Presentations
Elizabeth Williams Gomoll, CG®
Red Bird Genealogy Services
Liz offers the following instructional 60- or 90-minute presentations for classes, conferences, groups, and organizations. Her effective and thoughtfully designed PowerPoint presentations keep her audiences engaged. Contact Liz for more information about any of these topics or to request something else.
Cyber-Climbing Your Family Tree
This entertaining one-hour presentation is for non-genealogists. Documents for famous people demonstrate how much genealogy research can be accomplished with just online resources. (B)
Documents + DNA + Methods + Luck: Combining Tools to Find Biological Family
Finding an adopted child's biological family is especially challenging for genealogists. This presentation uses a success story to show how good methodology combined with document research and DNA matches (plus a dose of good luck) finally put to rest a decades-old question. (B, I, A)
Legacy Family Tree Webinars Top Ten List: June, July, and August 2022*
Emigrating is hard. Migrating is also hard. Immigrant Settlement in the American Midwest
The same push-pull factors that brought people to the United States were also the same factors that caused them to relocate within America. Asking why then and why there is as important as their names and important dates. If we can answer why, we gain meaningful perspective on our ancestors' actions that shaped their past and our future. (B, I, A)
Fire, Water, and the 1890 U.S. Census: Researching Beyond the Ashes and Mold
Most genealogists are aware the 1890 federal census was destroyed in a fire in 1921. Learn the story behind this historical and genealogical tragedy and how to work around the loss of that precious record. (B, I, A)
Genealogy Smart Start: Things I Wish I'd Known
Get some great tips from this genealogist who had to learn the basics the hard way, plus a few smart tricks she picked up from experts along the way. You can start smarter than I did! (B, I)
Legacy Family Tree Webinars Top Ten List: March 2024*
Getting Published: Tips for Writers from a Genealogy Journal Editor
Journal editors are always looking for good content to publish. These tips will make your research or family history stand out from the rest so you will be able to say, "Hey, I'm a published author!" (B, I, A)
Greener Grass: Marketing the Western United States to Immigrants
In the 19th century, a powerful combination of “push” and “pull” factors compelled many Europeans to leave their homelands and seek new opportunities in the American West. The promise of jobs, abundant land, and a fresh start pulled them toward the United States, as did aggressive marketing campaigns by U.S. agents who actively recruited immigrants to fulfill the growing demands of various American industries. (B, I, A)
I Got My DNA Results. Now What?
Many people take a DNA test to learn their ethnic heritage, but when the results come back they don't know what to do next. This talk offers basic and practical suggestions for getting the most out of your DNA results. (B, I)
I Hate Conflict: Mediating Sources that Don't Agree
Geared toward beginning and intermediate genealogists, this presentation uses a real-life example of a man whose name, birthplace, and birth and immigration dates all had multiple choice answers. Techniques are shared for resolving conflicting information and how professionals handle the unresolvable. (B, I)
Legacy Family Tree Webinars Top Ten List: July 2023*
Making Powerful-Points: Creating Slides that Captivate
Intended for genealogists who prepare PowerPoints for classes and workshops, this presentation offers tools and techniques to design slides to illustrate and emphasize your content so it will hold your audience's attention. (I, A)
Unlocking Notation Codes on Alien Passenger Lists
Finding an immigrant's name on a passenger list is exciting, but there's more information on that sheet than you might expect. Learn what the cryptic abbreviations and number codes jotted on U.S. customs manifests can reveal about an immigrant's experience when they arrived in "Amerika." (B, I, A) Legacy Family Tree Webinars Top Ten List, rated #1: July 2025; Runner-Up, August 2025*
The Family in the Photo: Find the House, Find the Swedish Family
An old family photo had nothing written on the back. The process of identifying the old house in Sweden led to learning the names of the family posed in front of it and where they fit in the family tree. (B, I, A)
Where They Once Stood: Finding Your Ancestor's Place of Origin
For many genealogists, crossing the pond to find an ancestor's place of origin in the old country is an insurmountable brick wall. This presentation offers examples of American records that can break down that barrier. (B, I)
West by Water, West by Wheel: How 19th Century Immigrants Traversed the United States
Family history researchers often know where our ancestors lived in the old country and then in the U.S., but exactly HOW did they travel between the two? What routes were taken, what was the cost, and what restrictions were faced along the way? We’ll explore 19th century transportation options, tracing immigrants’ path from ports of departure to entry ports, and finally to their destinations across the American West. (B, I, A)
Who Hid the Body? Finding Your Ancestor's Place of Burial
It's not over 'til the fat lady sings? Nope. It's not over until you find where the big girl was buried. This presentation offers examples of records that can lead genealogists to an ancestor's elusive final resting place. (B, I)
Legacy Family Tree Webinars Top Ten List: August 2024 and September 2024, Top Ten Runner-up*
