Judy G. Russell to Present at NGS 2021 Live!

Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL

SESSION NUMBER: NGS2104-LV-12 DATE & TIME: Thursday, 20 May 2021, at 2:30 p.m.

Hauled into court for missing a church service? Taxes paid in crow heads or squirrel scalps? So many of Virginia’s early records only make sense in the context of the laws that gave rise to them. For all of us whose roots run deep in the Old Dominion and in the areas where Virginia once held sway (think Illinois County—later the Northwest Territory, or Kentucky County—later the State of Kentucky), knowing what the laws are and how to find them helps us understand all of the stories those records are telling us.

From online sources to in-person library records, those early Virginia laws also give depth and breadth to our understanding of life in early Virginia. We have a better grasp of our ancestors’ lives when we know what issues the early legislators thought they needed to address, how those issues were brought to the elected representatives, and how the laws were applied to ordinary citizens.

BIO: Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL, The Legal Genealogist (https://www.legalgenealogist.com), is a genealogist with a law degree. With deep roots in the American south and in Germany, she provides expert guidance through the murky territory where law, history, and genealogy come together.

To learn more about the NGS 2021 Virtual Family History Conference’s week-long events, 17-21 May, visit the conference and download a copy of the program brochure. A discounted Early Bird registration fee is available through 15 March 2021.