DNA Special Interest Group
2025-05-15 18:00 - 19:30 (America/Chicago) | 6th Floor – TaiPei (Classroom D), J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
In-person and 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.

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Zoom Details: Meeting ID: 828 9186 6806 / Passcode: [REDACTED]

African American Genealogical Interest Group
2025-05-17 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-09-20 14:00 - 16:00 | 6th Floor – Classroom Brno (formerly Classroom B), J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
In-Person and 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.

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Meeting ID: 971 1676 5715

DPL: The Quiet Strength of Resilience with Ron Schwarz, a Second Generation Holocaust Survivor
2025-05-21 14:00 - 15:00 | 8th Floor – Genealogy Section, J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
Virtual & In-person Only

Author Ron Schwarz will discuss his book, The Quiet Strength of Resilience: A Holocaust Story Spanning Four Generations. It tells the life story of the author’s father, Holocaust survivor Charles Schwarz.

Charles Schwarz survived the Holocaust by constantly hiding and moving to avoid the fate of so many millions of his fellow Jews at the hands of the Nazis. Drawing on research spanning thousands of pages from archives all around Europe, along with hours of interviews with his father, Schwarz paints a compelling picture of resilience and endurance in the face of the greatest adversity while providing us a glimpse into the darkest days of world history through a child’s eyes.

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National Genealogical Society Annual Conference
2025-05-23 00:00 - 2025-05-26 23:59
Ready to take your family history research to the next level? Tales & Trails, the NGS 2025 Family History Conference, brings you leading speakers, essential education, and amazing networking opportunities with 1000+ friends and colleagues in Louisville, Kentucky.

Join fellow family historians and genealogy organization leaders from across the country for four energizing days of shared discoveries and fresh perspectives. Connect with passionate researchers like yourself while gaining new skills and insights to help you uncover, preserve, and share your ancestors’ stories.

Pre-conference tours, workshops, and genealogy organization activities are on 23 May. The main conference begins the evening of 23 May with the Expo Hall opening reception and continues through evening events on Sunday, 25 May. Stay through Monday to join us for a special Memorial Day event on 26 May.

As genealogists, we seek to understand those who came before us. We learn about our ancestors’ lives, the opportunities they had, and the sacrifices they made. We travel, both literally and figuratively, the trails they left behind. The NGS 2025 Family History Conference, Tales and Trails, connects us with stories of the people and places we come from.

The NGS Family History Conference welcomes all who are passionate about family history. Whether you are taking your first steps into genealogy, pushing through challenging research barriers, exploring professional opportunities, or leading a genealogy organization, you will find valuable insights here. Our sessions deliver the knowledge you need to succeed, from AI-powered research tools to advance your research to proven strategies for building vibrant genealogy communities.

MORE INFO

Best Practices SIG
2025-05-24 10:30 - 13:00 | 8th Floor – McDermott Room, J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
In-person & Virtual Event

Topic: Elizabeth Shown Mill’s FAN Club

The Best Practices SIG is for genealogists who want to learn advanced methodology skills and techniques.

You can contact Liz Kutz, the SIG leader at bestpractices@dallasgenealogy.org.

Learn more about the Best Practices SIG.

JOIN CALL

Meeting ID: 882 7359 7058

TIGR: Texas Institute of Genealogical Research
2025-06-16 08:00 - 2025-06-20 17:00
Registration for the Texas Institute of Genealogical Research (TIGR) is open. Held virtually this year, TIGR 2025 takes place June 16-20, 2025.

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 2025 offers five courses that create a unique learning experience for those researching ancestors.

Course 1 – “Research in the Lone Star State,” led by Kelvin L. Meyers

Course 2 – “Building Communities Across the South” 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), JD, FUGA

Course 4 – “Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Genealogical Research and Writing” led by Nicole Elder Dyer

Course 5 – “Beyond the Battlefield: Advanced Military Research Analysis and Methodology” led by Michael L. Strauss, AG®

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

To learn more, see the TIGR 2025 course descriptions, which includes links to the course schedules and faculty.

Best Practices SIG
2025-06-28 10:30 - 13:00 | 8th Floor – McDermott Room, J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
In-person & Virtual Event

Topic: TBD

The Best Practices SIG is for genealogists who want to learn advanced methodology skills and techniques.

You can contact Liz Kutz, the SIG leader at bestpractices@dallasgenealogy.org.

Learn more about the Best Practices SIG.

Meeting ID: 882 7359 7058

Best Practices SIG
2025-07-19 10:30 - 13:00 | 6th Floor – Classroom A, J. Erik Johnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, Texas, 75201, United States
In-person Only

Topic: FAN Club Methodology

The Best Practices SIG is for genealogists who want to learn advanced methodology skills and techniques. We’ll continue studying applying FAN Club methodology to our own research. Please come ready to share your progress, or bring a challenge you’re facing. Whether you’re moving forward or feeling stuck, there’s always something to learn together.

