Happy New Year! What's Happening this Winter 2018?

Happy New Year! 2018 promises to be an exciting year for genealogists. Here is a preview of what is happening in and around Tucson this winter.

Visit our website at https://azpimagensoc.org for details of these and other events.

JANUARY
Pima County Genealogy Society Special Interest Groups are all meeting in January: RootsMagic on January 6, DNA Group on January 13, and Family Tree Maker on January 20. SIGs are a benefit of PCGS membership and are open to members only. Visit our website for meeting location and times.

Top: Sherri Hessick
Bottom: Nicole Dyer

Our first meeting of the year featuring Sherri Hessick and Nicole Dyer will be on January 20 from 1 to 3 p.m. Sherri will Explore the PCGS Website, giving us tips on managing the Members only section and purchasing workshops and seminars. Nicole will answer the question How Can I Use Twitter and Other Social Media in My Genealogy Research? Non-members are welcome to attend up to two of our meetings as a guest. All attendees are eligible for the door prize.

Note Location Change for This Month’s Meeting
DATE:	Saturday, January 20, 2018
TIME:	1:00pm – 3:00pm
PLACE:	Operations Division Midtown Hardesty Multi-Service Center 1100 S. Alvernon Tucson, AZ
	Parking is free

The Pinal County Genealogists will host their 15th annual genealogy workshop in Casa Grande. All workshop information, registration forms, and lecture descriptions are at http://www.pinalctyazgen.com/workshop2018.htm.

FEBRUARY

February starts out with the annual Tucson Family History Fair on February 3 at the LDS East Stake Center, 6901 E. Kenyon Dr. The Fair opens at 8:30 a.m. with Bob Ives, Executive Director of The Family History Guide, presenting A Digital Revolution in Family History. The Fair is offering a choice between seven different classes during each of the five hour-long class sessions. The class descriptions, schedule, and handouts are on the Tucson Family History Center wiki page. 

NOTE: Handouts will not be available at the Fair. Attendees must print them in advance from the wiki page.

PCGS is back at the Banner-University Medical Center on February 17 when we will be talking about researching our German ancestors.  The Family Tree Maker members-only SIG meets from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on the same day.

The Green Valley Genealogical Society annual seminar featuring Gena Philibert-Ortega is also on February 17. Registration and details are on the GVGS website.

West Valley Genealogical Society is also hosting a seminar on February 17 with Cyndi Ingle in Sun City. Visit their website at http://azwvgs.org/seminar.asp for details and registration.



MARCH

CeCe Moore

The Pima County Genealogy Society is hosting a workshop and seminar featuring CeCe Moore, Genetic Genealogist on March 9 and 10. The March 9 workshop, I Have My Results, Now What??, is sold out. However, there are still seats available for the March 10 seminar. Seminar topics include:

• The Power of DNA
• Autosomal DNA: Discovering Your Ancestors In You
• Using Mitochondrial DNA and X-DNA for Genealogy Research
• Jefferson-Hemmings: Revealing the Truth Through DNA

CeCe Moore has never spoken outside California before. Don't miss this once in a lifetime event. Visit the PCGS seminar webpage for details and registration.

Our March 17 general meeting will feature Howard Mathieson of Winnepeg, Canada and a member of the Guild of One Name Studies, speaking on Surnames and One-Name Studies-the Origin of British Surnames.

The Family History Society of AZ is hosting their annual seminar with Thomas W. Jones on March 23 and 24 in Mesa. Details and registration are on the FHSA website. 

FREE United States and Canada Research Seminar, October 16-20, 2017

Registration is open for the upcoming week long United States and Canada Research Seminar hosted by the Family History Library in Salt Lake City on October 16-20, 2017. The seminar will be streamed online for free for those who cannot attend in person. The seminar will cover a range of topics from Border Crossings to Vital Records in both the U.S. and Canada. The classes are for beginning and intermediate genealogists interested in learning about records of U.S. and Canada localities and the Family History Library collections.

