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

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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.

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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.

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!