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About Us

If you are asking yourself, "Is this group for me? Should I come to a meeting? Should I join?" then read this page to see what we are all about!

The Genealogical Computer Society of Georgia is dedicated to fostering the merger of computer technology and genealogical research.

What we do: We are a genealogy group, and some of our meetings focus on genealogy topics. But a distinction of our group is that we emphasize use of computers in genealogy. Many genealogists, including many of our own members, did not have the benefit of having computer technology taught in school, so they tend to be intimidated about using computers. Thus, some of our meetings focus as much on helping people get more out of their computers while they do genealogy. Subjects at our meetings have included normal genealogy topics, but also have included computer topics such as backing up your data, Internet sites, genealogy software, enhancing photos, publishing your tree on the web, the latest in computer hardware (scanners, digital cameras, etc), avoiding computer viruses, etc.
Would you benefit from our group? To get a better feel for our meetings topics, see our past meetings section below which shows all the topics we have covered for the past several years. If some of these topics look interesting to you, then you will likely be interested in our group. Browse around the rest of this site to find out more!

To reiterate, our group has a wide mixture of those who are both newcomers and experts, both at computers and genealogy. If you are new to computers, or you are new to genealogy, or both, do not be intimidated about our group. If you can't decide from our website whether you would benefit from our group, come to one of our meetings! You can come as a visitor with no obligation to join. See if you find our group helpful for you!

To Join: Dues are $15 / year (for a single or couple). For this, you will get access to our email list, contact information of other group members, etc. To join our group, just bring a check with you to one of our meetings and ask for our Treasurer, Carol Julian. (Sorry but we do not accept credit cards.)

**The Genealogical Computer Society of Georgia is dedicated to fostering the merger of computer technology and genealogical research.**
What we do:	We are a genealogy group, and some of our meetings focus on genealogy topics. But a distinction of our group is that we emphasize use of computers in genealogy. Many genealogists, including many of our own members, did not have the benefit of having computer technology taught in school, so they tend to be intimidated about using computers. Thus, some of our meetings focus as much on helping people get more out of their computers while they do genealogy. Subjects at our meetings have included normal genealogy topics, but also have included computer topics such as backing up your data, Internet sites, genealogy software, enhancing photos, publishing your tree on the web, the latest in computer hardware (scanners, digital cameras, etc), avoiding computer viruses, etc. Would you benefit from our group? To get a better feel for our meetings topics, see our past meetings section below which shows all the topics we have covered for the past several years. If some of these topics look interesting to you, then you will likely be interested in our group. Browse around the rest of this site to find out more! To reiterate, our group has a wide mixture of those who are both newcomers and experts, both at computers and genealogy. If you are new to computers, or you are new to genealogy, or both, do not be intimidated about our group. If you can't decide from our website whether you would benefit from our group, come to one of our meetings! You can come as a visitor with no obligation to join. See if you find our group helpful for you!
To Join:	Dues are $15 / year (for a single or couple). For this, you will get access to our email list, contact information of other group members, etc. To join our group, just bring a check with you to one of our meetings and ask for our Treasurer, Carol Julian. (Sorry but we do not accept credit cards.)

Past Meeting Topics

Here are the topics presented at our meetings over the past several years. If you are thinking of attending and/or joining our group, peruse this section; it will give you a good feel for what our group is about. If several of these topics look interesting to you, then you will likely be interested in our group.

14-Jan-2023	A presentation on use of our computers for Genealogical work - more issues to be aware of! Webex-only!	Pierre Denize (MarTechpc.com)
11-Feb-2023	Bob presents his newest talk titled: “Onomastics: Origins and Naming Patterns & Traditions” Meeting in-person.	Bob Volz
18-Mar-2023 Special date - meeting on 3rd Sat, not 2nd Sat of March.	The Dobbins Family History trip abroad titled "Austria, Slovenia - Your Genealogy is also Theirs - So Glad You Came". Meeting in-person.	Les Dobbins
8-Apr-2023	CANCELLED (no meeting)
13-May-2023	Ken will present his newest talk on DNA, titled: "Adoption and Genealogy". Meeting in-person.	Kenneth H.Thomas Jr. (AJC Genealogy Column Journalist)
10-June-2023	Visual Identity, the Artistry of Heraldry and Genealogy in Scotland Meeting in-person.	Michael T McAlpin
8-July-2023	Case Study: Using Newspapers to Reconstruct an Ancestor’s Story. Plus highglights of best Newspaper web sites to use. Webex-only!	Bob Volz
12-Aug-2023	Taking a Second Look: Reviewing Existing Records for More Genealogical Clues Webex-only!	Tamika Strong
9-Sept-2023	Breaking Down the Brick Wall with FamilySearch.org Webex-only!	Lynn Schlick
14-Oct-2023	What you should know about the "FREE MASONS" and the "KNIGHTS TEMPLER" and Genealogy wise, who were some of them? Webex-only!	Bob Volz
11-Nov-2023	A Great Civil War Tale - "Finding the Sword of Capt. Peter Murphey" and more interesting facts from the Civil War Meeting in-person.	Ms. Lee Dunn and Bob Volz
9-Dec-2023	Christmas get together ??? Meeting in-person.	Everyone

