SATURDAY, August 25th

DNA Beginners Group 9 a.m. – noon

This Special Interest Group (SIG) will be led by the ever-knowledgable Emily Aulicino, whose presentation “From atDNA Testing to Connecting the Family Dots: A beginner’s guide to autosomal testing and finding your common ancestors” will review autosomal DNA briefly, highlight the advantages and disadvantages for the five DNA testing companies, and focus on five steps to help discover your common ancestors, establish good communication with matches, and organize the information.

Download the handout HERE and please review before class.

SUNDAY, August 26th

Library Work Party 9 a.m. – noon

There’s another work party at the GFO library today for those of you who can come. There’s lots to do and we’d love to have your help. Doors open at 9 and work usually wraps up around noon. Some people come for just an hour or so; others work the full time. You are welcome to do either. Any time you can share is valuable. Hope to see you there.

WEDNESDAY, August 29th

Bulletin Editorial Group (BEG) 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.

First meeting of the new Bulletin Editorial Group (BEG). To all lovers of GFO’s quarterly publication, The Bulletin: Committee members help keep The Bulletin going strong by seeking articles and authors, keeping tabs on volunteer needs, and helping to recruit more participants.

If you’re interested in helping support The Bulletin, please plan to attend. If you have questions, please send them to Bulletin@gfo.org.

SATURDAY, August 18th

Genealogy Problem Solvers 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.

This month the GPS team tries to track down the founder of the Knapp School in Pettis County, Missouri. Records have not yet revealed the parents of James Harvey Knapp. He was born in New York in 1826, married in Michigan in 1848, and buried in Missouri in 1883. Learn about the team’s skills at navigating multiple state records.
GPS is a monthly support group where we help each other find information about a family line. We will learn to do a reasonably exhaustive search and develop research plans. The focus will shift depending on the needs of the group. Several experienced researchers have volunteered to help. Beginners and intermediate researchers are encouraged to submit problems to work on. For more information contact Katie Daly at GPS@gfo.org.

GenTalk: Getting Ready to Check Out 2 – 3 p.m.

Don’t let your family history disappear. As genealogists, we love end-of-life records: death certificates, probate/estate paperwork, cemetery records, obituaries, etc. But in our personal lives, maybe we’re not so enthusiastic. Learn how to plan for the inevitable, for the sake of your genealogy research and for your loved ones. It doesn’t have to be expensive, and it doesn’t have to be difficult, let Leslie Brinkley Lawson show you how.

SUNDAY, August 19th

Library Work Party 9 a.m. – noon

There’s another work party at the GFO library today for those of you who can come. There’s lots to do and we’d love to have your help. Doors open at 9 and work usually wraps up around noon. Some people come for just an hour or so; others work the full time. You are welcome to do either. Any time you can share is valuable. Hope to see you there.

Family Tree Users’ Group 1 – 3 p.m.

Join other users who want to work through the 2017 Companion Guide to Family TreeMaker. Bring your laptop with 2017 version of FTM installed and an empty USB thumb drive. Facilitated by Joyce Grant-Worley. FTM@gfo.org

SUNDAY, August 12th

Library Work Party 9 a.m. – noon

There’s another work party at the GFO library today for those of you who can come. There’s lots to do and we’d love to have your help. Doors open at 9 and work usually wraps up around noon. Some people come for just an hour or so; others work the full time. You are welcome to do either. Any time you can share is valuable. Hope to see you there.

TUESDAY, August 14th

GFO Board Meeting 6:10 p.m. – 8:10 p.m.

Come see what makes GFO so great at our monthly Board Meetings. These meetings take place on the 2nd Tuesday of every month. All are welcome.

WEDNESDAY, August 15th

Irish Interest Group 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Focus: This month Barb Schrag will present “Using the Irish Censuses.” Members of the GFO as well as their guests and any interested members of the public are welcomed to attend the Irish Genealogy SIG. One hour of each two-hour meeting will be spent on presentations about Irish history, genealogy, and resources while the second hour will focus on Irish Brick Wall questions.

The Irish group meets on the third Wednesday of the even months February,April, June, August, and October (there will be no meeting in December). Contact Irish@gfo.org for more information.

SATURDAY, August 4th

German Group 1 – 3 p.m.

Presenter: Tia Cobb

Tia will report on the Society for German Genealogy in Eastern Europe (SGGEE) conference that just took place in Calgary.

Other topics: the International German Genealogy Partnership (IGGP) conference that will take place next June in Sacramento and German research in the U.S.

The German Interest Group was formed in the spring of 2011. It is intended to be a source of information and inspiration for anyone with German speaking ancestors. One goal is to provide information on a variety of topics related to Germanic history and migration. We also will provide time for members to share their research journeys and connect with others who may be researching the same region or time period.

SUNDAY, August 5th

Manuscripts Work Party 9 a.m. – noon

Explore our manuscript, personal papers, and Bible collections while we organize, scan, and create finding aids. Drop by at the time that works for you. Questions? Send a note to manuscripts@gfo.org.

