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Saturday, October 3
"Finding Binkey: When Research Questions Become a Road Map to the Enslaved" with Michael A. Willis (CCCGS Meetings)
10:00 am to 1:00 pm Via Zoom - Registration Required
Michael A. Willis, Award-Winning Author, Professional Genealogist, and
RootsTech Speaker
During this 3-hour webinar, Michael A. Willis, 2026 RootsTech Speaker and Award-winning Author of Finding Binkey: When Your Ancestors Choose You, will help attendees gather knowledge about their past with the intent of bringing context to their present and unleashing the potential of their future. With 25 years of experience, Michael is committed to helping individuals answer their genealogical questions through historical document discovery and analysis. He also utilizes DNA analysis to unlock mysteries that are otherwise unsolvable.
While taking you on his journey, Michael shares the methodology and research questions he applied to find 7 generations of his maternal ancestors as told to him by his maternal grandmother when he was eight years old. Michael’s webinar presents use cases from his research that connect with all heritages and spans from beginner to expert level. Be prepared to learn "how-tos" that you did not know about!
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
Michael A. Willis is an award-winning author, speaker, consultant, blogger, community activist, and instructor with 25 years’ experience as a genealogist. He is a member of the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California where he currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors. An East Bay Area native, Michael has documented over 5500 people on his family tree and researched his ancestry back 11 generations into the early 18th century. Lastly, he is Owner and Operator of the website michaelawillis.com which promotes his work and commitment to changing lives one ancestor at a time.
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Thursday, November 12
"Marriage by Blacksmith: Gretna Green Marriages" with Madeline Yanov (CCCGS Meetings)
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm Via Zoom - Registration Required
Madeline will delve into the origins of Gretna Green’s popularity and unravel the stories behind its American counterparts. What motivated people to journey far from home to exchange their vows? Are these marriages legally recognized? Where can one unearth the elusive records of these unions? These American cities may hold the key to your ancestors’ missing marriage records.
Click here to register for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
Madeline Yanov is the owner of Time Travel Genealogy, and has more than 32 years of genealogy experience, specializing in American research. Since most Americans are descendants of immigrants, she is also very familiar with European genealogy – specifically, Irish, British, the Slovak region, Russian, and some German.
Madeline is President Emeritus of the Contra Costa County Genealogical Society and serves on the board since 2012. She also is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and several other local genealogical societies. |
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Thursday, January 14, 2027
"Finally Get Organized: Conquer the Clutter Using Your Natural Learning Style" with Elizabeth O'Neal (CCCGS Meetings)
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm Via Zoom - Registration Required
Tried every organizing system for your family history and none of them stuck? That's because most advice assumes that everyone learns the same way. Spoilers: they don't, and neither do you. This talk helps you identify your natural learning style and gives you brain-based organizing strategies built specifically for it. Learn how you learn, and finally get organized with a system that works the way your brain does.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
Elizabeth Swanay O’Neal, Certified Genealogist ® , is a professional researcher, writer, educator, and national genealogical speaker. Her specialties include methodology, technology, and online research resources.
Elizabeth has studied at the National Institute for Genealogical Research (NIGR, now known as GenFed) in Washington, DC; the Forensic Genealogy Institute (FGI) in Dallas, Texas; and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is the President of the Second Life Virtual Genealogical Society, Director of the NGSQ Study Groups program, and a
Genealogy Consultant for the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).
As a family history lecturer, Elizabeth has given presentations for Legacy Family Tree Webinars, the RootsTech Conference, and many others. Her professional memberships include the Board for Certification of Genealogists, the Association of Professional Genealogists, the Genealogical Speakers Guild, and the public speaking club Toastmasters International.
Since 1987, Elizabeth has made it her goal to research, share, and preserve her family stories. She is a co-host of the Branching Out Genealogy Podcast (https://branchingout.show) and the author of the family history lifestyle website Heart of the Family™ (https://thefamilyheart.com). Her mission is to help others make the past part of their present.
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Thursday, February 11, 2027
"Your Ancestors Are Lying To You" with Jennifer Dunn (CCCGS Meetings)
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm Via Zoom - Registration Required
Sometimes the clues our ancestors leave behind only tell part of the story, or obscure the truth altogether. Using genealogical methods, we will learn about the most common ancestral “lies” and how to uncover the truth!
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
Jennifer Dunn, author, screenwriter and filmmaker, has been devoted to genealogy for more than 25 years and has a B.A. in American History from Kennesaw State University and a passion to tell the stories of “everyday people” rather than just famous names.
She specializes in tracking poor and hard-to-find Southern US ancestors, using strategies such as social history, little-known records, and cluster research. She’s especially interested in how social, economic, and labor trends influenced our ancestors’ lives.
Her presentations have been featured at the Georgia Genealogical Society, Allen County Public Library, and local societies throughout Georgia, where she works to get other family historians as excited about tax and economic records as she is.
She’s contributed research to multiple episodes of PBS’s “Finding Your Roots”, and teaches a course on AI in land record analysis at the Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research (IGHR) and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG).
She’s an active volunteer, serving as Co-Chair of the Cherokee County Georgia Oral History Committee and Vice President of the Southeast Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG). She’s filled various roles on the Webinar Team at the Georgia Genealogical Society (GGS) and worked with Cherokee County Georgia government and history center on local projects such as identifying unknown burials.
