I bring a fresh perspective on combining creative research, cutting-edge technology, and meaningful storytelling to make family history more engaging. My talks combine real-world research and storytelling examples to demonstrate how to make meaningful discoveries, and no one in genealogy uses technology the way I do to find layers of history buried in records.
Upcoming
Carnegie Mellon University Department of History and CMU Statistics & Data Science
February 23, 2023, 5-6 PM (Kresge Theatre)
- Data, Democracy, and the Census: History and Genealogy in Conversation (with Dan Bouk, author of Democracy’s Data: The Hidden Stories in the US Census and How to Read Them)
Battle of Homestead Foundation
March 23, 2023, 7:30 PM (Zoom; register here)
- Steeltown Jews: History and Legacy at Work in Homestead, Pennsylvania
Citiparks – West End H.A.L. Center
March 31, 2023, 10:30 AM
- Lost and Found: Rediscovering My Family History in the Internet Age
The Jewish Genealogy Society of Pittsburgh
April 16, 2023, time TBD
- When Henry Silverstein Got Cold: How Terrible Enumerators Help Us Do Better Census Research
Jewish Genealogical and Archival Society of Greater Philadelphia
May 21, 2023, 1:30 PM
- The Ancestor Deep-Dive: How You Can Find Out Everything There Possibly is to Know About Your Ancestor
Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh
Beyond a Name and Date: Advanced Practices in Social History
July 9-14, 2023 (in person)
- Homestead Hebrews: A Social History Study
Jewish Community Center of Youngstown
July 16, 2023, 11 AM
- Top 10 Things I Learned About My Family from My Couch
Past year
Beth El Congregation of the South Hills
February 6, 2023, 7:30 PM
- Putting your Family in Context: The History of Jews in Ukraine
Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy
Advanced Techniques: Material Culture Research Techniques for Genealogy
January 23–27, 2023 (virtual)
- Signature Tablecloths: An Evocative Heirloom and a Genealogical Treasure
African American Genealogy Group
January 10, 2023, 6:30 PM (virtual)
- Conducting Story-Driven Research
Jewish Genealogy Society of Maryland
November 27, 2022, 1:30 PM
- When Henry Silverstein Got Cold: How Terrible Enumerators Help Us Do Better Census Research
Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State
November 14, 2022, 7 PM pacific
- Putting Your Family in Context: The History of Jews in Ukraine
Active Jewish Adults of Ottowa
September 12, 2022, 1 PM (virtual)
- Putting Your Family in Context: The History of Jews in Ukraine
International Conference on Jewish Genealogy
August 21-25, 2022 (virtual)
- The Margarine Moonshiners from Minsk: A Journey Through Lesser Known Records (Monday, August 22, 10 AM eastern)
- Researching Your Jewish Ancestors in Pennsylvania (on demand)
The Haberman Institute for Jewish Studies
August 3, 2022, 7:30 – 9 PM eastern (virtual)
- Steeltown Jews: History and Legacy at Work in Homestead, Pennsylvania
The Homestead Steel Strike and the Growth of America as an Industrial Power
July 10-16, 17-23, 2022; University of Pittsburgh (invitation-only NEH workshop)
- Milltown and Hometown: How the Homestead Strike Shaped a Community (July 15 & July 22 10:15 AM – 12 PM)
Battle of Homestead Foundation Breakfast on the 130th Anniversary of the Battle
July 6, 2022, 9:30 AM – 12 PM; Pump House
- Reconsidering the Battle of Homestead When We Reconsider American History
Jewish Roots in Ukraine: Context and Connection
April 3, 2022, 12-4:30 PM eastern (online workshop)
- Putting Your Family in Context: The History of Jews in Ukraine
- Returning
Squirrel Hill Historical Society
February 8, 2022, 7:30 PM
- The Chinese Laundrymen of Homestead and Squirrel Hill
Digital Humanities in Jewish Studies: Marking the Launch of the Digitized Database of Jewish Cemeteries in Turkey, in Memory of Prof. Bernard Lewis z”l
Online symposium hosted by the Goldstein-Goren Diaspora Research Center of Tel Aviv University