B - Beginner, I - Intermediate, A - Advanced
* Legacy Family Tree Webinars offers thousands of genealogy webinars for all levels of learners. Gomoll LFTW webinars
Cyber-Climbing Your Family Tree
This entertaining one-hour presentation is for non-genealogists. Documents for famous people demonstrate how much genealogy research can be accomplished with just online resources. (B)
Documents + DNA + Methods + Luck: Combining Tools to Find Biological Family
Finding an adopted child's biological family is especially challenging for genealogists. This presentation uses a success story to show how good methodology combined with document research and DNA matches (plus a dose of good luck) finally put to rest a decades-old question. (B, I, A)
Legacy Family Tree Webinars Top Ten List: June, July, and August 2022*
Emigrating is hard. Migrating is also hard. Immigrant Settlement in the American Midwest
The same push-pull factors that brought people to the United States were also the same factors that caused them to relocate within America. Asking why then and why there is as important as their names and important dates. If we can answer why, we gain meaningful perspective on our ancestors' actions that shaped their past and our future. (B, I, A)
Fire, Water, and the 1890 U.S. Census: Researching Beyond the Ashes and Mold
Most genealogists are aware the 1890 federal census was destroyed in a fire in 1921. Learn the story behind this historical and genealogical tragedy and how to work around the loss of that precious record. (B, I, A)
Genealogy Smart Start: Things I Wish I'd Known
Get some great tips from this genealogist who had to learn the basics the hard way, plus a few smart tricks she picked up from experts along the way. You can start smarter than I did! (B, I)
Legacy Family Tree Webinars Top Ten List: March 2024*
Getting Published: Tips for Writers from a Genealogy Journal Editor
Journal editors are always looking for good content to publish. These tips will make your research or family history stand out from the rest so you will be able to say, "Hey, I'm a published author!" (B, I, A)
Greener Grass: Marketing the Western United States to Immigrants
In the 19th century, a powerful combination of “push” and “pull” factors compelled many Europeans to leave their homelands and seek new opportunities in the American West. The promise of jobs, abundant land, and a fresh start pulled them toward the United States, as did aggressive marketing campaigns by U.S. agents who actively recruited immigrants to fulfill the growing demands of various American industries. (B, I, A)
I Got My DNA Results. Now What?
Many people take a DNA test to learn their ethnic heritage, but when the results come back they don't know what to do next. This talk offers basic and practical suggestions for getting the most out of your DNA results. (B, I)
I Hate Conflict: Mediating Sources that Don't Agree
Geared toward beginning and intermediate genealogists, this presentation uses a real-life example of a man whose name, birthplace, and birth and immigration dates all had multiple choice answers. Techniques are shared for resolving conflicting information and how professionals handle the unresolvable. (B, I)
Legacy Family Tree Webinars Top Ten List: July 2023*
Making Powerful-Points: Creating Slides that Captivate
Intended for genealogists who prepare PowerPoints for classes and workshops, this presentation offers tools and techniques to design slides to illustrate and emphasize your content so it will hold your audience's attention. (I, A)
Unlocking Notation Codes on Alien Passenger Lists
Finding an immigrant's name on a passenger list is exciting, but there's more information on that sheet than you might expect. Learn what the cryptic abbreviations and number codes jotted on U.S. customs manifests can reveal about an immigrant's experience when they arrived in "Amerika." (B, I, A) Legacy Family Tree Webinars Top Ten List, rated #1: July 2025; Runner-Up, August 2025*
The Family in the Photo: Find the House, Find the Swedish Family
An old family photo had nothing written on the back. The process of identifying the old house in Sweden led to learning the names of the family posed in front of it and where they fit in the family tree. (B, I, A)
Where They Once Stood: Finding Your Ancestor's Place of Origin
For many genealogists, crossing the pond to find an ancestor's place of origin in the old country is an insurmountable brick wall. This presentation offers examples of American records that can break down that barrier. (B, I)
West by Water, West by Wheel: How 19th Century Immigrants Traversed the United States
Family history researchers often know where our ancestors lived in the old country and then in the U.S., but exactly HOW did they travel between the two? What routes were taken, what was the cost, and what restrictions were faced along the way? We’ll explore 19th century transportation options, tracing immigrants’ path from ports of departure to entry ports, and finally to their destinations across the American West. (B, I, A)
Who Hid the Body? Finding Your Ancestor's Place of Burial
It's not over 'til the fat lady sings? Nope. It's not over until you find where the big girl was buried. This presentation offers examples of records that can lead genealogists to an ancestor's elusive final resting place. (B, I)
Legacy Family Tree Webinars Top Ten List: August 2024 and September 2024, Top Ten Runner-up*
B - Beginner, I - Intermediate, A - Advanced
* Legacy Family Tree Webinars offers thousands of genealogy webinars for all levels of learners. Gomoll LFTW webinars
