LOOKING BEYOND THE DEEDS
When researching your family history, land records can be a “treasure chest” of information. Deeds and transfer of ownership are only half the story! Understanding survey systems, survey maps, and connected survey maps can answer questions like nothing else. Mapping your findings can be fun and illuminating. The public is welcome to hear about using this additional research avenue at the Jefferson County Genealogical Society (JCGS) monthly meeting on Saturday, June 18 at the Tri-Area Community Center, 10 W. Valley Rd. Come at 9:30 A.M. for coffee/tea; 10:00 – 11:30 for the program. Donations to JCGS are gratefully accepted to bring future guest speakers into our area.
JCGS is delighted to bring this month’s speaker, Eric Stroschein, a professional Forensic Genealogist from Mt. Vernon, WA to the Quimper Peninsula. He and his wife Karen own “Generations Detective”, a genealogical research firm where he specializes in resolving difficult genealogical questions using land records as an important resource in his work. One case used over 250 individual pieces of evidence including deeds, surveys and connected survey maps of the county to pinpoint the locations of dozens of people, proving their town had been covered by a reservoir. When Eric is not researching, he can be found at his ‘day job’ driving a fire engine for the Seattle Fire Department where he is a 26-year veteran. Eric serves on the Board of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) and is Chairperson of the Advocacy Committee. He also serves as a representative on the Records Preservation and Access Committee for the Federation of Genealogical Societies. He is past President of the Puget Sound Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists and is in his second term as a Board member of the International Society for British Genealogy and Family History.