SESSION TITLE: Jumping Over Hurdles in Eastern European Research
SESSION NUMBER: S424
TIME & DATE: Saturday 05 May 2018, at 11:00 a.m.

Eastern European genealogy research is a marathon, not a sprint! At Lisa’s session, attendees will learn skills to overcome the most common hurdles with names, geography, languages, records access, and more.

Sample case studies will illustrate specific problems, including:
• Sorting out Czech, Hungarian, Polish, and other surname stumpers.
• Strategies for identifying ancestral hometowns and dealing with perplexing place names and “missing” villages.
• Decoding DNA ethnicity estimates – what do those “Eastern European” percentages mean?
• Detecting and deciphering old country records to connect families.

This talk is designed for those who have already done a bit of research but hit specific problems in their own genealogical journey. Here is your chance to learn tips and techniques from Lisa Alzo, who is a popular writer and speaker on Eastern European research. Lisa will also present the session “Discovering Your Czech and Slovak Roots (S414),” on Saturday, 05 May 2018, at 9:30 a.m., which will cover how to investigate your Czech and Slovak ancestry using both traditional and online sources.

ABOUT:
Lisa A. Alzo, M.F.A., is a freelance writer, instructor, and internationally recognized lecturer, specializing in Eastern European research and creative nonfiction writing. She is the author of 11 books and hundreds of magazine articles, and works as an online educator and writing coach. Her website is https://www.lisaalzo.com/