“The only voice that documents have is the voice we give them.With every document we find, and every story we tell, we have a choice:We can take what we see at face value, report it devoid of context, and run the risk of misrepresenting the circumstances.Or we can seek the context we need to understand the record, the event, and the person.”

– Elizabeth Shown Mills

You can contact Liz Kutz, the SIG leader at bestpractices@dallasgenealogy.org.

Learn more about the Best Practices SIG.

Summer Seminar
2025-07-26 09:30 - 15:30 | 1st Floor – Auditorium, J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
Presenter: Colleen Robledo Greene, MLIS, FTxSGS

Topic: Somos Familia: Tracing Your Mexican Ancestors on Both Sides of the Border

Sessions

Foundational Concepts and Reference Tools for Mexican Genealogy

Working with Mexican Catholic Parish Records

Working with Mexican Civil Registrations

Essential U.S. Registration Records for Researching Your Mexican Ancestors

MORE INFO

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Van Zandt County Monthly Meeting
2025-08-23 14:00 - 16:00
Speaker: Thomas MacEntee

Topic: Genealogy Do Over

Location: Van Zandt County Sarah Norman Library, 317 First Monday Lane, Canton

Do you need a Genealogy Do Over? Then join us for this presentation.

As with most of the Society’s events, the meeting is free, membership is not required, and refreshments will be served.

Grand Prairie Genealogical Society Meeting
2025-09-04 18:30 - 20:00 | Grand Prarie Memorial Library, 901 Conover Drive, Grand Prarie, TX, 75051, United States
In-person & Virtual Event

Speaker: Barbara Coakley

Program: Branching Out: Researching Collateral Ancestors

Records exist for siblings, cousins, and in-laws that can help fill in gaps in records for direct line ancestors. Case studies demonstrate expanding research to other family members to answer research questions.

Location: Inspire Room at the Grand Prairie Memorial Library

Barbara Coakley’s interest in family history began over 30 years ago when she was given an envelope of family papers. Her journey to discover the stories of her ancestors has taken her to homelands across the US and Europe. Barbara is President of Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries and volunteers for TxSGS and the Dallas Genealogical Society. She is an alumnus of ProGen, IGHR, TIGR, GRIP, SLIG and GenFed. Barbara taught genealogy continuing education classes at Collin College from 2008 to 2021.

She does presentations for libraries and genealogical societies throughout the U.S. and U.K. Recent presentations included the TxSGS 2023 Family History Conference, Utah Genealogical Association Summit of Excellence 2023, The Really Useful Family History Show, and a lecture for the Allen County Public Library.

Fort Worth Genealogical Society Fall Seminar
2025-09-06 09:30 - 15:30
Diana Elder, a professional genealogist with lots of accreditations will present four sessions including AI in Genealogy, Texas Land Grant System, Individuals of the Same Name and Burned Courthouses.

DGS General Meeting
2025-09-06 11:00 - 12:30 | 7th Floor – O’Hara Hall – J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
In-person & Virtual Event

Speaker: Robyn N. Smith

Topic: Putting It All Together: Making Sense of All the Research You’ve Done

This lecture illustrates tables and tools you can use to organize, analyze, and properly cite all those records you have. Get better organized. Get rid of all those papers. Finally – put it all together!

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HANDOUT

Tour of the Genealogy & History Department at DPL
2025-09-06 13:00 - 14:00 | 8th Floor – Genealogy Section, J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
Join us in-person at the library or on Zoom for a guided tour of the Genealogy and History Department. Staff will highlight the department’s collections and resources.

The Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck Genealogy Collection on the 8th floor of the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library holds one of the largest and most comprehensive collections for family history research in the Southwest. The collection encompasses resources from every U.S. state and many countries throughout the world – making it a destination for any genealogy researcher.

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87530294630?pwd=[REDACTED]

Meeting ID: 875 3029 4630Passcode: [REDACTED]

Jewish Special Interest Group
2025-09-08 10:30 - 12:00 | Jewish Community Center of Dallas, 7900 Northaven Road, Dallas, TX, 75230, United States
In-person

Topic: Elizabeth Shown Mill’s FAN Club

The Jewish Genealogical Interest Group’s mission is to assist anyone to research their actual (or suspected) Jewish ancestral lines. Learn about alternative genealogy research methods and records specifically geared to finding your Jewish ancestors.

The group will meet in the Boardroom.

