Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL
The Legal Genealogist Judy G. Russell is a genealogist with a law degree. She writes, teaches and lectures on a wide variety of genealogical topics, ranging from using court records in family history to understanding DNA testing. A Colorado native with roots deep in the American south on her mother's side and entirely in Germany on her father's side, she holds a bachelor's degree in journalism with a political science minor from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and a law degree from Rutgers School of Law-Newark. Before she retired, she worked as a newspaper reporter, trade association writer, legal investigator, defense attorney, federal prosecutor, law editor and, for more than 20 years, was an adjunct member of the faculty at Rutgers Law School.
She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society and numerous state and regional genealogical societies. She has written for the National Genealogical Society Quarterly (from which she received the 2017 Award of Excellence), the National Genealogical Society Magazine, the FGS Forum, BCG's OnBoard, and Family Tree Magazine, among other publications.
On the faculty of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, the Midwest African American Genealogy Institute, and the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records, she is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®, from which she holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist® and Certified Genealogical LecturerSM. Her award-winning blog appears at The Legal Genealogist website (http://www.legalgenealogist.com).
April 3, 2020 - LIVE Webinar!
Join the Zoom meeting at OCCGS0403Russell
10:10 AM -"Death by Undue Means" - Coroner's Records
From colonial times to today, death not attributable to natural causes required investigation. Elected or appointed coroners worked with local juries to determine more about what caused each death. Learn more about coroner's records and how to use them in genealogy.
11:20 AM - Shootout at the Rhododendron Lodge: Reconstructing Life-Changing Events
A 1929 shootout left the Bath County, Virginia, sheriff dead. Learn to follow the trail through all the records to reconstruct a life-changing event, and understand its unique challenges, both in terms of resources and in terms of ethics.
Handouts, when available, are in Member's Only on the Speaker Handouts page.
