Sunday, January 22nd, 2023 1:00pm Pacific time
Speaker: Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz, Genealogist
“Locating Vital Records in Poland Using Online Records”
Description: If you are researching your Jewish ancestral roots in Poland and would like to go beyond Jewishgen and JRI-Poland to find vital records this presentation is for you. This program introduces major websites such as Metryki, GenBaza, Szukajwarchiwach (the Polish State Archives), Geneteka, and FamilySearch. Learn more about the Polish partitions to introduce the history and geography of Poland. Our speaker genealogist, Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz will illustrate the use of religious records, passenger manifests, naturalization records, and other documents from U.S. sources, to suggest resources and strategies to help you decipher misspelled place names, and discuss the next steps in your research: determining the parish and civil registry office using gazetteers, and obtaining birth, marriage and death records to determine one’s ancestral village accurately. Julie will rely heavily on online sources throughout her presentation, and show how you can trace your Polish ancestry without having to cross the ocean.
About Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz
Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz is a genealogist, writer and speaker, with over 20 years of experience in researching her familyʼs origins in Poland, Germany, the U.S. and Canada. She is the Secretary of the Polish Genealogical Society of Massachusetts, contributes to a number of genealogy-related Facebook groups, and writes an informative genealogy blog, From Shepherds and Shoemakers.
Non-Members pay $5, Zoom link will be sent the week of the event. Members automatically receive a free Zoom link.
Sunday, September 29th, 2024 1:00pm Pacific Time
Speaker: Emily Garber, Genealogist
How Did They Get From There to Here? Bradshaw’s Railway Guide and
Other Tools of Discovery
Description: How did your European ancestors get from their homes to ports of embarkation? This presentation will feature resources that can help us understand what emigrants knew before they set off on the overland legs of their journeys and what they likely experienced during travel. Resources will include Bradshaw’s Continental Railway Guide, Algemeyne Yedies (by the Jewish Colonization Society), high definition maps and immigrant journals.
About Emily Garber
Genealogy researcher, writer and speaker, Emily H. Garber, is an anthropological archaeologist by training (B.A. and M.A) and has been researching her family history since 2007. She holds a certificate from Boston University’s Genealogical Research program and owns Extra Yad Genealogical Services. She has an abiding interest in family history methodology and historical context.
Emily blogs at https://extrayad.blogspot.com/, has written two books and several articles on genealogical research that have appeared in Avotaynu. She serves as chair of the Phoenix Jewish Genealogy Group, and a member of the Board of Directors of both the IAJGS and the Arizona Jewish Historical Society.
Non-members pay $5.00 Zoom link will be sent the week of the event. Members automatically receive a Zoom link.
Sunday, October 27, 1 pm Pacific
Speaker: Michelle Leonard, Professional Genetic Genealogist
A Guide To Segment Data, Chromosome Browsers & Conventional Chromosome Mapping (1.5 hrs)
Description: This 1.5 hour workshop will delve into a step-by-step guidance on how to get started with conventional chromosome mapping which is a technique that can be used to assign particular segments of DNA to a specific ancestor.
This can be very useful as a reference especially when there are several ways in which you may relate to your DNA match as is the case in endogamous situations. Michelle will also demonstrate how to use chromosome browsers and provide a guide to the different browser tools available at the major testing companies and the third party website GEDmatch.
Michelle will also include some tips and strategies for using segment data and undertaking chromosome mapping with endogamy. Michelle will be explaining not only what segment data is but how to make best use of it to aid your family history research. If you have an understanding of beginner DNA topics this workshop on segment data will expand your knowledge. If you like addictive puzzles then you will love chromosome mapping!
About Michelle Leonard
Michelle Leonard is a Scottish professional genealogist, DNA detective, author, speaker and historian with a wealth of experience in both the traditional and genetic genealogy fields. She runs her own genealogy and DNA consultancy business, Genes & Genealogy, specializing in solving all manner of unknown ancestor mysteries and verifying and enhancing family trees using a combination of DNA results analysis and traditional research methodologies. She also undertakes the creation and teaching of DNA courses, coaching, consultations, lecturing, webinars, podcasts, media consultancy and article, blog and book writing commissions. Additionally, she is known for her work on the WW1 Fromelles Genealogy Project, is a co-author of ‘Tracing Your Ancestors Using DNA: A Guide For Family Historians’ and is a regular speaker at major global genealogy events.
Non-members pay $5.00 Zoom link will be sent the week of the event. Members automatically receive a Zoom link.
Sunday, November 17, 1 pm Pacific
Speaker: Thomas MacEntee, Professional Genealogist
Translating and Transcribing Documents for Jewish Genealogical Research Using AI 1.5 Hr WORKSHOP
Description: Learn how to harness the power of artificial intelligence to assist in translating and transcribing a variety of records used for Jewish genealogical research. We’ll cover a variety of different languages including Hebrew, Russian, French, Ukrainian as well as different alphabets. In addition print and handwritten documents will be used in the translation and transcription process. All translation and transcription actions will be performed in REAL TIME during the presentation and attendees will gain the skills to replicate these actions on their own.
We need YOUR documents (in any format) which may be used as examples.
Email: Membership@scjgs.org
About About Thomas MacEntee
Professional genealogist Thomas MacEntee specializes in the use of technology and social media to improve genealogical research and interact with others in the family history community. A Baby Boomer, he loves punk rock and art history but says he somehow “fell” into the technology industry almost 40 years ago. He then left a lucrative IT career to pursue his love of family history and genealogy. While technology and historical research seem opposites, “tech people” like Thomas can guide us through the maze of options and help us deploy the best apps and devices to break down research brick walls and bring our family history to life.
Non-members pay $5.00 Zoom link will be sent the week of the event. Members automatically receive a Zoom link.
Sunday, December 8, 1 pm Pacific
Speaker: Susan Weinberg, Jewish Genealogist
Crossing the Ocean: US Records to Ancestral Towns
Description: Using case studies based on Lithuania Latvia, Poland, and Belarus, we explore how to connect a wide variety of records and make use of many search engines. With these tools we cross the ocean from US records to locate ancestral towns and family within them. Much as with any journey, we identify where we are going, who we are going to visit, how we will communicate and how we assure we have the right luggage. Or in genealogy parlance, what is our ancestral town, who are the family members who resided there, how do we decipher documents, and how do we assure the people we are searching for are our family?
This talk also addresses how to create finding tools to decipher records in Russian handwritten Cyrillic.
About Susan Weinberg
Susan Weinberg is an artist, author, researcher, and frequent speaker on genealogy topics. Drawing on her long career in finance, she often applies spreadsheets as an analytic tool in her genealogy research. Her creative work often involves storytelling and frequently explores family history themes. Susan is active in organizations within the world of Jewish genealogy, serving as the president of the Minnesota Jewish Genealogical Society (MNJGS), vice president of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) and vice president of the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest (JHSUM). She developed the Jewish Identity and Legacy Project, an oral history project with elders, then authored the book We Spoke Jewish: A Legacy in Stories that includes oral history, artwork, and history on three groups of Jewish immigrants who spanned the 1900s.
Non-members pay $5.00 Zoom link will be sent the week of the event. Members automatically receive a Zoom link.
