Seattle Genealogical Society January 2025 Holiday Open House

Join Us for Our Annual Holiday Celebration
in the SGS Library at the Good Shepherd Center

 

With the holiday rush over, let’s celebrate the new year. Bring cookies to share and say hello to your SGS friends in person at the library.  Come early, come late (but not too late).
 

  • Stick around to join us for the Second Saturday Zoom presentation by Rebecca Whitman Koford at 1 p.m.
  • Catch (or ask for) a demo of library subscriptions and/or equipment
  • Sneak in a little research


Contact Melanie at volunteers@seagensoc.org if you would like to help with this event.




TOUR THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES AT SEATTLE
WITH SGS

Do you have family history in the Northwest? If so you are likely to benefit from records held by the National Archives at Seattle. This facility maintains and provides access to permanent records created by federal agencies and courts in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.

This tour will be Friday, January 17 at 9:30 a.m. It is limited to 20 people.
 

Join the Tour

SECOND SATURDAY PRESENTATION TO HIGHLIGHT RESEARCH LOGS    

Organizing is key to understanding. If you can’t find it, how can you compare and analyze the facts and clues in your ancestor’s life? Presenter Rebecca Whitman Koford, Vice President of the National Genealogical Society, will introduce three organizational tools that researches can benefit from using. These include strategic use of timelines, and how they can work together to improve your analysis skills and get closer to finding the answers you need.

This presentation will be offered via Zoom Saturday, January 11 at 1 p.m.

Register Now

NEXT MONTH: “I Have a Civil War Ancestor: Now What?” Presented by Brian Rhinehart, Saturday, February 8, at 1 p.m. Sign up separately for this event.




SLOTS STILL AVAILABLE FOR GET ORGANIZED CLASS

SGS’s “Organizing for Genealogy” class still has openings. This course will help participants create a system of organization or adapt their current system to meet their specific research needs. The class will be offered over four weeks in February with an option to attend either Monday evenings (7:00 to 9:00 p.m.) or Tuesday afternoons (1:00 to 3:00 p.m.).

  • Session 1: Organizing Our Self – Our thoughts, actions, time, and space
  • Session 2: Organizing Our System – Paper systems and Digital Systems
  • Session 3: Organizing Our Workflow – Research, Records, and Resources
  • Session 4: Pulling it all together – Developing a tailored organization system

Each class series is limited to 20 participants.
Class Fee:  $80 (SGS members $60)

Sign Up Today

SIG Highlights

Anthony Tan / Unsplash

SCANDINAVIAN SIG TO SHARE TIPS SEEKING NORWEGIAN AND SWEDISH RECORDS

Join Karen and Kathi on Sunday, January 12th at 1PM via Zoom as they reveal tips for searching Norwegian and Swedish records on both free and subscription sites. Plus, bring your questions— we’ll be answering all your burning inquiries about tracing your ancestors! The Scandinavian SIG was restarted about 10 years ago by Karen Knudson and has a co-leader Kathi M., SGS librarian. The group meets quarterly. See the SGS calendar of events at segensoc.org to register.

MEXICAN SIG LAUNCHES JANUARY 9

Share information and discuss Indigenous North American, Spanish, Cuban, and Hispanic genealogical research. The inaugural meeting for this SIG will be Thursday, January 9th, at 7:00 p.m., via Zoom. Contact Diane Hughes-Hart via Education@seagensoc.org to join.

NEW SIGS IN PLANNING STAGES

SGS is planning to add three new Special Interest Groups. Each of these groups are in early development. Would you be interested in being a co-leader or a participant? Let us know of your interest and availability/preferences for meeting day and time. Please send us an email with your information.

Ancestry.com
Ancestry.com has become one of the largest genealogical websites available today. With vast records collections and extensive tree building tools, there’s much to explore and optimize. If you would like to gain greater insight into this site or want to share your knowledge with others, please email: Education@seagensoc.org (Subject: Ancestry SIG).

Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a regions with a rich and complex history and diverse ethic groups. It’s frequent border changes, language barriers and influences from several powerful empires can lead to challenges when researching family history. Share information and questions about this fascinating region. To get involved email: Education@seagensoc.org (Subject: Eastern Europe SIG).

Artificial intelligence
The explosive growth in AI has lead to many applications for it in genealogical research. Do you use AI in your research or want to learn more about how to do so? Email: Education@seagensoc.org (Subject: AI SIG).

