To register for an event or for more information, click the link for any event. All times are Pacific Time.
Questions? Email [email protected]

Congratulations to our own CGS member, Lisa Gorrell!  From the Erath County Genealogical Society’s November 15, 2025 Facebook post:

Lisa’s blog: https://mytrailsintothepast.blogspot.com/

We talked about blogs in this blog a few weeks ago and I will for sure be adding Lisa’s blog to my Feedly!  I hope you will, too.

Helpful Links
Events: https://www.californiaancestors.org/events-and-education/
Special Interest Groups: https://www.californiaancestors.org/special-interest-groups-for-members/
Calendar view: https://www.californiaancestors.org/cgs_calendar/
Tips & Talk: Oakland FamilySearch Center Family History Classes: https://www.familysearch.org/en/centers/oakland_california/classes

To register for an event or for more information, click the link for any event. All times are Pacific Time.
Questions? Email [email protected]

I just can’t help but give a shout-out to our own Jukebox Genealogy.  Because it’s my favorite.  My very favorite.  I can’t wait to share with you all in the next Genealogy Jukebox about my DNA findings, which reveal that I was once not Italian at all.  Then I was 25% Italian.

This month’s question is have you made an exciting discovery through DNA testing?

There are often great deals on DNA testing, so I highly recommend even if you are certain you are 0% Italian…

Send your story (300 words or less) to [email protected].

Helpful Links
Events: https://www.californiaancestors.org/events-and-education/
Special Interest Groups: https://www.californiaancestors.org/special-interest-groups-for-members/
Calendar view: https://www.californiaancestors.org/cgs_calendar/
Tips & Talk: Oakland FamilySearch Center Family History Classes: https://www.familysearch.org/en/centers/oakland_california/classes

To register for an event or for more information, click the link for any event. All times are Pacific Time.
Questions? Email [email protected]

I don’t usually spend time touting other Societies’ presentations, but this one by the Napa Valley Genealogical Society and Library is too good not to give a shout-out.  Many years ago, I took a two-day course with Thomas MacEntee on the very subject of Genealogy Do-Over.  I don’t think it was trademarked at the time, but it is now!

What a fantastic methodology for getting your genealogy on a firm footing to move forward.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, and if I weren’t attending a conference all week, I might have considered calling in sick to revisit!  If you have a couple of hours on Thursday,  I personally highly recommend!

When: Thursday, November 20, 2025 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Where: Via Zoom (or you can attend in person in Napa)
To Register: https://napagensoc.org/event-6397857

Genealogy Do-Over™
A Year of Learning from Mistakes

Presented by Thomas MacEntee

It isn’t often that we get a “do-over” when it comes to stuff that matters in life. When you first got started researching your family history, did you do some things that now are just plain “embarrassing” such as name collecting, not citing sources and more? Well now there’s hope since genealogists from beginner to advanced are employing new research methodologies and documentation practices.

Follow genealogist Thomas MacEntee as he basically starts his genealogy research from scratch but includes sound research practices and methodologies as well as new templates, tools, and the latest technology for better family history research.

Thomas MacEntee is a Baby Boomer guy with a love of punk rock music but also art history who somehow “fell” into the technology industry almost 40 years ago, and then left a lucrative IT career to pursue his love of family history and genealogy. Technology and historical research are opposites, but “tech people” like Thomas are needed to guide today’s genealogists through the maze of options so they can deploy the best apps and devices to break down research brick walls. Thomas MacEntee: author, educator, advocate, entrepreneur, and that “genealogy guy” who helps you accomplish your family history goals.

Helpful Links
Events: https://www.californiaancestors.org/events-and-education/
Special Interest Groups: https://www.californiaancestors.org/special-interest-groups-for-members/
Calendar view: https://www.californiaancestors.org/cgs_calendar/
Tips & Talk: Oakland FamilySearch Center Family History Classes: https://www.familysearch.org/en/centers/oakland_california/classes