Arlington Genealogical Society
2025-09-09 18:00 - 20:00 | George W. Hawkes Arlington Public Library, 100 S. Center St., Arlington, Texas, 76010
Speaker: Shelley Gayler-Smith

Topic: Who Wore It Best, Dating Photographs from Clothing

DPL: Top Ten Websites for Genealogy
2025-09-10 14:00 - 15:00 | 8th Floor – Genealogy Section, J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
Virtual & In-person

We all know that ONE website for genealogy (you know the one we’re talking about), but do you know ALL the other great genealogy resources out there?

Get your favorite Dallas Public Library Genealogy & History staff’s top ten websites and share your own that have helped you have a breakthrough in your research.

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Cedar Hill Genealogy Society Monthly Program
2025-09-11 18:30 - 20:00
Speaker: Virginia Ochoa Morrison

Topic: Finding Our Hispanic Ancestors

Location: New Library: 450 Pioneer Trail in Cedar Hill (lower-level event room)

What you need to know to begin researching your Hispanic family history. For the beginner and intermediate alike.

Our presenter: Virginia Ochoa Morrison is a first generation Mexican-American who has been working on her genealogy since 1989. Previously, she taught classes on Genealogy for Beginners at local libraries. Virginia has volunteered at the FamilySearch Center in Duncanville for several years helping visitors who are looking for their ancestorse.

This event is made possible through our partnership with the Traphene Hickman Library. Admission is always free.

Mesquite Historical & Genealogical Society September Meeting
2025-09-11 18:30 - 20:30 | Mesquite Main Library, 300 W Grubb Dr, Mesquite, TX, United States
Our meeting will be held both in person at the Mesquite Library (Main Branch) at 6:30 PM and also via Zoom.

We will first examine the status of the “Full Text Index” test environment in FamilySearch. Then Lisa Louise Cooke will (via prerecorded video) a short primer of key terms with respect to Artificial Intelligence.

Pre-register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/hEPoacVpTOiIupsyVzpeaQ

German Genealogy Group
2025-09-13 10:30 - 12:00 | 6th Floor – TaiPei (Classroom D), J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
In-person and Virtual Event

Speaker: Dr. Sabine Akabayoy

Topic: Bridging the Atlantic: German DNA for American Genealogists

The prevalence of DNA testing in Germany is much lower than in the US and data privacy is much stricter making it much more difficult to research DNA matches. In this presentation we will address differences in DNA genealogy between US and German researchers. This session will provide insights on which platform to find German DNA matches and how to increase our chances receiving an answer when contacting them.

We will also talk about migration within Europe and the impact on the ethnicity estimate and how we can utilize the ethnicity estimate to determine the location of our German ancestors. It is crucial to combine DNA results with traditional genealogical research so we will touch slightly on how to find records pointing to the place of origin prior to immigration that will also help filtering DNA matches.

Sabine was born in Germany. Her ancestors are from Hesse, Westphalia, East Prussia, Thuringia, Mecklenburg and Brandenburg. She immigrated to Israel and has a PhD from the Weizmann Institute of Science and was a researcher at Harvard Medical School before she returned to Israel. Now she uses her research skills as a professional genealogist and translator, specializing on DNA genealogy, German genealogy, immigrants from Germany to the US and Israel, and Jewish genealogy.

The leaders of this group are Ann Broihier and Bernard Meisner. Contact: ggg@dallasgenealogy.org. Learn more about the German Genealogy Group

JOIN CALL

Meeting ID: 867 5887 1312, Passcode: [REDACTED]

DPL: Preserving your Family Archives
2025-09-13 13:00 - 15:00 | 7th Floor – O’Hara Hall – J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
In-person Only

Stacks of old photos. Mounds of loose paper. That one vase that belonged to your great aunt Winifred.

We all have old things that we’ve kept throughout the years that belonged to our loved ones. Yet, through those years, information has been lost, photos are crumbling and memories have faded. Get advice about caring for YOUR family archives from DPL’s Family Archives Librarian Samantha Diaz. Participate in interactive activities to rediscover your family treasures and stories. Attendees will get a take-home kit of archival materials so they can get started preserving their family collections at home.

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DNA Special Interest Group
2025-09-18 18:00 - 19:30 | 6th Floor – TaiPei (Classroom D), J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
In-person and 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.

