DALLAS GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

2022 TXSGS Conference
2022-11-04 - 2022-11-05 | Virtual Event
Unlock Your Past with TxSGS
Registration is open! Join us, and Unlock Your Past at the virtual 2022 TxSGS Family History Conference! On Friday and Saturday, November 4-5, TxSGS Live! features ten presentations by some of the top speakers in genealogy on research techniques, records, DNA, and more.
That’s not all! These lectures will be recorded and combined with 32 additional prerecorded lectures from some of your favorite speakers plus well-known presenters from across Texas and the U.S. Even though you won’t be able to see them in person, you will be able to access their lectures online through February 6, 2023.
What will take your genealogy research to the next level? The 2022 TxSGS Family History Conference, Unlock Your Past, seeks to help you discover the tools needed to answer your genealogy questions. Featuring 24 speakers presenting 42 topics, the TxSGS Family History Conference promises opportunities for learning in a variety of areas, or tracks: DNA; ethnic research including African American, Hispanic, and German; methodology and problem solving; records and repositories; and skill building.
TxSGS Live! – 10 top speakers with live Q&A

Deborah A. Abbott, PhD – Strategies and Techniques: Reconstructing an African American Family from Freedom to Slavery
Debra Dudek – Mixers and Shakers – Tracing Bartending, Saloon Keeping, and Tavern Keeping Ancestors
Colleen Robledo Greene, MLIS – Taking a Deeper Dive into Mexican Civil Registration Records
Jean Wilcox Hibben – Genealogy Door Locked? The Key May Be in Searching/Browsing Techniques
Kevin Klaus – Pre-emption Grants: A Bonanza for Early Texas Settlers and Genealogists
J. Mark Lowe, FUGA – Missing People: Fractured Relationships, Divorce & Murder
Bernard Meisner – Beyond the Big Four – (Mostly) Free Resources for Genealogical Research
Diane L. Richard – Death Records by a Different Name
Renate Yarborough Sanders – We Were Supposed to be NEALS: Reuniting Family with DNA
Lori Thornton – Righting Your Wrongs through Writing

Collin County Genealogy Meeting
2022-11-09 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Virtual Event
Online Meeting

Collin County Genealogical Society
https://www.collincountygenealogicalsociety.com

Speaker: Bernard Meisner
Topic:Surname Distribution Maps: A Valuable Tool for Genealogical Research

Learn how surname maps can enable you to determine where to look for your ancestors — both individuals and couples — explore variant spellings of their names, and perhaps identify their religion. Understand what factors to consider before using a surname map. In addition to a summary of the talk, attendees will also receive a
comprehensive, annotated list of current surname maps Web sites.
Register in advance for the November 9th meeting.
Register

Mesquite Historical & Genealogical Society Meeting
2022-11-10 18:30 - 20:00 | Virtual Event
Online

Register to Attend Online

Speaker: Patti Huff Smith

Topic: Case Studies – Solving Difficult Problems
Patti will be presenting three case studies of difficult genealogical problems and how she solved them. Hidden Treasure, There’s a Sheriff in the House and Brick #1142 promise to be both entertaining and enlightening!
The meeting begins at 7:00: The bridge will available at 6:30.
Register in advance for this meeting.

Cedar Hill Genealogy Society Monthly Program
2022-11-10 18:30 - 20:30 | Zula B. Wylie Public Library, 225 Cedar Street, Cedar Hill, TX, 75104, United States
Topic: Death Records: When Death Certificates are not Available
Speaker: Dorina Alaniz de Thomas, Phd
Death certificates or registers aren’t always available. We’ll explore other records that can provide details about our ancestors’ passing.

Dorina Alaniz Thomas, PhD is a retired educator whose interest in genealogy began in 1996 while researching her family’s medical history. She published two books: Ranch Cemeteries of South Texas, Brooks County and Researching Hispanic Family Records.
Dr Thomas has been a presenter in several of the annual Texas Hispanic genealogical and historical conferences as well as in public libraries throughout Texas.

Van Zandt County Genealogical Society Regular Meeting
2022-11-26 02:00 - 16:00 | Van Zandt County Sarah Norman Library, 317 First Monday Lane (Hwy 859), Canton, Texas
The Van Zandt County Genealogical Society will have its regular meeting on Saturday, November 26, at 2:00 p.m. at the main Van Zandt County Library, 317 First Monday Lane, Canton, TX. As always, the public is encouraged to attend.