8-Jan-2022	Another surprise presentation on electronics relating to our computer Genealogical work. Webex-only - no in-person meeting!	Pierre Denize (MarTechpc.com)
12-Feb-2022 Note: 12:30pm	1950 US Federal Census - Are You Ready? Webex-only - no in-person meeting!	Thomas MacEntee of Genealogy Bargins
12-Mar-2022	Finding Marriage Records for Family Genealogy Webex-only - no in-person meeting!	Bob Volz
9-Apr-2022	What we have found as the 1950 Census was being released Meeting in-person.	Bill Reace & Max Martinez
14-May-2022	King Phillips War-What you need to know. Meeting in-person.	Bob Sapp
11-Jun-2022	"Many Faces of Old Glory" -Video//Discuss 3 lesser known 'Who’s Who List" from the American Revolution Meeting in-person.	Bob Volz
9-Jul-2022	The Civil War Battle of Franklin & Female Warriors Meeting in-person.	Sherry Cornett
13-Aug-2022	"TALK ABOUT YOUR GENEALOGY" with members on Webex Webex-only!	Bob Volz will lead group
10-Sep-2022	Let's Talk "The Best Libraries" for Genealogical Research Webex-only!	Bob Volz
8-Oct-2022	Shaking her Tree with "SHAKERS" Webex-only!	Jean Maggs will lead group
12-Nov-2022	The Never-ending use of topics on FamilySearch.org; & For Computer Genealogy Users: Helpful Hints using Excel and other Tools Webex-only!	Tamike Strong
10-Dec-2022	No meeting this month!.

9-Jan-2021	All the President's Women (First Ladies of America #25-45) - continued from December (via webex only)	Bob Volz
13-Feb-2021	Amish Bluegrass Roots - a Family Reunion (via webex only)	Carol Julian
13-Mar-2021	What You May OR May not Know About Them when using US Census Forms (via webex only)	Bob Volz
10-Apr-2021	"Proper Pioneer" as presented to The Daughters of Union Veterans (via webex only)	Jeam Maggs
8-May-2021	Discussions about our American Flag and other issues (via webex only)	Bob Volz
12-Jun-2021	Brick Wall Breakthroughs (via webex only)	Thomas MacEntee of Genealogy Bargins
10-Jul-2021	Discovering How Your German Famlies Really Lived	Ken Craft
14-Aug-2021	Newspaper Research	Rosemary Cantrell
11-Sep-2021	Unearthing the Major; A Genealogical Adventure of Discovery	Ms Lee Dunn
9-Oct-2021	1-Samual Adams reenactment of speech before Continental Congress before signing of Declaration of Independence and overview ; 2- Presentation on the Declaration of Independence	Bill Kabel - Professional Lecturer on the Revolutionary War Period
13-Nov-2021	The History of the Marietta National Cemetery (150 yrs), and Your Civil War Family History	Brad Quinlin - Civil War Historian
11-Dec-2021	No meeting (in person or remote) this month!!

11-Jan-2020	The Immortal Words of Horace Greeley's Great-Grandfather	Tom Christman
8-Feb-2020	Family Legends and Stories: What to Believe? (update: Ken could not be here this day, so this topic was postponed for a date TBD. Bob & Bill did the program.	Kenneth "Ken" Thomas
14-Mar-2020	This month's meeting is cancelled due to COVID-19 (coronavirus).
11-Apr-2020	This month's meeting is cancelled due to COVID-19 (coronavirus).
9-May-2020	This month's meeting is cancelled due to COVID-19 (coronavirus).
13-Jun-2020	This month's meeting is cancelled due to COVID-19 (coronavirus).
11-Jul-2020	The Family History Center is still closed, but starting in July we will have online meetings. Information will be sent out via the email list about how to join these meetings. Tracing and Preserving Family Heirlooms - into real Genealogy	Amy Woodrick
8-Aug-2020	Ancestors can be Interesting	Amy Woodrick
12-Sep-2020	Getting the most out of FamilySearch.org	Tamika Strong - Archivist, Georgia Archives, a Librarian and Genealogist
10-Oct-2020	Another surprise presentation on computers/electronics/security relating to our computer Genealogical work	Pierre Denize (MarTechpc.com) - member
14-Nov-2020	English, Scottish researching	Simon Dodge - member
12-Dec-2020	All the President's Women (First Ladies of America) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Annual Christmas party is cancelled (since the Family History Center is still closed due to Covid-19)	Bob Volz

