Have you ever wondered about the stories h
idden within your Scottish surname or the history of the glen your ancesto
rs once called home? As interest in genealogy continues to surge\, many re
searchers find themselves hitting "brick walls" when crossing the Atlantic
. This presentation is designed to provide both novice and more experience
d family historians with the specific tools and cultural context necessary
to navigate Scotland's unique record-keeping system.
Key Highlights:
·\; Understanding Scottish History and Record-Keeping: Discove
r how historical events&mdash\;from the Jacobite Risings to the Highland C
learances&mdash\;impacted how and where records were kept.
·\;
Core Genealogical Sources: Old Parish Registers (OPRs)\, Civil Registers o
f births\, deaths\, and marriages (post-1855)\, and census records.
&
middot\; Major Online Databases: Learn about Scotland&rsquo\;s People\, th
e official government resource\, as well as the National Library of Scotla
nd&rsquo\;s digital map and directory collections.
Rhonda is a native of Defianc
e\, Ohio. Her interest in Genealogy and History was stirred as a teenager
listening to stories from her grandfather and father. Rhonda&rsquo\;s fath
er also collected historic photos and created original artwork of historic
ally significant places and people of Northwest Ohio.
At the
age of 14 she convinced her parents to take her to the National Archives
in Washington\, D.C. to look up her Confederate great-great grandfather in
the 1850 Census. While searching\, Rhonda met a professional genealogist
who gave her a tour of the Library of Congress and then mailed her a begin
ner&rsquo\;s guide to genealogy. This chance
interaction sparked a lifelong interest in genealogy\, history\, and libraries.
\nRhonda was an exchange student in Scotland and loves all things Scottish\, Irish\ , and English. She graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelo r of Arts in History and a Minor in Anthropology/Archaeology. Rhonda took a position with the Defiance Public Library\, eventually managing the Loca l History and Genealogy Department. After marrying and having children\, R honda took a position as the Archivist and Records Manager for the County of Defiance\, and later became the Defiance County Law Librarian.
\n
Rhonda is the current President of the Defiance County Chapter of th
e Ohio Genealogical Society. She is the creator of the chapter&rsquo\;s Fa
cebook page and their weekly Time Travel Tuesday article. She is also a fo
rmer instructor at the Defiance College\, researching and teaching about g
enealogy and Irish immigration to Northwest Ohio. Rhonda regularly speaks
on various genealogy topics\, has written booklets on local history and ge
nealogy\, and takes private clients for genealogy research through her bus
iness\, Buckeyeroots Genealogy Services.