The program will be Show and Tell, which the Society hosts at its November meeting each year. Members (and non-members) are encouraged to come and bring an item or two, or just a story or a memory, reflecting their family history or the history of Van Zandt County or Texas, or anywhere. Always fun, interesting, and frequently hilarious. Members have been known to bring all manner of family artifacts or historical items: baby shoes, arrow heads, books, snuff bottles, false teeth—everything has a story. Some members have sung songs, others shared treasured memories. It all brings the past to life.

Come and share, or just watch and listen. Membership not required, it’s free and refreshments will be served.

Grand Prairie Gen Soc Monthly Meeting
2023-01-05 18:30 - 20:30 | Grand Prarie Memorial Library, 901 Conover Drive, Grand Prarie, TX, 75051, United States
Online

In Person

Speaker: Patti Gillespie
Topic Description: Armchair Mysteries
Armchair Mysteries Solved at Home with Old School Communication and New School Technology. This presentation offers abundant tips, tricks, and examples for a researcher who’s looking for answers far from home and are not online. Often underused research and resource opportunities are just an email away—and sometimes still a phone call away! The techniques presented here often provide successful means to resolving the mysteries of our ancestors using both online sites and offline sources for information.
There will be a Meet and Greet at 6:30 pm with the program beginning at 7:00 pm. There will be no refreshments and masks are optional.

To register, please send an email to info@gpgstx.org

DPL: Preserving Family Memories: Scanning
2023-01-10 14:00 - 15:00 | 8th Floor – Genealogy Section, J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
Virtual and in-person!

New year, new family history goals! Have you gone through some of your family memories during the holiday season? Do you have photos, scrapbooks or slides that you want to digitize? Learn about the ins and outs of family history scanning and digitization with Genealogy & History Manager Stephanie Bennett.

Register

Denton County Genealogical Society Meeting
2023-01-12 18:30 - 20:00 | Emily Fowler Central Library, 502 Oakland Street, Denton, TX, 76201, United States
Presenter: Cari Taplin, CG

Topic: Unfamiliar Territory: Creating a Locality Guide for New Research Areas

Creating a locality guide for each new area before you begin your research will save time in the long run by focusing your research and educating you about the new location. Cari’s presentation will demonstrate one method for researching a new geographical area through a real-life example.

Social time begins at 6:30pm with the program beginning at 7:00pm.

More Info

Cedar Hill Genealogy Society Monthly Program
2023-01-12 18:30 - 20:30 | Zula B. Wylie Public Library, 225 Cedar Street, Cedar Hill, TX, 75104, United States
Topic: Help with your Family History or Getting Started

If you are interested in discovering your family’s history and don’t know where to start or have been at it a while and are stumped by an ancestor who doesn’t want to be found — We can help. Bring your family information on paper, laptop or flash drive to our meeting and a volunteer will work with you. Don’t have anything at all? We’ll give you a free USB memory stick containing the CHGS starter kit, and help you start filling it.

DPL: Intro to Genealogy
2023-01-14 13:00 - 15:30 | 8th Floor – Genealogy Section, J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
If you’ve never taken the plunge to look into your family history, this program will help you know how to get started. Expert genealogists Barbara Coakley and Patti Huff Smith will take you back to the very beginning with step-by-step instructions on how to get started researching YOUR family’s history. Learn how to set reasonable goals for your research, how to create an online tree and how to navigate popular genealogical websites.

After the program, volunteers are available to assist beginning researchers on library computers.

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DPL: Using the HistoryMakers Digital Archive for Genealogy
2023-01-24 14:00 - 15:00 | 8th Floor – Genealogy Section, J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
Virtual and in-person!

The HistoryMakers is the nation’s largest African American video oral history archive and features biographies and video interviews with over 2,500 notable African American history makers. Join Genealogy & History Manager Stephanie Bennett as we explore the database and learn how to use this important African American history resource for genealogy research.

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DPL: Introducing ProQuest’s African American Heritage
2023-02-07 14:00 - 15:00 | 8th Floor – Genealogy Section, J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
Virtual and in-person!

ProQuest® African American Heritage is a groundbreaking digital resource exclusively devoted to African American family history research. New at Dallas Public Library this year, get a guided tour of the database and learn how it connects you with records critical to African American family research AND a community of research experts, whose mentoring and assistance might make all the difference to your genealogy research.