12-Jan-2019	GEORGIA TREASURES: Exploring your Genealogy, History and Culture at Public Libraries" + 1/2 hr. presentation on Archiving, What to Do with Your Records	Angela Stanley - Director, Georgia HomePLACE
12-Feb-2019	Finding Your Cherokee Ancestors	Leslie Baker Thomas of the GA. Chapter of the TRAIL of TEARS Association
9-Mar-2019	More on German Research of Transients	Ken Craft - member
13-Apr-2019	Using Deed RecordsCounty Property Lines, Tax Digests and Estate Records other than Wills	David Robertson
11-May-2019	Climbing Your Family Tree at the Atlanta History Center	Sue VerHoef, Director of Oral History and Genealogy
8-Jun-2019	Sixth Annual Roots Tech - 9a.m. - 1 p.m.	Roswell LDS Presents Roots Tech - Linda Laing & team pick best presentations from Salt Lake
13-Jul-2019	Saving Your History By Sharing Your Story	Daniel Horowitz Garcia- Region Manager STORY CORPS
10-Aug-2019	Discovering Your Roots at the Georgia Archives	Tamika Strong, Archivist, Georgia Archives - a Librarian and Genealogist
14-Sep-2019	Genealogy Research Trip Planning - "How to get the most out of your visit to the old hometown"	Researcher, Traveler, Writer Donna J. Weathers
12-Oct-2019	Another surprise presentation on electronics relating to our Genealogical work	Marvin Tedjamulia - member
9-Nov-2019	DNA - Matching experiences	Simon Dodge - member
14-Dec-2019	First hour talk by our member "America's First Ladies" by AncestralFinding ----------------------------------------------------------- Annual Christmas Party	Bob Volz --------------------------- Covered dish by all

13-Jan-18	History & Objectives of SAR and a discussion on two Revolutionary Patriots - Paul Revere & Dr.Joseph Warren	Bob Sapp - member
10-Feb-18	More on the German Transients	Ken Craft - member
10-Mar-18	Following the Neighborhood --------------------------------------- What Do You Know About St. Patrick?	Terry Manning - "GSG" ----------------------- Bob Volz
14-Apr-18	Newspapers - A Treasure Trove of Information	Tamika Strong, Librarian and Genealogist, Georgia Archives
12-May-18	"Find A Grave" what everyone should know!	Carol Tapp - member
9-Jun-18	Fifth Annual Roots Tech - 9a.m. - 1 p.m.	Roswell LDS Presents Roots Tech 2018 - Linda Laing & team pick best from 2018 presenters
14-Jul-18	An Orphan Train Desendant's Story of her Search for her Father's (The Orphan) Family History	Martha England
11-Aug-18	My Personal Research on "English Ancestors"	Simon Dodge - member
8-Sep-18	Another surprise presentation on electronics relating to our Genealogical work	Marvin Tedjamulia - member
13-Oct-18	Show 1-2 Blain Bettinger Webinars on DNA+ Discussions on Uses of DNA Tests for your Genealogy	Bob Volz Director/Program Coordinator
10-Nov-18	Historical Maps and Genealogy: HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY + Put Some Meat on Them Bones! Telling the Stories of Your ancestors	Rosemary Cantrell
8-Dec-18	Carol discusses her trip to the Germany Roth Family Farm. ----------------------------------------------------------- Annual Christmas Party	Carol Julian (GCS member) --------------------------- Covered dish by all

14-Jan-17	Doing Courthouse Research	Jane Thursby - member
11-Feb-17	Tracking the Transients – a 20th century case study of finding those who wandered.	Ken Craft - member
11-Mar-17	Bring Your Ancestors to Life with Video	Margaret Eves - member (VideoGenealogy.com)
8-Apr-17	Fourth Annual Roots Tech 9a.m. - 1 p.m.	Roswell LDS Presents Roots Tech 2017
13-May-17	Preserving Famliy Recipes; How to Save and Celebrate Your Food Traditions	Valerie J. Frey
10-Jun-17	Four half hour segments on Scottish Roots, English Roots, Welsh Roots and Irish Roots.	Bridget Lohnes
8-Jul-17	Surviving Your Genealogical DNA Test: Getting Started in Genetic Genealogy	Jennifer Dondero
12-Aug-17	Webinar Discussions on Uses of DNA Tests for your Genealogy	Bob Volz
9-Sep-17	Poison Leaves: Using DNA Results Beyond First-Degree Relationships to Help Prove a Modern-Day Misattributed Parentage	Yvonne Mashburn Schmidt , Certified Genealogist
14-Oct-17	Updated- "Packing For the Big Trip" originally presented by Don Thompson; to include talk on Tombstones	Bob Volz
11-Nov-17	Technology advances and Windows-10	Marvin Tedjamulia
9-Dec-17	First hour talk by a member then, Annual Christmas Party	Simon Dodge Covered dish by all

