March 5, 2016

IOOF Hall,  520 Dana Street , San Luis Obispo , CA                      Session 1 begins at 12:15                  Session 2 begins at 1:45

First up: A fun audience participation session! Our November meeting was a big hit, so we are bringing it back for March!

After our refreshment break, ( with a chance to win prizes from our drawing) find out how to get around the new Ancestry.com interface!

Session 1: Bring your questions to our second Rapid Fire Session. Write a genealogy-related question on a piece of paper to be placed in a drawing box. Questions may relate to a specific ancestor or be more general in nature. Questions will be addressed, first by the audience, next by moderator(s), accessing the expertise of everyone in the room. You will go home with new techniques and resources to build your family tree. Any topic welcome! Examples: immigrant origins, Chicago research, locating vital records, DNA testing, censuses, best subscription websites, German research, computer programs, genealogy education, online family trees, free genealogy online, local resources, and so on. 

Join us during our break, enjoy refreshments and get to know your fellow genealogists!

Enter our drawing for a chance to win a 6 month subscription for Ancestry.com!

Session 2: Negotiating the New Interface at Ancestry.com by Cafi Cohen.

Cafi has served as Education Chair of the SLO County Genealogical Society for about 15 years. For more than 10 years she has presented dozens of sessions, both locally and regionally. Her favorite presentation topics focus on problem solving and methodology. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society and the Souther California Genealogical Society.

Coming up for our April 2, 2016 monthly meeting:

Special guest presenter Sheila Benedict! http://slocgs.org/#apr2016

February 6, 2016

IOOF Hall,  520 Dana Street , San Luis Obispo , CA 

Session 1 begins at 12:15                  Session 2 begins at 1:45

Session 1: Dating Photographs by Eva Ulz, Curator of the SLO History Center. 

Historic photographs provide a compelling picture of the past, and can often tell us a great deal about the people and places they represent. Learn to date photographs by identifying the technology used to create them and examining clues within the image. 

Eva Ulz is the curator of the History Center of San Luis Obispo County. She has worked in museums on both coasts, filling positions in education, communications, and collections care. Ulz curated three exhibits blending historic and fine art photography, including “Memento Mori: the Birth and Resurection of Postmortem Photography,” featured in the New York Times Magazine blog.

Session 2: A Treasure Trove of Resources in Genealogical Society Collections by Cafi Cohen.

Cafi has served as Education Chair of the SLO County Genealogical Society for about 15 years. For more than 10 years she has presented dozens of sessions, both locally and regionally. Her favorite presentation topics focus on problem solving and methodology. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society and the Souther California Genealogical Society.

Please join us for our March monthly meeting! First up: A fun audience participation session! Our November meeting was a big hit, so we are bringing it back for March!

After our refreshment break, find out how to get around the new Ancestry.com interface!

Session 1: Bring your questions to our second Rapid Fire Session. Write a genealogy-related question on a piece of paper to be placed in a drawing box. Questions may relate to a specific ancestor or be more general in nature. Questions will be addressed, first by the audience, next by moderator(s), accessing the expertise of everyone in the room. 

You will go home with new techniques and resources to build your family tree. 

Any topic welcome! Examples: immigrant origins, Chicago research, locating vital records, DNA testing, censuses, best subscription websites, German research, computer programs, genealogy education, online family trees, free genealogy online, local resources, and so on. 

Session 2: Negotiating the New Interface at Ancestry.com by Cafi Cohen.

January 2, 2016

IOOF Hall,  520 Dana Street 

San Luis Obispo  

Session 1 begins at 12:15                  Session 2 begins at 1:45

Session 1: The Hidden World of Facebook Groups for Genealogists: Finding Groups to Help Your Research by Mary Adler Hansen.

Want a document translated? Have a question about Grandma’s hometown? Need someone to identify the weird object on Uncle Ron’s desk? Join a group on Facebook and find your answer! Learn how to access the hidden world of Facebook genealogy groups!

Mary Hansen is a native of San Luis Obispo who has been researching her family tree for over a decade. She enjoys connecting with family and finding cousins through Facebook. She receives notifications from several major genealogy sites on a daily basis, which helps her stay on top of what classes are offered online, and the latest news in the genealogy world. Mary is the Social Media Chair for our society.

Nancy Loe

Session 2:   Managing Your Digital Research by Nancy Loe. 

Lost in a sea of digital files and paper? Can’t find the records you know you have? Searching for a better way to organize your work? This presentation uses the techniques and principles of professional archivists to organize your genealogical research. Topics covered include using controlled vocabulary to organize and retrieve your records, file-naming conventions for scanned documents and downloads; file folder structure; and authority files. More info: http://slocgs.org/#jan2016

Nancy Loe is a professional archivist, librarian, and genealogist, with master's degrees in American History and in Library Science. She was director of special collections and archives at Cal Poly for nearly three decades. Nancy has appeared on PBS's "American Experience" and "California Gold," and at Rootstech and the SoCal Jamboree. Her website, Sassyjanegenealogy.com, was featured in the Jan-Feb 2014 of  Family Tree Magazine's “Social Media Mavericks: 40 to Follow.”

Coming up on February 6, 2016:

Session 1: Dating Photographs by Eva Ulz, Curator of the SLO History Center. 

Session 2: Hidden legacies: Rescuing the past of two San Luis Obispo’s pioneer families who ‘vanished’ from our region by Dan Krieger. 

Saturday, November 7, 2015

IOOF Hall, 520 Dana Street, San Luis Obispo  

Session 1 begins at 12:15                  Session 2 begins at 1:45

Session 1: Rapid Fire Genealogy by Cafi Cohen and others.