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Mesquite Historical & Genealogical Society Meeting
2023-02-09 18:30 - 20:00 | Virtual Event
Online

Register to Attend Online

Speaker: Kelvin Meyers

Topic: How Great Thou Art! How Great They Are! Church Records
Underused and underutilized, this vast group of records can be a challenge to the “un-churched”. Determining the denomination, in which your ancestor was a part, can be the biggest challenge. The second challenge is to find those records. With these two things accomplished, many genealogical questions can be answered.
The meeting begins at 7:00: The bridge will available at 6:30.
Register in advance for this meeting.

Cedar Hill Genealogy Society Monthly Program
2023-02-09 18:30 - 20:30 | Zula B. Wylie Public Library, 225 Cedar Street, Cedar Hill, TX, 75104, United States
Topic: African American Research

Presenter: Lela Evans Lela will show us how to get started researching your African American ancestors; including: the differences in African American records — enslaved vs free; how laws affected records and more. She will show us how to find slave records and slave owners names and will present a case study

DPL: Intro to DNA
2023-02-11 13:00 - 14:30 | 8th Floor – Genealogy Section, J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
In-Person Only

Discover the Power of DNA! This introduction to DNA with Genealogy Expert Patti Huff Smith includes learning about what type of DNA tests are available and why DNA testing can accelerate traditional genealogy research. Once DNA results arrive an ethnicity breakout, a DNA match list and more are provided. This information can send you on a fantastic new journey of discovery into your own family’s history.

If you’ve already tested your DNA and need help, bring access to your DNA results so that volunteers can help you understand your results on library computers! This event is in-person only.

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DPL: Beginning African American Genealogy
2023-02-21 14:00 - 15:00 | 8th Floor – Genealogy Section, J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
Virtual and in-person!

Are you unsure how to start researching your African American ancestry? Genealogy Specialist Ari Wilkins will help you get started! Learn about the basic steps in starting African American research, genealogical resources and strategies.

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RootsTech 2023
2023-03-01 00:00 - 2023-03-04 23:59 | Salt Palace Convention Center, 100 South West Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84101, United States
“RootsTech is a family history and technology conference and trade show held annually in the Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, Utah. In 2017 it claimed to be the world’s largest family-history technology conference. It is the successor to three former conferences: the Conference on Computerized Family History and Genealogy, the Family History Technology Workshop and the FamilySearch Developers Conference. Over the years, RootsTech has welcomed a number of celebrities, television personalities, and actors as keynote speakers.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RootsTech

Grand Prairie Gen Soc Monthly Meeting
2023-03-02 18:30 - 20:30 | Grand Prarie Memorial Library, 901 Conover Drive, Grand Prarie, TX, 75051, United States
Online

In Person

Speaker: Jim Thornhill
Topic Description: Digging Deeper into the U.S. Census
Jim Thornhill has been researching his family’s history for 20 years, five of those as a professional genealogist. Jim is chief researcher for Heroes of the Past, a company that seeks to delight clients, provide context in our ancestor’s lives, and show how we all have Heroes in our Pasts.
Jim is a graduate of the ProGen professional genealogy course, the Genealogy Proof course, Texas Institute for Genealogical Research and was awarded the Birdie Monk Holsclaw Scholarship to the Institute for Genealogical and Historical Research in Athens Georgia. Jim has written articles for the Dallas Genealogical Society’s e-news and Stirpes, the Journal of the Texas State Genealogical Society. Jim is an active member in the Texas State Genealogical Society and the Dallas Genealogical Society, where he serves as President. Jim is a native Texan who has been living in the Dallas area his entire life and has roots in pre-civil war Texas and Mississippi.
There will be a Meet and Greet at 6:30 pm with the program beginning at 7:00 pm. There will be no refreshments and masks are optional.

To register, please send an email to info@gpgstx.org

DPL: Introducing Heritage Hub
2023-03-07 14:00 - 15:00 | 8th Floor – Genealogy Section, J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
Virtual and in-person!

New to Dallas Public Library, Heritage Hub allows you to explore your family history with the premier collection of U.S. obituaries and death notices for in-depth genealogical research. Delve into this new genealogy database and other updated newspaper and online news resources available from Newsbank.

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Collin County Genealogy Meeting
2023-03-08 18:00 - 20:00 | Virtual Event
Speaker: Tim Gieringer

Topic: Researching with Newspapers on the Portal to Texas History and Related Resources

Zoom Only

This will be an overview of the newspapers available for genealogical research on the Portal to Texas History along with a demonstration of how to use them. As well as a look at newspapers on the Gateway to Oklahoma History and Chronicling America. Tim will also cover other valuable resources for researchers at the Portal.

Register in advance for the November 9th meeting.

