I offer genealogy presentations for genealogical societies, conferences, libraries, and online platforms. All presentations are available as webinars; in-person presentations are considered on a case-by-case basis. Each session is 60 minutes (45 lecture + 15 Q&A) unless otherwise arranged.
To inquire about booking, visit the For Coordinators page, contact me at info@mtnstgen.com or call me at
(208) 843-9998 (landline, no texts).
DNA Presentations
Okay, I Have My DNA Results—Now What? A Step-by-Step Plan for Using Your DNA Results
Skill Level: Beginner–Intermediate
You’ve taken a DNA test—now what? This session provides a practical, step-by-step framework for making sense of your results and putting them to work in your research.
A Mighty Duo: Using Autosomal DNA and Indirect Evidence to Identify a Biological Father
Skill Level: Intermediate–Advanced
When documentary records run out, DNA and indirect evidence can work together to answer questions no single source can resolve. Demonstrated through a complete real case study.
DNA Evidence Standards: Writing Clear and Convincing Genetic Genealogy Reports
Skill Level: Intermediate–Advanced
Learn how to meet professional standards when incorporating DNA evidence into written genealogical work products, including proof arguments and research reports.
Paper Trail Meets DNA: Qualifying Your Matches Through Documented Descent
Skill Level: Intermediate–Advanced
Identifying DNA matches is only half the work. This session demonstrates how to build source-cited descendant trees that qualify matches as genuine collateral relatives rather than coincidental connections.
Putting It on Paper: Writing and Presenting DNA Evidence in a Research Report
Skill Level: Intermediate–Advanced
Rigorous DNA research deserves rigorous documentation. This session examines how to structure, cite, and present DNA evidence professionally in a written research report.
Tools That Reveal What Matches Can’t Tell You Alone: Gephi, the Coverage Estimator, and the Shared cM Project
Skill Level: Intermediate–Advanced
Three powerful tools—Gephi network visualization, DNAPainter’s Coverage Estimator, and the Shared cM Project—can transform a DNA research project from promising to provable. Demonstrated through a completed real case study.
Wanted: Bert Beckett — Solving an Identity Problem Using DNA and Traditional Records
Skill Level: Intermediate–Advanced
When a person cannot be found where they should appear, or when biographical details shift inconsistently across records, those patterns deserve systematic analysis — not dismissal.
When the Paper Trail Ends: Planning and Designing a DNA Research Project
Skill Level: Intermediate–Advanced
When courthouse fires and record loss eliminate the documentary trail, DNA may be the only remaining path to proof. Learn how to design a deliberate, structured DNA research project from the ground up.
Research Methodology Presentations
Learning to Think Like a Genealogical Detective: Developing Analytical Research Skills
Skill Level: Advanced Beginner–Intermediate
Missing direct evidence is the norm in genealogy, not the exception. Learn a systematic framework for building sound, defensible conclusions from the indirect evidence already in your records.
The Art of the Reasonably Exhaustive Search: Building Strong Genealogical Proof
Skill Level: Intermediate–Advanced
What does “reasonably exhaustive” actually mean in practice? This session demonstrates how to plan, execute, and document a search thorough enough to support a sound genealogical conclusion.
Cracking the Case: Advanced Indirect Evidence Strategies for Proving Parentage
Skill Level: Intermediate–Advanced
When no document directly names a parent, indirect evidence must carry the proof. Advanced strategies for building a parentage conclusion demonstrated through a real Ohio and Missouri case study.
The FAN Club in Action: Reconstructing Families Using Cluster Research
Skill Level: Intermediate–Advanced
Family, Associates, and Neighbors often hold the keys to relationships no single document will reveal. The FAN Club methodology demonstrated through a complete North Carolina case study.
The Genealogical Detective: Solving Family Mysteries When the Paper Trail Goes Cold
Skill Level: Intermediate–Advanced
An advanced application of indirect evidence methodology, demonstrating how to analyze, correlate, and present multiple independent evidence threads to reach a conclusion no alternative explanation can account for.
Reading Between the Columns: Using Land and Census Records to Build Testable Genealogical Hypotheses
Skill Level: Intermediate–Advanced
Land and census records do more than document where an ancestor lived. Learn to read them together to build and test a genealogical hypothesis, demonstrated through a Tennessee and Missouri case study.
