DPL: The Garsole in 20th Century Texas Mexican Dress and Culture
2023-05-02 14:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | 8th Floor – Genealogy Section, J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
In-person & Virtual Event

Lacking many formal records about her family, Genealogy Librarian Kat started learning about her ancestors by studying the culture and customs of the places they came from — like the foods they ate, the plants they used, and what clothes they wore. In this presentation, Kat will share information on what she learned about her great great grandmother and the clothes she might have worn while working in 20th century cotton fields in Texas. Learn about what life in Texas might have been like in the mid-20th century for your female ancestor, and how you can use your ancestor’s social history to better connect with your family’s past.

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Annual DGS Awards Luncheon
2023-05-06 11:00 - 14:00 | 7th Floor – O’Hara Hall – J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
In-Person Only!

The Dallas Genealogical Society annually recognizes individuals and organizations for their outstanding contributions towards promoting the goals of the society. The recipients of these prestigious awards are announced and presented in person at our Awards Luncheon.

FREE to DGS members! $15 for guests. Registration is required.

GUEST Speaker Dr. Mamie McCullough is an author, educator, and motivational speaker. She has entertained and encouraged audiences around the country over fifty years as a keynote speaker. Her dynamic story began in the small town of Dixie, Georgia. At three-years-old her daddy died, leaving her mother with nine children under the age of 16.

At 20, Mamie took off in a greyhound bus with a sack of fried chicken, two flour sack dresses and $25 for Howard Payne University in Brownwood, TX ‘to be better.’ Mamie is living proof, “It’s not where you start in life, but where you finish that counts!”

The following awards will be presented:

The AWARD OF MERIT is presented annually to a DGS member who’s consistently contributed time, talent, expertise, and abilities to the Society over a period of years. This member’s dedication and hard work in the name of the society goes way above the norm. Their contributions stand out.

The HERITAGE PRESERVATION AWARD is presented annually to an individual, group, or organization in recognition of contributions to preserve, conserve, house, or collect family history. Past recipients in this category cover many varying types of genealogical and historical preservation endeavors.

The VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD is presented annually to a DGS member who has generously volunteered time, expertise, talents, and abilities to the Society during the previous year to the extent to make that member stand out and draw attention.

The LLOYD DeWITT BOCKSTRUCK DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD is presented to an individual for outstanding contributions to the genealogical community on a national level.

The PRESIDENT’S SPECIAL AWARD honors individuals or groups whose contributions to the Society that fall outside the criteria for our other awards.

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Arlington Genealogical Society
2023-05-09 18:30 - 20:00 | Arlington Public Library, 100 South Center Street, Arlington, TX, 76010, United States
Speaker: Emily Richardson (remote speaking)

Topic: Changing Your Mindset to Breakdown Your Genealogical Wall

Collin County Genealogy Meeting
2023-05-10 18:00 - 20:00 | Virtual Event
Speaker: Tony Hanson

Topic: Why Finding Atlantic Shipping Records Is Challenging

Zoom Only

Between 1500 and 1914 approximately 40 million people crossed the Atlantic and settled in the United States, and another 5 million settled, at least initially, in Canada. Finding records for these emigrants can be challenging and frustrating. This presentation will provide attendees with an understanding of how emigrants traveled to North America during this time-frame, an overview of the records that documented their journeys and a strategy for locating available records.

Register in advance for the meeting.

Register

Mesquite Historical & Genealogical Society Meeting
2023-05-11 18:30 - 20:00 | Virtual Event
Speaker: Patti Huff Smith

Topic: ThruLines: How to Maximize Your Ancestry DNA Results

ThruLines is a powerful tool provided by Ancestry.com that can assist you in finding common ancestors with your DNA matches. If your DNA match has a public family tree, you can explore your match’s tree. With this information, you can verify the relationship path prediction to your common ancestor.

Understanding how ThruLines can work for you will give you the confidence to use it often!

Register

Cedar Hill Genealogy Society Monthly Program
2023-05-11 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.

German Genealogy Group
2023-05-13 10:30 - 12:00 | 6th Floor – TaiPei (Classroom D), J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
Virtual and in-person!

The focus of this group is Germans who emigrated to various parts of the United States from the 1700’s through the 1900’s.

The leaders of this group are Ann Broihier and Bernard Meisner. You can send them email at ggg@dallasgenealogy.org. Learn more about the German Genealogy Group

Speaker: Brenda Brenda Watlington

Topic: German and Eastern European Research on FamilySearch

How to find your ancestor’s records in the war-torn countries of Germany and Eastern Europe. Tips for locating their place of birth and finding their immigration, church, and civil records on FamilySearch.

Join the Call Dial In / Meeting ID: 947 1403 5493, Passcode: [REDACTED]

Brenda Posey Watlington was born in Fort Worth, TX and grew up in Arlington. She graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1983 with a BS in Math/Computer Science. She went on to receive an MS in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Dallas. While working more than 30 years as a Computer Software Engineer, she has pursued genealogy as her hobby and passion. Her computer background has been a great advantage as the technology of genealogy has advanced in the last decade. She now resides in Plano, TX and is the Asst. Director of the Plano FamilySearch Center; also working there as a Consultant. She has been a speaker at the Great Family Search Conference sponsored by Richardson and Plano FamilySearch Centers from 2013 to 2022. Recently she has also been a speaker at the Denton Family History Conference and Arlington Texas Family History Seminar.

East Texas Genealogical Society
2023-05-13 14:00 - 16:00 | TX
In-person & Zoom

Speaker: Patti Huff Smith, DGS Vice Presiden

2-Hour DNA Workshop – Taking Your DNA Results to the Next Level with GEDmatch.com

Location: Tyler Public Library – Taylor auditorium at 201 S. College, Tyler, TX

There is much to learn about interpreting your DNA data from each of the Top 5 Testing Sites. In this 2-Hour DNA Workshop, Patti will review the benefits of 5 DNA Testing Sites and teach how to use the dynamic tools in GEDmatch.com. This website allows users to share their DNA information with others to accelerate genealogical research and perform many DNA match comparisons.

Handout

Jewish Special Interest Group
2023-05-15 16:00 - 17:00 | TX
For anyone with actual (or suspected) Jewish ancestral lines.

Topic: TBD

Join Call

Meeting ID: 947 0024 8507, Passcode: [REDACTED]

DPL: Create an Interactive Book to Share Your Research with Your Family
2023-05-16 14:00 - 15:00 | 8th Floor – Genealogy Section, J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
In-person & Virtual Event

We’ve all seen family member’s eyes glaze over when we talk about our genealogy research findings. Expert Genealogist and Guest Lecturer Bernard Meisner will show a new interactive and engaging way to share genealogical research with family members. By creating an interactive electronic book, you can share pictures, articles, maps and movies that documented the lives and experiences of your ancestors.

This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Dallas Public Library.

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Coppell Genealogy Special Interest Group
2023-05-16 18:30 - 20:00 | Cozby Library and Community Commons, 177 N. Heartz Drive, Coppell, TX, 75019, United States
This is an in person and Zoom meeting.

Formed to assist Coppell residents who have an interest in researching their family history.

Topic: Locate Your Ancestors War Records

Learn how to find Military Records with Patti Huff Smith, Vice President of Dallas Genealogical Society.

Enlistment, Pension Files, Draft Registration Cards, Land Bounties (and more) can be found online. This exciting program will give examples of search tools, which websites to use and how to navigate your search, how to use timelines, and how to keep the memories alive.

Join the Call

DNA Special Interest Group
2023-05-18 18:00 - 19:30 | Virtual Event
Virtual Event

The DNA Special Interest Group explores the use of DNA as a genealogical tool. The goal is to help individuals understand and incorporate current DNA testing strategies and standards into their personal genealogy. Meeting are open to all.

