Public Land Survey Basics: Placing Your Ancestor in the Township and Range Grid
InstructorJ. H. Fonkert, CG
Date: 17 June 2026 Time:7:00-8:30 p.m.
About the class:
Land was the great magnet for settlement of the Midwest and Great Plains. American and European settlers purchased land from the U.S. government, or from states, railroads, or earlier private citizens who earlier received government land. The Public Land Survey System, dating from the Land Ordinance of 1785, created a sort of rural address system that made possible orderly settlement of public lands west of the Appalachians. This webinar will make sense of meridians and baselines, townships and ranges, and sections that are the key to pinpointing the location of your ancestor’s land on modern maps. As an added bonus, you’ll learn about preemption, bounty land warrants, and homesteads. GeoGenealogy is so much fun! Hereis the link to register for this free webinar.
NotebookLM for Genealogists
Instructor: Robert Cameron Weir
Date:1 July 2026 Time:7:00-8:30 PM (CST)
Via ZOOM Webinar
Description:
Dive into the world of NotebookLM, Google’s “personal AI-based research assistant,” and discover how it can supercharge your genealogical research. Imagine having an assistant that not only organizes your notes, books, journal articles, and original records but also helps you make connections and draw insights from them. In this session, we’ll explore how to maximize the productivity boost from NotebookLM, turning complex data into clear stories and actionable discoveries. Whether you’re managing stacks of family records or sifting through historical documents, NotebookLM could be the tool that transforms your research journey.
Audience level: All
Biography:
Robert Cameron Weir is a genealogical researcher, educator, and author who lives in Dover, New Hampshire. He specializes in hard problems related to New England genealogy, from 1620 to the present. He is a member of the Association for Professional Genealogists and is Vice President and Publications Director for the New Hampshire Society of Genealogists.
Urban Research: Using Correlation of Data to Solve Family Mysteries Instructor: Jessica Fontana
Date:November 14, 2026 Time: 10:00 am - 11:30 am
In-person class at MGC
Cost:
$30.00 for members
$40.00 for non-members
Class size limited to 35
About the class:
This class will use case studies to focus on organizing your research, and combining analysis of data gathered to move the research forward and avoid the pitfalls of same-named people or people that disappear in the city. It will include use FAN club to follow the family group using different record types, including maps.
About the Instructor:
Jessica has a Master of Science degree in Extension Education from The Ohio State University, with specialized study in Adult Education Methods. She presented at the Minnesota Genealogical Society (MNGS) 2025 North Star Conference and the Upper Midwest Genealogical Institute hosted by MNGS, as well as the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center and the Arkansas Genealogical Society. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), the APG Forensic Genealogists Special Interest Group, the National Genealogical Society, and the Minnesota Genealogical Society. She is also a member of the Minnesota based Early Midwest Black Heritage Group; this collective is researching the state and region’s early Black pioneers (1840s-1900s).
Click here for the registration
