Sunday, July 18, 2021
Bring a chair, lunch and beverage and join us for a picnic at Heartwell Park! Look for the Questing Heirs sign in the area across from–or nearby–the Masonic Lodge. (Please do not park in their parking lot.)
We won’t have a speaker but will have time to visit and share our genealogical findings this past year.
We look forward to seeing everyone again in person!
Sunday, June 20, 2021
Our next meeting is Sunday, June 20. Our speaker will be Linda Ivers; her presentation is entitled Genealogy Research and Writing Incorporating Newspapers: Using Newspapers to Provide Context to Our Ancestors Lives. The Zoom session will begin at 12:30 for social time, and Linda’s presentation will begin at 1:00.
About Linda Ivers
Linda Sausen Ivers is an avid genealogist. Inheriting boxes of photos and other family heirlooms and ephemera increased her desire to find out more about her ancestors. She comes from a two-generation family–15 years separated her from her older sister. “Although I was lucky enough to have known my grandparents and to have met one of my great-grandmothers, I really didn’t know many specifics about who they were or where they came from. All I had to go on were some family stories and a lot of photographs.”
Linda’s genealogy addiction started in the late 1980’s with two goals: (1) to document family stories so they would not be lost to her children, and (2) to locate members of family she did not know or had lost touch with. Over the last thirty or so years, Linda has traced her father’s family back to Germany in the 1600’s and her mother’s family back to pre-revolutionary war America. But the quest continues to fill in the missing pieces.
Born in Long Beach, raised in Oregon, Linda returned to Long Beach with her family in the mid-1980’s. While in Long Beach, she taught computer science, owned her own small business, worked for a City Council member, was a member of Questing Heirs Genealogical Society, the Southern California Genealogical Society, and a board member of the Historical Society of Long Beach.
Linda has done presentations for Questing Heirs and other groups on Beginning Genealogy, Methods of Genealogy Research and Getting More out of Ancestry.com. For over a year, Linda taught beginning genealogy classes for Questing Heirs before moving to Oregon in 2013.
Publishing credits include articles for: Book by Authors: North Long Beach Anthology, “War Stories”; Oregon Digital Newspaper Program, “Newspapers: A Genealogists Treasure Trove!”; Willamette Valley Genealogical Society, “Researching Using Historical Newspapers”.
Sunday, May 16, 2021
Our next meeting is Sunday, May 16. Our speaker will be Kristin Wenger; her presentation is entitled Finding Our Female Ancestor: Research Strategies to Discover More About Women in Family History. The Zoom session will begin at 12:30 for social time, and Kristin’s presentation will begin at 1:00.
About Kristin Wenger
Roots & Wings Research, LLC was founded by Kristin Wenger in December 2017 upon her completion of Boston University’s certificate program in genealogical research. Kristin is passionate about giving others the gift of experiencing fulfillment and inspiration through discovering, preserving, and sharing their family histories.
As a lifelong Lancaster County, Pennsylvania resident, she specializes in Pennsylvania research, particularly Anabaptist groups (Mennonites, Brethren, and Amish) as well as the Moravians, who settled her hometown of Lititz.
Before pursuing her career in genealogy, Kristin was a teacher and librarian for nearly two decades. She graduated summa cum laude from Messiah College with a degree in Elementary Education. As an educator, she loves to provide coaching and instruction to others who want to learn more about their own family histories. Kristin presents engaging lectures and classes on a variety of research topics, volunteers as the in-house genealogist for the Lititz Historical Foundation, serves as Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Lititz Public Library, and is involved in teaching and music ministries at her church.
For more information, please visit her website https://www.rootsandwingsrearch.com and blog at https://www.rootsandwingsresearch.com/blog.
Sunday, April 18, 2021
Our next meeting is Sunday, April 18. Our speaker will be Diane Boumenot; her presentation is entitled Produce Your Family History Book for $20. The Zoom session will begin at 12:30 for social time, and Sara’s presentation will begin at 1:00.
Produce Your Family History Book for $20
Self-publishing has gotten easier and cheaper in the last ten years. For those who have spent decades researching a family tree, gathering stories and pictures, but keep delaying the production of a book, now is a good time to explore the next steps. Learn how your digital documents can come together to produce a book that is affordable and simple to distribute within your family, ready to be discovered years from now by your family’s next “story keeper.” It’s not hard, and you can easily start with just one book.
