Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society The Paper Trail to Naturalization Records

Friday, April 19 @ 10AM
At the Bainbridge Library
and on Zoom
Evelyn Roehl
will present
Pledging Allegiance – the Paper Trail to
Naturalization Records

Evelyn will first provide historical information on naturalization and citizenship including the many changes through the years. She’ll discuss the different court systems involved in the two steps of the naturalization process and give us research tips and techniques to get through the maze and find your ancestors’ information.

Evelyn Roehl was born in Minnesota and raised on a family farm, the youngest of ten children. She moved to Seattle in 1985 and in 1992 began digging into the roots of her family tree. Two years later she took a sabbatical to travel across the United States and then over to Germany and France to trace her ancestors and relatives.
In 1995, she started Kin Hunters to offer her genealogical research and publishing skills to others. She has made numerous research trips to the Family History Library (FamilySearch) in Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as to other research facilities around the United States and Canada

So, please join us on April 19 at 10AM

either at the Bainbridge Library or on Zoom

Everyone Welcome! No membership necessary but registration is required.

Register now on our website: bigenealogy.org

Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society Irish Family History

Friday, March 15 @ 10AM On Zoom

Maureen Brady will present

Irish Family History: The Essentials

Learn to be successful with your Irish family history research. This presentation will discuss how Ireland’s history affects the records and their availability, help for deciphering the layers of Ireland’s land divisions and place names, and the best websites for locating the records.

Maureen Brady, a former school librarian and computer educator, has forty years’ experience with family history research. She has traced her Scottish roots back to the end of the 17th century and beyond, and has also pursued Irish, Swedish, Quebecois, and U.S. Midwest research. Maureen has made numerous presentations to genealogical societies, libraries, conferences and workshops throughout the U.S. A member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild, she is also active in many regional genealogical societies.

So, please join us on March 15 at 10AM on Zoom

Everyone Welcome! No membership necessary but registration is required.

Register now on our website: bigenealogy.org

Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society Recreating Your Ancestor’s World

Friday, February 16 @ 10AM On Zoom and at the Bainbridge Public Library Mary Kircher Roddy will present Recreating Your Ancestor’s World




Learn about your ancestor’s world by learning more about what was going on during their lifetimes in the places they lived. Discover where such information sources are and just how to access them.

Mary Kircher Roddy frequently lectures in Washington State as well as at conferences across the US on methodology and records. She is a trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, one of the founders of the Applied Genealogy Institute, and is the co-editor of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ). She also earned a certificate in Genealogy and Family History at the University of Washington.


Mary became interested in genealogy in 2000 in anticipation of a sabbatical with her husband and children in Ireland. She was sure she would complete all her Irish BIGS Programs genealogy in a year. Two decades later, that genealogy is still a work in progress.

So, please join us on February 16 at 10AM on Zoom or in-person

Everyone Welcome! No membership necessary but registration is required.

Register now on our website: bigenealogy.org

Lori Gibson Named One of WSGS’s Outstanding Volunteers in 2023

Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized over 600 outstanding volunteers and teams, nominated by their local society or genealogical organization for their service and dedication. These volunteers are the backbone of their local society, giving their time and expertise, to the organization and the field of genealogy. In the coming months, you will be introduced to each of the 2023 award recipients and learn why they received the 2023 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.

Today we’re introducing Lori Gibson of Bainbridge Island, Washington, who was nominated by the Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society (BIGS).

Lori took over the position of website administrator in 2016. She has served tirelessly, maintaining the site on a day-to-day basis, finding illustrations and creating layouts, posting and archiving material, and handling all the site’s technical needs. In the process, she worked successfully with several different BIGS newsletter editors and contributed to those communications as well. The website was originally developed in HTML. Lori migrated the site to WordPress and provided a leadership role in two separate “website refreshes.”

Most recently, Lori integrated PayPal into the website, allowing BIGS to collect dues via the web. In addition to her work on the website, Lori also volunteers as a member of the hybrid meeting committee.

For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Info@wasgs.org. Please type “Volunteer Award” in the subject line.

Joleen Aitchison Named One of WSGS’s Outstanding Volunteers in 2023

Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized over 600 outstanding volunteers and teams, nominated by their local society or genealogical organization for their service and dedication. These volunteers are the backbone of their local society, giving their time and expertise, to the organization and the field of genealogy. In the coming months, you will be introduced to each of the 2023 award recipients and learn why they received the 2023 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.

Today we’re introducing Joleen Aitchison of Kingston, Washington, who was nominated by the Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society (BIGS).