Bring your questions to our first Rapid Fire Session. Write a genealogy-related question on a piece of paper to be placed in a drawing box. Questions may relate to a specific ancestor or be more general in nature. Questions will be addressed, first by the audience, next by moderator(s), accessing the expertise of everyone in the room. 

You will go home with new techniques and resources to build your family tree. 

Any topic welcome! Examples: immigrant origins, Chicago research, locating vital records, DNA testing, censuses, best subscription websites, German research, computer programs, genealogy education, online family trees, free genealogy online, local resources, and so on. 

Attend either Group I (for novices and intermediate researchers) or Group II (for advanced researches, defined as those who can list the elements of the Genealogical Proof Standard and who have written at least one source-cited narrative). 

Session 2: Publish Before You Perish by Janet Solverson Thatcher. 

In academia, aspiring professors must "publish or perish" if they hope to advance to full professor status. Family historians must think of ways to be certain their "finds" and the conclusions they've reached about their family ancestry will live beyond them. Janet will give us all ideas for different ways to go about this.

Janet Solverson Thatcher has been researching and writing about her family for twelve years. She is a member of San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society and an Emeritus Professor of Finance at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. 

See you on January 2, 2016 at our next monthly meeting! 

Session 1: The Hidden World of Facebook Groups for Genealogists: Finding Groups to Help Your Research by Mary Adler Hansen

Session 2:   Managing Your Digital Research by Nancy Loe. 

                                           Saturday May 2, 2015

                                     IOOF Hall, 520 Dana Street, San Luis Obispo       

                                         Session 1 begins at 12:15                  Session 2 begins at 1:45

             Lisa Lee, Professional Genealogist

Session 1: Why You’re Probably Missing a Mother Lode of Information From City Directories and How To Turn it Around and Strike Gold 

Session 2: Three Common Dangers Family Historians Face That Cause Them to Struggle With Online Research – And How to Overcome These Forever  

Lisa B. Lee, professional genealogist, is owner of GotGenealogy.com, a Web site designed to help genealogists make the most of their online searches. A graduate of the National Institute for Genealogical Studies (University of Toronto), she obtained her PLCGS with certificates in U.S., Canadian and Irish genealogy and methodology. Ms. Lee publishes monthly newsletter, the Got Genealogy Gazette, which is chock full of ways you can make the most of your online family research. She invites you to check out her Web site, GotGenealogy.com, and join her on FaceBook at www.facebook.com/got.genealogy. She may be contacted at Lisa@GotGenealogy.com 

For more information about Lisa Lee, see our website at : http://slocgs.org/index.html#may2015

© San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society

May Meeeting: SLO History and Ellis Island Immigrants

Ellis Island's Immigrant Landing Station, February 24, 1905

Saturday, May 3, 2014
Research Class: 12:15 PM
Main Program: 1:45 PM

Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Hall
520 Dana Street
San Luis Obispo, California




The May research class, The History Center of San Luis Obispo County: Organization, Resources, and Genealogy Research, will be presented by Jill Fletcher. From this overview of local historical society activities, learn what types of sources might be waiting for you at historical societies throughout the United States!

Following the research class will be a brief business meeting at 1:00 PM, followed by snacks and time for chatting with other members. Don't miss the drawings for some excellent prizes!

The main program will be Coming to America: Castle Garden, Ellis Island, and Your Immigrant Ancestors presented by Nancy Loe.

*   *   *

Jill Fletcher is the museum manager of the History Center of San Luis Obispo County. Jill grew up in New England. Residing in the Lexington/Concord area of Massachusetts for most of her childhood, she developed an interest in the rich history and literature of the area. After high school she moved to California and worked in the entertainment industry for 13 years and eventually ended up doing legal research for film and television. After leaving Los Angeles, she worked as a legal assistant in Colorado. She has also lived in New York City, Iowa, and Ojai, California. She moved to San Luis Obispo in 2008. Jill started working at the History Center in 2009 as the volunteer coordinator. One of her goals is to connect all of the county history organizations so that they can share resources and network.

Nancy Loe is a professional archivist, librarian, and genealogist, with master's degrees in American History and in Library Science. She was director of special collections and archives at Cal Poly for nearly three decades. Nancy has appeared on PBS's American Experience and California Gold, and at Rootstech and the SoCal Jamboree. Her website, sassyjanegenealogy.com, was featured in the Jan-Feb 2014 issue of Family Tree Magazine's "Social Media Mavericks: 40 to Follow." Nancy is working on her own family tree in Norway, Sweden, Scotland, Austria, Prussia, and New Zealand, as well as the United States.

* Photo above from Wikipedia Commons

Copyright by © San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society

April Meeting: Questions, Answers, and Big-City Research!

Saturday, April 5, 2014
Research Class: 12:15 PM
Main Program: 1:45 PM

Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Hall
520 Dana Street
San Luis Obispo, California


The April research class, Question and Answer Session, will be presented by Cafi Cohen. Bring your questions about genealogy research!

Following the research class will be a brief business meeting at 1:00 PM, followed by snacks and time for chatting with other members. Don't miss the drawings for some excellent prizes!

The main program will be Needles in Haystacks: Big-City Genealogy Research also presented by Cafi Cohen.

*   *   *

Cafi Cohen is a professional genealogy researcher, as well as the current Education Chair and past Seminar Chair of the San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society. Since 1997, she has presented many sessions on research techniques, both locally and at regional conferences. As co-owner of Bridge to Yesterday, she combines genealogy research services with book publication – "We do the research and we make it beautiful." She is a member of the National Genealogical Society and the Association of Professional Genealogists.

Copyright by © San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society