Speaking Engagement

LGBTQ Genealogy

This 1 hour and 15 minutes presentation focuses on clues in the genealogical records to find ancestors that may have been Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Queer. Clues to ancestors can be found in photographs, census, newspapers, obituaries, cemeteries, military records, marriage records, and LGBTQ Archives around the world. Stewart tells stories of many LGBTQ ancestors in the historical context of LGBTQ rights. The presentation is both factual and emotional in portraying LGBTQ people in the past centuries.

The second part of the presentation focuses on current genealogical software and the difficulty faced by LGBTQ and adoptive families. Sometimes the software just doesn’t fit. Stewart makes recommendations on how software needs to evolve for today’s families.

Listen to a Podcast of Stewart discussing LGBTQ Genealogy on

Learning Objectives

  • Increase awareness of clues in the genealogical record that will raise a “rainbow flag”.
  • Write about LGBTQ ancestors just like any other person in a tree, openly and honestly.
  • LGBTQ, adoptive, and stepfamilies all have similar struggles with current genealogy software.

Related Topics

For the 2025 GRIP Genealogy Institute, I served as a guest speaker in the “Inclusive Genealogy: Navigating Complex Family Trees” course. My three presentations during that week related to LGBTQ Genealogy. The topics were:

    • LGBTQ+ Parentage – How do we have children?
    • Genetic Donors – Documenting sperm, egg, and embryo donors in your family tree.
    • DNA and Parentage – Passing on your DNA doesn’t necessarily make you a parent.

LGBTQ+ Parenting – 29 May 2026 – NGS Annual Conference: America at 250.

Past Dates:

Excel for Genealogist

Stewart loves spreadsheets! As an IT Manager, he uses them every day at work, and as a genealogist, he’s found Excel to be one of the most underrated tools in a researcher’s toolkit. It’s not a place to store your family tree (that’s what RootsMagic or Family Tree Maker are for), but it is where you go to think. Laying data out in rows and columns exposes gaps, contradictions, and patterns that stay invisible when they’re locked inside a genealogy program or a stack of PDFs.

Stewart will share real examples pulled straight from his own research: a Civil War pension file transcribed image-by-image, a research log that tracks many Ohio resources, decades of newspaper clippings tracking one family across three generations, DNA cousin matches sorted by shared ancestor, and a census-by-census tracker that turns ten years of records into one clear picture. Along the way, you’ll pick up the Excel skills that make this kind of analysis possible — sorting, filtering, conditional formatting, and the date-calculation tricks every genealogist eventually needs for records that predate Excel’s own calendar.

Bring your questions, bring your data problems, and be ready to see your research differently.

Spreadsheets are fun!

Learning Objectives

  • Core and advanced Excel functions that aid in analysis of genealogical data
  • Several real-world case studies showing spreadsheets in active genealogical research
  • Methods for date calculation, especially for dates before 1900
  • Complete a 19-lesson exercise in class or at home

Past Dates:

Citations – Easier than you Think

Where did this marriage date come from? How do I know she re-married? If you are not citing the sources you have used, then you will be doomed to re-research. This is where citations save time, improve the accuracy and credibility of your genealogical writing. Citations help you and your readers get back to the same source where you found the mystery marriage date.

This class is based on Mastering Genealogical Documentation by Tom Jones (NGS, 2017). Stewart will breakdown all 17 chapters and lead you through exercises designed to sharpen your citation crafting skills. You will learn the five necessary elements of a good citation – Who, What, Where In, When, and Where Is. You will then put those elements together to create clear, complete, and accurate descriptions of your sources. The class will also discuss software aids to help you become a citation queen.

Learning Objectives

  • Reduce anxiety and fear of “perfect” citations.
  • Learn the elements needed for clear, complete, and accurate citations without templates dependencies.
  • Establish your own master style for crafting citations.
Citation Class

Past Dates:

Genealogy 101

A discussion for beginners on how to get started preserving your family’s history. Once all the interviews from living relatives, especially the oldest, are recorded, what do you do with that information? I cover organization methods, software – both desktop and online, paid and free online resources, and where to look for offline resources.

Learning Objectives

  • How to get started documenting family history.
  • Understand online and offline software options.
  • Introduction to major online sources.
Genealogy 101

Past Dates:

Research 201

A detailed dive into how to do research. Stewart presents eight non-linear steps in the research process – asking a question, planned the research, staying organized, researching, citing sources, writing, editing, and collaborating.  Research 201 focuses on three steps of organizing notes, looking for sources, and writing citations.

Learning Objectives

  • Organize notes with software and research logs.
  • Creative thinking on where to find sources.
  • Confidence in citing any source.
Research 201

Past Dates: