Meetings, Classes, and Events

See the Home Page for upcoming meeting  information. See the calendar for all scheduled meetings and events.

MONTHLY MEETINGS  are typically held on the SECOND SATURDAY of most months, beginning at 10:00. Social time begins at 9:30. Some meetings are streamed on Zoom—when that is the case registration is REQUIRED.  If you want to attend on Zoom when it is an option, registration will be REQUIRED. Members are emailed Zoom invitations with instructions for registration. Non-members may request a meeting invitation by writing to jcgswash@gmail.com  and providing your name and email address.

Upcoming Meetings 
(Planned & Facilitated by the Education Committee)
November 14 – Creating a Legacy from Family Papers 
Many of us share a pressing concern – we possess family documents, artifacts, and oral histories, but have no idea what do do with them. Claire Gebben, author and certified genealogist,  leads participants through examining formats, ideas, organizational tips, and inspiration to ensure the stories of our ancestors, and our own life stories, are not lost. Zoom Only.
December 12 – Navigating Ancestry Megan Clark Young, certified genealogist, will help us figure the best ways to use Ancestry. Zoom only.
January 16 – Two Part Presentation: Bureaucracy to the Rescue and Roots and Routes: Tracing how Families came to Washington State.   Crystal Hicks, Washington State Library. Zoom only.
February 13 – For the Record: Memoir, Oral History & Family Stories Claire Gebben, author and certified genealogist, will help us incorporate our Family Histories with our genealogy. Zoom only.
March 13 – Using the Data Base Fold-3  Brian Rhinehart will help us navigate a very valuable tool for doing military research.  Tri-Area Community Center and Zoom.

For Members Only

RESOURCE CORNERS are held periodically. These presentations are designed to allow an in-depth look at an area of genealogical research. One of our members generally leads the discussion, and participants are encouraged to bring their own experiences, questions and problems related to the topic. Resource Corner formats (in-person, via Zoom, hybrid) will depend on the presentation. Details will be in the newsletters as applicable.

DISCUSSION GROUPS  Yet another remarkable benefit of JCGS membership is being eligible to join one or more of the society’s Discussion Groups / Special Interest Groups. These groups are hosted by members of the society and meet occasionally, usually at the Research Center with colleagues who share your interests.

Writers Group – The Writers Group meets 3rd Saturday of most months from 11:00 to 12:30 at the Research Center. For more information, contact JCGS at jcgswash@gmail.com. The group meets to  learn from each other about how to get started, how to organize thoughts and data, how to address an audience and more when approaching a family history project. This group is of interest to all who are writing their family history, related stories, or their own memoirs.  Some write and read, some just listen, all members are welcome – this is a jovial group.

DNA Discussion Group – Convenes  occasionally at Research Center.  DNA is an exciting tool to help us overcome our brick walls and connect with distant “relatives.” But DNA test results can be confusing to understand. Have you or has someone in your family received results? Do you know how to interpret them? Are you making the best use of the online resources?  JCGS has knowledgeable volunteers available to assist members with their DNA questions.  For more information, contact JCGS at jcgswash@gmail.com.

Here are two references that might prove useful:  Genetic Genealogy Resources and Genetic Genealogy Glossary.

If you would like to start a group, contact jcgswash@gmail.com.

Monthly eNews Announcements

Members receive notice of upcoming meetings, classes, and events through our monthly e-newsletter. The Society information is distributed to JCGS members via MailPoet through our wajcgs@gmail.com account. This service is reserved for JCGS members only. The current and past copies are found on the Newsletters page.

Calendar
Add the upcoming meeting and resource events to your calendar today!