Land, Probate, and Tax Records Presentations
Decoding Probate: Wills, Inventories, and Estate Records
Skill Level: Beginner
Learn to navigate probate records — testate and intestate cases, key terminology, and how to extract genealogical information from wills, inventories, sales, and distributions.
Calls, Courses, and Chains: Interpreting Metes and Bounds Land Records for Genealogical Evidence
Skill Level: Intermediate
Metes and bounds land descriptions are among the most underused records in genealogical research. Learn to read, interpret, and extract genealogical evidence from these records through North Carolina case studies.
Reading Between the Lines: Finding Hidden Evidence in Probate Records
Skill Level: Intermediate
Probate records contain far more than names, dates, and property values. Using the NAMES systematic analysis method, learn to extract family relationships and personal dynamics hidden within standard legal language.
Tax Records in the Upper South: Census Substitutes, Age Brackets, and Migration Trails
Skill Level: Intermediate
Tax records were created every year, survived courthouse fires better than most record types, and predate vital registration by decades. This presentation shows how to use Upper South tax lists to fill census gaps, bracket birth and death years, distinguish same-named relatives, and follow families as they moved from Virginia and the Carolinas into Tennessee.
Beyond the Obvious: Finding Hidden Family Stories in Probate Records
Skill Level: Advanced
An advanced session on interpreting subtle language variations, unusual bequests, and property distribution patterns to reconstruct family dynamics from wills, inventories, and estate settlements.
Writing and Reporting Presentations
Digital Preservation of Family Stories: Writing for Future Generations
Skill Level: Beginner–Intermediate
Family stories are fragile. Learn practical strategies for capturing, organizing, and preserving family narratives in digital formats accessible for generations to come.
Setting Up Your Report Template in Word: Styles, Structure, and Consistency
Skill Level: Beginner-Intermediate
Learn to configure Word styles — headings, body text, footnotes, and more — to build a reusable genealogy report template that opens ready to write.
From Raw Research to Narrative: Turning Genealogical Findings into Compelling Family Stories
Skill Level: Advanced Beginner–Intermediate
Research findings don’t tell themselves. Learn how to transform source-cited genealogical research into narrative writing that engages both family members and professional audiences.
Client Communication: Writing Reports That Educate and Satisfy
Skill Level: Intermediate–Advanced
Professional genealogical reports serve two audiences: the genealogical community and the client. Learn to write reports that meet professional proof standards while remaining clear and meaningful to non-specialist clients.
Conflicting Evidence, Clear Writing: Presenting Uncertain Genealogical Conclusions with Confidence
Skill Level: Intermediate–Advanced
When evidence conflicts, the temptation is to avoid drawing any conclusion. Learn to present uncertain conclusions honestly, clearly, and convincingly in written genealogical work.
Writing for Different Audiences: Academic, Family, and Popular
Skill Level: Intermediate–Advanced
The same genealogical findings require very different treatment depending on who will read them. Learn the conventions and techniques for writing effectively across three distinct genealogical audiences.
Military Research Presentations
Genealogy Tips & Tricks for Finding a Revolutionary War Patriot
Skill Level: Beginner–Intermediate
Knowing where to look is half the battle. This presentation walks step by step through the DAR Genealogical Research System, FamilySearch, Ancestry, Southern Campaigns Pension Statements & Rosters, and Fold3 with practical tips and tricks for getting the most out of each.
Finding a Revolutionary War Patriot: Research Strategies and Proven Techniques
Skill Level: Intermediate
Revolutionary War patriot research requires navigating a specific set of records, repositories, and research challenges. Learn a practical roadmap for finding and documenting a patriot ancestor.
Sworn in Their Own Words: Advanced Strategies for Revolutionary War Pension Files
Skill Level: Advanced
Pension files are sworn depositions, not military forms—and most researchers only scratch the surface. This advanced session digs into what an 80-page approved file and a rejected application actually contain, how to evaluate testimonial evidence, and how to build a research trail from what the pension office could not approve.
Jill is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the premier organization for professional genealogists worldwide.