Genealogy NOW! New Millennium Skills to Grow Your Family Tree

• What's the easiest way to digitize records and photos? 
• How do I get the most out of immigration records?
• What are the best resources for researching ancestors from the Midwest?
• Can tax lists help me in my research?
• What are the most up-to-date online search tools and tips?

The best way to do your genealogy is to learn how.

To answer these questions and many others, plan to attend the all-day Genealogy NOW! New Millennium Skills to Grow Your Family Tree seminar on Saturday, February 1, 2014, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., in San Luis Obispo. We will feature three nationally-known speakers, a full vendor display hall, and every attendee will receive a complimentary door prize ticket for a special drawing for a one year subscription to Ancestry.com!

For more information, visit http://www.slocgs.org (scroll down to Genealogy NOW!).

Direct link to 2-page schedule & registration form:
http://slocgs.org/Seminar%20Flyer%202014.pdf

Copyright by © San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society

January Meeting: Murder and Marriage!

Saturday, January 4, 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 January research class, Finding Helen Jewett: The Murder of a Prostitute in 1836 New York will be presented by Patricia Cline Cohen.

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 Radical Marriage Reform in the 1840's-1850's also presented by Patricia Cline Cohen.

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Patricia Cline Cohen teaches at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and specializes in nineteenth-century U.S. women and gender. She is the author of The Murder of Helen Jewett: The Life and Death of a Prostitute in Nineteenth-Century New York (1998) and a coauthor of The Flash Press: Sporting Male Weeklies in 1840s New York (2008). She is also a coauthor of the textbook The American Promise (4th edition, 2008). Her current research focused on the nineteenth-century health and sex reformers Mary Gove and Thomas L. Nichols, advocates of hydrotherapy, vegetarianism, sex education, and for a time, free love.

Copyright by © San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society

Special Interest Group-Genealogical Writing (SIG-GW): Group II is Open to New Members

The San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society has two very active genealogical writing groups that meet monthly. You've probably read some of our members' work in our SLOCGS Bulletin. The November issue had SIG-GW, Group I members Mary Hansen and Janelle Pond Richardson's collaborative piece, "Our Ancestors Knew One Another."

Group II's facilitator, Lynn Storrs, tells me SIG-GW, Group II has room for new members. You can find more information about the group at our website.

Most of our members joined a writing group because they want to write down their family traditions, their history, and their own personal memories for future generations--and for the siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc., who may be motivated to share their own memories once they read someone else's. One byproduct of being in a group is getting ideas on write about your own family history. For example, one of our members wrote a piece about her ancestors' party line, another about her family's musical traditions, another about a treasured photograph that had been passed down through the generations. The possibilities are endless.

If you're interested, and I hope you are, please email Lynn who can tell you more about Group II.

Happy writing!

Ginger Goodell
Facilitator of Special Interest Group--Genealogical Writing, Group I

November Meeting: Civil War Research and Source Citations

Saturday, November 2, 2013
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 October research class, Adventures in Source Citations, will be presented by Susan Goss Johnston.

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 Civil War Research: It's More than Pensions and the CMSR also presented by Susan Goss Johnston.

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Susan Goss Johnston is a 2011 ProGen alumna, a graduate of the Advanced Methodology and Evidence Analysis course at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, the National Institute on Genealogical Research, and the National Archives’ lecture and lab course, Going to the Source. She is a co-editor of the recently published Source Templates for The Master Genealogist. Her personal research focuses on families in New England and the Mid-Atlantic region, and she specializes in military records. A former Maryland resident, she now lives in California, and continues teaching basic and advanced genealogy courses there and is a frequent speaker at local meetings and conferences.

Image of the Battle of Antietam by Thure de Thulstrup (1846 - 1930) from Wikipedia Commons.

Copyright by © San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society

Spanish American War Veterans Burial Project Database Completed!

We are pleased to announce the completion of another SLOCGS project! The Spanish American War Veterans Burials of the men who came to San Luis Obispo County and passed away there has finally been completed.

In addition, all of their names and military information has been sent to the The National Spanish American War Gravesite Recording Project so their names can be added to the database.

Visit the San Luis Obispo County, California, Spanish American War Veterans Burial site at http://www.slocgs.org/slosaw.htm.

A big thank you to project volunteers Joyce and Mary for their assistance with this project!

Copyright by © San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society

Fabulous Finds at the October Meeting!

Saturday, October 5, 2013
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 October research class, Spice Up Your Family History with Pictures, will be presented by Janet Thatcher.

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 Fabulous Finds presented by Mary Hansen and other members of SLOCGS.

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

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.

Copyright by © San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society

September Meeting: Reopen and Work a Genealogical Cold Case with Lisa Louise Cooke

Saturday, September 7, 2013
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 September research class, Google Search Strategies for Common Surnames, will be presented by Lisa Louise Cooke.

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!

Also presented by Lisa Louise Cooke will be the main program, How to Reopen and Work a Genealogical Cold Case. Don't miss these two fantastic presentations by Lisa Louise Cooke!

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Lisa Louise Cooke is the owner of Genealogy Gems, a genealogy and family history multi-media company. She is producer and host of the Genealogy Gems Podcast, the popular online genealogy audio show, as well as the Family History: Genealogy Made Easy podcast, both available at www.GenealogyGems.com, in iTunes, and through the free Genealogy Gems Toolbar. Her podcasts bring genealogy news, research strategies, expert interviews and inspiration to genealogists in 75 countries around the world.

Lisa is the author of a variety of multi-media materials including the Genealogy Gems Premium website subscription, her new book The Genealogist's Google Toolbox, and Genealogy Gems: Ultimate Research Strategies (paperback, digital download, and for iPad), the DVD Google Earth for Genealogy, and Genealogy Gems Premium Audio Podcast Episode digital downloads.

In addition to Genealogy Gems, Lisa works closely with Family Tree Magazine as producer and host of the Family Tree Magazine Podcast, a regular article author for the magazine, and curriculum developer and instructor for Family Tree University. Lisa's offerings are not limited to online. She is a sought after international genealogy speaker, and produces live presentations of The Genealogy Gems Podcast at top genealogy conferences.

Whether in person or online, Lisa strives to dig through the myriad of genealogy news, questions and resources and deliver the gems that can unlock each listeners own family history treasure trove!

Copyright by © San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society