Please join us on January 15 at 2pm to hear Sara Cochran presenting on Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Is this Genealogy or the Cha-Cha?

Revisiting and reevaluating our early research and home sources of information might seem like a waste of time, but often, it’s the key to getting past a roadblock in our research. We’ll discuss techniques for finding new clues in records we already have and look at several small case studies to see the value of taking the time to go backward in order to go forward.

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About Sara Cochran

Sara is a full-time professional genealogist with over twenty-eight years of research experience. Her research has taken her into nearly every State in the USA and Ireland, Italy, Austria, and Britain. She especially enjoys breaking down brick walls, discovering the stories of black sheep ancestors, and helping individuals preserve their photographic legacy.

Sara holds a Boston University Genealogical Research Certificate, a Bachelor’s Degree in Library Science, and is an alum of the ProGen Study Group. She is a member of DAR and other lineage societies, the Association of Professional Genealogists, and the Genealogical Speakers Guild. She also volunteers at the National Archives Riverside office.

You can find Sara online at TheSkeletonWhisperer.com.

Please join us on December 18 at 2pm to hear Diana Transue presenting on How to Create a Private Facebook Family Page.

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About Diana Transue

Hi, my name is Diana Gloeckner Transue and I love my hobby of genealogy! Recently a group of five cousins and I put together a wonderful family reunion in West Virginia. We hosted over 125 cousins from my maternal side of the family. I am delighted to share with you how this all started with a Facebook Family Page.

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For members joining our meeting in person, please bring any store bought finger foods such as appetizers or dessert/cookies. Drinks, plates and utensils will be provided. For our Zoom members, join us online with your favorite snack.

We will have share time too. If in person, bring a thumb drive (if needed) and for those on Zoom, you can share your screen.

Please join us on November 20 at 2pm to hear Linda Debe, presenting on Missing Personnel Records: Building Your Ancestor’s WWI Files From Other Resources.

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About Linda Debe

Linda Debe is a lecturer, writer, and lifelong student with 40 years of genealogy experience.

She has many genealogy passions, but WWI military records and land records are two of her favorite topics. The love of WWI records started while attending various military webinars as she attempted to gather information about her grandfather. She has spoken to numerous genealogy audiences and has a YouTube channel where she creates short how-to videos.

She holds an AAS degree in Electronics Technology from the United States Air Force. She is an alum of ProGen 54, a coordinator for ProGen 64, and attends the National Institute for Genealogical Studies. She has attended national genealogical conferences and institutions to further her education.

Being Microsoft Office certified in Access and Excel, she applies her training by creating automated spreadsheets helping with genealogy research. Linda created a free Google calendar for genealogists to locate and register for genealogical educational opportunities and can be located on her website, TheSleeplessGenealogist.com.

We hope you can join us on October 16 at 2pm to hear Peggy C. Lauritzen, AG, FOGS present on Memory Keepers.

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About Peggy Lauritzen

There is so much more to FamilySearch than the FamilySearch Family Tree and records research. One of the best things we can leave for our descendants is a plethora of memories.

Peggy Clemens Lauritzen, AG, FOGS, has an amazing ability to bring laughter into the lives of her audience members.

Peggy is a frequent lecturer at Family History seminars and has presented at Brigham Young University, and ICAPGen, and taught Continuing Education classes at community colleges and The Ohio State University. She was tested through ICAPGen to become an Accredited Genealogist, a credential she has maintained for twenty-five years, working hard to polish her research skills.

She is a featured columnist in Reminisce magazine, has written several Legacy QuickGuides, and has filmed as an instructor for Ancestry Academy. In 2018, she was honored to be awarded Fellow of the Ohio Genealogical Society and received the Laura G. Prescott Award for Exemplary Service to Professional Genealogy. She is a former researcher at Ancestry ProGenealogists. Peggy and her husband Kerry serve as Family History Center Directors in northcentral Ohio.

NEW MEETING TIME AND FORMAT!

Our next meeting is Sunday, September 18. Starting this month, we will be meeting in hybrid format, in person and via Zoom. The in-person meeting opens at 1:30pm for socializing. Beginning at 2pm, we will have announcements followed by a presentation.

Our in-person meetings will be held at:
St. Thomas of Canterbury Episcopal Church
5306 E. Arbor Rd. (between Clark and Bellflower)
Long Beach CA 90808

If you can’t make it to the in-person meeting, you can still attend via Zoom. The Zoom meeting will start at 2pm. A link will be mailed to members before the meeting. You can also contact questingheirs@gmail.com for the login information.

Please see our Meetings page for more information.

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Our September speaker will be Eleanor Brinsko, her presentation is entitled Farming, Factories & the Frontier: Midwest Genealogy.

About Eleanor Brinsko

Eleanor Brinsko is a professional genealogist and owns Carlon Genealogical Services, LLC, where she researches family history questions for clients and also gives genealogical presentations for libraries, historical societies, and genealogy groups around Wisconsin. She was recently hired by the University of Wisconsin to teach a genealogy course for their iSchool, the school for future librarians. Eleanor has a Bachelor’s of Music Education–K-12 General and Instrumental Music and also holds two Master’s degrees from University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee: a Master’s of Library and Information Science and a Master’s in Music History and Literature, specializing in Minnesota radio history.

