1:00 - 2:00 pm EST - Google Earth tours can be a fun way to share your genealogical research with relatives. This class will show you the basics of how to create, save, and share a tour that can visually illustrate the life and travels of your ancestors using the Google Earth free program. Presented by Karen Fortin.

This will be a hybrid meeting held in-person at the Largo Public Library, 120 Central Park Drive, Local History Room (2d Flr),  Largo, FL  33771 and online via Zoom. Registration is only required for Zoom attendees.

1:00 - 3:00 pm EST - Every month on the Fourth Tuesday. Learn how to interpret your DNA test results and apply those results to your current family history research. Join our casual group as we research and learn together. Hosted by Denise Manning and Susan Luce.

This meeting will be held online only.

1:00 - 2:00 pm EST - You know processes can save you time. But which specific processes can you use in genealogy to help you work smarter not harder?  You will of course learn genealogy processes such as the Kinship and Social Organization Process, but also business processes such as the ABCs of Prioritizing, and even relationship processes such as Ben Franklin’s Five Secrets to Success.  Throughout, you will also learn tips from IT development processes and even Japanese Management to make your time more valuable. Presented by Lori Coffey.

This will be a hybrid meeting held in-person at the Largo Public Library, 120 Central Park Drive, Local History Room (2d Flr),  Largo, FL  33771 and online via Zoom. Registration is only required for Zoom attendees.

11:00 am - 1:00 pm EST - Forensic Genealogy-- Forensic genealogists pursue missing descendants who often have something to gain. When legal or trust professionals such as courts or agencies need to identify or locate an estate’s rightful heirs, they call on a highly confidential, qualified, unbiased genealogist with no stake in the results to provide in-depth research and analysis. Learn how they must understand and use correct methodology for estates, trusts, oil and gas royalties, land titles, citizenship issues, insurance cases, and other litigations and, when needed, to serve as a witness. Presented by Sheila Benedict.

Monthly general membership meeting with educational program, free and open to the public.  This will be a hybrid meeting held in-person at the Largo Public Library, 120 Central Park Drive, Meeting Room/Jenkins B,  Largo, FL  33771 and online via Zoom. Registration is only required for Zoom attendees.

The Ventura County Genealogical Society presents

Free Family History Programs

Online with Zoom

Saturday, May 20, 2023, 1:00-4:00 pm PDT

https://venturacogensoc.org/this-month/

Presenter: Lyn Gesch

“Acquiring a Sense of Place: Using Maps to Help Tell Family Stories”

Have you ever wondered how your ancestors ended up in a particular place? Whether they chose to settle there or other factors drove them to that location, we rely on document research to help us find answers—public records, letters, diaries, local histories, etc. In this hour, we will investigate the added value of using maps and gazetteers to help us in that quest to understand how our ancestors navigated those spaces that were “home” and built a life there. We will look at resources for urban and rural research, focusing on what is available online, and consider how maps and gazetteers help us tell a story.

Marilyn Gesch, Ph.D., is a longtime Ventura County Genealogical Society member. She has served on the Executive Board and has been a frequent presenter in the educational programs. Her background in sociology has led her to lean heavily on using social history in understanding family stories and focus on quality research practices. Recent publications inspired by family histories looked at German immigrants in American wars and appeared in the Kansas History Journal (2018; WW1) and the Missouri Historical Review  (2015; Civil War). In addition, she is working on a manuscript following her father-in-law’s WW2 experiences through his letters and scrapbooks.

Second presentation:

Presenter: Sara Cochran

“Irish Eyes Are Smiling: Finding Vital Records in the Land of Saints and Scholars“

Get to know the Irish Civil Registration records! These Birth, Marriage, and Death records began country-wide in 1864 and contain a wealth of information about our ancestors. Learn how to access these records from your home through multiple websites.

Sara is a full-time professional genealogist with over twenty-five years of experience. She holds a Boston University Genealogical Research Certificate, a bachelor’s degree in library science, and is an alumnus of the ProGen Study Group. She is currently the Treasurer of the Southern California Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the Registrar for the Aurantia Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Secretary for the Amanda Stokes Tent, Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, and volunteers at the National Archives, Riverside office.

