Tracing Your Roots with “The Legal Genealogist”

Written on: October 31st, 2016 in Blog Posts, Delaware History, Events at the Archives, Research Room

(Dover, DE) On Saturday, November 5, Judy G. Russell, JD, CG CGL, known as “The Legal Genealogist” will present two programs at the Delaware Public Archives. The first presentation, at 10:30 a.m. is titled “Don’t Forget the Ladies” – A Genealogist’s Guide to Women and the Law. In early America, women were all too often the people who just weren’t there: not in the records, not in the censuses, not on juries, not in the voting booth. The common law relegated women to “protected” – second-class – status and understanding how they were treated under the law provides clues to finding their identities today.

The second program, titled Rogues, Rascals and Rapscallions will begin at 1:30 p.m. Playing detective in court records can unmask those individuals that every family has. Learn to understand the criminal process in both federal and state courts and how to find the records to put meat on the bones of the skeletons one may have in their family’s closet.

Judy Russell is an attorney whose aim is to assist people understand the often arcane and even impenetrable legal concepts and terminology that are so very important to those who are studying family history. A graduate of the Rutgers School of Law-Newark, Russell also has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from George Washington University in Washington D.C. She has worked as a newspaper reporter, trade association writer, legal investigator, defense attorney, federal prosecutor, law editor and, for more than 20 years, an adjunct member of the faculty at Rutgers Law School. She lectures on a wide variety of genealogical topics, ranging from using court records to understanding DNA testing.

The program is free to the public and will last approximately one hour. No reservations are required. For more information, contact Tom Summers (302) 744-5047 or e-mail thomas.summers@state.de.us.

The Delaware Public Archives is located at 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard North in Dover. The Mabel Lloyd Ridgely Research Room is open to the public Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. On the second Saturday of every month the research room is open from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Preserving Documents, Photographs, and Digital Memories

Written on: September 26th, 2016 in Blog Posts, Delaware History, Events at the Archives, Photographs, preservation, Research Room

Looking for a way to preserve important documents, photos and videos for future generations? On Saturday, October 1 at 10:30 a.m., the Delaware Public Archives will present a program discussing how to preserve photographs, documents, and digital memories. You will leave this program with the knowledge needed to care for and preserve your irreplaceable memories. […]

Integrating Your Ancestors into Desktop, Mobile and Cloud Technologies

Written on: August 23rd, 2016 in Blog Posts, Delaware History, Events at the Archives, Research Room

(Dover, DE) On Saturday, September 3, at 10:30 a.m. Shamele Jordon will present a program at the Delaware Public Archives focusing on new technologies that have proven to be most useful for genealogy research. Through her own quest for her family’s history, the presenter will discuss how she used new genealogical methods such as desktop […]

In Pursuit of “Pancho” Villa: The Delaware National Guard’s 1916 Mexican Border Service

Written on: August 10th, 2016 in

In 1916, Mexican Revolutionary General Francisco “Pancho” Villa, led a raid against the U.S.-Mexican border town of Columbus, New Mexico. The U.S. government sent U.S. Army General John J. Pershing to capture Villa in an unsuccessful nine-month incursion into Mexican sovereign territory that ended when the United States entered World War I. Among Pershing’s troops […]

The Cold War’s Effect on Dover Air Force Base and its Surrounding Communities

Written on: July 22nd, 2016 in Blog Posts, Delaware History, Events at the Archives, Research Room

Dover Air Force Base has been a cornerstone of Dover, Delaware for over 60 years. What is little understood is the impact the base has had on the communities that surround it. On Saturday, August 6, at 10:30 a.m. MSgt Eric Czerwinski, USAF, (Retired) will present a program at the Delaware Public Archives about Dover […]

From Humble Beginnings: The First Thirty Years of Dover Air Force Base

Written on: June 17th, 2016 in Delaware History, Events at the Archives, Research Room

(Dover, DE) On Saturday, July 2, at 10:30 a.m. Mike Leister, Director of the Air Mobility Command (AMC) Museum in Dover, will present a program at the Delaware Public Archives about the early years of the Dover Air Force Base. In 1940 the City of Dover accepted an offer to build a federally funded airport. […]

Maximizing Ancestry.com to Find Your Genealogical Roots

Written on: May 24th, 2016 in Blog Posts, Events at the Archives, Research Room

Ancestry.com is one of the most popular and valued genealogical tools in the world. Understanding and maximizing its usefulness is essential in order to efficiently search and record your family’s history. On Saturday, June 4, at 10:30 a.m., professional genealogist Sydney F. Cruice Dixon will present a program at the Delaware Public Archives in which […]

Celebrate Dover Days with Two Tours of the Delaware Public Archives

Written on: April 28th, 2016 in Blog Posts, Delaware History, Events at the Archives, Photographs, Research Room

A Dover Tour of the Delaware Public Archives On Monday, May 2, at 6:00 p.m., the Delaware Public Archives will offer a special evening program titled “A Dover Tour of the Delaware Public Archives.” While featuring all the traditional components of a “behind the scenes” tour of the facility, this visit will include documents, maps, […]

The Basics of Italian Genealogical Research

Written on: April 8th, 2016 in Blog Posts, Events at the Archives, Research Room

On Saturday, April 23 at 10:30 a.m., Melanie Holtz, CG, will present a webinar program at Delaware Public Archives about Italian Genealogy for beginners. The majority of records used for Italian genealogical research come from two major record sets, civil registration and ecclesiastical records. This lecture will cover what type of civil and ecclesiastical records […]

Lincoln’s Final Hours: Conspiracy, Terror, and the Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln

Written on: March 22nd, 2016 in Events at the Archives, Research Room

(Dover, DE) On Saturday, April 2, at 10:30 a.m. author Kathryn Canavan will present a program at the Delaware Public Archives about the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Focusing on the assassination from the perspective of the Petersen family, Canavan will show how this Washington D.C. family became caught up in the tragedy. The Petersens […]