October 18–19, 2021
- Homestead Hebrews: A Case Study in Digital Community Reconstitution and Analysis (Tuesday, 10/19, 5:30 PM IDT/10:30 AM EDT)
Older highlights
Software for the Past: Digital Technologies to Study the Past and Present
Online conferenced hosted by Kinneret College
December 8, 2020
- Homestead Hebrews: A Case Study in Digital Community Reconstitution and Analysis
North American Cartographic Information Society Annual Meeting
October 16–19, 2019; Tacoma, Washington
- October 17, 2 PM: Merging GIS and Genealogy to Recreate a Forgotten Community
Personal Digital Archiving Conference
May 2-4, 2019; University of Pittsburgh
- Small Town, Big Data: Reconstructing the Forgotten History of Jewish Homestead through Mass Digitization
Congregation Beth Shalom
January 5, 2019, 12:45 PM; Pittsburgh, PA
- Secrets of the Homestead Hebrew Chapel: Variations of a Theme of Sunt Lacrimae Rerum
Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives
November 12, 2017, 10:30 AM; Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh, PA
125th Anniversary of the Battle of Homestead
April 6, 2017, 7 PM; Rivers of Steel Museum, Homestead, PA
- From Milltown to Hometown: How the Homestead Strike Shaped a Community
Skirball Cultural Center
December 2, 2015; Los Angeles, CA
- Annual Herscher Dialogue: Jack Skirball, A Boy from Homestead
The Library of Congress
May 18, 2015, 12 PM; Washington, DC
- In Search of a Usable Past: Reconstructing the Jewish History of Homestead, Pennsylvania
Appearances
Conferences:
- RootsTech 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
- Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) 2023
- Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP) 2023
- International Conference on Jewish Genealogy 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022
- Federation of Genealogical Societies Annual Conference 2017
- National Genealogical Society 2014
- New England Regional Genealogical Consortium 2015
- Jamboree 2012, 2013, 2014
- Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society 2014
- Family History Technology Workshop 2017, 2020
- North American Cartographic Information Society 2019
- A.J. Jacobs’ Global Family Reunion 2015
Venues:
- Library of Congress
- Skirball Cultural Center
- New York Public Library
- Ellis Island
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Penn State
- University of Pittsburgh
- Haberman Institute
- Heinz History Center
- Carnegie Library of Homestead
- BYU Radio
- SCGS Webinars
- Family History Fanatics
Local groups:
- AZ: Arizona Jewish Historical Society
- CA: Southern California Genealogical Society, Jewish Genealogical Society of Los Angeles, JGS of Conejo Valley & Ventura County
- CT: Darien Library-Family Search “Come Discover an Ancestor Day,” JGS of Connecticut
- DC: JGS of Greater Washington
- FL: JGS of Palm Beach County
- IL: JGS of Illinois
- MD: JGS of Maryland
- MA: JGS of Greater Boston
- NJ: New Jersey Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists, Monmouth County Genealogical Society, Ben Porat Yosef
- NY: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, New York Metro Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists, JGS of New York
- PA: Carlow University, Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, Bucks County Genealogical Society, North Hills Genealogists, South Hills Genealogy Day, JGS of Greater Philadelphia, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Women’s Club of Upper St. Clair, Beth Samuel Jewish Center, Beth El of the South Hills, Beth Shalom Pittsburgh, JGS of Pittsburgh, Johnstown Area Heritage Association, South Hills Women’s Club, Squirrel Hill Historical Society
- UT: Utah Genealogical Association
- WA: JGS of Washington State
- Canada: London Jewish Book Fair & Family Festival, Active Jewish Adults of Ottowa
- Israel: Kinneret College on the Sea of Galilee, Tel Aviv University, Israel Genealogy Research Association