FxGS Spring Conference offers 2 days of lectures, workshops, individual consultations, and dozens of vendors.

Speakers/topics include:  Mark Lowe -  Daniel Boone, Kentucky, Southern Migration & Secret Societies;

Dr. Shelley Murphy - African American Research Challenges;

Char Bah - African American Research, Writing & Publishing;

Pam Vestal - Hidden Stories, Finding and Telling Them;

Diahan Southard - Beginning and Intermediate DNA;

and much more.

Topics - African American Genealogy: Leaving No Stone Unturned and It's a Needle in a Haystack: Slave Research

Join us in welcoming Debbie Duay, as the featured speaker at our Annual Spring Seminar.  Debbie received her Ph.D. in Adult Education from Florida Atlantic University. She has 20 years of experience in genealogy, and she has taught numerous classes and workshops throughout the United States on researching early American ancestry.  Debbie has helped over 500 people join the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR).  The techniques she uses in lineage research can help you push back your brick walls

Session Schedule:

8:15 a.m. - Registration
9:00 a.m. - Opening Remarks & Introduction
9:10 – 10:10 a.m. - How to Find a Provable Revolutionary War Patriot in 90 Minutes or Less
10:10-10:30 - BREAK
10:30-11:30 a.m. - Documenting Lineages Before the 1850 Census
11:30-12:30 - Lunch
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. - Kings, Queens, Pilgrims & Tavern Keepers
1:30-1:50 pm - BREAK
1.50-2:50 p.m. - Non-Military Sources of Service
2:50-3:15 p.m. - Q&A & Wrap-up

Fintan Mullan and Gillian Hunt of the Ulster Historical Foundation will offer four sessions, including:• Introduction to Irish and Scots-Irish Family History Research • Understanding Irish townlands: the importance of place, identity and administrative divisions • Using land records: Griffith’s Valuation, Tithe and Estate records • Census substitutes and other important sources for the eighteenth century The Ulster Historical Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1956 to promote interest in Irish genealogy and history, with particular reference to the historical nine county province of Ulster. The Foundation is one of the leading genealogical research agencies in Ireland and a major publisher of historical, educational and genealogical source books. It has also devised a series of ground breaking online historical and genealogical resources, which have helped to transform the availability of Irish records for family historians at home and abroad.

The Ventura County Genealogical Society presents a

Free Family History Presentation

Saturday, March 16, 2019, at the

Camarillo Library Community Room

4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, CA

1:00 p.m. Presentation: DNA Testing in the News: Beyond the Headlines

Speaker: Mary E. Hall

Only someone who's been living in the north woods without electricity or cellphone service can be unaware at this point in 2019 that law enforcement is intensely interested in using our genealogical DNA test results as resources in criminal investigations. Since the news broke in April of last year that police in California had used the genetic genealogy database GEDMatch.com to help identify a suspect in the decades-old Golden State Killer case -- reported by The Legal Genealogist and many others then and since -- we've all been on notice that DNA results that came into being solely for genealogical reasons are exceedingly useful in solving cold cases and that law enforcement has figured that out. Mary will explore some recent DNA related news headlines, share how DNA testing and test databases were involved, and highlight current options for family historians concerned about privacy and ethics as we hunt for the parents of our gg-grandmother. 

An avid genealogist for over 15 years, Mary was bitten by the DNA bug in 2009.  She co-leads the DNA Interest Group for the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society where she is a member and past President.  Mary is also a member of several lineage organizations, as well as national and regional genealogical societies.  She welcomes questions about DNA for genealogical purposes at [email protected]

2:30 p.m. Workshop: Genealogy at the County Fair – Diane Cook, presenter

Diane Cook, Superintendent of the Hobbies, Models & Collectibles in the Gem & Mineral building at the Ventura County Fair, will give a workshop on how members can assist fair attendees with basic genealogy searches at the fair.   Diane has been a volunteer at the Ventura County Fair for many years and looks forward to another opportunity in 2019.

10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.: VCGS DNA Special Interest Group Meeting

Join us for discussion on using DNA results to further your genealogy research. Please bring your DNA user name and password, along with your family tree (paper or electronic). If possible, bring your laptop, tablet, or another portable device to facilitate your research.

Curious about family history outside of the Pale of Settlement?

