Ohio Genealogical Society 2018 Conference Sessions for Hispanic Researchers

Ohio Genealogical Society 2018 Conference Logo

Are you planning to attend the Ohio Genealogical Society’s annual conference next month? Still undecided, or not too familiar with this conference? The OGS 2018 conference takes place April 11-14, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio.

I will be in attendance, and am also teaching two Hispanic research classes.

Following is a list of classes that I think will be of particular interest to those researching Hispanic and Hispanic-American ancestors.

Discounted Early Bird registration rates expire tomorrow, March 10th!

I look forward to seeing you in Columbus!


Hispanic-Focused Classes

An Overview of Researching Hispanic Ancestry

Explains Hispanic genealogy concepts, immigration to and migration within the US, researching the homeland, and key reference tools for anyone doing Hispanic research.

Sponsored by the Genealogical Society of Hispanic America.

  • Instructor: Colleen Greene
  • Date: Thursday, April 13, 2018
  • Time: 10:20 a.m.
  • Track: Ethnic
  • Class Code: F13

Digging Deeper into Mexican Church and Civil Registration

How to find and analyze civil and church registrations. Even a non-Spanish speaker can be successful. For those who have identified their ancestor’s Mexican hometown.

Sponsored by the Genealogical Society of Hispanic America.

  • Instructor: Colleen Greene
  • Date: Saturday, April 14, 2018
  • Time: 10:20 a.m.
  • Track: Ethnic
  • Class Code: S12

Classes of Particular Relevance

Though the following classes are not geared specifically towards Hispanic research, these topics are highly relevant.

Men, Railroads, and Their Records

Fascinated with railroads? Hear about the various sources of railroad information. See how they crisscrossed the country and where to locate their records.

  • Instructor: Patricia Walls Stamm
  • Date: Thursday, April 12, 2018
  • Time: 10:30 a.m.
  • Track: Document Rusting
  • Class Code: T09

WHY? Railroads were a major source of employment and transportation for our Mexican and Mexican-American ancestors.

Tips and Tricks for New York: Expert and Award-Winning Resources

Many researchers find New York challenging. Learn tips and fundamental resources for successfully finding New Yorkers. Online and offline collections will be discussed.

  • Instructor: Susan R. Miller
  • Date: Thursday, April 12, 2018
  • Time: 1:00 p.m.
  • Track: Regional
  • Class Code: T16

WHY? New York has one of the largest Hispanic populations in the United States, and has a long history as a destination state of residence for Hispanic immigrants.

What’s in My Grandpa’s Military File and Where It Is?

Wondering what appears in grandpa’s military file? Questioning where the file could be? See who, what, and where of twentieth century military research.

  • Instructor: Patricia Walls Stamm
  • Date: Thursday, April 12, 2018
  • Time: 2:10 p.m.
  • Track: Military
  • Class Code: T18

WHY? Hispanics have a long history of military service in the United States, particularly in the 20th century.

Tools for Translating and Transcribing Genealogy Documents

Learn the latest tools and programs available to translate foreign language documents as well as transcribe documents in order to extract needed information.

  • Instructor: Thomas MacEntee
  • Date: Saturday, 14 April 2018
  • Time: 2:10 p.m.
  • Track: N/A
  • Class Code: S26

WHY? When researching Hispanic ancestors, we have to work with Spanish language records and materials.

Was Great-Grandmother Really Native American?

Many families believe that an ancestor was Native American. What federal, state and tribal records are available to the family researcher to verify?

  • Instructor: Janice Lovelace
  • Date: Saturday, 14 April 2018
  • Time: 3:20 p.m.
  • Track: N/A
  • Class Code: S28

WHY? Many Hispanic-Americans have ancestors with North American indigenous origins.

Locating and Using Your Ancestors’ Post-1906 Naturalization Records

Learn to locate and use post-1906 naturalization records, including First Papers, Petitions for Naturalization and related records and use them to unlock your family’s secrets.

  • Instructor: Kenneth Bravo
  • Date: Saturday, 14 April 2018
  • Time: 3:20 p.m.
  • Track: N/A
  • Class Code: S29

WHY? Many of our Hispanic ancestors started the U.S. citizenship process after 1906.


General Classes

I always learn something valuable to apply to my Hispanic research from any class. For example, I am not aware of any southern ancestors or African American ancestors in my lineage, but learning about the challenges of locating records for burned counties (a common occurrence in southern states during the Civil War) or strategies for tracing pre-Emancipation slave families significantly improves my own research and analysis techniques.

So take advantage of the vast offering of classes that focus on:

  • Methodology and skill building
  • DNA
  • U.S. record collections
  • U.S. state and region-focused repositories and collections
  • Search strategies
  • Technology tools
  • Research organization strategies

Just because only two sessions specifically focus on Hispanics, don’t rule out attending OGS 2018. If you attend and want to see more Hispanic classes offered at future OGS conferences, make a note of that on your feedback surveys.


If you do attend OGS and spot me, please come up and say hello!

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