Military, W128, “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies and Navies in the Civil War,” 11 am, Wednesday, 10 May 2017

Solving Problems, T213, “Help for Southerners in Need: The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands,” 9:30 am, Thursday, 11 May 2017

Military, F315, “Southern Claims Commission: A Treasure Trove of Civil War Ancestors,” 9:30 am, Friday, 12 May 2017

Speaker BIO: Ruth Ann Abels Hager, CG, CGL , MAT is a researcher, volunteer, and speaker at local, state, and national levels. For sixteen years, Hager was a reference specialist in St. Louis County Library’s History and Genealogy Department. She also taught in the “Researching African American Ancestors” and “Research in the South” courses at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama. In 2006, Hager found new information regarding the death and burial of Harriet Scott, the wife of Dred Scott. Dred  and his family were denied their freedom by the infamous Dred Scott U.S. Supreme Court decision of 1857. With the help and support of Scott descendants, Hager went on to research and write “Dred & Harriet Scott: Their Family Story,” published in 2010.

The Civil War and its aftermath generated a number of massive record sets. Ruth Ann will present three separate sessions on Civil War era resources that hold wide-ranging possibilities for family researchers. Learn why each resource was created and the process that generated the records. Find out ways to navigate and search them whether in print, microfilm, or online format that will significantly increase your ability to use them effectively. Yes, the size and broad scope of each resource could be daunting, but—if there is information to be found—knowledge of the source increases the chances of finding and evaluating that information. In turn, what you find may suggest additional sources to check, which is always a bonus.