Register

Speaker: Tim Gieringer has worked as the Metadata Coordinator for the Portal to Texas History’s Texas Digital Newspaper Program since 2014 and also contributes metadata work to the Oklahoma Digital Newspaper Program. Beginning in November 2022 he became UNT Library’s project coordinator for their National Digital Newspaper Program grant in collaboration with the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities. He has a Bachelor’s in Political Science from Marquette University and a Master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh. In addition to working for the Portal, he also enjoys utilizing it in his spare time for family and local history research.

Denton County Genealogical Society Meeting
2023-03-09 18:30 - 20:00 | Emily Fowler Central Library, 502 Oakland Street, Denton, TX, 76201, United States
Presenter: Brian Rhinehart

Topic: I Have a Civil War Ancestor… Now What?

Civil War soldiers often left a rich genealogical paper trail. Many of these records are tucked away at the National Archives in Washington DC. Brian Rhinehart will give a virtual presentation about what records are available for your ancestors at the National Archives, what records are online already, and how to access all of them, at the Denton County Genealogical Society’s meeting on Thursday, March 9, 2023. Records from the Civil War may unlock some of the family stories that have been forgotten over time, as well as break down a brick wall or two!

Brian Rhinehart is a professional genealogist and speaker and is the owner of CivilWarRecords.com. He is a graduate of Boston University’s Certificate of Genealogy Research, and his work has been featured in the PBS television show “Finding Your Roots.” A direct descendant of six Civil War soldiers, Brian specializes in research and record retrieval for Civil War and War of 1812 soldiers at the National Archives in Washington DC and has retrieved military files for hundreds of clients there.

Social time begins at 6:30pm with the program beginning at 7:00pm.

More Info

Cedar Hill Genealogy Society Monthly Program
2023-03-09 18:30 - 20:30 | Zula B. Wylie Public Library, 225 Cedar Street, Cedar Hill, TX, 75104, United States
Topic: Family History Workshop Do you want to know your family’s history? Don’t know how to start your family history? Do you have an ancestor who doesn’t want to be found? Do you have confusing information about an ancestor.

DPL: Genealogy for Children & Families
2023-03-11 10:30 - 12:30 | 8th Floor – Genealogy Section, J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
In-person Only

Children, ages 8-12, will learn the basic tools to begin their own genealogy research in this exciting interactive workshop. This hands-on program provides an opportunity to start a family tree, understand basic genealogy terms and leave with a plan to continue learning about their family history. Participants will discover the type of records and documents they can locate. Siblings are welcome with adult supervision.

Requirements: Each child must be accompanied by one parent or guardian. Each participant should bring one or more photographs of a grandparent or relative from an older generation.No Registration Required.

REGISTER

Sponsored by the Dallas Genealogical Society.

HOGAR de Dallas Quarterly Meeting
2023-03-11 14:00 - 16:00 | Latino Cultural Center, 2600 Live Oak, Dallas, TX, 75204, United States
Speakers: Sylvia Valle, Retired Educator & Counselor and Kay Moore, Friends of Garland’s Historic Magic 11th Street

Topic: Manuel and Maria Valle – First Hispanic Family of Garland

Manuel and Maria Valle are Garland’s first Hispanic family. The Valle’s had eight children, all graduates of Garland High School, including Manuel, Juaquin, Guadalupe, Jesus, Jose, Eugenia, Pascual, and Luis. Pascual at age 91 years is the sole survivor of the eight children. Pascual’s wife, Sylvia Valle, a retired educator and counselor, will share the Valle family story and legacy.

Kay Moore with Friends of Garland’s Historic Magic 11th Street will also speak on her organization’s role in securing approval from the Texas Historical Commission for a Texas Historical Marker that honors Garland’s Manuel and Maria Valle Family as the city’s original Hispanic family that arrived in 1928 and blazed trails for today’s growing Hispanic population in Garland.

DPL: Settlement of the Gulf Coast
2023-03-21 14:00 - 15:00 | 8th Floor – Genealogy Section, J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
Virtual and in-person!

While most history classes cover the original settlement of the United States Northeast coast, not many cover the settlement of the gulf coast in the south. In this presentation, Genealogy Specialist Mic Barnette will provide a historical timeline for the settlement of the gulf coast in the United States. Understanding settlement trends and migration patterns will help you better understand the lives of your ancestors who originally settled along the gulf coast area.