Joleen’s volunteerism started even before she joined BIGS. In 2013, as director of the Family History Center in Poulsbo, she volunteered to give a presentation at a BIGS monthly meeting and then became a member. And she’s been a consistent and valuable volunteer ever since, serving as a mentor, working on the newsletter and now the website, making full-scale presentations, and offering one-on-one help to anyone interested. In addition to serving as a Special Interest Group leader, Joleen is a major resource for BIGS’s members in other special interest groups. She is a past board member and was a major contributor to several Family History Month special events open to the public.

Joleen is one of BIGS’s most knowledgeable members in both traditional genealogy and genealogical DNA and is able to make complex information understandable and approachable to the less experienced.

For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Info@wasgs.org. Please type “Volunteer Award” in the subject line.

Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society Get Organized to Write Your Family Stories

Friday, January 19 @ 10AM
on Zoom
Annette Burke Lyttle
will present
Get Organized to Write Your Family Stories

Sharing our family stories with others is critical, so those stories don’t get lost. But it can be very daunting to know how to get started. Learn some ways to organize your space, your time, your ideas, and your research results that will make it easier for you to write them up.

Annette Burke Lyttle owns Heritage Detective, LLC, providing professional genealogical services in research, education, and writing. She speaks on a variety of genealogical topics at the national, state, and local levels and loves helping people uncover and share their family stories. She is coordinator of the Fall Virtual Intermediate Foundations course for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. Annette leads Best Practices Study Groups for a number of organizations, providing in-depth education on the genealogical research process in an interactive setting. She is president of the Association of Professional Genealogists and editor of The Florida Genealogist

So, please join us on January 19 at 10AM on Zoom
Everyone Welcome! No membership necessary but registration is required.

Register now on our website: bigenealogy.org

Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society Researching Your Scottish and English Ancestors

10AM Friday, November 17, 2023, on Zoom, direct from Glasgow, Scotland

Michelle Leonard will present:

Top Tips for Researching Your Scottish & English Ancestors.”

Michelle Leonard is a professional genealogist, DNA Detective, freelance researcher, speaker, author and historian. She has extensive experience both in the traditional and genetic genealogy spheres and runs her own genealogy and DNA consultancy business, Genes & Genealogy.

EVERYONE WELCOME!

No membership necessary Registration required at our website.

Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society Reverse Genealogy in Action

On September 15, 2023 BIGS Presents

At 10AM, Friday, September 15, 2023,

In-person at the Bainbridge Library, and on Zoom

Mary Kircher Roddy will present:

Bagging a Live One:

Reverse Genealogy in Action.

Mary will show you how to find distant relatives, perhaps ones you never knew existed. You will come away with the skills to target specific people and to find their contact details.

Great for finding missing friends and cousins or for locating family members to fill out your DNA “dance card” or plan a family reunion.

Mary Kircher Roddy, frequently lectures in Washington State as well as at conferences across the US on methodology and records. She is a trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, one of the founders of the Applied Genealogy Institute, and is the co-editor of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ). She also earned a certificate in Genealogy and Family History at the University of Washington. Mary became interested in genealogy in 2000 in anticipation of a sabbatical with her husband and children in Ireland. She was sure she would complete all her Irish genealogy in a year. Two decades later, that genealogy is still a work in progress.

So, please go to our website, bigenealogy.orgto pick up your Zoom link beginning on September 14th, the day before the presentation.

Everyone Welcome! No membership necessary.

Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society Becoming Washington Who Came to the Northwest and Why

On July 21, 2023 BIGS Presents

At 10AM, Friday, July 21, 2023,

A Zoom Virtual Event,

Janice Lovelace will present:

Becoming Washington:

Who Came to the Northwest and Why.

What conditions existed for your ancestors to leave their home and make a journey to
a new place? What conditions existed to encourage settlement in the Americas,
especially the Pacific Northwest? This presentation focuses primarily on the push and
pull factors for voluntary immigration in the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries. What
laws applied to immigration and what documents can genealogists find?

Janice Lovelace is a genealogical researcher, educator, author, and lecturer, with over
thirty years of experience. She completed the Genealogy and Family History
certificate at the University of Washington in 2012, the certificate program in
genealogy at Boston University in 2013, and ProGen in 2014. A frequent speaker, Dr.
Lovelace also an instructor at the Midwest African American Genealogical Institute
(MAAGI). A retired college faculty member, Dr. Lovelace authored the National
Genealogical Society’s online continuing education course African American Roots: A
Historical Perspective.
So, please go to our website, bigenealogy.orgto pick up your Zoom link beginning on July 20th, the day before the presentation.

Everyone Welcome! No membership necessary.