LIBRARY NEWS:

Evening Hours at SGS Library to Be Offered Once a Month

SGS is offering evening hours once a month at the library starting this month. The library will be open from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. every 3rd Wednesday of the month through April when the success of the endeavor will be reevaluated. If it proves popular these hours could continue past April. So use it or lose it. Come to the libary Wednesday nights January 15, February 19 … and show SGS that you want these additional hours.

Get Help Scanning Photos, Learn More About the Library;
Tours to Be Offered Once a Month
Want to know more about how the SGS library can help your research? With so many resources available it can be easy to overlook something that may be helpful. To help patrons learn more about the library and get help using the photo/document scanner, the SGS library will be offering tours every 4th Saturday of the month. The tour will start at 10:30 a.m. and will be followed by assistance scanning documents and photos. The first tour will be Saturday, January 25, followed by February 22. Show up and let SGS know if this is a program that should be continued.

SGS CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Good Shepherd Center, Suite 302
4649 Sunnyside Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
206 522-8658

Hours : Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
** 10:00 a.m .- 3:00 p.m. **

Always check the SGS Website Calendar of Events for the meeting links, registration, or for last minute updates or changes to the schedule. Be advised you may need to register in advance to join a meeting.

All times listed are Pacific Time unless otherwise noted

Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, 10:15 a.m.- 12:15 p.m., FamilySearch SIG, Discover the many ways to use the FamilySearch website in your research. Meeting includes instruction and time for Q&A. Email Lou to get on the email list: loudaly@nwlink.com.

Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m., Brags & Bricks Social Interest Group (Virtual), Join us for an informal social gathering. Share your recent genealogical successes and challenges, or just come to hang out with other genealogists. Remember the new Zoom link started this month.

Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Pacific Northwest Interest Group (Virtual), Share information and discuss Pacific Northwest genealogical research. Register on the SGS website.

Wednesday, Jan. 8 2025, 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m., MAC Computer SIG, Jointly sponsored by SGS and Fiske. Meetings address topics and resources for Macintosh (Apple) computers and the Reunion genealogy software program. A link to login will be sent to the MAC SIG email list. If you would like to join, send an email to macusersig@seagensoc.org to be added to the email list.

Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, 7:00 p.m.-8:30 a.m., Mexican SIG (Virtual), Share information and discuss Indigenous North American, Spanish, Cuban, and Hispanic genealogical research. Email Education@seagensoc.org to join.

Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., Holiday Open House, Join us for our annual holiday celebration in the SGS library at the Good Shepherd Center. Bring cookies to share and say hello to your SGS friends IN PERSON at the library. Come early, come late (not too late). Stay for the Second Saturday Zoom presentation.

Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, 1:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Second Saturday, “Research Logs: Write or Regret It!” Presented by Rebecca Whitman Koford. Organizing is key to understanding. This presentation introduces three organizational tools, including strategic use of timelines, and how they can work together to improve your analysis skills and get closer to finding the answers you need. Register here.

Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, 1:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., Scandinavian Interest Group (Virtual), We will be reviewing free and subscription sites for researching records in Sweden and Norway. hosts Karen Knudson and Kathi M. Share information and discuss Scandinavian ancestral research.

Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m., Brags & Bricks Social Interest Group (Virtual), Join us for an informal social gathering. Share your recent genealogical successes and challenges, or just come to hang out with other genealogists. Remember the new Zoom link started this month.

Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., SGS Board of Directors Meeting (Virtual), All SGS members are welcome to attend. SGS is an all volunteer organization. Please be involved. Members must sign in to website to see Zoom link.

Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., Tech Tuesday (Virtual), informal consultation time on DNA, genealogy software, or genealogy-related technical issues. All are welcome. No appointment necessary. Bring us your problem; we’ll try to help.

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, 6:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m., NEW! SGS Library Evening Hours, SGS library introduces evening hours on a trial basis through April. Every 3rd Wednesday of the month.

Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, 9:30 a.m., SGS Tour of National Archives at Seattle (Field Trips), Docent-led tour of the National Archives at Seattle
This facility maintains and provides access to permanent records created by federal agencies and courts in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Limited to 20 people.

Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m, German SIG (Virtual), Topic to be announced. Register on the SGS website.

Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, 1:00 pm- 2:30 pm, Virtual Sunday: Something Old, Something New, Get a virtual demo of SGS library online resources. Speaker: Jill Morelli. See the SGS website Calendar of Events for further information. Please register in advance.

Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m., Brags & Bricks Social Interest Group (Virtual), Join us for an informal social gathering. Share your recent genealogical successes and challenges, or just come to hang out with other genealogists. Remember the new Zoom link started this month.

Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Write It Up! SIG (Virtual), Join this group to share and discuss writing projects, resources, and ideas. To join or learn more, contact SGS Director of Education (education@seagensoc.org).

Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., “Pass It On” Writers’ Group, Create your family history and share with others in an effort to improve your writing. Please note: The Writers’ Group is at the maximum number of participants and is not currently accepting any new members.

Saturday, Jan 25, 2025, 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m., DNA SIG, To participate in this quarterly SIG 1you need to be on the SGS DNA Interest Group email list. Contact Cary Bright at SGSDNASIG@seagensoc.org to join.

Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, 10:30 a.m., NEW! SGS Library Tour/Scanning Help, SGS library introduces tours of the library and help scanning photos and documents. This is a trial basis through April. Every 4th Saturday of the month. Tour starts at 10:30 followed by scanning help.

Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m., Brags & Bricks Social Interest Group (Virtual), Join us for an informal social gathering. Share your recent genealogical successes and challenges, or just come to hang out with other genealogists. Remember the new Zoom link started this month.

Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., Tech Tuesday (Virtual), informal consultation time on DNA, genealogy software, or genealogy-related technical issues. All are welcome. No appointment necessary. Bring us your problem; we’ll try to help.

Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, 10:15 a.m.- 12:15 p.m., FamilySearch SIG, Discover the many ways to use the FamilySearch website in your research. Meeting includes instruction and time for Q&A. Email Lou to get on the email list: loudaly@nwlink.com.

Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, DNA Workshop, with Cary Bright and Craig Gowens. To participate you need to be on the SGS DNA Interest Group email list. Contact Cary Bright at sgsdnasig@seagensoc.org to join.

Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m., Brags & Bricks Social Interest Group (Virtual), Join us for an informal social gathering. Share your recent genealogical successes and challenges, or just come to hang out with other genealogists. Remember the new Zoom link started this month.

Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Pacific Northwest Interest Group (Virtual), Share information and discuss Pacific Northwest genealogical research. Register on the SGS website.

Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, 1:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Second Saturday, “I Have a Civil War Ancestor: Now What?” Presented by Brian Rhinehart. Military records can be among the most genealogically significant sources you can find. Register here.

Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m., Brags & Bricks Social Interest Group (Virtual), Join us for an informal social gathering. Share your recent genealogical successes and challenges, or just come to hang out with other genealogists. Remember the new Zoom link started this month.

Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., SGS Board of Directors Meeting (Virtual), All SGS members are welcome to attend. SGS is an all volunteer organization. Please be involved. Members must sign in to website to see Zoom link.

** NOTE: There will be no Irish SIG in January.

OUR NEIGHBORS AND BEYOND

“Finding the Origins of an Immigrant Ancestor” (Virtual)
Eastside Genealogical Society
Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, 7:00 p.m. (virtual doors open at 6:30 p.m.)

Join Eastside Genealogical Society and Debbie Gurtler, AG and Assistant Director of the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City as the explore methods to find the homeland of an immigrant ancestor. This presentation will highlight the methodology and U.S. record types that should help you identify their hometown so you can expand your family tree. A case study highlighting the methodology needed will also be presented. For more information about the event see the EGS website.

Registration opens for AppGen Spring 2025 Classes (Virtual)
Wednesday, January 15, 2025

The window for registration for the AppGen 2025 Spring semester will open 15-22 January. It is a random draw, not “first come first served.” For more information see the website.

“AI (Artificial Intelligence) Made Easy:
Boosting Your Genealogy Research with Technology” (Virtual)
Olympia Genealogical Society
Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, 8:50 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Speaker Blaine Bettinger, will outline how AI can aid your research. In this 4-hour seminar he will cover:

Using Artificial Intelligence Tools for Genealogy
10 Generative AI Prompts Every Genealogist Needs to Know
Ethical Issues Associated with Generative Artificial Intelligence
Memories in the Digital Age: AI Transcription of Handwritten Diaries

For more information about the event see the OGS website.

Join SGS Today

  • to renew your membership: log in on the Members Home page
    and click the green renew membership button.
    January 1, 2025

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