Registration is required to attend in person or online. Class descriptions, handouts, and registration is available at the FamilySearch Wiki here at this URL:    https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Family_History_Library_Classes_and_Webinars. Below is a schedule of classes (all times are in MDT, Arizona is one hour earlier):

TIME	Monday, 16 October	Tuesday, 17 October	Wednesday, 18 October	Thursday, 19 October	Friday, 20 October
9:00-10:00 AM MDT	FamilySearch Catalog	FamilySearch Wiki	FamilySearch Historical Records Collection	FamilySearch Memories	Freedman Bureau Records
10:15-11:15 AM MDT	Canada Research: Canada Census Records	Canada Research: Canada Vital Records	Canada Research: Quebec Research	Canada Research: Ontario Research	Immigration and Canadian Border Crossings
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM MDT	Are You Your Own Brick Wall: Common Genealogical Mistakes and Their Solutions	Descendancy Research	A United States Case Study	The Research Process	Ask Your United States and Canada Research Question
1:15-2:15 PM MDT	United States Vital Records	Census Techniques/Strategies	United States Land Records	Genetic Genealogy: An Introduction to DNA	Canada Research: Canada Military
2:30-3:30 PM MDT	United States Naturalization Records	United States Probate Records	Great Internet Sites for United States Research	Using LDS Church Records	Over There: World War I Over Here

Got DNA? Register Now to Explore Your DNA with CeCe Moore in Spring 2018

CeCe Moore with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Photo used with permission from CeCe Moore

Registration is officially open for our 2018 DNA event featuring Your Genetic Genealogist, CeCe Moore!

Ms. Moore will be in Tucson March 9 and 10, 2018, for a Seminar & Workshop. Both events are being held at:

Fountain of Life Lutheran Church
710 S. Kolb Road
Tucson, Arizona
(north of 22nd, just south of Kenyon, on the west side of the street)

The seminar, Explore DNA with CeCe Moore, is Saturday, March 10, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. We will explore DNA topics:

• The Power of DNA
• Jefferson-Hemmings: Revealing the Truth Through DNA
• Autosomal DNA: Discovering Your Ancestors in You
• Using Mitochondrial DNA and X-DNA for Genealogy Research

The workshop, I Have My Results, Now What??, is from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, March 9.

Registration for Saturday's seminar is open to the public now.

The workshop is limited to fifty (50) attendees. The first two weeks of registration for the workshop are open to PCGS members only.  If space is still available, registration will be open to the public on September 3, 2017. Please check back on our website then.

You must be logged in with your PCGS member account to see the worskhop registration page and to receive the discounted member pricing.

Visit the PCGS Marketplace on our website at https://azpimagensoc.org/ to register for this exciting weekend with CeCe Moore.

Registration deadline is February 17, 2018.

FREE Nordic Family History Conference, September 11-15, 2017

Registration is open for the upcoming week long Nordic Family History Conference hosted by the Family History Library in Salt Lake City on September 11-15, 2017. The conference will be streamed online for free for those who cannot attend in person. The conference will cover a range of topics from Arkiv Digital to Danish tax records. The classes are for beginning and intermediate genealogists interested in learning about records of Nordic localities and the Family History Library collections.

Registration is required to attend in person or online. Class descriptions, handouts, and registration is available at the FamilySearch Wiki here at this URL: https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Nordic_Family_History_Conference. Below is a schedule of classes (all times are in MDT, Arizona is one hour earlier):

TIME	Monday, 11 September	Tuesday, 12 September	Wednesday, 13 September	Thursday, 14 September	Friday, 15 September
9:00-10:00 AM MDT	2017 Is the Year of Nordic Records! Learn What's Coming!	What's New in Arkiv Digital	Probate Laws and Records for Swedish Genealogy	Norwegian Church Records	Danish Estates
10:15-11:15 AM MDT	Panel Q&A: The Who, What, Where, Why, and How of Nordic Records on FamilySearch	Name Searchable Databases in Arkiv Digital	Databases for Swedish Genealogy	Norway: We're Getting Married! Traditions and Records.	Little Used Records on the "Arkivalieronline"
1:15-2:15 PM MDT	Exploring the Feast-Day Calendars for Norway, Denmark, and Sweden	Swedish Naming Customs	Introduction to Icelandic Church and Census Records	"Lensrekneskapsbøker" in Norway	Painting a Picture of Your Danish Ancestors Through Their Tax Records
2:30-3:30 PM MDT	Scandinavian-American Resources	Military Records in Arkiv Digital	“Finnish Immigration and Methodology: How to tackle Finnish challenges”	Norwegian Migration and Immigration	Research in Copenhagen

Si, Si, CeCe Moore!

PCGS is proud to announce that the featured speaker for our 2018 seminar will be the Genetic Genealogist herself, CeCe Moore!

CeCe Moore is the genetic genealogy consultant for the popular PBS television series Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Her work has also been featured on 20/20, Genealogy Roadshow, Nightline, Good Morning America, The Dr. Oz Show, Crime Watch Daily, Nancy Grace, CBS This Morning and The Doctors, as well as being quoted in many online and print publications. Her primary focus is promoting genetic genealogy education and sharing positive stories about the power of genetic genealogy through the media. CeCe is the co-founder of the Institute for Genetic Genealogy and has written the popular blog Your Genetic Genealogist since 2010.