9-Jan-16	(DNA) Current theoretical aspects of genetic mutation & marker findings/their importance to hereditary implications + Q & A	Dr. Paula Marcet & Ruben Mendez
13-Feb-16	”Estate & Guardianship Records – Learn the REST of the story !” Case studies of early German settlers in Missouri, 1840 - 1880.	Ken Craft - member
12-Mar-16	The DAR Library for All: Near or Far, Member or Not	Jennifer P. Dondero
9-Apr-16	"Third annual Roots Tech" - Roswell LDS Presents Roots Tech 2016 - (This program is tied in with the LDS / Family History Center. It will begin at 9am, not 9:30am.)	Virginia Tedjamulia + her presenters
14-May-16	WW I & WW II Research, history, where & what to research	Rosemary Cantrell
11-Jun-16	Genealogy Creations- Ways to Use and Share Your Genealogy Reasearch	Nona K. Thornton
9-Jul-16	Georgia Land Records: A Bibligraphy including Colonial, Headright grants, lotteries under statehood and tax digests	Joanne Smalley
13-Aug-16	Oh! Come to the Church…Records	Dianne Bean Barfield
10-Sep-16	Searching Elusive Census Records in Ancestry.com; Turn Your Family Folders into Family Histories.	Terry Manning
8-Oct-16	Electronic Pick pocketing-Hacking- Smart TV & Phones, relating to our Genealogical work	Marvin Tedjamulia
12-Nov-16	Discovering how to use Galileo for genealogy; A How to Utilize Pines to find libraries in Georgia to help your search of library catalogues for GA access.	Laura Williams Carter
10-Dec-16	First hour talk on Family History European trip and Photogarphy Then, Annual Christmas Party - Covered dish by all.	Chuck Rogers; Everyone

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Years prior to 2016 list months in reverse order (Dec-Jan instead of Jan-Dec).

Dec 12, 2015
1) Bob Volz - his and Nancy's visit to the Allen County Library in Ft. Wayne, Indiana; why this facilityis one of the nations best genealogical resources to use in the USA.
2) annual Christmas party.

Nov 14, 2015
1) Mr. Kenneth H. Thomas, Jr. - THE GEORGIA ARCHIVES: What is there and why you need to visit it (Hint: Not everything is on the internet).
2) Jean Maggs will present her topic on her trip to Washington DC on "How to use the National Archives".

Oct 10, 2015
Marvin Tedjamulia - "Personal and Electronic Survival" - Food and water storage + Energy Storage + Electronic Survival and Identity Theft.

Sept 12, 2015
Carol Tapp - Google: More than a Search Engine, aka Google for Genealogy. (Carol is a former professor of Computer Information Systems.)

Aug 8, 2015
Kristen Harms (relativeproof.com) - two topics:
1) Genealogy Is Not A Solitary Activity: How And Why You Should Connect With The Genealogy Community.
2. Did Your Ancestor Have A Reason To Fib? Weighing Genealogical Evidence.

July 11, 2015
Dve Moriarty - The Unfinished Book: Finding my Lost Irish Ancestors and Distant Cousins.
Bob Volz - How in the World Can I Possibly Write a Family History Book?

June 13, 2015
Bob Sapp - 1st.-Women of the Revolution 2nd.-A presentation of cases that resolved conflicts through various forms of analytical techniques.

May 9, 2015
Bridget Lohnes - Find My Past - site presentation, uses, etc.

Apr 15, 2015
Our group tie-in with Roswell LDS "Roots Tech" Presentations.

Mar 14, 2015
Michael Henderson, Author, member SAR - Challenges of his family researching: in foreign languages; out-of-state;using alternative sources for proof; solving brick walls; researching in ethnic data sources; etc.

Feb 14, 2015
Pat Arrants - book presentation, "Liar Temptress Soldier Spy: Four women Undercover in the Civil War", written by Karen Abbott;
Stuart Woodard, Talk on "How to find your Civil War Ancestors".

Jan 10, 2015
Susan Sloane, President GSG - Using Georgia Land Lotteries; Harnessing the Power of Indirect Evidence & Genealogy Proof Standards; answering question about the Genealogical Society of Georgia.

December 13, 2014
Chuck Rodgers - his experiences when he was the chief photographer of the events at Cape Canaveral, FL; other significant photos he took over the years.
Followed by our annual Christmas party!

November 8, 2014
Ken Craft - German Research. New research techniques and case studies from his German Genealogy studies.

October 11, 2014
Bridget Lohnes (who spoke Feb 2013) - update on Ancestry.com.

September 13, 2014
Marvin Tedjamulia - annual update on computer software, hardware, and/or security.

August 9, 2014
Continuing our history theme - Don Thompson on "The British Colonies, an overall view". Do you know how your ancestors lived?
(Special recognition was given to Don at the end of this meeting, for his service over the years!)

July 12, 2014
Bill Kabel (with help from two others) - "The Declaration of Independence", and "the Traveling Trunk". All presenters wore Revolutionary uniforms.

June 14, 2014
Stewart Woodward - "Making Your Records Archive Safe" - products & ideas to organize old documents.

May 10, 2014
Bob Volz - DNA discussion via video disc, the "JOURNEY OF MAN", which is the story of the human species as told by Dr. Spencer Wells.

April 12, 2014
Meeting was part of Roswell Rootstech Family History Conference, with several topics to choose from.

March 8, 2014
"A Presentation of Little-known American History", presented by several members, and webinar on using Google Earth.

February 8, 2014
Carol Tapp - "How to Tell Your Family's Story".

January 11, 2014
Terry Barton - DNA and Genealogy.

December 14, 2013
Beth Mitchell on 'Your Photo Program', followed by our annual Christmas party.

November 9, 2013
Laura Christensen - familysearch.org site with some actual examples from her genealogy experiences and how we can use it to develop our family history.