About Diane Boumenot
Diane MacLean Boumenot specializes in southern New England family history research and publishes genealogical guidance on her website, One Rhode Island Family. In 2018 she co-authored, with Maureen Taylor, the National Genealogical Society’s NGS Research in the States volume, Research in Rhode Island. Diane speaks on Legacy Family Tree Webinars on New England genealogy and also TechZone topics. She holds a B.A. in American History and English from Wesleyan University. Diane is also a graduate of ProGen 28, Coordinator of Progen 40, and Mentor in the GenProof program. She is currently serving as Vice President of the Rhode Island Genealogical Society and on the Membership Committee, National Genealogical Society.
Sunday, March 21, 2021
Our next meeting is Sunday, March 21. Our speaker will be Sara Cochran; her presentation is entitled Irish Eyes Are Smiling: Finding Vital Records in the Land of Saints and Scholars. The Zoom session will begin at 12:30 for social time, and Sara’s presentation will begin at 1:00.
About Sara Cochran “The Skeleton Whisperer”
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.
Sunday, February 21, 2021
Our next meeting is Sunday, February 21. Our speaker will be Mary Anne Vincent; her presentation is entitled I Don’t Remember Her Alive But I Remember Her Dead. The Zoom session will begin at 12:30 for social time, and Mary Anne’s presentation will begin at 1:00.
About the Presentation
“There have been as many plagues as wars in history; yet plagues and wars always take people by surprise.” (Albert Camus, The Plague, 1947)
In the past hundred years there have been quite a number of epidemics and pandemics: flu, polio, Legionnaires, AIDS, Ebola, and Zika among them. But the worst was the flu pandemic of 1918 which killed more people than World War I. We will look at its history in the United States and the world, as well as its impact on our society.
About Mary Anne Vincent
For most of her adult life Mary Anne Vincent has been an educator in a variety of settings: public and parochial schools, incarcerated youth, charter school students and students who are home schooled.
Mary Anne has served on the Board of Directors for the Corona Genealogical Society and the California State Genealogical Alliance. She is also the proofreader for newsletters of the Corona society and the Delaware Genealogical Society. In the past few years, using a self- publishing company, she has published three family histories on her father’s side, one on her mother’s side, and a volume of transcribed letters her maternal grandfather received during his time in the Spanish-American War. An anthology of works by and about her great-great grandfather Francis Vincent will be published in late February.
Sunday, January 17, 2021
Our next meeting is Sunday, January 17. Our speaker will be Gina Philibert-Ortega; her presentation is entitled Woman’s Lives During the Civil War. The Zoom session will begin at 12:30 for social time, and Gina’s presentation will begin at 1:00.
About Gina Philibert-Ortega
Gena Philibert-Ortega is an author, researcher, and instructor whose focus is genealogy, social and women’s history. She holds a Master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (Psychology and Women’s Studies) and a Master’s degree in Religion. Her published works include two books, numerous articles published in magazines and online, as well as four editions of the Tracing Your Ancestors series from Morsehead Publishing. She is the editor of the Utah Genealogical Association’s magazine, Crossroads. Her writings can be found on herblogs, Gena’s Genealogy and Food.Family.Ephemera as well as the GenealogyBank and Legacy Webinars blogs. She is a course instructor for The National Institute for Genealogical Studies. She has presented to diverse groups worldwide including the Legacy Family Tree Webinar series. Her current research includes women’s repatriation and citizenship in the 20th century, foodways and community in fundraising cookbooks, and women’s material culture.
Sunday, December 20, 2020
Our next meeting is Sunday, December 20. Our speaker will be Jane Neff Rollins; her presentation is entitled The Family Patchwork – Stitching Families Separated by History Back Together. The Zoom session will begin at 12:30 for social time, and Jean’s presentation will begin at 1:00.
About the Presentation
The Family Patchwork – Stitching Families Separated by History Back Together
One of the most enriching aspects of genealogy research is the opportunity to reconnect with family members that have long been separated, whether through world events or through family estrangement. How can the genealogist find those long-lost cousins and start to stitch the family back together? Attend this presentation to find out traditional and high-tech ways to find living relatives.
About Jane Neff Rollins
Jane Neff Rollins is a professional genealogist at Sherlock Combs Genealogy who works primarily with clients whose ancestors came from the Russian Empire. Jane began researching when genealogists had to scroll microfilm at the Family History Library. The first time she saw her great-grandfather on the 1900 census, she cried. Since then, she has researched in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Washington DC, and Jerusalem. She has spoken at IAJGS, NGS, Genealogy Jamboree, and other venues. Her writing has appeared in NGS Magazine, Legacies, and Crossroads. She is the recipient of the FGS 2020 FORUM Writers Award.