All our monthly lectures and workshops are free to our members and the public. Non-members should request a Zoom invitation here https://venturacogensoc.org/request-invitation-to-lecture/

Please note that we cannot respond to same-day requests.

As the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America approaches, the
North Carolina Genealogical Society is partnering with the NC Department of Natural &
Cultural Resources and the Friends of the Archives to explore and to celebrate some of the
diverse groups of North Carolinians who helped shape the history of the state and the
country: women and men, young and old, patriots and loyalists, immigrants and
indigenous, the free and the enslaved.

1:00 - 2:00 pm EST - A treasure trove of genealogical material is available in books, manuscripts, and other print resources. However, much of this material is scattered in libraries and archives throughout the country. WorldCat and ArchiveGrid are online resources that allow you to search many of these repositories to identify and locate materials on the families and topics you are researching. Fortin

This will be a hybrid meeting held in-person in the at the Largo Public Library, 120 Central Park Drive, Local History Room (2d Flr),  Largo, FL  33771 and online via Zoom. Registration is only required for Zoom attendees.

FhGS Show and Tell Free Presentation

Includes displays and potluck lunch

Wednesday, May 10

11:30 – 3:00 p.m.

Applewood Valley United Methodist Church, 2035 Ellis St., Golden, CO

After a 3-year hiatus, the FhGS Potluck Luncheon is back! This time with a Show & Tell event featuring artifacts and memorabilia, unearthed by FhGS members over the past 50 plus years. Enjoy lunch and browse the displays. Talk with members about their findings: a Civil War veteran’s rifle, drum and diary; family quilts from 1750; as well as photos, newspapers and stories from eight generations of a Colorado family, from a WWII veteran’s survival of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and a traveler’s journey across seas and early roads to reach the promised land---with only $14 in his pocket. Lunch will be served promptly at 12:00 noon. Please bring a dish for 8 – 10 to share to the lower-level of the Fellowship Hall at 11:30 a.m. Label any dish containing nuts or fish and any utensils. Last names beginning with letter A thru G – bring a main dish; H thru Q – bring a salad or a vegetable side dish; R thru Z – bring a dessert. Dinner rolls, butter, coffee, punch, and tableware will be provided.

To find out who built the city of Golden and why the local breweries are so famous, join Stephanie Gilmore, Curator of the Golden History Museum, at 923 10th Street in Golden, CO. She will begin the free tour at 10:00 a.m. MT, by sharing a few interesting stories and then letting everyone explore alone.

Afterwards, take a two-block walk to the Golden History Park, at 11^th and Arapahoe, to see a Jefferson County 19^th century mountain homestead, an 1876 one-room schoolhouse and other historic buildings. Then feed the heirloom chickens, and check out the hands-on gallery.

Wear weather appropriate clothing and comfortable shoes to walk on the gravel and mulch in the history park.

For Questions, contact Vikki Kourkouliotis at [email protected]

The Illinois State Archives was established in 1921 and is housed in the Margaret Cross Norton building in Springfield, IL. The State Archives serves as the depository of public records of Illinois state and local governmental agencies which possess permanent administrative, legal, or historical research values. Its collections do not include manuscripts, newspapers, or other nonofficial sources. The Director of the Archives, Dave Joens will give an overview of the available records and discuss how they can assist genealogists looking for family records in Illinois.

David Joens is the Director of the Illinois State Archives, the state agency that is responsible for the preservation of historic Illinois state and local government records. He is a fifth-generation resident of Illinois, an army veteran, and a former newspaper reporter for the Sun Newspapers in Lisle and Naperville. Joens received his Bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, two Master’s degrees from the University of Illinois at Springfield, and a doctorate in Illinois history from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He is the author of three books on Illinois history and government, including “From Slave to State Legislator: John W. E. Thomas, Illinois’ First African American Lawmaker,” published by SIU Press.

IN-PERSON Meeting Location:
Naperville Municipal Center-Room B (Lower Level)
400 S Eagle St, Naperville, IL 60540

FVGS meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 7:00 PM (Central) and are free for members and guests to attend. This meeting will be recorded. Members can access the recording for a limited time after the event.