Megan's Talks
If your group, society, television or radio show is interested in having Megan speak, please review this current program list for topics that may be of interest to you. Megan is available for interviews, individual lectures or all-day events (usually four lectures). If you'd like additional information, please contact us briefly outlining what you're looking for and likely dates of your event. Thanks!
Note: If you're concerned that your audience will find topics like DNA dry or overly technical, you can view our 'Report Card' with ratings and feedback from actual attendees.
Michelle Obama's Roots
Megan shares how and why she researched the First Lady's ancestry and what she discovered along the way. The talk highlights Mrs. Obama's multi-cultural, seriously Southern (11 states), and Great Migration heritage, including the story of Dolphus T. Shields and his mother, Melvina McGruder, that was featured on the front page of the New York Times.
Cases That Made My Brain Hurt
(good candidate for banquets, keynotes and last talk of the day)
How could brothers also be uncle and nephew? How could the 1853 death of a toddler in Scotland help solve a Civil War history-mystery? And could there be any families with a pair of centenarians who knew each other and lived in four centuries between the two of them? Come and hear!
Neglected History
It's remarkable how much of our history has been ignored or distorted, but with a little patience and healthy dose of curiosity, any of us can ferret out the truth! Megan walks audience members through several cases she's been involved with, including finding out what happened to Philip Reed, the one-time slave who placed the Freedom statue on the top of the U.S. Capitol, using DNA testing to help the Haley family of Roots fame find their European cousins, discovering photos of Annie Moore (the first immigrant through Ellis Island), and figuring out who would be king of America today if George Washington had been king instead of president.
Cold Cases: Genealogists, Coroners and the FBI
With over a decade's experience working forensics cases for the U.S. Army, Megan realized that "reverse genealogy" techniques could be used to help others seeking to find living people associated with past events or deceased individuals. This provoked her to cold-call several coroners' offices to volunteer her services. Come hear how her individual efforts eventually snowballed into the creation of Unclaimed Persons, a virtual, worldwide group of genealogists who cracked 84 cases in their first year. Peek behind the scenes at a couple of her most challenging cases — and into her latest initiative, helping the FBI with Civil Rights cold cases.
Trace Your Roots with DNA
With amazing swiftness, "genetealogy" (the marriage of genetics and genealogy) is graduating from pioneering research to standard practice. But what is it exactly and how can we use it to further our genealogical endeavors? Come hear one of the co-authors of Trace Your Roots with DNA discuss her own and others' experience launching and managing a DNA project, including such considerations as test and vendor selection factors, privacy, and convincing others to participate. (Short and long versions available: one-hour version covers Y-DNA/surname testing only, while the extended 1.5-2 hour version also includes other types of testing, such as mtDNA, BioGeographical, etc. Also available for non-genealogical audiences.)
Beyond Y-DNA: Your Genetic Genealogy Options
Surname studies using Y-DNA tests are a popular and obvious application of genetic testing for genealogical purposes, but are you aware of your other options? Come learn about mtDNA, SNP, BioGeographical and ethnic tests, as well as the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation and the Genographic Project, and determine if one or more of them is right for you. (note: this talk makes an excellent follow-on to the one-hour Trace Your Roots with DNA talk)
Reverse Genealogy: Techniques for Finding Your Lost Loved Ones
Although genealogy is at its heart the study of long-deceased ancestors, connecting with living relatives has become almost as important to many family historians. Some seek living kin in an effort to track down family photos; others do it to find family history playmates or DNA project participants. A few pioneers have begun exercising their skills to save lives - to locate potential donors or warn of possible medical dangers. Whatever the motivation, one of the most addicting aspects of genealogy is the thrill of finding distant cousins, or in some cases, parents, children, or siblings. But this "reverse genealogy" (working from the past to the present) has its own special challenges and requires the researcher to be part genealogist and part private investigator. This presentation covers proven techniques for tracing 20th century friends and relatives from the past to the present.
Find That Obituary! Online Newspaper Research
(makes a good pairing with Reverse Genealogy above)
The last couple of years have given us an amazing array of searchable online newspaper resources - both historical and contemporary (and some of them even digitized!). Come learn how to tap into this treasure trove of information - especially those elusive and detail-filled obituaries.
Right Annie, Wrong Annie
(good candidate for banquets, keynotes and last talk of the day)
An Irish lass, Annie Moore, tripped down a gangplank and into the pages of history in 1892 when she became the first immigrant to arrive at Ellis Island. But less than a century later, an Illinois-born Annie Moore had somehow taken her place and was celebrated in song, statue and literature. That all ended when some stubborn genealogists decided to use their sleuthing skills to seek out the right Annie. Come learn how she and her true descendants reclaimed their rightful place in history when their reunion was featured on the front page of the New York Times.
Remembering Our Ancestors
(good candidate for banquets, keynotes and last talk of the day)
The author of Honoring Our Ancestors and In Search of Our Ancestors shares favorite stories from both books. Let yourself be amused, amazed and touched by stories of the many creative ways people have developed to pay tribute to those who came before us, as well as tales of how some stubborn brick walls have come tumbling down in the most unexpected ways. You'll leave convinced that our ancestors want to be found as much as we want to find them, and equipped with some creative ways to pay tribute to them. (note: makes a great luncheon, banquet or end-of-day talk)