October 12, 2013
Marvin Tedjamulia - annual update on computer software, hardware, and/or security.

September 14, 2013
Carol Tapp - the many ways to "publish" your family information: book, photo book, poem, quilt, magazine article, t-shirt, stitchery, etc.

August 10, 2013
Virginia Tedjamulia on the Family History Center and familysearch.org website.

July 13, 2013
Ken Thomas, who usually has a genealogy article in the Sunday AJC, talked about "Family Photos: Are you sure that is Grandma? Or is it Aunt Susie?"

June 8, 2013
Colonial Wars and the effect on culture.

May 11, 2013
A variety of speakers including Bill Rease, Bob Volz, Charlie Cannon, Don Thompson and more.

April 13, 2013
Dawn Watson, a professional genealogist specializing in research in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, on “An introduction to foundational research skills from planning research to citing sources", followed by a problem-solving workshop with a case study.

March 9, 2013
Ken Craft, a new member and 30 year Genealogy veteran, on "German Genealogy - Beyond the Basics": Through a real-life case study explore large city research methods, migration trails to the Midwest, transmigration, confirming identities, neighbor clustering concepts and more.

February 9, 2013
Three different speakers:
- Kristi Manuel answered the question “Why do family research?”
- Judy Woodruff talked about the advantages of developing a Fan chart, and explained “Negotiating Family Search.org" plus “Identifying the best websites for genealogy research.”
- Bridget Lohnes talked about “How to use Ancestry.com” and the “National Archives.”

January 12, 2013
Terry Manning on these subjects:
"Onomastics — The Study of Surname Origins" - Explores the history of last names and such subjects as naming patterns by our ancestors. It is equally of interest to persons not involved in genealogy as well as those studying family history.
"Write Your Family History As You Go" — Tips for compiling your family genealogy in narrative format using document citations and using it to further your genealogy road trips.
"Platting Metes and Bounds" — An exercise in using old land records to determine the outline and possible location of an ancestor's land holdings.

December 8, 2012
Janice Sly - a broad overview of researching genealogy of Canadians. If there are no Canadians in your line, you will still get some good tips from Janice.
The second half of the meeting will be our annual Christmas party.

November 10, 2012
“Members Meeting” - Members tell us about their solutions for brick walls, their successes and their failures, their suggestions for changes in programs or new ones they would like to have added. The topics, subjects questions, discussions will be left up to the members.

October 13, 2012
Marvin Tedjamulia - an update on all things related to computers, with special attention to the Internet and the secrets within.

September 8, 2012
Dave Moriarty presented basic genealogy for one 1840s Massachusetts immigrant family. The first part of the workshop described selected features of the three online resources used in this project—i.e., 1) FamilySearch.org (free), 2) the U.S. Census via Galileo's Heritage Quest (free), and 3) NewsPaperArchive.com via Godfrey Library (fee-based). Using these online resources, the second part of the workshop presented various search techniques and basic genealogical findings (especially birth, marriage, death, residence, and occupation data) for a pair of the author's g-g-grandparents, who came from Ireland to Massachusetts in the 1840s.

August 11, 2012
Bob Sapp - GPS (Genealogical Proof Standards) provide an analysis technique to evaluate a genealogical data and arrive at a conclusion that is considered self-evident. Several techniques can be used. Genealogy and GPS is a group of case studies that demonstrate analysis of mobile and sometimes conflicting logical data.

July 14, 2012
Janice Sly - Macavo (the new genealogy research browser) Find a Grave, and using the DAR database.
Also a discussion about whether to keep the GCSGA Library.

June 9, 2012
Audience participation - genealogy challenge results, and discussion about direction for future meetings.

May 12, 2012
Beth Mitchell - organizing pictures using Picasa.

April 14, 2012
A smorgasbord touching on a number of different things, such as looking at the 1940 census, reviewing GenSmart, checking into more about DNA, etc.

March 10, 2012
Theresa Quam - fun things and learning hints about Picasa.

February 11, 2012
There will be many celebrations and commemorations coming up to remind us of some of America's deadliest wars. Have you taken the time to identify your ancestors who fought in the war of 1812 or the Civil War? Ken Thomas will tell us about some of the many ritual events planned for this spring.

January 14, 2012

Don Thompson - Dragon Naturally Speaking; using familysearch.org.

December 10, 2011

1. Don Thompson will continue talking about life in the Colonies.

2. Annual Christmas party.

November 12, 2011

1. Howard Bryant - A Beginner's First Foray Into Genealogy.

2. Don Thompson - Life in the colonies - " How it Was Then.".

October 8, 2011

Marvin Tedjamulia from MartechPC - Computer Survival (viruses, malware, etc).

September 10, 2011

Don Thompson - Q&A and continuing August program, including funeral planning.

August 13, 2011

Don Thompson - things you need to do before you die (including estate planning).

July 9, 2011

Worked together as a group to build a family history.

June 11, 2011

Janice Sly - Blogs, Podcasts, & Webinars: How to stay up-to-date about genealogy via the Internet.

May 14, 2011

Gary Palgon - Publishing Your Family History.

