Stephen Morse is the creator of the One-Step Website for which he’s received both the Lifetime Achievement and the Outstanding Contribution Award from the IAJGS, Award of Merit from the National Genealogical Society, first-ever Excellence Award from the Association of Professional Genealogists, and two awards that he cannot pronounce from Polish genealogical societies.

Morse is a computer professional with a doctorate in electrical-engineering. He’s held various research, development, and teaching positions, authored numerous technical papers, written four textbooks, and holds four patents. He’s best known as the architect of the Intel 8086, which sparked the PC revolution 35 years ago.

“One-Step Webpages: A Potpourri of Genealogical Search Tools” (Sun-106), 4:30-5:45 P.M.

The One-Step website started out as an aid for finding passengers in the Ellis Island database. Shortly afterward it was expanded to help with searching in the 1930 census. Over the years it has continued to evolve and today includes about 200 web-based tools divided into 16 separate categories ranging from genealogical searches to astronomical calculations to last-minute bidding on e-bay. This presentation describes the range of tools available and give the highlights of each one.

Topics: Technology in support of genealogical research, Methodology

“Case Study: A Complete Genealogy starting from Nothing” (Mon-103), 4:30-5:45 P.M.

This lecture presents a case study using the One-Step Webpages as well as other websites to develop a family history. It illustrates how, with a minimal amount of initial information, an entire genealogy can be obtained. It also shows how to obtain records in spite of name misspellings, and how to avoid accepting wrong information.

Topics: Technology in support of genealogical research, Case Study

“From DNA to Genetic Genealogy: Everything You Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Ask” (Tues-104), 7:30-8:45 A.M.

The study of genetics that started with Gregor Mendel’s pea experiments in 1865 has now entered the genealogy field with Megan Smolenyak’s coining of the term “genetealogy” in 2000. To understand the genealogical aspects requires an understanding of some of the basic concepts. This talk introduces genes, chromosomes, and DNA, and goes on to show how DNA is inherited. That knowledge of inheritance can be used for finding relatives you didn’t know you had, learning about your very distant ancestors and the route they traveled, and determining if you are a Jewish high priest (Kohan). Examples presented include Genghis Khan’s legacy, the Thomas Jefferson’s affair, and the Anastasia mystery.

Topics: DNA research and genetics