Subject: TBD

Speaker: TBD

JOIN THE CALL

Zoom Details

Meeting ID: 886 0208 0729 / Passcode: [REDACTED]

African American Genealogical Interest Group
2023-05-20 14:00 - 16:00 | 1st Floor – Community Showcase Room, J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
The group discusses use of variety of sources, including census research, reconstruction and Freedman Bureau records, NARA combined military records of the U.S. Colored Troops, Plantation Slave records, Slave schedules and other records that provide information for this special area of genealogy research.
This will be a Hybrid meeting: You can join us in-person at the Library or you can participate remotely using Zoom:
Join the Call. Meeting ID: 971 1676 5715

Bay Area Genealogical Society Meeting
2023-05-26 19:00 - 20:30 | TX
Speaker: Patti Smith, Dallas Genealogical Society VP

Topic: Thrulines: Maximize Your Ancestry DNA Results

Understanding how to effectively use ThruLines can help individuals avoid common pitfalls such as the temptation of gathering unverified relatives to grow their family tree, contaminating the Ancestry database with unnecessary and incorrect data, and trusting the accuracy of the family tree of DNA matches. Learn how to effectively use ThruLines to make ancestral connections with your DNA matches.

Live Virtual

Register here A confirmation email with details will be sent to your inbox.

Handout – ThruLines: Maximize DNA Results (9 pages)

Van Zandt County Monthly Meeting
2023-05-27 14:00 - 16:00 | Van Zandt County Sarah Norman Library, 317 First Monday Lane (Hwy 859), Canton, Texas
Speaker: Tamara Hallo, MLS

Topic: Becoming a Genealogy Detective

This presentation will show genealogists how to freshen up their approach to researching their family, by applying the methods Sherlock Holmes would use to solve a crime. Anyone who likes a good mystery will get a lot out of this presentation.

Ms. Hallo, owner of Hallo Genealogy Services, LLC is an educator, librarian, and professional genealogist. She has over 25 years of experience as an educator and holds a Master in Library Science degree as well as a certificate of genealogical research from Boston University. Tamara speaks on genealogical topics to both in-person and virtual audiences. She specializes in Southern United States research.

DPL: Preserving Family Memories: Scanning
2023-05-30 14:00 - 15:00 | 8th Floor – Genealogy Section, J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
In-person & Virtual Event

Do you have a big family gathering coming up this summer, such as a family reunion, a graduation, or another celebration? Do you have photos, scrapbooks, or slides that you want to digitize to share with family? Learn about the ins and outs of family history scanning and digitization with Genealogy & History Manager Stephanie Bennett.

*In-person attendees will get a tour of the Heritage Lab – a space for DIY scanning & digitizing available for all J. Erik Jonsson Central Library visitors.

REGISTER

NGS 2023 Family History Conference
2023-05-31 08:00 - 2023-06-03 17:00 | Greater Richmond Convention Center, 403 N 3rd St, Richmond, Virginia, 23219, United States
The National Genealogical Society 2023 Family History Conference, 31 May-3 June in Richmond, Virginia, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.

Virginia: Deep Roots of a Nation

Register either for attendance in Richmond or Online at Home. The in-person conference features three days of concentrated learning for everyone interested in family history from beginners to professional genealogists. Online at Home will offer ten lectures, live-streamed (five each day) on Friday and Saturday, 2–3 June. Everyone who registers for the in-person program will receive complimentary access to Online at Home.

Conference Program

Descriptions of sessions, speakers, events, exhibitor and sponsor information, and more are on the conference website now. Detailed information with the full conference schedule will be available as a PDF later in January.

COVID-19 and Registration PoliciesNGS is committed to protecting the health and safety of attendees, speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, volunteers, and staff and has updated its COVID-19 policies for 2023. Please review all registration policies on the conference website.

Youth and Organization Member RegistrationA discounted registration is available for all full-time students up to the age of twenty-three. NGS organization members can register up to three leaders at the discounted individual member rate for the full conference and FOCUS even if those people are not NGS members. Please contact registrar@ngsgenealogy.org for details and to register using these discounts.

