Our November speaker is Carol Rolnick, her presentation is entitled An Investigative Genetic Genealogy Case Study: the Sarah Hutchings Homicide. Come join us on Sunday, November 19 at 2pm.

Sarah Hutchings’s murder in Santa Rosa, CA was unsolved for 29 years until James Jobe was identified as the primary suspect through Investigative Genetic Genealogy in 2020. Hear the details of this fascinating case, including several interesting challenges, and follow the step-by-step process used to identify James Jobe as the perpetrator of this tragic crime.

---

About Carol Rolnick

Carol Rolnick is a professional investigative genetic genealogist with Parabon NanoLabs since 2018, and a leading researcher in the genetic genealogy community since 2011. In her role with Parabon, she aids law enforcement agencies across the US and Canada to identify suspects in violent crimes as well as unidentified human remains.

Prior to Parabon, Carol worked as a consultant for individuals seeking to identify their biological family members and information about their genetic heritage.

Carol also serves on the Investigative Genetic Genealogy Accreditation Board, which is a non-profit industry board developing standards, best practices and a proficiency exam for the field of Investigative Genetic Genealogy.

Our October speaker is Christine Cohen, her presentation is entitled Indexes are the Key to Unlocking the Records. Come join us on October 15 at 2pm.

---

About Christine Cohen

Christine Cohen is a long-time member of the Whittier Area Genealogical Society (WAGS) and is currently the Program Director. 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. Christine’s interest in genealogy began in 1977 with the airing of the TV mini-series “Roots” and was piqued when she found a typed pedigree chart of her Dutch heritage from the New Netherlands in the 1660s. Christine is a native Californian, a graduate of UCLA in Political Science and has worked for Vitol Aviation Company since 1993.

Our September speaker is our very own Laurie C. Angel, her presentation is entitled An Introduction to Wikitree. Be sure to join us on September 17 at 2pm.

Please join us on August 20 at 2pm to welcome our speaker Jean Wilcox Hibben, whose presentation is entitled The Envelope Please: There’ s More To Correspondence Than Letters.

---

About Jean Wilcox Hibben

Jean Wilcox Hibben PhD, MA, former So. Cal. college speech professor (MA – Speech Communication; PhD – Folklore), is a national speaker and author. A member of the DAR, she is the former director and current family history consultant for the Corona, CA FamilySearch Center, has worked on background research for two genealogy television programs, and was a host for podcasts on social history. A former Board-Certified genealogist with over 45 years of research experience, she is a former board member of APG and past president of its So. Cal. Chapter; 1st Vice-president of the Corona Genealogical Society, as well as webmaster for that same organization; and participant on a number of other society boards. Jean writes the “Aunty Jeff” column for the Informer, the newsletter of the Jefferson County NY Genealogical Society. Her website can be found at circlemending.org.

Now that July is here, we will be having our annual ice cream social at the park.

We’ll meet at Pan American Park, at the corner of Arbor Rd. and Charlemagne Ave., right across the street from our usual meeting place. (The park address is 5157 Centralia Ave., Long Beach).

We’ll start gathering at 1:30 and enjoy social time before the meeting begins at 2:00.

Bring any brick walls, problems or “look what I discovered” to share. We always like to help when we can.

Bring your own drink and a lawn chair. We’ll provide the ice cream!

The board would also love your feedback on our Zoom meetings.

See you outdoors for our next meeting!

Please join us on June 18 at 2pm to welcome our speaker Cheri Mello.

---

About Cheri Mello

Cheri Mello began dabbling in genealogy as a 5th grader with a U.S. History assignment. She began her active adult research over thirty years ago, after the death of her grandparents. Her expertise ranges from various areas of America and Portugal, as well as DNA, genealogy software, Find A Grave, and more.

Please join us on May 21 at 2pm to hear Cynthia Keefer Patton presenting on 10 Steps for Organizing for the Busy Genealogist.