April 9, 2011

Claudia Gibson and Erica Rohifs - researching in Libraries.

March 12, 2011

An overview of genealogy and family history, by Don Thompson.

February 12, 2011

Dave Moriarty - Newspaper Information.

January 8, 2011

Theresa MacDonald Quam - Picasa explained.

December 11, 2010

Janice Sly - selecting and hiring Professional Genealogists to aid in research. The second half will be devoted to our Christmas party.

November 13, 2010

Marvin Tedjamulia- the latest about computers.

October 9, 2010

Beth Mitchell and Chuck Rogers - Photography.

September 11, 2010

Don Thompson - genealogy software add-ons such as AniMap and GenSmarts.

August 14, 2010

Don Thompson - The Anatomy of Family History.

July 10, 2010
Glen Engels
How-to for web browsing (tabbed browsing, bookmarks/favorites), etc.

June 12, 2010
Neil Ferguson
Find a Grave

May 8, 2010
Susan Miller
Family History Center

April 10, 2010
David Moriarty
Ellis Island and Old Books

March 13, 2010
Amy Albers
Andersonville POW Camp

February 13, 2010
Pat Thompson
Local book Fair - A research meeting with research requests and books supplied by members

January 9, 2010
Meeting cancelled due to weather (1st time ever!)

December 12, 2009
Beth Mitchell - editing pictures for the first half of the program.
The second half of the program -(dddddd( a covered-dish Christmas party!

November 14, 2009
Chuck Rogers
What genealogists need to do with their pictures

October 10, 2009

Marvin Tedjamulia - Computer Does and Don'ts.

September 12, 2009

American History, the element that brings family history alive. Will future generations appreciate your knowledge?
Don Thompson

August 8, 2009
Military Records: service records, pension applications and bounty land records.
Bob Sapp and Don Thompson

July 11, 2009
Don Thompson - Basic genealogy research. Where can we find information? What can be found in the census and libraries? What can you do when you run into the "brick wall"?

June 13, 2009
Gene Sidwell and Don Thompson -
Who owned the land? When did they acquire it? How did they acquire it? How important is this knowledge to genealogy researchers that have hit a brick wall following other research avenues? Where do you find the records?

May 9, 2009
Don Thompson - Emigration, Immigration, Migration and Naturalization.

April 11, 2009
Don Thompson - Overview of Genealogy. What is Genealogy? Where does it come from?

March 14, 2009
Neil Ferguson - techniques he has used to find living distant relatives

February 14, 2009
Don Barry - Newspaper research, Digital copying of documents, and updates on DNA

January 10, 2009
Don Thompson - Ethical Wills, and new Internet genealogy sites

December 13, 2008
1st half of program - Beth Mitchell on "Preserving Your Memories Through Video & Preservation of Photos".
2nd half of program - holiday celebration (food, drinks, socializing).

November 8, 2008
Don Thompson - software including AniMap, Personal Historian, and Family Atlas.

October 11, 2008
Marvin Tedjamulia - Computer survival

September 13, 2008
Don Thompson -
Early handwriting on a CD done by Kip Sperry, and Don will do a program about information preservation.

August 9, 2008
DVD Videos 'Organizing your genealogy' and 'How to record your sources',
with a follow-up discussion led by Don Thompson

July 12, 2008
CD about cemeteries that Don recorded; and Death Records, Wills and Obituaries.

June 14, 2008
Don Thompson - Basic genealogy research. Where can we find information? What can be found in the census and libraries? What can you do when you run into the "brick wall"?

May 10, 2008
Fred and Susannah Munguia discussed genealogy research based on their extensive experience in volunteering at the National Archives for over ten years where they assisted many visiting researchers.

April 12, 2008
Glen Engels did a review of Windows basics, including file management, for beginners. He emphasized topics of interest to genealogists, including: backing up genealogy data and photos, understanding the impact of file extensions (e.g. '.GED' is a GEDCOM file; what program will open GEDCOM files if you click on it?), etc.

March 8, 2008
Kurt Graham, co-author of "To Honor These Men" (a history of the Phillips Georgia Infantry Battalion), discussed Civil War history and records.

February 9, 2008
Al Johnson discussed the history of photography.
Beth Mitchell discussed the new features in Adobe Photoshop Elements, Version 6.

January 12, 2008
Don Barry discussed DNA research.

December 8, 2007
Don Barry and a few others discussed genealogy books they have read.

November 3, 2007
Glen Engels - Windows basics, especially resources - how to tell if you need more disk space, memory, etc.

October 13, 2007
Marvin - the latest in Anti- virus, spyware, malware.

September 8, 2007
Beth Mitchell - Album Building, and Chuck Rogers - Photo Enhancement.

August 11, 2007
Myrnice Roberts - GenSmarts. GenSmarts is a program that helps you figure out what you are missing and how to find it. It works with most of the major genealogy programs.

July 14, 2007
Jane Splawn - Deciphering early handwriting.

June 9, 2007
Jack Bolton - "What can I find in the Family History Center and on familysearch.org when I am researching my ancestors?"

May 12, 2007
Don Thompson discussed writing your family history.