Rockwall County Genealogical Society
2023-06-01 18:00 - 20:00 | TX
Speaker: Patti Smith, VP DGS

Topic: Mothers: Generation-to-Generation

Rockwall County Library (Genealogy section)1215 E. Yellow Jacket Ln.Rockwall, TX 75087

About Patti

Patti is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Dallas Genealogy Society (since 2017). In December 2019, she was awarded, “Volunteer of the Year.” She also holds membership at: Angelin County, Hill County, Johnson County, Navarro County, Central Texas (Waco), Texas State Genealogical Society and the National Genealogical Society. She’s a member of the Coppell Historical Society and formed a monthly Coppell Genealogy Special Interest Group in January 2020. Patti completed the 15 week Certificate of Genealogy Research through the Boston University – December 22, 2020

Also, she completed the YourDNA Guide – 5-week “The Academy DNA Skills Workshop” with Diahan Southard – February 2021.

Grand Prairie GS Monthly Meeting
2023-06-01 18:30 - 20:30 | Grand Prarie Memorial Library, 901 Conover Drive, Grand Prarie, TX, 75051, United States
In-person & Virtual Event

Speaker: Peter Sime, Grand Prairie Library Director

Program: A Night With Peter Sime, Grand Prairie Library Director

Join us as Peter Sime, Library Director, gives us the history of the library and answers questions about the many programs and services offered.

Everything you always wanted to know about the Grand Prairie Memorial Library and its many resources.

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: Peter has worked for the library for 24 years, starting as a part-time library aide. He received his Masters in Library Science from TWU in 2012 and became Library Director in May of 2022. Before starting a career in libraries, he worked in the film and television industry in the DFW area.

International German Genealogy Partnership Conference
2023-06-09 - 2023-06-11 | TX
Join us June 9-11, 2023 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA for the next International German Genealogy Partnership Conference! Our co-host is the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center. Volunteers are needed to help plan this in-person conference as well as its virtual components.

Volunteer today! info@iggp.org. Read the news release and share the save the date flyer. (English)

Texas Institute of Genealogical Research
2023-06-12 - 2023-06-16 | TX
Registration is Open!

The Texas State Genealogical Society (TxSGS) is excited to announce that registration will open Thursday, March 2, 9:00 a.m. central time for our upcoming week-long Texas Institute for Genealogical Research (TIGR)!

Held virtually, TIGR 2023 takes place June 12-16, 2023.

What is TIGR?TIGR promotes learning in an instructional classroom atmosphere, taking each attendee’s skills to another level. A course coordinator and instructors lead students for five days in the same virtual classroom on a progression of topics on the same subject. This format provides a hands-on learning experience during the week along with great discussions with your instructors and classmates. Learn more about TIGR here!

TIGR RegistrationRegister during early bird registration (now through midnight April 15, 2023) and save. TxSGS members automatically receive an additional discount. Not a member? Join now!

Don’t delay – seating is limited and courses fill up fast.

Register

CoursesTIGR 2023 has expanded to seven courses that create a unique learning experience for those researching ancestors.

Course 1 – “A Walk Through a Texas Courthouse,” led by Kelvin L. Meyers

Course 2 – “Moving Up to Glory Land – The Southern States After Reconstruction towards the New Century” led by J. Mark Lowe, FUGA

Course 3 – “Legally Texas: Advanced Legal Research in the Lone Star State” led by Judy G. Russell, CG®, CGL(sm)

Course 4 – “Fundamentals of Forensic Genealogy” led by Catherine Desmarais, CG®

Course 5 – “Researching Families of Mexican Descent on Both Sides of the Border” led by Colleen Robledo Greene, MLIS

Course 6 – “Researching African Americans Before and After the Civil War in the U.S.“ led by Ari Wilkins

Course 7 – “Intermediate and Advanced DNA for Genealogists“ led by Paul Woodbury

Each of these courses includes sessions taught by nationally-recognized faculty who are experts in their genealogical fields.

To learn more, see the TIGR 2023 course descriptions, which includes links to the course schedules and faculty.

DPL: Writing your Immigrant Ancestor's Story
2023-06-13 14:00 - 15:00 | 8th Floor – Genealogy Section, J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
In-person & Virtual Event

June is Immigrant Heritage Month – an annual celebration recognizing immigrants’ experience, contributions and achievements throughout our country’s history. Genealogy & History Manager Stephanie Bennett will take you step-by-step how she started writing the story of her immigrant grandmother, a Lebanese entrepreneur and business owner for over 40 years. Learn how to incorporate family research, oral histories, photos, and more into your own family’s immigration story.