---

About Cynthia Keefer Patton

Cynthia K. Patton is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and former owner of Patton Leadership Consulting. Cynthia has a Bachelor’s in Journalism and a Master’s in Political Science, both from the University of Southern Mississippi. She lives now in Kansas City, Missouri and is a Professional Genealogist part-time. She is a BU Certification Program graduate and serves as the Registrar of a local DAR Chapter in Parkville, Missouri. She is a member of APG (Heartland Chapter); NGS; and numerous local Historical and Genealogical Societies. She has written two Pro Tip articles for the APG eNews on Work-Life Balance and Time Management and has presented for numerous historical, genealogical, and other organizations.

Please join us on April 16 at 2pm to hear Kim Richardson presenting on A New Strategy for Brick Walls.

Ever feel like you are engulfed by a pile of research? Do you ever think to yourself, “If I could just get organized, I could solve this mystery?” If so, this presentation is for you!

This session explains why complex genealogy problems feel overwhelming and how to overcome it. (Don’t worry, it’s not you, and you’re not alone!) You CAN master the “thought chaos” caused by all that data swirling around in your mind. All you have to do is interact with the research in a new way and engage in activities that transform you from a (passive) data reader/collector into an (active) data user/thinker. The presentation shows you how and demonstrates a technique that:

• teaches you to handle information in a new way to see more links and relationships

• allows you to see all your research at one glance

• organizes your research for you (yes, really!)

• simplifies all the data

• shows you any gaps, errors, and conflicts

• automatically creates a narrative outline (and eliminates writers’ block!)

• helps you plan and brainstorm your way to success

---

About Kim Richardson

Professional genealogist Kim Richardson founded a research and consulting firm to assist clients in their pursuit of their ancestors. She also enjoys spending time researching her own family, but Kim’s favorite genealogy activity is serving the family history community by coaching and empowering others to break through barriers to achieve their goals. To that end, Kim created and developed the “Brick Wall Buster Cards” to show others her secret to solving tough genealogy problems and family mysteries. She regularly teaches and presents to groups across the country. She also writes for local and state genealogy publications and wrote the “Mississippi Research Guide” for Family Tree Magazine. She has researched for TV shows Finding Your Roots and Who Do You Think You Are?

Kim earned a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations from Mississippi State University. She retired from service to the State of Mississippi after 25 years as an advocate for victims of violent crime and working in highway traffic safety programs.

Please join us on March 19 at 2pm for a Q & A session to share about your brick walls. The who, the what, the where, and why did you do it. Some of our mysteries may never be answered, but you never know what can be unearthed from someone else.

Please join us on February 19 at 2pm to hear Duke Fuller speak on Find A Grave Tips and Tricks.November 2021 Questing Heirs Newsletter

As part of his presentation, he will be going over: Member profile info, answering/completing letter messages, creating memorials, maintaining memorials, linking family members, responsibilities of photo requests, personal contributions list, virtual cemeteries, favorite cemeteries, issues that may arise, and a Question and Answer session.

---

About Duke Fuller

Duke Fuller has been an active Find a Grave member for over 12 years where he helps families find closure in finding and photographing grave markers. He has completed researching, mapping, excavating grave stones, and photographing the entire Long Beach Municipal Cemetery (LBMC). Of the total 2734 interments, only 1574 are viewable (58%). Much of his work at LBMC was published in “Died in Long Beach: Cemetery Tales” by Claudine Burnett. AuthorHouse, 2016. https://www.amazon.com/Died-Long-Beach-Claudine-Burnett/dp/1524611026/

Duke is also a member and works closely with the Historical Society of Long Beach (HSLB) where he provides information and assist visitors that attend the Annual Historical Cemetery Tour at both Sunnyside Cemetery and the Long Beach Municipal Cemetery that is held at the end of every October.

You can find out more information about the HSLB and the great tour at https://www.hslb.org/historical-cemetery-tour/.

Duke is a special education teacher, a professional woman’s fast pitch softball umpire and USATF and Paralympic Track and Field official. He also has a passion for collecting old comic books and US coins.