Ms. Moore will be in Tucson on Saturday, March 10, 2018, for an all-day DNA seminar. Her talks will span beginning, intermediate, and advanced tools for incorporating DNA into your family history research process.

This seminar promises to be a very popular one and will probably sell out quickly. Keep an eye out on our blog for upcoming details and registration information when they become available.

By entering your email in the "Follow by Email" field to your right, you will receive an email when new articles are published on this blog including additional information on next year's seminar!

FREE Western European Family History Conference

FamilySearch is again hosting free online research seminars.

The first is the Western European Family History Conference on May 15-19, 2017. This seminar is for anyone who has German, French, Belgium, Dutch, Swiss, and Luxembourger ancestry. It is 5 days of classes in order to help you find your ancestors. You can attend in person or online. Registration is required to attend in person or online. Check out the FamilySearch Wiki for registration, class descriptions and handout links herehttps://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Western_European_Family_History_Conference. Below is a schedule of classes (all times are in MDT, Arizona is one hour earlier):

TIME	Monday, 15 May	Tuesday, 16 May	Wednesday, 17 May	Thursday, 18 May	Friday, 19 May
Germany	France	The Low Countries	The Netherlands	Switzerland
9:00-10:00 AM MDT	Finding German Places of Origin	Finding Your French Ancestors Online, part 1 (FamilySearch and Ancestry)	Latin for Researchers	Names in Belgium and the Netherlands	Beginning Swiss Research
10:15-11:15 AM MDT	Spelling Variations in German Given and Place Names	Finding Your French Ancestors Online, part 2 (FranceGenWeb)	Calendar Changes in France, Germany, Switzerland and the Low Countries	WieWasWie, Past the Index: What to do Next	Swiss Maps and Gazetteers
11:30 AM-12:30 PM MDT	Meyer's Gazetteer Now Online, Indexed and Fully Searchable!	Finding Your French Ancestors Online, part 3 (Geneanet)	Gazetteers and Maps for Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands	Dutch Provincial and City Research	Swiss Archives Online Records
2:00-3:00 PM MDT	German Church Records and Beyond: Deepen Your Research Using a Variety of Town Records	Out of the Ashes of Paris	Beginning Research in Luxembourg	Dutch Research Before 1811	Swiss Census Records
3:15-4:15 PM MDT	Elusive Immigrant: Methods of Proving Identity	Research in Alsace-Lorraine	Beginning Research in Belgium	Finding Your Family in the Amazing Online Amsterdam City Archives	Swiss Chorgericht Records

Save the date for two upcoming week long seminars:

• September 11-15, 2017, Nordic Research Seminar
• October 2-6, 2017, U.S. Research Seminar

Tracing Your Irish and Scots-Irish Ancestors Seminar

Emigrants Leave Ireland by Henry Edward Doyle 1868
[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

 

Fintan Mullan and Gillian Hunt of the Ulster Historical Foundation will be presenting a two-day seminar on March 3 and 4, 2017 at the Irish Cultural Center and McClelland Library in Phoenix, Arizona.

Many Irish records were destroyed in 1922, making researching your Irish ancestors very difficult. But many other records survived and have recently come online.

Different topics on Irish and Scots-Irish research will be presented each day of the seminar. Advance registration is required and must be made for each day separately. Click here to visit the Irish Cultural Center and McClelland Library website for details and to register.

Free Weeklong Seminars

That's right, they are free! FamilySearch is hosting two week long seminars that you can participate  either in person or viewed as a live webinar from the comfort of your home. And the best part is that it is 100% FREE!

Registration is required whether you will attend in person or online. Space is limited. All attendees will receive a free spiral bound syllabus containing all class handouts and materials. Webinar attendees will be able to print the handouts at home.

The United States seminar will be held on August 22-26, 2016. This seminar is for "beginning and intermediate genealogists interested in learning about U.S. regions and records, FamilySearch resources, and Family History Library collections." All classes, except the hands-on activities will be broadcast live to registered webinar participants. Below is the schedule of classes (all times are in MDT, Arizona is one hour earlier):