April 14, 2007
Bob Sapp discussed the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), and a speaker (TBD) will discuss the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).

March 10, 2007
Peter Roberts discussed using DNA for genealogy. He will explain more details of how different levels of DNA submissions helps in genealogy.

February 10, 2007
Ken Thomas, retired AJC Genealogy columnist, discussed "What to do when you receive your DNA results".

January 13, 2007
Jane Splawn discussed practical tips for writing your family history, and discussed the difference between family history and genealogy.

December 9, 2006
Glen Engels discussed GEDCOM files and PDF files.

November 11, 2006
Marvin updated the group on Genealogy using computers, Data Protection, and Security.

October 14, 2006
meeting cancelled due to renovations at the meeting site.

September 9, 2006
Chuck Rogers - still more on Photograph Editing and Organizing

August 12, 2006
Beth Mitchell - more on Photograph Editing and Organizing.

July 8, 2006
Don Thompson - Family History: How to research it and publish it.

June 10, 2006
Don Thompson - Church records..

May 13, 2006
Bob Warnock and Jane Splawn - Georgia and out-of-state Land records, respectively.

April 8, 2006
Don Thompson - Immigration and Naturalization.

March 11, 2006
Pat Arrants - identifying old pictures. She called her session, "What do you see?"

February 11, 2006
Marvin Tedjamulia - computer survival (eliminating viruses, trojans, malware, and ad-clickers) and digital media (converting photos + VHS movies, preserving/enhancing digital data, and video & photo editing).

January 14, 2006
Paul Graham is the author of the book 1805 Georgia Land Lottery. He discussed Land Acquisitions.

December 10, 2005
Chuck Rogers - Photograph Editing and Organizing (continued from August) using Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0.

November 12, 2005
Glen Engels - Working with Family Files.

October 8, 2005
Neil Ferguson passed on tricks he's picked up over the years - Backup techniques, Producing GEDCOM files, Exporting and Importing files, Standards for Documenting your database, and other tricks.
Bill Reace talked briefly about system security -- what you can do.

September 10, 2005
Members' discussion - Organizing your Information.

August 13, 2005
Chuck Rogers - Photography for Genealogists.

July 9, 2005
Peter Roberts - DNA Research.

June 11, 2005
Don Thompson - Writing your Family History.

May 14, 2005
Jane Splawn and Bill Reace - Listing / entering genealogy Sources.

April 9, 2005
Myrnice Roberts - GenSmarts.

March 12, 2005
Glen Engels - continued his presentation from last November on Windows tools & utilities.

February 12, 2005
Ken Thomas, AJC Genealogy columnist, on Georgia Genealogy.

January 8, 2005
Immigration & naturalization was presented by Jane Splawn.

December 11, 2004
TMG Videos, sponsored by Myrnice Roberts.

Nov 13, 2004
Glen Engels presented Windows tools & utilities.

Oct 9, 2004
Marvin Tedjamulia shared the latest in computer technology, including converting video tapes to DVD, creating family websites, and the latest threat on viruses.

Sept 11, 2004
Doug McCreary's new book; Don discussed FTM 2005 and Land Records.

Aug 14, 2004
Adobe Photoelements 2.0, presented by Chuck Rogers.

July 10, 2004
Obituaries, presented by Don Thompson.
Jack Bolton discussed Flash memory and similar topics.

June 12, 2004
Members discussed what they like about these respective genealogy programs they use: Legacy, PAF, Family Tree Maker, Master Genealogist, RootsMagic. Also, Don Thompson demonstrated GenSmarts and Family Tree Legends.

May 8, 2004
Glen Engels discussed file management in Windows, using Windows Explorer. This program is geared for those who are computer novices and perhaps feel intimidated about doing a lot on the computer.

April 10, 2004
Publishing, presented by Jane Splawn and Bob Sapp.

March 13, 2004
Glen Engels discussed computer viruses and internet cookies.

February 14, 2004
Don Thompson discussed "hidden features” in genealogy software programs.

January 10, 2004
Don Thompson and Jane Splawn discussed how to best organize and enter your sources using a couple of genealogy programs.

December 13, 2003
Jack Bolton, who works in the Roswell Family History Center (FHC), discussed scanning pictures.

November 8, 2003
Don Thompson discussed RootsMagic, the successor to Family Origins. He also demonstrated how to use Microsoft Word to produce a report that includes an index. Specific features in Word, including Master Documents and Style, were discussed.

October 11, 2003
Marvin discussed the latest in computer hardware including scanners, digital cameras, printers, etc.

September 13, 2003
Jane Splawn discussed library research and ideas to get past "brick walls".

August 9, 2003
Bill Reace and Myrnice Roberts demonstrated The Master Genealogist (TMG) and Second Site (a program which takes a TMG database and produces fancy HTML pages for a website).

July 12, 2003
Glen Engels demonstrated working with Gedcom files by producing a Gedcom with Family Tree Maker and importing it into Legacy Family Tree.

June 14, 2003
Jan McLenton discussed the new location and facilities of the Georgia Archives. Don Thompson also demonstrated RootsMagic.

May 10, 2003
Ruth Roeder discussed Immigration research.

