What is the California Genealogical Society?

Learn about the California Genealogical Society –.what we do, our library, membership benefits, classes, field trips and special interest groups.

CGS Website & Library – CGS Member Chris Pattillo Video

Chris Pattillo, chair of the Website Content Committee and the Library Committee, gives the Placer County Genealogical Society and extensive and informative tour of what’s available on the CGS website and in the library.

CGS Member Connections Tutorial – CGS Member Stewart Traiman Video

CGS Member Connections is a member benefit allowing you to connect one-on-one with other CGS members who have interests matching yours. This tutorial will show you how to setup your profile and how to search other member profiles for that right research partnership..

CGS YouTube Channel

For more free video content, check out our CGS YouTube Channel..

Other Videos

See additional videos related to CGS produced by other genealogical groups.

FamilySearch Records | California Genealogical Society

California Genealogical Society works with FamilySearch to provide free online access to the records of funeral homes in the San Francisco area. These records are among the few collections that date back prior to 1906 and the San Francisco earthquake and are great substitutes for death records for that time period.

Perspective on Societies and Inclusivity: A Community Dialogue

In August 2019, the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference hosted a series of discussions on how the genealogical community and societies can be more inclusive. Videos of three of these discussions are included below.

Nicka Sewell-Smith (former CGS board member)

This interview is with Nicka Sewell-Smith, the host of BlackProGen LIVE, a blogger, and an influencer. Nicka’s perspective set the tone for the entire conversation, so we chose this video to kick off the conference session.

Janice Lovelace, Phd

This interview is with Janice Lovelace, Ph.D., a genealogist and diversity activist. Her perspective focuses on what genealogical societies can do, and was the second video shown in the program.

Grant Din (CGS board member)

This interview is with Grant Din, a genealogist with the Chinese American Family History Group. His perspective focuses on what genealogical societies can do, and was the third video shown in the program.