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Thursday, March 11, 2027
"Genealogy From The Russian Empire" with Sarah Busse Spencer, Ph.D. (CCCGS Meetings)
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm Via Zoom - Registration Required
Sarah’s presentation will include some historical context (and maps) and the type of records commonly met with in the various countries which were once part of the Russian Empire. Her areas of specialty are immigration research (and find that elusive home town in Europe), and within Europe, the areas of the former German Empire and the areas of the former Russian Empire. She speaks, reads and writes Russian and German fluently. She analyzes genealogical documents in those languages as well as Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian, Polish, Ukrainian, Serbian, Croatian, Belarus, and Latin.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
Sarah Busse Spencer, Ph.D. has been around genealogy all her life. After graduating from Harvard College, she chose an academic profession and got a PhD in Sociology and Russian History from the University of Chicago. Along the way she learned German and Russian and lived for a while in both those countries. Having taught in higher education, she then decided it was time to get serious about her hobby.
She received two certificates in Family History Research from Brigham Young University - Idaho, one of the few colleges in the U.S. which teach genealogy as an academic subject. She specializes in:
– helping clients find the European hometown of their immigrant ancestors
– finding records from the former Russian Empire (most of Eastern Europe today), the former German and Austrian-Hungarian Empires
– deciphering old vital records in English, Latin, German, Russian and Polish
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Thursday, April 8, 2027
"Listening to the Voices of Our Ancestors" with Megan Reilly Koepsell (CCCGS Meetings)
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm Via Zoom - Registration Required
When it comes to genealogy and discovering details about the lives of our ancestors, we tend to chalk similar experiences up to coincidence and luck. But is that all it is? Or is it something more?
Megan will share experiences of synchronicity and serendipity featured in her best-selling book Listening to the Voices of Our Ancestors: A Practical Manual for Developing Your Intuitive Genealogical Abilities. She will share not only her remarkable experiences, but those of 30 other genealogists from around the world.
She will give practical advice for helping to develop your own intuitive genealogical abilities to become aware of how your own ancestors might be working in your own research and life. Whether you're a seasoned genealogist, just getting started, or simply intrigued by stories of serendipity, you'll find these experiences fascinating.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
Megan Reilly Koepsell is a retired registered nurse living in Highlands Ranch who has dedicated over a decade to genealogy. She is currently working toward accreditation with ICAPGEN. Her first book , Listening to the Voices of Our Ancestors: A Practical Manual for Developing Your Intuitive Genealogical Abilities, was released in 2020 and quickly reached the Amazon Top 10 list for genealogy books. She is now working on several sequels. Inspired by the birth of her first grandchild, Megan also wrote a series of children's genealogy books titled My Grammie is a Genealogist and My Grandpa is a Genealogist, which were released on Amazon in February 2022 and are available in versions for both grandsons and granddaughters.
Megan serves as the president of the Colorado Genealogical Society and regularly presents on genealogical programs in the Denver Metro area. Her previous leadership roles include president and vice president/program chair for the Highlands Ranch Genealogical Society, and the Members' Interest Surnames chairperson for the Wales Ireland Scotland England Family History Society (WISE). Additionally, she has served on the genealogy committee of Clan Johnston/e of North America since 2017. |
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Thursday, June 10, 2027
"Cemeteries: Who Lies Beneath?" with Christine Cohen (CCCGS Meetings)
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm Via Zoom - Registration Required
Christine, one of CCCGS favorites, will review the awesome up-to-date resources of deceased online, Interment.net, GraveStonePhotos.com, FindAGrave and BillionGraves and many others to advance your research. They have US and International information about your ancestor's final resting place. Christine will also detail how you can help fellow genealogists by volunteering to take photos of gravestones, transcribe headstones or create memorials for posting online and connecting with long lost cousins.
After registering you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
Christine Cohen is a long time member of the Whittier Area Genealogical Society (WAGS) and the current Program Director. In addition to WAGS, she is also a member of the Tualatin Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Society pf Daughters of Holland Dames and the Association of Professional Genealogists.
Christine is a native Californian, a graduate of UCLA in Political Science and has recently retired to pursue her genealogy interest full time.
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Friday, July 9, 2027
"Finding Your Railroad Ties" with Cindy Brennan (CCCGS Meetings)
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm Via Zoom - Registration Required
There are only a few things that are as significantly entwined with American history as The Train. For many of our ancestors, trains represented the most profound change in their lifetime. New careers, travel, food, medicine and products that were never available before, were now a possibility. The nostalgia surrounding train travel in days gone by still captivates us today. Join us on a virtual train trip to learn how your family may have been connected to the magic of The Train. You might be surprised.
After registering you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
Cindy Brennan has over 20 years of experience in family history research, sparred by discovering a photograph of her husband’s family from 1899. She has served as the newsletter Editor for the Sonoma County Genealogy Society since 2009 and has shared her expertise through articles and presentations for genealogists and family historians.
Her approach combines historical context with genealogical methodology, making it a valuable resource for anyone researching ancestors who may have worked on or been affected by the railroad industry.
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Thursday, September 9, 2027
"Navigating Sensitivities" with Rhonda Lauritzen (CCCGS Meetings)
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm Via Zoom - Registration Required
Have you struggled with how to approach a difficult topic in your family’s story? This presentation is all about approaching sensitivities, surprises, and trauma in family storytelling. It will empower you to navigate sensitive subjects with empathy and grace.
After registering you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
Rhonda Lauritzen’s spark for gathering people’s stories began when she received a cassette recorder for Christmas when she was 10 years old and followed her six older brothers around asking questions. As she grew up, Rhonda found that storytelling was the most powerful way to connect with others. She has a strong bond with her family, growing up working alongside her parents and brothers in their family business,
Rhonda is the founder and one of the authors/instructors at Evalogue.Life. She regularly speaks, writes features for Family Tree Magazine, does keynote addresses, and presents each year at RootsTech, the world’s largest family history conference.
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