The ABC's of Vital Records: Birth, Marriage, & Death with Deborah Abbott, PhD
Date & Time: Wed, Aug 9, 2023 at 7:00 - 8:30 PM ET
Location: Zoom
Program: Vital records are an integral part of family history and should be considered the cornerstone of genealogical research. Birth, marriage, and death records are great resources that may provide clues needed to solve genealogy brick walls. The practice of recording vital statistics developed slowly throughout the United States which sometimes makes finding and accessing these records problematic. Therefore, depending on the state, vital records may not have existed prior to the early 1900’s. Learn how and where to locate these valuable resources, as well as what to do when the records do not exist.
Speaker: Deborah A. Abbott, PhD, is a professional genealogist specializing in genealogical methodology, manuscript collections, and African American family research. She is a member of the Cuyahoga County (OH) Archives Commission, the Lakeview Cemetery Community Outreach Committee (Cleveland, OH), past president of the African American Genealogical Society, Cleveland, Ohio, and a retired professor of Counseling from Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland. She holds both the BS and MEd degrees from Tuskegee University and the PhD degree from Kent State University.
Dr. Abbott is coordinator of both the African American Track at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) in Athens, Georgia, and the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP). She teaches at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) and the Texas Institute of Genealogical Research (TIGR).
Dr. Abbott has articles published in the Ohio Genealogy News and FamilyTree magazines. She can be found teaching African American genealogy in a segment entitled “Needles & Threads” on Ancestry Academy, an educational video course for Ancestry.com. She also teaches monthly classes entitled “Using Ancestry.com in Genealogy Research” at the Lakewood (Ohio) Public Library and coordinates the “Genealogy and Family History Clinic” for the Cleveland Public Library.
She is a member of the National Genealogical Society (NGS), the Association of Professional Genealogist (APG) and the Genealogical Speakers Guild (GSG).
A Cleveland, Ohio native, Dr. Abbott is a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the Tuskegee University National Alumni Association, and Antioch Baptist Church in Cleveland.
Registration: Required and free. A zoom link will be emailed to you the day before the program.
