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This week’s events include a discussion of German Genealogy and members’ special interest groups on RootsMagic and Eastern European genealogy. For more information or to register, click the hyperlinks for any event. All times are Pacific Daylight Time.

Monday, August 21, 1-5 PM. Digital Archiving Committee. Volunteers needed to help digitize CGS’s unique collections so they can be made available online. Snacks and fun included! Free. To join us, email Ron Madson: [email protected]

Wednesday, August 23, 11 AM. “Tips & Talk” at the Oakland FamilySearch Center.
This week: “Beginning Your German Genealogy” with Robert Jackson. All are welcome to discuss German genealogy, including how to discover the villages of origin of your German ancestors and then using those discoveries to access centuries of records in German archives, now increasingly online. Bring your questions and specific challenges. Free.

Wednesday, August 23, 6:30 PM. RootsMagic Special Interest Group.

Saturday, August 26, 1-3 PM. Eastern European Special Interest Group. Our quarterly meeting today will be a hybrid one–join us in person if you can for socializing and snacks!

Library hours: Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturdays 10 a.m.-4 p.m. See website for details.

Helpful Links
Events: https://www.californiaancestors.org/events-and-education/
Special Interest Groups: https://www.californiaancestors.org/special-interest-groups-for-members/
Calendar View: Google calendar

Hello, everybody! Hope your August is going swimmingly. Here’s what’s happening at CGS this week.

Monday, August 14, 1-5 PM. Digital Archiving Committee. Volunteers needed to help digitize CGS’s unique collections so they can be made available online. Snacks and fun included! To join us, email Ron Madson: [email protected]

Wednesday, August 16, 11 AM. “Tips & Talk” at the Oakland FamilySearch Center.
This week: CGS board member Evan Wilson offers a look at “Fold3 Military Records.” If you want to find a record of your American or British ancestor’s military service, Fold3 is the first place you should go. Owned by Ancestry, Fold3 is a vast online collection of military records and other historical documents and photographs. The site is much more than a fancy search box, however: it allows you filter by conflict, country, and military branch, and to browse records by military unit and place. These features allow you to deepen your historical understanding and learn what you don’t yet know you don’t know. Join us for this overview of Fold3 and demonstration of how it can deepen your research or help you break through that brick wall.

Special Interest Groups for Members

Friday, August 18, 10:30 AM: Mayflower SIG.

Saturday, August 19, 10 AM: San Francisco SIG.

Saturday, August 19, 1 PM: Family Tree Maker SIG. Today’s meeting includes a Family Book Creator workshop. See details at http://ftm-sig.org/index.html.

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Library hours: Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturdays 10 a.m.-4 p.m. See website for details.

Helpful Links
Events: https://www.californiaancestors.org/events-and-education/
Special Interest Groups: https://www.californiaancestors.org/special-interest-groups-for-members/
Calendar View: Google calendar

Do you like puzzles? Are you ready to match wits with fellow genealogy enthusiasts? Come to the CGS Library on Saturday, August 12, at 1pm for a library scavenger hunt! Bring a friend! Teams of 2-3 persons will decipher clues from the catalog and elsewhere in a race to find a specific item in our large collection of books, maps, and more.

Feel free to bring a friend; this event is not just open to CGS members. There will be a suggested donation of $5 to cover refreshments. Attendees are encouraged to come to the library early or stay late to do research.

Evan Wilson, the organizer of this event, is the Recording Secretary of CGS and a professional genealogist at Ancestry®. He’s also co-leader for the CGS research trip to Salt Lake City in October. For more information, email him at [email protected].