MONDAY, August 6th

Free First Monday 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Come out each first Monday of every month and splurge on all GFO’s wonderful resources for FREE. Explore our online databases like Fold3, World Library Edition of Ancestry.com, Newspapers.com, and many more. Our analog and microfilm collections total some 49,000 items. Don’t miss out!

SATURDAY, July 28th

Advance DNA Group 9 a.m. – noon

Two speakers | Two Handouts

Speaker 1: Herb Femling will present a case-study-oriented session to illustrate Advanced Excel tool capabilities and analytical concepts. High-level concepts and topics for leveraging the Data Analytics Power of Excel will include:

General Use of Excel in DNA & Genealogy Research,
Using Excel as a Database – Structuring your Data,
Importing Data from Other Sources (Genealogy Programs, FTDNA Exports, Gedmatch, etc.),
Adding/Appending Data using VLookup Function,
Advanced Filtering, Searching and Data Grouping,
Pivot Tables for Advanced Analysis and Database Queries, Mapping Chromosome Segments to Ancestors – Visual Phasing with Color Coding (DNA Painter Alternative), Combining Data from Multiple Testing Services for Match Management, Using Database to Aid in Triangulation.

Due to the broad variety of Excel skill levels, this session will not include a step-by-step process for all of examples covered. The emphasis will be on demonstrating how the tools available in Excel can enhance and accelerate your research process.

Speaker 2: Tim Janzen will give a presentation entitled “Working with Triangulated Groups.” This presentation will review the best techniques that allow you to create triangulated groups and utilize them optimally to solve genealogical research questions.

Handouts: Working with your Triangulated Groups and Excel Analysis Examples

Please also download, print, and bring to class the evaluation form which can be found HERE.

WEDNESDAY, August 1st

Giving Wednesday 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.

This is an all-hands-on-deck, all-day volunteer event. And we need YOUR help! All day, this date, we need as many volunteers as possible to help us get our re-cataloging, re-numbering, and re-labeling of our collection back on track.

Plus, we’ll provide pastries in the morning and pizza at lunch and dinner. Please come for an hour or more.

The library will be closed all day for this work party. We hope to see you!

SATURDAY, July 21st

Genealogy Problem Solvers (GPS) 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.

See details of this month’s topic above!

GPS is a monthly support group where we help each other find information about a family line. We will learn to do a reasonably exhaustive search and develop research plans. The focus will shift depending on the needs of the group. Several experienced researchers have volunteered to help. Beginners and intermediate researchers are encouraged to submit problems to work on. For more information contact Katie Daly at GPS@gfo.org.

GenTalk Voting Records: Genealogy’s Best Kept Secret 2 – 3 p.m.

Presenter: Pam Vestal

Looking for a date of birth or death? The date and court of naturalization? Where your ancestor disappeared to, or where he came from? His political outlook? Even what kind of house he lived in? Voting records may have the answer. These often-overlooked gems can be packed with genealogical information, and you won’t believe what they can tell us about our ancestors!

Pam Vestal entered the field of genealogy after a 21-year career as a professional writer. She does genealogical research for clients, has articles published in the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly, and lectures up and down the West Coast.

SUNDAY, July 22nd

Library Work Party 9 a.m. – noon

There’s lots to do and we’d love to have your help! Our work party at the GFO library today begins at 9 and work usually wraps up around noon. Some people come for just an hour or so; others work the full time. You are welcome to do either. Any time you can share is valuable. Hope to see you there.

Family Tree Maker for Beginners 1 – 3 p.m.

Laurel Smith will be giving her quarterly session on Introduction to Family Tree Maker software. This is a beginning class for Family Tree Maker users and for those considering a purchase. Laurel gives a lively fast-paced description of the program and then takes questions. Our lab class, Family Tree Maker Users’ Group, dealing with the manual in detail will meet again on August 19th.

FRIDAY, July 13th

Mexican Ancestry Group 11:30am – 1:30pm

This Friday we will continue to explore DNA testing, including our experiences with the tests and the results.

In our last meeting, everyone seemed to be very interested in this subject. If you have tested please bring your results, or if you want to share resources (books, websites) on DNA testing, please do. The group’s leader has bookmarked the major websites such as AncestryDNA, MyHeritageDNA, FamilyTreeDNA, and a new site he’s just started to explore called GEDmatch. We’ll go through the process of downloading the raw data from AncestryDNA (if you have tested with them) and then uploading to FamilyTreeDNA, MyHeritageDNA, or GEDmatch. Each will give a different result.

The group leader will also share two resources, books, for intermediate to advanced Hispanic research: Northern New Spain, A Research Guide, and Genealogical Encyclopedia of the Colonial Americas. The latter is available at the GFO library.
For questions or comments, please email Vince at sw@gfo.org.

SUNDAY, July 15th

No Work Party this Sunday Morning! See you the Sunday after.