Don’t know where overseas your family originated from?  This presentation covers a variety of sources to explore to locate your ancestor's point of origin before arriving in the United States. Examples and strategies will be provided including: resources for locating town of origin, strategies for name changes, tips for boundary changes, and overcoming handwriting & language challenges.

Our speaker, Lisa Vogele, is a professional genealogist and Certified Travel Associate (CTA). She is the Chief Tree Climber at Travel Your Tree: Where Ancestry Meets Adventure, a genealogy research & travel planning firm specializing in Italy & Ireland. Lisa is passionate about traveling in the footsteps of your ancestors to make or re-establish connections of personal, historical significance. In 2025, Lisa was the inaugural recipient of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) Fellowship to study passport collections in Italian archives.

In 2016, Lisa authored Food & Folklore: A Year of Italian Festivals, a guidebook to assist travelers with incorporating heritage festivals into their itineraries, get off the beaten path, and experience local culture through food and historic events. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), earned a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University in 2019 and a Certified Travel Associate (CTA) credential. Her travel tips have been featured in the Huffington Post, 1000TravelTips.com, and Dream of Italy. She holds a Master's degree from Clemson University, was raised in Connecticut, and resides in Colorado.

The Webinar will be recorded and available on the CGS website in the members only section for 30 days.

Registration is required via the Chicago Genealogical Society website under Events. Registration will close 1 hour prior to the event. The meet-up will take place virtually via ZOOM. All people registered will receive an email the morning of the event with log-in instructions and a link. This information is not to be shared.

Note: This webinar is FREE for CGS members. Non-Members can register for the event for $10. No refunds.