After yesterday’s productive workshop sessions, I arrived early this morning eager to dive into the main conference program. The energy at OGS 2025 was palpable—hundreds of genealogists gathering to share knowledge, breakthroughs, and of course, tales of brick walls conquered!
Morning Keynote: Judy G. Russell Lights the Way
The day began with an 8:00 AM keynote address from the always entertaining Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL. Her presentation, “After the Courthouse Burns: Rekindling Family History Through DNA,” could not have been more relevant in today’s genealogical landscape.
Judy opened with a sobering tour of historical disasters that destroyed genealogical records: Richmond, Virginia in 1865; Cook County, Illinois in 1871; San Francisco in 1906; and the Irish Four Courts Fire of 1922. Records loss, she emphasized, impacts genealogical research in nearly every aspect—missing vital records interfere with determinations of key relationships, absent probate records eliminate direct evidence of parent-child connections, and the loss of the 1890 census creates significant timeline gaps for many American families.
While traditional genealogical methodologies can often fill many gaps left by records loss, Judy presented four standard approaches:
- Using alternative record types (state census instead of a destroyed federal census, tax records instead of lost deed books)
- Exploring alternative jurisdictions and locations (adjacent counties, state-level duplicates)
- Searching alternative repositories (university collections, historical societies)
- Applying the FAN Club concept (friends, associates, neighbors)
The most enlightening part of her presentation focused on how DNA testing adds powerful new dimensions to burned-county research. As she explained, DNA provides evidence of relationships that might otherwise remain lost forever. She walked us through the three main types of DNA testing and their specific applications:
- Y-DNA testing follows the direct male line and helps place modern males into the correct family branch
- Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) traces the direct female line and proves particularly useful when a candidate ancestor had multiple wives
- Autosomal DNA connects us with cousins (reliably to the fourth cousin level) whose paper trail research might help leapfrog over missing records
What impressed me most was Russell’s emphasis that DNA must complement available paper trails—not replace them—to properly identify candidate families. Her case study of a twice-burned county demonstrated how this approach can overcome even the most challenging record loss situations.
The extensive resource list she provided will prove invaluable as I tackle my own research challenges in counties with record loss issues.
Illuminating Research with Dr. Michael Lacopo
Following the keynote, I attended “Light Up Your Genealogy” presented by Michael D. Lacopo, DVM. This session delivered exactly what the title promised—practical ways to illuminate research paths and push past stubborn brick walls.
Dr. Lacopo organized his presentation as a Top 10 list of research strategies, each one more valuable than the last. His two quotes perfectly captured the spirit of his approach:
“Look where nobody else is looking!”
“It’s time to turn over stones nobody else has seen or touched!”
Among his most compelling suggestions:
Embrace AI and Smart Searching
Building on yesterday’s AI workshop, Dr. Lacopo emphasized how artificial intelligence tools can enhance our research, particularly for transcriptions and translations. He recommended Steve Little’s AI Genealogy Insights blog for staying current with these rapidly evolving technologies.
His tips on smart searching resonated deeply with me. Beyond just showing how to use wildcards strategically (? for a single letter, * for up to five letters on Ancestry), he suggested approaches like forgetting about surnames and manipulating OCR searches wisely. So many times we lock ourselves into searching for a specific spelling when we should look more creatively!
Look Beyond Traditional Sources
Dr. Lacopo made a compelling case for exploring resources many genealogists overlook:
- Social history resources that place ancestors in historical context
- Complete original records rather than just abstracts and indexes
- Manuscript collections through resources like ArchiveGrid and NUCMC
- The “Genealogist’s Quadfecta”: Genealogical Societies, Historical Societies, Library Special Collections, and Archives
His mention of social history particularly resonated with me, as I’ve been exploring this approach in my Swedish research, as I talked about in my blog post Chasing My Swedish Roots. Understanding the social context of illegitimacy in 19th-century Swedish farming communities has proved crucial to understanding my ancestor Sissa Andersdotter’s experiences.
Don’t Overlook the Living and Start Writing
Perhaps most poignantly, Dr. Lacopo reminded us not to ignore living relatives as rich sources of information. Through oral histories, heirlooms, and documents, the living often hold keys to mysteries we’re trying to solve.
He closed with an exhortation that hit home for me: “Start writing!” Whether methodical research notes, timelines, or your own stories, writing as you go both clarifies your thinking and preserves your work for future generations. His sobering reminder that “oral history dies when you die” left me thinking about the stories I need to capture from my own life and family members.
Afternoon Sessions: Exploring Hidden Resources and New Tools
After lunch, I dove into the afternoon sessions, starting with Elaine Kuhn’s eye-opening presentation on “Overlooked and Underused: Special Collections and Databases.” As a librarian (MLS), Kuhn emphasized the importance of thinking beyond the obvious record sets when searching for ancestors.
Her five key points resonated strongly with me:
- Understand what special collections and archives truly are – Many genealogists don’t fully grasp the distinction between these repositories and how they might contain unique materials
- Search regionally, not just locally – Collections related to your ancestors might exist far from where they lived, especially if the collector moved over time
- Check all kinds of collections – Be thorough, as that ONE THING you’re looking for may be hiding!
- Pay attention to details – Kuhn emphasized watching for patterns in records and noting when ancestors appear with the same FAN club members repeatedly
- Always engage with the gatekeepers – Librarians and archivists know their collections intimately and can save you hours of research time. And always observe their rules.
Kuhn also provided an excellent list of overlooked databases I plan to explore, including the David Rumsey Map Collection, the Patent Database (which might hold clues about any inventive ancestors!), and several Library of Congress Digital Collections I haven’t looked at too thoroughly before.
Next came Judy G. Russell’s session on “Artificial Tears: The Pains and Joys of AI for Genealogy.” Did I mention that I LOVE being able to see her in person? Yeah, I’m fan-girling here. As a paralegal for the last 30 years, the legal aspects of her sessions always really resonate with me. Genealogy, law and a great sense of humor… what more can you ask for?
Coming right after yesterday’s workshop with Drew Smith, this presentation offered a perfect complement—focusing on the practical implications of using AI in genealogical research. Russell balanced enthusiasm for AI’s potential with necessary cautions.
The “pains” she identified resonated with my own experiences:
- Research-Information Gathering: AI tools often rely on secondary sources and can “hallucinate” data, information, and even sources that don’t exist
- Transcription: Handwriting recognition remains challenging with only about 85% accuracy
- Contextual Understanding: AI struggles with subtleties in historical documents, including ambiguous terms and cultural context
- Critical Translation: AI can’t replace human judgment in complex translation, especially with colloquialisms and idiomatic expressions
On the “joys” side, Russell highlighted several areas where AI truly shines:
- Summarization of existing source materials
- Extraction of critical facts from documents
- Generation of text and images from concept instructions
- Routine Translation for basic language conversion
- Task Automation for repetitive processes
Her session also delved into unresolved legal and ethical issues, including copyright questions and privacy concerns—especially relevant when handling DNA results or information about living people.
The extensive resource list Russell provided will prove invaluable as I continue to incorporate AI tools into my research workflow. I already plan to explore some of the blogs and websites she mentioned, like Steve Little’s AI Genealogy Insights and the Family History AI Show podcast.
For my final session of the day, I attended Kate Penney Howard’s presentation on “When the DNA is a Thorny Thicket: Untangling Complex DNA.” While this session was a bit over my head, the information about navigating the challenges of endogamy, pedigree collapse, and complex inheritance patterns I’m sure will be more understandable to me the more experience I get. Howard explained why traditional relationship predictions often fail when dealing with endogamous populations, and how standard analysis tools may produce confusing or misleading results in these cases.
Howard’s extensive bibliography will provide plenty of follow-up reading as I continue working with my Swedish DNA matches and their complex interrelationships.
Reflecting on a Full Day of Learning
As I reflected on the day’s sessions, I felt struck by how many interconnected themes emerged. From Judy Russell’s keynote on using DNA when records disappear to Howard’s presentation on complex DNA analysis; from Lacopo’s emphasis on manuscript collections to Kuhn’s guide to special collections and archives; from discussions of AI’s potential to cautions about its limitations—each presentation built upon the others in unexpected ways.
What became clear is that modern genealogy requires both traditional research skills and comfort with emerging technologies. The most successful family historians will navigate courthouse records and DNA matches with equal skill, leverage AI tools while recognizing their limitations, and never forget that behind every document, database, or DNA segment lies a human story waiting to be told.
I left the conference with pages of notes, a list of websites to explore, techniques to try, and renewed excitement about breaking through some of my most challenging brick walls.
Exhibit Hall Adventures
Between sessions, I managed to visit the exhibit hall several times during the day. The vendor area buzzed with activity as attendees browsed books, software, and research services. I enjoyed chatting with Michelle Tucker Chubenko about research in the former Austria-Hungary and purchased a copy of her workbook which should help with my Carpatho-Rusyn research.
I also had the pleasure of saying hello to Michael John Neill, whose webinars I regularly attend and always find immensely helpful. And I spent a valuable few minutes with Denyse Allen discussing where to find delayed birth certificates for Fayette County, Pennsylvania. I’ve searched unsuccessfully for my maternal grandmother’s birth certificate for years, so getting some expert guidance felt like a real breakthrough.
Perhaps the most exciting news came from Duff Wilson at the Family Tree Maker booth—FTM 2024 should be out “in a few weeks”! As a longtime user of this software, I’ve followed the development with great interest. Fingers crossed that it arrives soon!
I’ll probably visit the exhibit hall again tomorrow and Saturday for a last look around. There’s always that one special book or resource you wish you’d bought once you get home!
Looking Ahead to Day 2
Tomorrow promises another full schedule of learning:
8:15am – The Research Plan: Your Blueprint to Genealogical Success – Drew Smith, MA LS
9:30am – AI-Assisted Genealogy: The Family History of the Future – Daniel Horowitz
10:45am – Shedding Light on Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches and Their Records – Justin K. Houser, JD
1:30pm – Midwest Repositories and Online Collections – Kris W. Rzepczynski, MLIS, MA
2:45pm – Solved! Case Studies in Genetic Genealogy – Dr. Leah Larkin
What new genealogy tools or techniques have you discovered recently? Have you tried using manuscript collections or special databases in your research? Do you use social history resources to better understand your ancestors’ lives? Share your experiences in the comments!
If you’re here at the OGS Conference, I’d love to say hi! I’ll be attending all the sessions I mentioned above and wearing a t-shirt that says “Genealogy – It’s Like Playing Hide and Seek with Dead People.” Don’t be shy—come over and introduce yourself!
Stay tuned for more updates from OGS Conference 2025!
What did I learn on Day 2! Click below. 🙂
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