TIME	Monday, 22 August	Tuesday, 23 August	Wednesday, 24 August	Thursday, 25 August	Friday, 26 August
8:30-9:30 AM MDT	Using the Family History Catalog Effectively	Tips and Tricks for Using FamilySearch's Historical Records Collection	FamilySearch Research Wiki	FamilySearch Memories	Cousin Research
9:45-11:15 AM MDT	United States Research: New England Region	United States Research: Mid-South Region	United States Research: Midwest Region	United States Research: Pacific States Region	United States Research: Big City Research
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM MDT	Personal Research or Finding a Family in pre-1859 Census Records	Personal Research or Land Records, Understanding a Deed	Personal Research or Know a Little, Learn a Lot	Personal Research or Records Tell a Story	Personal Research or Tackling a Brick Wall
1:15-2:15 PM MDT	United States Census Techniques and Strategies for Finding Elusive Ancestors	Immigration into the United States	United States Naturalization	United States Land Records	United States Probate Records
2:30-4:00 PM MDT	United States Research: Mid-Atlantic Region	United States Research: Gulf South Region	United States Research: Great Plains Region	United States Research: Mountain West Region	Round Table Discussion

For more information and to register, visit the FamilySearch Blog Free Weeklong United States Seminar.

The European seminar will be held on September 12-16, 2016 and is for both beginning and intermediate researchers of records in European localities. The classes will discuss census, church, immigration, and vital records for countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Russia and Poland. Below is the schedule of classes (all times are in MDT, Arizona is one hour earlier):

TIME	Monday, 12 September	Tuesday, 13 September	Wednesday, 14 September	Thursday, 15 September	Friday, 16 September
9:00-10:00 AM MDT	Finding German Ancestors Online-Resources and Records	Old German Script Part 1	Poland and Galicia Jewish Research: A Template for East European Research Part 1	Research in the Czech Republic	Bessarabia Then and Now: Researching our ancestors and locating helpful resources
	LAB: Swiss Names and Places
10:15-11:15 AM MDT	Internet Sources for Locating Your 19th Century German Emigrant	Old German Script Part 2	Poland and Galicia Jewish Research: A Template for East European Research Part 2	Russian Alphabet, Language and Handwriting Part 1	Russian Germans in North Caucasus
11:30 AM-12:30 PM MDT	Introduction to Swiss Research	Extracting Information from German Church and Civil Records	Discovering Polish Websites	Russian Alphabet, Language and Handwriting Part 2	The Volga German Settlements in Russia
		LAB: Kartenmeister.com Finding Places in the former German Area of Poland	LAB: Genteam.at - a necessity when researching in the Czech Republic and Austria
2:00-3:00 PM MDT	German Research Strategies for Eastern Provinces	German Census Records 1816-1916	Co Kraj, to Obyczaj: Records of the Polish Partitions	On Eagle's Wings: Records of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Republics	Latin for Genealogists
3:15-4:15 PM MDT	Research in German Archives	German Historical Maps and Territories	Sources for Polish Research and Gazetteers	Introduction to Russian Research

Visit the FamilySearch Wiki 2016 European Family History Conference for details and registration.

Don't forget to visit the Family History Library Classes and Webinars page on the FamilySearch Wiki to view past recorded webinars and a schedule of upcoming webinars hosted by the Family History Library.

Announcing Local Seminars, Conferences, and Educational Opportunities

February and March have always been busy months for genealogists in Southern Arizona. The Pima County Genealogy Society received notification of two conferences and one seminar coming up. All of these events require registration and have a registration deadline.

The Mesa FamilySearch Library is offering two mini-Family History conferences in response to our "need for more training." Below is the announcement:

The Mesa AZ FamilySearch Library is pleased to announce two Family History Conferences coming up in February and March, 2016.  The first conference will be held on Saturday, February 20, at the Red Mountain Institute building on the Maricopa Community College Red Mountain campus.  This facility is located near the 202 and McKellips Road, at 7126 E McKellips Road, Mesa.  The second conference will be held on Saturday, March 12, at the Peoria North LDS Stake Center on 22034 North 83^rd Avenue in Peoria.  Both conferences will offer classes from morning through late afternoon.  Lunches may be purchased.  Register online now for the February 20^th conference at www.mesafsl.org.  Registration for the March 12^th conference will be available in mid-February.  Please join us.

The following is a press release from the West Valley Genealogical Society about their upcoming seminar:

The West Valley Genealogical Society & Library will hold their annual seminar on February 27, 2016: 9:00 AM-3:30 PM at Lakeview United Methodist Church,10298 W. Thunderbird  Blvd, Sun City.  Rick and Pam Sayre will be the featured speakers.  They are both Certified Genealogists and Lecturers and are Fellows of Utah Genealogical Association. This dynamic duo will present their exclusive "Maps, Wonderful Maps" in an interactive session covering everything you need to know about using maps for family research.  An additional topic, "The Serial Set, American State Papers, and Territorial Papers" explores the foundation publications of the United States government and how to use these documents in an effective research plan.  With “Our National Treasure: The Library of Congress” we’ll learn how to research the vast holdings of our government….all without leaving home!  This is an all-inclusive seminar with breakfast, lunch, grand door prizes, and fabulous raffle baskets. The Society will also hold their Annual Duplicate Book Sale offering valuable, gently used, genealogy titles covering a wide range of topics…payment by cash or check. Please join us.  This premier event promises to have something for everyone from the novice to advanced researcher!  See www.azwvgs.org click Events or Store to register by February 18, 2016.

