In this program we will look at where our ancestors lives intersected with the government and the records that were created from those interactions. We will discuss where to look for your ancestor’s government records, and how important it can be to understand the laws that were in place at the time your ancestor created those records. We will discuss the different types of legal systems and how that can play a major roll in where and how to look for family documents.

Note: this being our first attempt at an online meeting, invitations will be limited to the people on our current email list. You can request to be added to the list by providing your name and email address via the “Contact Us”  link, above. We will send instructions on connecting to the meeting on or after April 8th.

Sydney F. Cruice Dixon is a professional genealogist, writer and lecturer practicing in the Mid-Atlantic Region. She holds an MBA from Drexel University and a BA from Penn State University.  She is the current President of the Association of Professional Genealogists for the Greater Philadelphia Area Chapter, and she serves on the Genealogy Advisory Committee for the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Also, at the Historical Society, she developed the curriculum and teaches the Foundations of Genealogy courses and she is a member of their faculty for the Researching Family in Pennsylvania Institute.  In the spring of 2017 she cofounded the Greater Philadelphia Genealogy Consortium – an organization that encourages the growth and cooperation between genealogy and historical organizations in the greater Philadelphia area (currently 29 member organizations). Last October, the National Genealogical Society featured Sydney’s article, “A Family Secret: Desertion, Scurvy, and President Lincoln” as the cover story for NGS Magazine.  She has also appeared on the local NBC-10 news television station with Randy Gyllenhaal discussing DNA testing kits.