Sunday, November 15, 2020
Our next meeting is Sunday, November 15. Our speaker will be Jean Wilcox Hibben; her presentation is entitled Dead Language/Dead People: Translating Latin Records from the Catholic Church. The Zoom session will begin at 12:30 for social time, and Jean’s presentation will begin at 1:00.
About the Presentation
Dead Language/Dead People: Translating Latin Records from the Catholic Church
Latin has been the traditional language used for the records of the Catholic Church. Focusing on records written before the early 1900s, this lecture looks at how to decipher the basic terms and identify the types of records found. Using examples from German Catholic Churches in Germany and the United States, I will help the researcher discover how to find needed information on baptisms, marriages, and deaths. Because the examples come from German research, it is advisable to determine if the prospective audience has origins in that country. Although Latin records are also used in other locales and there is bound to be a relationship between the Latin examples given here and the records found in other areas (Italy, Mexico, etc.), the uniqueness of Gothic German handwriting makes this presentation most helpful for those who are working on records from that country.
About Jean Wilcox Hibben
Jean Wilcox Hibben; PhD, MA (DBA Circlemending), has been involved in family research for over 40 years. A former Board Certified genealogist, she is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), the National Genealogical Society (NGS), and is or has been on the following Boards: the California State Genealogical Alliance (now disbanded), the Genealogical Speakers Guild, the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors, the So. Calif. Chapter of the Assoc. of Professional Genealogists (current President and past APG board member), and the Corona Genealogical Society (former president & current 1st VP and webmaster). She writes the “Ask Aunty Jeff” column for the Jefferson County, NY, Genealogical Society Informer and maintains her own website with information about her presentations, CDs, articles, projects, etc.: www.circlemending.org.
Jean is associated with the Corona California Family History Center (former director, current staff trainer); she was the lead researcher for the 2013 Season of the PBS television program Genealogy Roadshow and did research for Follow Your Past, appearing on Travel Channel in 2016. A native of the Chicago suburbs and retired college speech professor, she holds a master’s degree in speech communication and doctorate in folklore. Jean is a national speaker known for her entertaining, as well as informative, presentations, and is a frequent writer for various genealogy publications. With Gena Philibert-Ortega and Sara Cochran, they form Genealogy Journeys®, hosting genealogy events and a series of podcasts (launched in 2016), dealing with Social History. Their blog is genaandjean.blogspot.com where information on both of these endeavors can be found. A former square dance caller, Jean has been playing guitar for about 50 years, learning a variety of other folk instruments along the way. She sees a connection between family history and music because, in learning about our forebears, we try to piece together the various elements of our ancestors’ lives in an effort to create a complete (or as complete as possible) picture of who they were in their homes, families, occupations, religions, and activities. Their musical interests/involvement should be considered part of this whole picture, or circle, of their lives and that is the primary focus of much of Jean’s writings.
Jean’s philosophy is that “who we are is a compilation of our experiences and associations as well as our biological connections. When we understand our ancestors, we can better understand ourselves. By doing this, we can complete our personal family circles.” This connects to her mission statement: “My goal is to assist others in their efforts to connect generations (past to present), completing the family circle.”
Sunday, October 18, 2020
Join us for Christine Johns Cohen‘s presentation entitled “Cousin Baiting and Cousin Stalking.” Please note that while we are meeting via Zoom, the meeting will open at 12:30pm for socializing, and the presentation will start at 1pm. Board meetings will be held after the presentations.
About the Presentation
Cousin Baiting and Cousin Stalking
We will discuss the many ways to reach out to distant living cousins to help you expand your pedigree chart forward in time. You may find family treasures, photos, DNA test takers and information that will break down a brick wall. We will explore online trees, lineage societies, cemetery indexes, obituaries in newspapers, living people finder websites and social media.
About Christine Johns Cohen
I am a long-time member of the Whittier Area Genealogical Society (WAGS), and have served in many capacities, including President. In addition to WAGS, I’m 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.
My interest in genealogy began in 1977 with the airing of the TV mini-series “Roots” and was piqued when I found a typed pedigree chart of my Dutch heritage from the New Netherlands in the 1660’s. I’m a native Californian, a graduate of UCLA in Political Science and have worked for Vitol Aviation Company since 1993.
For more information, visit christinecohengenealogy.com.