In addition, the West Valley Genealogical Society announced the following educational opportunities:

The West Valley Genealogical Society, 12222 N. 111 Ave, Youngtown, is offering the following educational opportunities.  Registration is required: see www.azwvgs.org click Store or Events/Classes for more details. PH; 623-9334945.

March 4, 2016: Family History Research in Salt Lake City, 10:00 AM - 12 Noon. This class covers everything you need to know about preparing for a research trip to the Family History Library.  In addition to covering an overview of the facility and its vast resources, you'll learn: what items to take and best practices for setting research objectives. If you don't have immediate plans to travel to the Family History Library, you're still welcome to attend this informative class in order to prepare for a future family research trip.

March 9, 16, 23, 30, 2016: Research Techniques II, 1:00 - 3:00 PM. This four session class is open to everyone, however, it is designed to build on your existing research skills.  An experienced genealogist will guide you through in-depth research using multiple resources such as land, church, immigration and naturalization records.  Also covers military and probate records and much more.

March 15, 2016: What to do with Your Genealogy Research, 1:00 - 3:00 PM.  This class centers on gathering and organizing your personal genealogical collection such as family heirlooms and books.  Also covers the importance of designating assignment to your heirs and why you should write your own obituary!   Learn how to find your way through estate auctions and to understand the heirloom appraisal process.

D. Joshua Taylor appearing in Green Valley February 19-20, 2016

Registration is now open for the Green Valley Genealogical Society annual seminar and workshop. Both are featuring D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS.

Taylor has appeared on several episodes of Who do You Think You Are? and is a host of the PBS series Genealogy Roadshow. He is the former Director of Education and Programs at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the current President for the Federation of Genealogical Societies, and the Business Development Manager for findmypast.

The interactive workshop on Friday, February 19, 2016, is titled The History in your family history. Participants will learn how to use history to provide a deeper context to their personal genealogical research. Visit the GVGS Workshop webpage for details and a printable reservation form.

The seminar will be held the following day on Saturday, February 20. Joshua will speak on four topics that will spark every genealogist's interest. Details and a printable reservation form can be found on the GVGS Seminar webpage.

Both events will be held at the Valley Presbyterian Church, 2800 S. Camino del Sol, Green Valley, Arizona. Seating is limited to 30 participants for the workshop and to the first 100 registrants for the seminar.

Mark your calendars - Green Valley Genealogical Society announces Judy Russell as their seminar speaker Feb 2015

Saturday, February 21, 2015   9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Green Valley Genealogical Society, Valley Presbyterian Church, 2800 S. Camino del Sol, Green Valley.

SEMINAR: "GENEALOGY and THE LAW" by Judy Russell, Certified Genealogical Lecturer

TOPICS: That First Trip to the Courthouse: Not everything is available online.  How to prepare, what to expect, what to ask for, and how to be sure you'll be welcomed back are explored in this lecture.

Don't Forget the Ladies – A Genealogist's Guide to Women and the Law: In early America, women were relegated to “protected” – second-class – status.  Understanding how they were treated under the law provides clues to finding their identities today.

From Blackstone to the Statutes at Large – How Knowing the Law Makes Us Better Genealogists: To understand why our ancestors did what they did, we need to understand the law that governed their lives in so many ways.

Beyond X and Y -- The Promise and Pitfalls of Autosomal DNA Testing: Learn more about this exciting addition to the toolkit of 21st century genealogists.

Judy Russell is a genealogist with a law degree. She is a Certified Genealogist and Certified Genealogical Lecturer who lectures on a wide variety of genealogical topics, ranging from using court records in family history to understanding DNA testing.  Judy currently serves as a Trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, and she is a member of the National Genealogical Society, the Association of Professional Genealogists, and several state genealogical societies. She has also written extensively for several national publications.

The seminar fee is $35 for members, $40 for non-members.  Registration is required, byFebruary 7. More information and a registration form will soon be posted on our website (www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~azgvgs/, or just Google "azgvgs"). Questions may be directed to Linda Hanson at (520)396-3701 (e-mail: hanson_24013@)msn.com).