April 12, 2003
Our group participated in the "Family History Expo", a genealogy workshop held at the Roswell FHC which is our regular meeting location. Among the presenters were Don (Family Tree Maker ; Roots Magic), Glen (Understanding the Internet), Beth (Photo Enhancement), and Bill (Master Genealogist), as well as people not associated with our group. For more information on Family History Expo, click here.

March 8, 2003
Glen Engels - Home Networking, email attachments, organizing web browser bookmarks/favorites, and similar topics.

Feb 8, 2003
Beth Mitchell - Adobe Photoshop Elements - "Enhancing Photos".

January 11, 2003
Karen Opp gave a summary of CDs and similar resources available at FHCs, and Don presented other CD resources, including AniMap.

December 14, 2002
Jane Splawn - GA libraries; migration routes.

November 9, 2002
Bob Warnock - Computer Timelines.

October 12, 2002
Marvin Tedjamulia - What's new in computers, printers, scanners, and digital cameras.

September 14, 2002
Researching your German ancestors, presented by Hans Thiele.

August 10, 2002
Glen Engels continued his tutorial on various Windows topics.

July 13, 2002
Glen Engels gave a tutorial oriented for computer beginners on Windows 95/98/Me.

June 8, 2002
Members discussed reference books which have helped them, and Jane Splawn discussed GA libraries.

May 11, 2002
Michael Brubaker from the Atlanta History Center discussed the Center's resources.

April 13, 2002
Jean Manker, Records Chairman of the Georgia DAR, discussed accuracy of genealogical evidence.

March 9, 2002
Gene Sidwell discussed the topics:
- Livestock Brands as a Genealogical Source
- Construction of a Useful Data Base.
Also, Jane Splawn gave an intro to the 1930 Census.

February 9, 2002
Bob Sapp presented "Time Line Analysis for Family Historians".

January 12, 2002
Hugh McKee discussed his book "War Family Letters".
Also, Beth Mitchell reviewed part of the "Digital Imaging" video seen in the August meeting, and led a discussion on how to make the most of your scanner.

December 8, 2001
Jane Splawn presented a program about cemeteries called "Bones and Stones."

November 10, 2001
Bill Reace demonstrated a new program, "Family Tree Super Tools", and also answered people's questions on The Master Genealogist.

October 13, 2001
Marvin spoke on computer hardware including the latest in scanners and digital cameras.

September 8, 2001
We had a general discussion time, and watched a video on Putting your Family History on the Internet. This video is available in the library for members to check out.

August 11, 2001
We watched two videos: Digital Imaging for Genealogy; Painless Organization for Genealogists. These videos are available in the library for members to check out.

July 14, 2001
We showed a video about Legacy Family Tree.

June 9, 2001
We showed a video about Clooz, and demonstrated the LDS 1880 census.

May 12, 2001
Ruth Roeder enlightened us on “Immigration and Emigration.”

April 14, 2001
How to use Family History Centers (FHCs), presented by FHC staff.

March 10, 2001
Karen Opp talked about “Organizing your research.”

March 3, 2001
NOTE: This was *not* a GCSGA meeting but rather a GGS meeting. This is only being listed here because GCSGA members were the principal speakers. Topics were Family Origins, The Master Genealogist, Searching Genealogy on the Web, and Putting your Family Tree on the Web. For more info on this meeting, click on the GGS meeting page here. (Note: This link was correct at the time, but the meeting subject will probably reflect the then-current meeting if you browse this in the future.)

February 10, 2001
Michael Hitt discussed a “Trail of Tears” during the Civil War, when Sherman ordered the “Roswell [Ga] Women” who worked in the cotton mills in Roswell, Georgia to be sent north beyond the Ohio River. Many of them ended up in Indiana.

January 2001
Don discussed Internet Search Engines, especially for searching genealogy. If you want to use the web to find your ancestry but are having trouble, this program was for you!

December 2000
Glen Engels finished his session on web Browser features and the Internet and then talked more about general Windows features such as Safe Mode and backing up the Windows Registry, as well as use of Norton Utilities & AntiVirus.

November 2000
Glen Engels gave a general "how to" session oriented towards computer novices on browsing the Internet, including web Browser features, downloading files, firewalls, etc.

October 2000
Marvin shared the latest on computer hardware.

September 2000
Bill Reace presented features of The Master Genealogist (TMG) software.

August 2000
Glen Engels gave a general "how to" session, oriented towards computer novices, on using Windows 95/98.

July 2000
Presentation on features of Family Tree Maker (FTM) genealogy software.

June 2000
Heard about providnc conference

May 2000
Karen Opp discussed using the Internet as a genealogy research tool.

April 2000
Brooke Hunter, Charles Mormon, and Karen Opp presented "How to Document Your Findings" and "How to Enter the Evidence Into Your Database." A comparison of the Source facilities in the programs FTM, FO, and UFT was begun.

March 2000
This was an open discussion session.

February 2000
Linda Geiger, Certified Genealogical Research and Lecturer, spoke about land records.

January 2000
Two people shared their experiences in having a book published about their family histories.