The Northern Waters Genealogical Society invites you to their next meeting on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, 2-3 pm, at the Boulder Junction Community Center, 5392 Park Street with a Zoom option available. A brief business meeting will follow.

This month’s program is “Twelve Ways to Prevent Artificial Brick Walls in Your Genealogical Research” with speaker Robyn Smith by recorded webinar. Genealogists are famous for their brick walls. However, many of the things we call brick walls are more likely the result of some common errors, such as relying too heavily on the Internet, not reviewing original sources, and focusing too closely on only the person or couple of interest. These create what Robyn Smith calls artificial brick walls and, in this lecture, Ms. Smith describes these errors along with others. Developing better practices and learning new skills will go a long way towards solving many of our genealogical problems.

Robyn Smith has been researching her family and others for over 25 years. An engineer by day, Robyn applies those research and problem-solving skills to the field of genealogy. She specializes in Maryland, Court Records, African American and Slavery research. From 2008-2012, Robyn taught an Advanced African American Genealogy class at Howard Community College in Columbia, MD.

Robyn has lectured widely at regional and national conferences, and has taught at the Maryland Genealogical Society, the Maryland State Archives, and the Reginald Lewis Museum.

Robyn writes extensively and, for more than ten years, has authored a popular genealogy teaching blog called Reclaiming Kin.

In 2015, Ms. Smith published the book version of her blog, The Best of Reclaiming Kin, which was recommended in the syllabus at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research. She recently published part 2 of that volume in PDF format.

In addition to writing and teaching, Robyn also has a special passion for documenting the histories of communities and promoting adherence to genealogical standards.

This program is free, and all persons interested in family history, genealogy, and heirlooms are welcome to attend. For more information or to register for a Zoom option, please call 715-686-7339.