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Arlington Family History Seminar
2023-03-25 08:00 - 15:00 | Arlington Texas Stake Center, 3809 Curt Drive, Arlington, Texas
The Arlington Family History Center is resuming the Annual Seminar! This seminar provides several lessons and help for beginners to advanced researchers.
More Info

Van Zandt County - 175th Birthday
2023-03-25 14:00 - 16:00 | TX
Van Zandt County will soon be 175 years old. The Van Zandt County Genealogical Society, in partnership with other local history groups, will hold a birthday party for the county on Saturday, March 25, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., at the Blackwell House Museum and the main County Library (next door) 317 First Monday Lane, in Canton. The celebration is open to the public and free. Tours of the museum will be provided, and there will be opportunities to learn about some of the early settlers of the county. Refreshments will be served.

The Texas State Legislature passed a law creating Van Zandt County on March 20, 1848. The new county was named after Isaac Van Zandt (1813-1847), a country store owner who became a legislator and diplomat for the Texas Republic; his greatest achievement was to help ensure that Texas joined the United States. Van Zandt died of yellow fever in 1847 while campaigning to be Governor. Although Van Zandt never lived in his namesake place, the creation of the county was a testament to the gratitude of legislators for his service to Texas during his short life.

The March 25 birthday celebration will honor the county and the pioneers who made East Texas succeed. A highlight will be the celebration of the life of Elvira Engledow, an early settler of Van Zandt County and a Citizen of the Republic of Texas. Many organizations, such as the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and the Van Zandt County Historical Commission, will join with the Genealogical Society in this event. The hosts will be wearing their 1800s pioneer clothes, and the public is encouraged to do so. Come join the fun, learn some history, have some birthday cake! Remember, the party will be happening at both the Blackwell House and next door at the main county library in Canton, Texas.

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DPL: Finding Our Scottish Immigrant’s Home with American Documents
2023-04-04 14:00 - 16:00 | 8th Floor – Genealogy Section, J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
In-person & Virtual Event

Genealogy Expert Patti Gillespie, owner of Family Lines and Stories, will help genealogy researchers better understand how to locate their ancestor’s Scottish origins. She will present on one of her family’s ancestors – Robert Gillespie, husband, father, and miner who emigrated to the United States in 1869; he never became a United States citizen. Without naturalization information, it becomes more difficult to find the birthplace of the émigré before 1900. This presentation concentrates on looking for other sources and sites to find Robert’s hometown.

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Grand Prairie Gen Soc Monthly Meeting
2023-04-06 18:30 - 20:30 | Grand Prarie Memorial Library, 901 Conover Drive, Grand Prarie, TX, 75051, United States
In-person & Virtual Event

Speaker: Patti Huff Smith

Topic: Introduction to DNA

There will be a Meet and Greet at 6:30 pm with the program beginning at 7:00 pm. Masks are optional.

If you are planning to request a link to the Virtual or Zoom Meeting, please do so as soon as possible so that the link can be given to each person in a timely manner.

To register, please send an email to info@gpgstx.org

About the Speaker: Patti is the Director of Education for the Dallas Genealogical Society and holds her membership there. She is also a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, National Genealogy Society, Texas State Genealogical Society and several counties in Texas where her roots run deep.

Patti has pursued her passion for genealogy and family research since 2013.

Denton County Genealogical Society Meeting
2023-04-13 18:30 - 20:00 | Emily Fowler Central Library, 502 Oakland Street, Denton, TX, 76201, United States
Presenter: Bill Buckner

Topic: The 1890 Census Substitutes: Bridging the Gap (created by Buckner & Hannah Kubacak)

Learn gap-busting strategies such as using census substitutes, reconstructions and other enumerations. Learn which clues from familiar records can help you gain knowledge about your ancestors and bridge the gap.

Social time begins at 6:30pm with the program beginning at 7:00pm.

http://genealogydentontexas.org

About Bill

Genealogy supervisor of the Genealogy Center of the Waco-McLennan County Library for the past 24 years, Bill is committed to furthering information access, and the pursuit and sharing of knowledge. He initiated and co-hosts with the Central Texas Genealogical Society (CTGS) the popular annual Statewide Genealogy Lock-in. He also leads the McLennan County Cemetery Interest Group (MCCIG) to identify and inventory McLennan County cemeteries.

Bill has been a valued Texas State Genealogical Society volunteer for over a decade, serving as the TxSGS District 12/District H representative since 2009; TxSGS book awards committee member since 2009, and its chair since 2010; and the TxSGS awards chair since 2014. He was named a 2021 Texas State Genealogical Society Fellow. He holds a BS from Southwestern University, and a MS in library science from UNT. Bill is a fourth-generation Texan and lives in Temple with his family.
