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To register or for more information, click the link for any event. All times are Pacific Time.

Tuesday, April 30, 11 AM: “HistoryGeo” with Debbie Hunt. (Rescheduled from March.) Debbie discusses how to use the groundbreaking HistoryGeo website to link maps and land records to your ancestors. Part of the weekly “Tips & Talk” series at the Oakland FamilySearch Center. Held in person and via Zoom. Free. Please preregister.

Tuesday, April 30, 6:30 PM: Member Connections Workshop. For CGS members! The Member Connections feature is a unique way to share your genealogical interests and connect with others. It’s open to all members regardless of experience. Stewart Traiman leads you through the steps to set up your own profile and find others with similar interests. Free. Via Zoom.

Saturday, May 4, 10 AM: Intro to Genealogy. NEW this month! – Hybrid class, held in person at the CGS Library and via Zoom. One in a four-part series on the foundations of genealogical research, for beginners or those wanting to brush up on their skills. Today: “Genealogy Basics.” Overview includes discussion of the census, vital records, and organizing your work. Free. Please preregister.

Library hours: Thursday through Saturday 10 AM – 2PM

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

Have you ever found yourself at a class or conference and had the surprise of meeting someone who was researching the same small town or the same unusual family name?

Since the pandemic, it’s been a lot harder to make those in-person connections.  But now CGS members can find that serendipity virtually with our Member Connections tool. This is a benefit for CGS members, open to all interests and levels of expertise.

Join a free Zoom presentation on Tuesday, April 30, at 6:30 p.m. Stewart Traiman will walk you through getting set up and finding other members with similar interests and members who are willing to help with those thorny questions and brick walls.

Register by clicking below for the Zoom interactive session and learn about all the possibilities of making your CGS membership expand your resources and network.

Click here to register!

To register or for more information, click the link for any event. All times are Pacific Time.

There are a variety of classes and activities to choose from this week! Two special workshops are offered this SATURDAY, APRIL 27, each with a different focus to help you with your family history needs.

10 AM – 2 PM: “Digitize Your Family Photos and Stories” with Vivid-Pix CEO Rick Voight.The CGS library has a powerful new overhead scanner, available to visitors during library hours. This workshop is a special treat! Rick Voight will demonstrate how to use our Vivid-Pix Memory Station to restore old photos, and pair them with your recorded family stories for future generations. Bring your photos and stories! Note: For more details and to register, visit this link.

11 AM – 12:30 PM “Excel for Genealogists.” CGS member Stewart Traiman returns with his popular class on using spreadsheets to organize and advance your genealogy research. 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 how to use Excel filters, sorting, coding, and other functions.

ALSO:
April 23 & 24:  “Tips and Talk” at the Oakland FamilySearch Center. In person and via Zoom. All presentations are free; please preregister. To reserve your space, go to the Tips & Talk Event page and click at the top of the page on the date of the event you want to attend.
This week:

Tuesday, April 23, 11:00 am: “How to Series: Navigating My Heritage.” Experienced researcher and former OFSC director Bruce McLeod gives a comprehensive overview of the MyHeritage website and its many genealogy resources. From their “Deep Story” and photo enhancements to DNA analysis to tree consistency checkers to over 19 billion historical records, there is much to use on this site. Learn how to navigate the MyHeritage Library Edition available at the OFSC and get some tips on using a MyHeritage personal subscription.

Wednesday, April 24, 11 AM & 6:30 PM. “DNA Part 3 of 3 – Breaking Through Genealogy Brick Walls: How to Focus Your DNA Matches to Solve Family History Mysteries” OFSC volunteer Sue Severson concludes her 3-part series on using DNA in genealogy research.

And don’t forget–
Tuesday, April 30, 6:30 – 7:30 PM. Member Connections Workshop. Just for members! Learn how to use our “Member Connections” feature, a fun and easy way for CGS members to find and connect with others who share their interests. It’s open to all CGS members, at any level of experience. Stewart Traiman talks you through the feature step by step.

The following Special Interest Groups are meeting this week:

Monday, April 22: DNA Skills SIG
Wednesday, April 24: RootsMagic SIG

Library hours: Thursday through Saturday, 10 AM-2PM

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