Presented in cooperation with Maryland Public Television (MPT), this beginner-to-intermediate genealogy webinar series is designed to help you use the many types of death-related records to learn not only about an ancestor but also about their families. 

The two-hour sessions are scheduled for 7:00pm ET on September 9, September 23, October 7, and October 21. Since all the sessions will be recorded, you can combine attending live with watching sessions after the fact.

The cost is $100. Registrants will also receive a one-year introductory MGS membership (not applicable to current members) and a one-year MPT Passport membership or membership extension. 

Session 4: After the Funeral: Probate Records and the Family Left Behind

Wednesday, October 21, 7-9pm ET

Probate records show what happened after death: who inherited, who administered the estate, who owed or was owed money, who bought estate property, who acted as guardian, and who appeared in court. This session explains the probate process and introduces wills, administrations, inventories, estate accounts, bonds, receipts, guardianships, partitions, dower records, and related court records.

Participants will learn how to move beyond the will, track an estate through the full file or docket, identify heirs and associates, and use probate records even when no will exists. Special attention will be given to connections with family and associates, women’s identities, minor children, blended families, and clues to land, debt, migration, and kinship.

Our Speaker

The workshop series will be led by nationally known speaker Annette Burke Lyttle, who has been the presenter for several previous MGS/MPT workshop series. She holds the Certified Genealogist^® credential and owns Heritage Detective, LLC, providing professional genealogical services in research, education, and writing. Annette is a course coordinator for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and the British Institute. She is a published writer whose research interests include Quaker ancestors and ancestral migrations in the US. She is past president of the Association of Professional Genealogists and editor of The Florida Genealogist.

Historic image in graphic: Mourning Picture, American, ca. 1810. Metropolitan Museum of Art.