This months meeting will be a presentation by Dave Vance, General Manager of Family Tree DNA: Three Tests- One Tree! Integrating Autosomal, Y DNA and MT-DNA Results Together

Those interested in the DNA SIG may sign up for email meeting notification:

By requesting to be added to the SIG Mailing List at DNA@dallasgenealogy.org

By joining the “DGS DNA Interest Group” Project through their personal page on Family Tree DNA (the person must have tested and be in the Family Tree DNA database)

JOIN CALL

Zoom Details: Meeting ID: 828 9186 6806 / Passcode: [REDACTED]

2025 German-Texan Heritage Society Annual Conference
2025-09-19 09:30 - 2025-09-20 15:30 | St. Paul Lutheran Church, 3501 Red River Street, Austin, Texas, 78705, United States
This years’ annual conference will be held at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Austin with a reception to follow at the German-Texan Heritage Society to celebrate the new staircase.

DPL: Scanning Family Memories
2025-09-24 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

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 staff. *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.

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Best Practices SIG
2025-09-27 10:30 - 13:00 | 8th Floor – McDermott Room, J. Erik Jonnson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
In-person Only

Topic: Book Discussion: Your Stripped Bare Guide to Citing and Using History Sources

Liz will be leading the group on the study of Elizabeth Shown Mills newest book, Your Stripped Bare Guide to Citing and Using History Sources. Please be sure to bring your copy. I found this extremely helpful in being a quick reference, easy to use and understand. We will also be discussing the course of study for the upcoming months..so be sure to join!

You can contact Liz Kutz, the SIG leader at bestpractices@dallasgenealogy.org.

Learn more about the Best Practices SIG.

Van Zandt County Monthly Meeting
2025-09-27 13:00 - 15:00
Speaker: Patty Huff Williams

Topic: Use your DNA results to accelerate your family history discoveries

Location: Van Zandt County Sarah Norman Library, 317 First Monday Lane, Canton

The cost is $40.00 per person. Pre-register by September 18, 2025, space is limited. Contact Van Zandt County Genealogy Society at 903-567-5012. Bring your laptops and see what secrets you may have. Lunch and refreshments are provided.

DGS General Meeting
2025-10-04 11:00 - 12:30 | 7th Floor – O’Hara Hall – J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
In-person & Virtual Event

Speaker: Larry W. Thomas (remote speaker)

Topic: Unlocking Family History Researching Courthouse Records for Genealogical Discoveries

Overview of researching courthouses for estate records, land records, and other court papers in learning more about our ancestors. While judicial methods vary from state to state and community to community, they all process the same types of records. Therefore, this presentation is more about the records than the structure of the court system in any one location.

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HANDOUT

TEXAS COURT RECORDS

Larry W. Thomas

After serving 8 years in the United States Army, Larry joined the Reserves while pursuing his Bachelor’s Degree in Aviation Maintenance Management and obtaining his FAA license as an airplane mechanic. Larry returned to the Army as a Transportation Logistics officer where he retired as a Captain after 23 years of total service. Larry received his MBA in Management Information Systems from Southern Polytechnic State University while working for the US Army Reserves as a Project Manager and earned a Certification as a Project Management Professional from the Project Management Institute in 2013.

Larry began his Genealogy Research almost 30 years ago beginning with his own Thomas Family who have been Georgia residents since the 1750s, then branching out to the rest of his and his late wife’s families and began researching for clients in 2008. He recently became semi-retired to pursue genealogy teaching and to conduct research for clients and his own family, operating www.AtlantaGenealogy.com. He is currently working on several projects including researching and writing on Cobb County’s own Akers Mill as the brothers who ran the mill share a common ancestor with Larry’s Mother.A graduate of ProGen 38 Larry has assisted the TV Show Finding Your Roots. Two of the episodes he assisted were the Julia Roberts and the Terry Crews episodes. He is a member of numerous Genealogical and Historical Societies, Serves on the Board of the Georgia Genealogical Society, is the current president of the Genealogical Speakers Guild, and is past president of the Cobb County Genealogy Society. He is becoming a popular genealogy presenter, bringing some fun to learning how to research.

DPL: Researching in Languages You Don't Know
2025-10-08 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

Genealogy often takes us across borders—and into documents written in languages we can’t read.This program introduces powerful tools to help bridge the gap, from Google Lens for quick on-the-spot translations to platforms like Transkribus that can transcribe and interpret historical handwriting. Learn practical strategies for navigating unfamiliar scripts, deciphering records, and making sense of family history resources no matter the language.

Whether your research leads you to German church books, Spanish civil records, or handwritten letters in French, this session will equip you with accessible, user-friendly techniques to keep your discoveries moving forward.

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Collin County Genealogy Meeting
2025-10-08 18:00 - 20:30 | Haggard Library, 2501 Coit Road, Plano, TX, 75075, United States
In-person & Virtual Event

Speaker: Kate Penney

Topic: Filling in Those Pesky Blanks: Solving Maternal Surname Mysteries

Register in advance for the meeting.

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SOCIETY WEBSITE