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Arlington Genealogical Society
2023-06-13 18:30 - 20:00 | Arlington Public Library, 100 South Center Street, Arlington, TX, 76010, United States
Speaker: O.K. Carter

Topic: All Things Arlington

Collin County Genealogy Meeting
2023-06-14 18:00 - 20:30 | Haggard Library, 2501 Coit Road, Plano, TX, 75075, United States
Speaker: Cheryl Smith

Genealogy Center: How it can help you with your Family Research

Find out what the Center can provide you through books, maps, microfilm and databases. The collection includes Collin County and an excellent collection of books for the United States from the East to West coast. Additionally many reference books for beginners to advanced researchers to guide you in the process of searching for your family. Take a behind the scenes tour of the Genealogy Center and Archives. Genealogy Center website

The meeting will take place in the Genealogy Center.

Register in advance for the meeting.

REGISTER

FamilySearch Texas Connect
2023-06-17 10:00 - 11:00 | TX
FamilyTree DNA – More than just Ethnicity

How Y and MTDNA can help your research!

Learn how to reach your ancestors beyond the 5th or 6th generation threshold.

REGISTER

ZOOM CALL

Janine Cloud

Janine is a 5th generation Texan and a registered member of the Cherokee Nation. She began working at FamilyTreeDNA in 2011. She currently serves as the Group Projects – Events Manager for FamilyTreeDNA, a company that is one of the top 5 DNA companies in the country, based here in Texas, and the only one that does specialized testing.

DPL: Talking about Tenth Street: A Juneteenth Event
2023-06-17 11:00 - 12:00 | 7th Floor – O’Hara Hall – J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
In-person Only

7th Floor O’Hara Hall, J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX

The Dallas History & Archives Division, in partnership with the Tenth Street Residents’ Association, celebrates the rich history of the Tenth Street neighborhood with a morning of activities honoring the historic neighborhood.

11:00 a.m. – Donald Payton, known as the “unofficial historian of Black Dallas,” will discuss the history of Tenth Street, Dallas’ 12th historic district, one of the only remaining intact Freedman’s Towns in the nation, as well as the history of The Bottom.

11:30 a.m. – Musician Stanley Glenn will give a performance of music by blues artist T-Bone Walker. Walker is a famous historical figure from Tenth Street.

*No registration is required*

African American Genealogical Interest Group
2023-06-17 14:00 - 16:00 | Virtual Event
The group discusses use of variety of sources, including census research, reconstruction and Freedman Bureau records, NARA combined military records of the U.S. Colored Troops, Plantation Slave records, Slave schedules and other records that provide information for this special area of genealogy research.

Meetings during the summer (June, July & August) will be virtual only.

Join the Call Meeting ID: 971 1676 5715

Jewish Special Interest Group
2023-06-19 16:00 - 17:00 | TX
For anyone with actual (or suspected) Jewish ancestral lines.

Topic: Making a custom research list

Join Call

Meeting ID: 947 0024 8507, Passcode: [REDACTED]

DPL: Get Started with Your Genealogy
2023-06-24 14:00 - 15:00 | 8th Floor – Genealogy Section, J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
In-person Only

If you’ve never taken the plunge to look into your family’s history, this program will help you know how to get started! Genealogy & History staff take you back to the 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, staff are available to assist beginning researchers on library computers.

*No registration is required

Van Zandt County Monthly Meeting
2023-06-24 14:00 - 16:00 | Van Zandt County Sarah Norman Library, 317 First Monday Lane (Hwy 859), Canton, Texas
Speaker: LaDonna Garner

Topic: Recording Family Health History

Family research is about more than names and dates. It can yield information on one’s health. LaDonna Garner will present “Recording Family Health History.” Knowing one’s health history and passing it on to one’s children and grandchildren–has become a crucial for many families.

Come learn about this important aspect of genealogy.

Ms. Garner, a genealogist and a sought-after speaker, has a Masters Degree in Historic Preservation, anddoes consulting work on a wide variety of family research topics. Her business, Leafseeker Consulting,provides genealogy and historic preservation services to her clients. See her website at leafseeker.com/.