The Center for Jewish History welcomes you to a lecture on genealogy tools for those interested in researching Jewish community records and Jewish life in the Sephardi or Mizrahi Diaspora. Open to all. No previous experience or preparation is necessary.  Presented by J.D. Arden, Genealogy and Reference Librarian at the Center for Jewish History and adjunct faculty at the LIU-Palmer School of Library & Information Science.

An ASL interpreter may be made available if requested in advance.

Tickets are free, but advanced registration is required at bpt.me/3909846. 

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Ventura County Genealogical Society

presents a Free Family History Presentation

Saturday, February 16, 2019

at the

Camarillo Library Community Room

4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, CA 93010

1:00 p.m. Using Maps and Gazetteers in Genealogy

All genealogists want to see where their families came from on maps but often look in the wrong places or on the wrong type of maps. This lecture discusses three ways of finding your ancestral homes: 1) locating the place in gazetteers or similar sources; 2) finding it on maps of the appropriate scale using the gazetteer information, and 3) searching for the town on maps of appropriate scale if it can’t be found in gazetteers. Map scales and levels of detail are discussed, along with historical border changes and the history of map-making itself. Sources for useful maps and gazetteers are summarized.

Ted Gostin has been conducting genealogical research since 1980 and has worked as a full-time professional genealogist since 1994. He has twice been President of the Jewish Genealogical Society, Los Angeles, and has taught genealogy for several adult schools and university extension programs. Mr. Gostin has helped plan and organize three national genealogical seminars, and has been a featured speaker at a half-dozen such conferences. He lectures widely on Jewish genealogy, Southern California resources and naturalization and immigration records. Mr. Gostin is the author of “Southern California Vital Statistics: Volume 1, Los Angeles County 1850–1859,” and is the owner of Generations Press publishing company. He was featured on the Larry Lamb episode of the original UK version of the popular genealogy television show, “Who Do You Think You Are?” He is very active in the international Jewish genealogical community and maintains contact with genealogists throughout the world. Mr. Gostin is also an active member of the Association of Professional Genealogists.

2:30 p.m. Workshop: Timelines for Genealogists

Lyn Gesch will share examples of Timelines and discuss how they are useful in furthering your genealogical research.

10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.: VCGS DNA Special Interest Group Meeting

Presentation: Latest DNA News from i4gg conference

The 4th International Genetic Genealogy Conference was held in December in San Diego, organized by the Institute for Genetic Genealogy (i4gg.org). We are fortunate to have this conference in our own backyard. Teri Reynolds will bring you some of the highlights of the Conference, focusing on new developments in genetic genealogy for 2018 and 2019.  This is the second installment in our 2019 DNA lecture series. We hope to see you there!

April 5-6,2019

Fairfax Genealogical Society's annual conference , "Find Your Missing Branches," will be held at the Reston Sheraton Hotel, 11810 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA, near the Dulles International Airport.  The conference will offer sessions on a variety of topics including:  beginning and intermediate DNA research, Southern Migration; African American Research; colonial land, law, and religion; and other topics.  In addition to speakers, workshops and individual consultations, a number of vendors will offer books, maps, and other items and services.  Conference details and registration may be found at  organization's website:  www.fxgs.org/conference.

Ventura County Genealogical Society presents a Free Family History Presentation

Saturday, January 19, 2019, at the Camarillo Library Community Room, 4101 Las Posas Rd, Camarillo, CA

1:00 p.m. Speaker: Lisa Schumacher  Topic: 1890 Census Substitutes

Family history researchers rely heavily on Census records from 1790 to 1940. However, most of the 1890 census is not available. What happened and what can be done to fill in the 1880-1900 gap? Learn about other resources that can provide information for this time period.

Lisa Schumacher has thirty years of experience in the computer field and is currently a self-employed technical support consultant. Her interest in family history began twenty years ago with a focus on computer programs that can be used in genealogical research. Lisa is Past-President of the South Bay Cities Genealogical Society (Torrance, CA). She was a staff supervisor and instructor at the Los Angeles Family History Center for seven years. She lectures on various topics throughout the Los Angeles South Bay area.

2:30 p.m.:  Speaker: Judy Janes  "Sanborn Maps"

Sanborn Maps are a great resource for genealogists who long to learn more about the homes and buildings where their ancestors lived in America. Created in the 19th and 20th centuries for fire insurance purposes, these detailed maps can help you find exact locations. Judy Janes will show us how to access these maps, which are particularly valuable when buildings no longer exist.

Website: https://venturacogensoc.org