transcribing, AI note-taking, or redistributing any portion of these presentations in any form is strictly prohibited under penalty of law. The official recording of presentations will be available for a limited time in the members-only section of the Heritage Seekers website. Thank you for understanding and cooperating.

How do I Know my Sources are Good?
2027-04-12 18:30 - 20:00 | Arkansas
Kim Richardson, Tennessee Genealogical Society

Check back for more details.

A Zoom link will be sent to members and mailing list subscribers the morning of the meeting.

The presenters retain the copyright to their presentations, including all images and other intellectual property. Copying, recording, taking screenshots, transcribing, AI note-taking, or redistributing any portion of these presentations in any form is strictly prohibited under penalty of law. The official recording of presentations will be available for a limited time in the members-only section of the Heritage Seekers website. Thank you for understanding and cooperating.

Dead Letter Office Images: The Civil War’s Lost Sentiments
2027-04-26 18:30 - 20:00 | Arkansas
Melissa Winn, National Museum of Civil War Medicine

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A Zoom link will be sent to members and mailing list subscribers the morning of the meeting.

The presenters retain the copyright to their presentations, including all images and other intellectual property. Copying, recording, taking screenshots, transcribing, AI note-taking, or redistributing any portion of these presentations in any form is strictly prohibited under penalty of law. The official recording of presentations will be available for a limited time in the members-only section of the Heritage Seekers website. Thank you for understanding and cooperating.

Sensitive Subjects in Genealogy: What to Conceal, What to Reveal
2027-06-28 18:30 - 20:00 | Arkansas
Jane Neff Rollins, MSPH

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A Zoom link will be sent to members and mailing list subscribers the morning of the meeting.

The presenters retain the copyright to their presentations, including all images and other intellectual property. Copying, recording, taking screenshots, transcribing, AI note-taking, or redistributing any portion of these presentations in any form is strictly prohibited under penalty of law. The official recording of presentations will be available for a limited time in the members-only section of the Heritage Seekers website. Thank you for understanding and cooperating.
