Blog | California Genealogical Society

by Debbie Mascot (3/17/2025)

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 was sadly unable to join the 15,000 other genealogists at RootsTech this year. It’s on my bucket list, but every year I say, “Maybe next year.” Luckily, there are hundreds of online sessions from this year! With the theme of DISCOVERY, it’s clear that the focus is on finding your “thing”.

A fun thing to do is to go through the list and create your own sessions:

Do you have two hours? How about a mini-DNA seminar:

DNA Testing Simplified Tools and Tips– 10 minutes
How Does DNA Fit into Your Family Story– 1 hour
Finding Sarah’s Family– 45 minutes

Have a full day? Plan a full day of genealogy sessions! You can also create a list of mini sessions for inspiration for when you aren’t sure what you want to do. The possibilities are endless and I’d love to hear what some of your favorite recordings are. And if you attended RootsTech this year, what did you think?

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

Upcoming at CGS

by Debbie Mascot (3/14/2025)

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

One of the benefits of a CGS membership is the opportunity to network and meet with other genealogists. Last year, our Membership Committee, under the leadership of Jane Lindsey, piloted in-person meetings for several regional areas. They were met with enthusiasm.
Members gather together in homes, public libraries, cafes and even community rooms in condominium units. A facilitator leads the discussion as members share research topics, common interests, new resources discovered in an informal setting. Friendships have developed along with partnerships in resources and a better understanding of the many benefits available to CGS members. Members who have attended, frequently ask when they will be meeting again.

In February and March, six new Member Regional Gatherings have been launched. We will begin having a section in the Friday Next Week blog posts to remind you of these, but please mark your calendars.
• Martinez: March 20
• Lamorinda: April 8

If interested in one of these or another Regional Gathering in your area, please contact Kim Farnham-Flom (mailto:[email protected]).

San Francisco Special Interest Group (SIG)
San Francisco has so many nuances to genealogical research that it helps to know an expert. Join this SIG to meet several! It doesn’t matter if you are new to genealogy or an old hat, find your family story in the City of Love.
When: Saturday, March 15, 2025 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Where: Virtually via Zoom
Cost: Free to CGS members
How to Register: Contact [email protected]

Family Tree Maker Special Interest Group (SIG)
Are you using the popular Family Tree Maker software to keep track of your genealogy findings? Are you new and looking for a program to use? Are you just wanting to know more about it? Join this great SIG for a plethora of topics this January, including a new release, and all things cemetery, including citations (which some may find more frightening than a cemetery!).
When: Saturday, March 15, 2025 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Where: Virtually via Zoom or in person at the CGS Library
Cost: Free to CGS members
How to Register: Register through the FTM-SIG website (https://ftm-sig.org/index.html)

Special Event:
Excel for Genealogists
Live online via Zoom or members may view recording on our website.

Stewart loves spreadsheets! He uses spreadsheets at work every day as an IT Manager. He is an expert in Microsoft Excel using it in genealogy quite frequently. Laying out all the data in Excel can help researchers see gaps in knowledge or correlations between data points. Breakthroughs can easily happen by visualizing data in spreadsheets. Stewart shows many examples of his use of spreadsheets to track newspaper clippings, a vital records catalog, tracking ancestor addresses over time, and tracking whole families over many censuses. Stewart will teach how to use Excel filter, sorting, color coding, calculations and many other functions.

Spreadsheets are fun!

This event is presented live. Some events may be recorded for CGS use.
When: Saturday, March 22, 2025 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free for Members
How to Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/excel-for-genealogists-registration-1210148419499

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/
Recordings for Members: https://www.californiaancestors.org/videos_for_cgs_members/
Tips & Talk: Oakland FamilySearch Center Family History Classes: https://www.familysearch.org/en/centers/oakland_california/classes

Focus on: Irish Ancestry Special Interest Group

by Debbie Mascot (3/12/2025)

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

The CGS Irish Ancestry Special Interest Group (SIG) meets quarterly, with the next meeting being in June. These member-only meetings are hybrid via Zoom or in person. They share successes, problem-solving, online learning and other resources. They have their own CGS site and Facebook page (https://www.californiaancestors.org/special-interest-groups-for-members/).

September will feature a noted speaker so save the date now! Saturday, September 27, 2025.

Speaker Susan McKee was born and raised in Dublin, giving her a unique perspective to Irish family research, and combining her native understanding of Irish culture with professional genealogical expertise. Now residing in Seattle, she serves as a contributing writer for Irish Roots magazine and facilitates the Irish Special interest Group at the Seattle Genealogical Society.