It's back-to-school season — which has us wondering: how much schooling did your ancestors actually have? Could they read? Could they write, or just sign an X where their name should go? Join Crista Cowan, Ancestry's Corporate Genealogist, for this free live event as we track down the educational clues hiding in your family's records.

Have you got cousins marrying cousins in your family tree or duplicate profiles that have snuck into your tree in ways you don’t quite understand? This can quickly turn your family tree into a tangled mess. Learn how duplicates most often happen and how to prevent it. Then, we’ll walk through how to identify and merge duplicate people in your Ancestry tree, resolve "pedigree collapse" without losing vital records or breaking your tree's structure, and clean up your data. You’ll be merging with confidence and keeping your research accurate, no matter how many times your branches cross!

Is your family tree a cluttered workspace or a streamlined research tool? Learn how the pros manage their trees to ensure they stay organized and accurate. We’ll dive into the big debate of maintaining one master tree versus multiple smaller ones, and show you exactly how to split or combine trees without losing your data. Learn best practices for consistent data entry, how to leverage different tree views for better analysis, and how to use notes and comments to track your progress. Set your tree up for success and spend less time searching and more time discovering!

Your ancestors’ lives happened in places, not just on paper. And there is nothing like standing on the ground they once called home. Learn how to use Ancestry records to pinpoint exact historical locations, from family farmsteads to ancestral churches. You’ll also hear from Ancestry ProGenealogists about how to prep your online tree for a "boots on the ground" experience. Whether you’re traveling across the county or across the globe, we’ll show you how to turn a family vacation into a meaningful heritage journey.

What do you do when the most basic records of an ancestor’s life seem to have vanished? Don’t let a missing birth, marriage, or death certificate stop your research. There are dozens of other ways to prove a life event occurred. Learn what alternate records exist and how to leverage tax lists, religious records, and probate files to fill in the gaps in your family tree. We’ll show you the specific search strategies needed to hunt down "hidden" evidence and break through your toughest research brick walls!

Family history research doesn't have to be a solo journey. Whether you've just spotted a promising DNA match, found a cousin's tree on Ancestry, or want to deepen collaboration with family you already know, this session gives you the tools to make it happen. Join Nicka Sewell-Smith for practical, proven strategies for reaching out, building trust, and working together on research, digitization, and storytelling projects that no one of you could accomplish alone.