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 14^th, the day before the presentation.

Everyone Welcome! No membership necessary.

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 20^th, the day before the presentation.

Everyone Welcome! No membership necessary.

On May 19, 2023 BIGS Presents

At 10AM, Friday, May 19, 2023,

A Zoom Virtual Event,

Sunny Morton will present:

Intro to U.S. Church Records: Why We Care Where Grandma Went to Church.

U.S. church records of many denominations can reveal ancestors’ vital events, family relationships, overseas birthplaces and other residences and religious lives. From the co-author of the acclaimed book How to Find Your Family History in U.S. Church Records, learn what these records may look like, how to identify an ancestral church, locate extant records and access them.

Sunny Jane Morton is an internationally known genealogy speaker and award-
winning writer and editor. She is a longtime Contributing Editor at Family Tree
Magazine; Contributing Editor and Content Manager for YourDNAGuide.com; frequent contributor to FamilySearch’s blog; and past Editor of Ohio Genealogy News. She has twice received prestigious awards from the National Genealogical Society, most recently for her book How to Find Your Family History in U.S. Church Records, co-authored with Harold Henderson, CG. Her book, Story of My Life: A Workbook for Preserving Your Legacy, is now in its 2nd edition.

So, please join us on May 19th at 10AM on Zoom for this informative presentation. A Zoom link will be posted on our website the day before the event.

Everyone Welcome! No membership necessary.

On April 21, 2023 BIGS Presents

At 10AM, Friday, April 21, 2023,

A Zoom Virtual Event,

Kim Richardson will present:

“A New Strategy for Brick Walls”

A genealogical brick wall is a question that remains unanswered after exhaustive research. Would you like to see the brick wall as a yellow brick road? Kim says she’s going to show us how at her upcoming presentation.

Professional genealogist Kim Richardson founded a research and consulting firm to assist clients in their pursuit of their ancestors. She also enjoys spending time researching her own family, but Kim’s favorite genealogy activity is serving the family history community by coaching and empowering others to break through barriers to achieve their goals. To that end, Kim created and developed the “Brick Wall Buster Cards” to show others her secret to solving tough genealogy problems and family mysteries.

She regularly teaches and presents to groups across the country. She also writes for local and state genealogy publications and wrote the “Mississippi Research Guide” for Family Tree Magazine. She has researched for TV shows Finding Your Roots and Who Do You Think You Are? Kim earned a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations from Mississippi State University. She retired from service to the State of Mississippi after 25 years as an advocate for victims of violent crime and working in highway traffic safety programs.

So, please join us on April 21st at 10AM for this informative presentation. A Zoom link will be posted on the BIGS website the day before the event.

Everyone Welcome! No membership necessary!

On March 17, 2023 BIGS Presents

At 10AM, Friday, March 17, 2023,

At the Bainbridge Public Library and on Zoom,

Evelyn Roehl will present:

“Planning a Genealogy Research Trip”

Evelyn will discuss the many aspects of planning for a genealogy research trip. Armed with her many tips, you’ll be fully prepared to have a successful trip.

Evelyn Roehl [Pronounced RAIL] 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.

In 1994, 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 United States and Canada.

She loves finding when and from where people came to North America, including her 17 immigrant ancestors from central Europe.

She is also the author of Whole Food Facts, has typeset numerous small-press books, edited various newsletters for nonprofit organizations, as well as compiled materials for and designed family history booklets for clients.

So, please join us on March 17th at 10AM at the Bainbridge Library or on Zoom for this informative presentation. A Zoom link will be posted on our website the day before the event.

Everyone Welcome! No membership necessary.

On February 17, 2023 BIGS Presents

At 10AM, Friday, Feb 17, 2023, on Zoom,

Elizabeth Williams Gomoll will present:

“Documents + DNA + Methods + Luck,”

Combining Tools to Find Biological Family

Finding an adopted child’s biological family is especially challenging for genealogists. This presentation uses a success story to show how good methodology combined with document research and DNA matches (plus a dose of good luck) finally put to rest a decades-old question.

Elizabeth Williams Gomell, A recipient of many awards, Liz is co-editor of Minnesota Genealogist, the quarterly journal of the Minnesota Genealogical Society and immediate past-president of the Association for Professional Genealogists Northland Chapter and has served on numerous boards and committees.

Liz is based in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

So, please join us on February 17^th at 10AM for this informative presentation. The Zoom link will be available on our website bigenealogy.org on February 16^th, the day before the meeting.

Everyone Welcome! No membership necessary.

On January 20, 2023 BIGS Presents

At 10AM, Friday, Jan 20, 2023, on Zoom,

D. Joshua Taylor will present:

“Family History: What the Future Holds”

Curious about how family history might change in the coming years? This session examines the impact of new technologies, digital preservation, record access, and other factors that will impact the future of family history. Together we will explore the opportunities and challenges ahead for genealogists.

D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS, FUGA is a nationally known and recognized speaker and author on genealogy and family history. Joshua is the President of the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society (NYG&B). He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including RootsTech’s Distinguished Presenter Award, the Federation of Genealogical Societies Award of Merit, and the Rubincam Youth Award from the National Genealogical Society.

He holds an MLS (Archival Management) and an MA (History) from Simmons College and has been a featured genealogist on Who Do You Think You Are? with Sarah Jessica Parker, Kelly Clarkson, Ashley Judd, Reba McEntire, and Rob Lowe. Joshua can also be seen taking America through their past as a host on the popular PBS series Genealogy Roadshow.

So, please join us on January 20^th at 10AM for this informative presentation. The Zoom link will be available on our website bigenealogy.org on January 19^th, the day before the meeting.

Everyone Welcome! No membership necessary.