Level Up Your Genealogy 2 Research Boot Camp The Formidable Genealogist Webinars

Welcome to Level Up Your Genealogy 2: Research Bootcamp with Jen Shaffer of The Formidable Genealogist — a strategy-focused genealogy webinar designed to help you rethink how you approach research problems and brick walls. This class is all about retraining your brain to look at genealogy differently. More often than not, the issue is not a lack of records — it’s the way we’re interpreting records, searching for information, or limiting ourselves to one perspective. In this webinar, I share 23 practical genealogy strategies that can immediately improve your research process and help you uncover clues you may have been overlooking. In this webinar, we discuss: 🔎 How to Evaluate Census Records More Effectively Why you should always open the original census image Hidden details often missing from indexed summaries Studying entire households and neighborhoods Finding migration clues through neighbors Using immigration years critically Identifying transcription errors and omitted individuals Why siblings and extended family matter in research 🧠 Smarter Searching Techniques How Ancestry hints actually work Why you should never blindly trust user trees Using wildcards and broader searches Searching without restrictive filters Finding ancestors with mangled spellings Why missing indexed fields can hide records Using neighbors and associates to locate missing ancestors 🧩 Family Reconstruction Strategies Following siblings to solve brick walls Comparing sibling records for conflicting parent information Using naming patterns and middle names as clues Identifying stepfamilies and remarriages Understanding pre-1850 census records 🗺️ Maps, Geography & Migration Why maps are essential for genealogy research Understanding county formations and changing borders Using rivers and railroads to study migration Why border areas require multi-jurisdiction research Historical map resources including: David Rumsey Map Collection Historic Map Works Library of Congress maps Mapcarta ⛪ Church & Cemetery Research Finding church records that are not online Identifying religious affiliation through cemeteries Contacting churches and local organizations for records Using minister names from marriage records Why cemetery records may contain unexpected clues 📚 Original Records & Hidden Sources Why indexes can mislead your research Using the FamilySearch Catalog to locate original records Understanding Family History Library film numbers Finding image-only record collections Why original records can completely change your conclusions 🏛️ Archives & Military Research Using ArchiveGrid, HathiTrust, Internet Archive, and Google Books Researching Civil War soldiers Understanding pension applications Using the National Park Service Civil War database Finding local histories, manuscripts, and overlooked materials ⚡ FamilySearch Wiki & Full Text Search Why the FamilySearch Wiki should be your first stop for new research areas Using FamilySearch reading aids for foreign-language records Understanding FamilySearch full text search Finding names hidden inside deeds, probate files, and estate records Searching exact phrases and locations Why full text search is changing genealogy research forever This webinar is packed with real client examples, practical demonstrations, and immediately usable techniques designed to help you become a more strategic and effective genealogist. If you’re ready to stop relying on hints and start thinking critically about records, evidence, and research strategy, this webinar is for you. Be sure to subscribe for more genealogy education, research strategies, and episodes of The Formidable Genealogist Studio. What research strategy has helped you break through your biggest genealogy brick wall? Let me know in the comments! #Genealogy #FamilyHistory #GenealogyResearch #FamilySearch #Ancestry #BrickWallResearch #FamilyTree #GenealogyTips #FullTextSearch