Digging into Finding Aids:  The Road Map to Any Manuscript Collection

Manuscript Collections are one the most underused records collections in the genealogy world. Understanding the Finding Aid will help you navigate a Manuscript Collection to help you find your ancestors.

Webinar took place Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Genealogists use all kinds of tools to help them with their genealogy research. One of the best tools to understand and use when working with Manuscript Collections is the Finding Aid. Archivists develop Finding Aids to help genealogists navigate through Manuscript Collections to find their ancestors. This presentation will help genealogists read, follow and use a Finding Aid to find their ancestors in the records. 

In this Webinar You'll Learn:

• What Manuscript Collections Are
• Where Manuscript Collections Are Located
• How To Get Started Searching for Manuscript Collections
• What A Finding Aid Is
• Parts Of A Finding Aid
• More About the Contents Listing
• Examples of What Can be Found in Manuscript Collections
• Example of a Finding Aid

About the instructor:

Melissa Barker is a Certified Archives Manager and Public Historian currently working at the Houston County, Tennessee Archives. She is affectionally known as The Archive Lady to the genealogy community. She lectures, teaches, and writes about the genealogy research process, researching in archives and records preservation. She conducts virtual presentations across the United States and other countries for various genealogy groups and societies. She writes a popular blog entitled A Genealogist in the Archives and is a well-known published book reviewer. She has been a Professional Genealogist for the past 17 years with expertise in Tennessee records. She has been researching her own family history for the past 32 years.