Our next meeting is Sunday, August 21. Our speaker will be Joey L. Caccarozzo, her presentation is on Roman Catholic Records. The Zoom session will begin at 12:30 for social time, and Joey’s presentation will begin at 1:00.

About Joey L. Caccarozzo

Joey L. Caccarozzo is a federal trial attorney by day and speaker and researcher on nights and weekends, with a focus in DNA, Italian, Louisiana, Slovak, and Ukrainian studies. She completed the Advanced Italian Genealogy course at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh in 2019 and her Italian and Eastern European genealogy certificates through the National Institute of Genealogy Studies in 2020. Joey is the speaker coordinator for the Pima County Genealogy Society and a member of its steering and programming committees.

Our July meeting is at 1pm on Sunday, July 17. Bring a chair, lunch, and beverage and join us for a get-together picnic! We will meet outside at Heartwell Park across from–or close by–the Masonic Lodge parking lot. (Please do not park in their parking lot.) To find us, look for our Questing Heirs sign.

Instead of a presentation, we will have time to visit and share our genealogical findings from the past year.

Cynthia Day-Elliott is kindly donating ice cream bars for our get-together.

In addition, as part of our collaboration with helping publicize Jamboree, the Southern California Genealogical Society has presented Questing Heirs with one Standard Registration to Jamboree 2002. One lucky QHGS member will be chosen at our July meeting to receive it. To participate, you must be a current QHGS member in good standing with dues up-to-date.

We are looking forward to seeing you in person!

Our next meeting is Sunday, January 16. Our speaker will be Christine Cohen, her presentation is entitled Grand Army of the Republic – Researching Your Union Civil War Veterans. The Zoom session will begin at 12:30 for social time, and Christine’s presentation will begin at 1:00.

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About the Presentation

Do you have a Union Civil War Veteran? Did you know that in 1890 there were over 400,000 Veterans who belonged to the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R)? This organization existed from 1866 to 1956. It generated records noting Civil War service, birth, marriage, death, residences, occupations, detailed biographies and even photographs. I will show you where and how to find these hidden gems.

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About Christine Cohen

Christine Cohen is a long time member of the Whittier Area Genealogical Society (WAGS), where she has served in many capacities, including President. In addition to WAGS, she is also a member of the El Redondo Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Society of Daughters of Holland Dames and the Association of Professional Genealogists.

Her interest in genealogy began in 1977 with the airing of the TV mini-series “Roots” and she was piqued when she found a typed pedigree chart of her Dutch heritage from the New Netherlands in the 1660’s. Christine is a native Californian, a graduate of UCLA in Political Science and has worked for Vitol Aviation Company since 1993.

Our next meeting is Sunday, December 19. Our speaker will be Dannell “Danni” Altman-Newell, her presentation is entitled Beyond the Draft Card: Researching Your Great War Ancestor. The Zoom session will begin at 12:30 for social time, and Danni’s presentation will begin at 1:00.

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About Danni Altman-Newell

Dannell “Danni” Altman-Newell is a native Kansas Citian. She began her family history research at an early age, courtesy of spending summers watching her maternal grandparents indexing at the local Family History Center. Danni is currently employed as Director of Operations at the National Storytelling Network and serves as an enthusiastic volunteer for the National World War I Museum and Memorial. A graduate of ProGen and proud member of OES, DAR, APG, and the APG Heartland Chapter, Danni specializes in the Great War, Fraternal Organization, and Midwest research. She can be contacted at danni@talkingboxgenealogy.com.

Our next meeting is Sunday, November 21. Our speaker will be Sara Cochran, her presentation is entitled From a Box in the Closet to a Treasured Family Heirloom: Organizing and Digitizing Your Family Photos. The Zoom session will begin at 12:30 for social time, and Sara’s presentation will begin at 1:00.

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About Sara Cochran

Every person that starts researching their family history does so for a different reason. For some, they feel disconnected from themselves or seek understanding about modern issues from the past. For others, the genealogy “bug” bites when a family member asks them for some help with research. For me, it was a desire to learn about the people I came from, all these marvelous looking people in my Grandma’s photo albums.

The Egyptians believed they were immortal if they were remembered. By seeking out our ancestors, we give them immortality. Someday, perhaps, someone will do the same for us! I’m just a little passionate about family history. A good friend helped me paint this on my wall and my long-suffering husband hung all the pictures.

I have returned a few “long-lost” family members to their spot on the family tree. Through research, I was able to discover what happened to a Great-Grandfather and one of his daughters on one side of the family, and a 2nd-Great Grand Aunt and 2nd-Great Grand Uncle on the other side. I’m not done with them yet, there are still puzzles to solve from the in-between years. But I can mark the places where they lie and there is some closure for the living family that has wondered what happened all these years. Each of them appears on this tree.