Did your ancestors sail the world's oceans? Discover how to bring their maritime adventures to life using historic records and research techniques that go beyond the basic genealogy records. You'll learn how to track captains and crew members through newspaper accounts, plot their actual voyages using ships' logs, and understand the historic events that shaped their lives at sea. Explore specialized maritime collections and primary sources that reveal not just names and dates, but the vessels they sailed, the waters they navigated, and the challenges they faced. Piece together compelling stories of late eighteenth-century through nineteenth-century mariners to add rich historical context to your ancestors' seafaring lives.

Denise Cross, MSLIS, CG, is a community college librarian who enjoys research, especially digging deep for an elusive answer. Her research specialties include New England and New York, early census methodology, and whole family research. She focuses on writing and has published articles in several genealogical journals. She is a winner of the 2019 AGS Scholar Award and was granted the Certified Genealogist credential in 2020.