News and Events From Other Genealogical Societies

NGS - National Hispanic Heritage Month

The National Genealogical Society (NGS) is pleased to join the celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month (15 September–15 October) honoring the "histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America."

We hope the resources listed below will help everyone with Hispanic/Latino roots build their family tree.

2023-08-24 National Genealogical Society (NGS) Meeting Minutes

National Genealogical Society (NGS)

Delegate Council
Zoom Meeting
24 August 2023

Kate Townsend, NGS Delegate Council chair, welcomed everyone. She thanked the council members who were leaving at the end of their term (on 1 October 2023). An election was held for the Vice Chair position. Matt Weismantle was elected unanimously.

David Rencher presented the Preserve the War of 1812 Pensions II. Societies are looking for unique ways to raise funds for the national project. In the first phase of the project, NGS requested $1 per society member per year. Fold3.com paid for half of the project, but during this second phase, NGS will have to pay the whole $2.5 million in quarterly payments (about $156,000 per quarter) because of the contractual agreement with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The second phase will be digitizing Veteran Bounty Land Warrants which include indigenous persons, rejected payments for the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, veteran applications, and family bible records. Family members are included in these veteran bounty land warrants. Quarterly payments will begin in 2024. NGS is asking member societies to spread the word about the pension projects to friends and colleagues. NGS is asking each society’s board to pledge money each year. Fundraising ideas include raising the local society’s dues $1 for the 4-year project which would go to the project. Another idea was to add a notation on the society’s annual conference so people could donate. One society sent their profits from their annual conference to NGS for the first project. Once the NGS website is set up for the project (soon!), donors will be highlighted. For now, if a society wants to donate, just write a check with a notation that the money goes to the Preserve the Veteran Bounty Land Warrant project. In the future, NGS will provide PowerPoint slides for societies to use for fundraising. PDF articles will also be downloadable for cutting and pasting in society’s newsletters. NARA website will house the Veteran Bounty Land Warrants database, and will be available for free. Third party vendors (FamilySearch, Ancestry.com, etc.) are invited to download the images. FamilySearch will provide these for free; Ancestry may charge. If societies have individuals who would be willing to donate significant amounts of money for the project, contact NGS. Mike Hall of FamilySearch has made toy soldiers like he did for phase one which he will be selling for the project. Soldiers will include African Americans.

NGS Updates

ConferenceKeepers.com is now a part of NGS. Tami will continue to add classes, conferences and seminars.

Family Matters Tool Box for scanning photos and writing books was rolled out at the May NGS conference Sponsored by Vivid-Pix.

PBS: Finding Your Roots will debut January 2024. This time it will include non-celebrities as well as celebrities. This would be an opportunity for societies to sponsor watch parties at libraries or homes to encourage family history research.

America250: PBS will have programs leading up to the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026. Ken Burns will have a special in 2024 on the American Buffalo which will include indigenous people. He also is working on a Gospel Hymns special which will include African Americans. In 2025, the American Revolution will be highlighted by Burns ending in 2026. PBS wants to engage more people in the community with history and family history. A great way to get people excited about their ancestors’ places in American history!

Family History Guide: NGS has constructed a booklet on researching family history at www.thefhguide.com. This is a free download that can be used in classes or as a handout at society functions.

October is Family History Month: NGS will be putting together a tool kit of items to enhance the research experience. This will be a PDF that can be shared. It will be on the NGS website. Ideas that have worked for other societies include scanning photos for people, writing stories about one’s family, interviewing techniques when talking with family members, and organizing a family history month cookbook of ancestor recipes.

The NGS annual conference will be held virtually, 16-18 May 2024.

Townsend then concluded the meeting.

Linda Caldwell McCleary
NGS Delegate

Partner with the National Genealogical Society for Preserve the Pensions Phase II: Veteran Bounty Land Records Project (PDF document to read more about the project)

New Virtual Programs from Midwest Genealogy Center

The Midwest Genealogy Center in Independence, MO will be offering a series of new virtual programs with genealogy experts from all over the United States this Fall and into next year. We are really leaning into virtual programming, to not only increase the diversity of speakers, but also the people and communities that we can reach out to and help. Several of these classes are relatively new topics for us so it is also helping us gauge trending topics and current interest and needs in genealogy.

All virtual events are completely free, you don’t even need a MCPL library card to sign up, just an email address to receive the Zoom link

The first one, Beginning Polynesian Genealogy with Miyamoto Jensen, is on August 21 at 6:00pm CST. We would love for anyone interested to join us!

Katie Smith, MLS
Director
Midwest Genealogy Center
Mid-Continent Public Library
3440 S. Lee’s Summit Road
Independence, MO, 64055
Phone: (816) 252-7228
Email: ksmith@mymcpl.org

Midwest Genealogy Center

https://mymcpl.org

Arizona Genealogical Societies Monthly Meetings

(All times and locations are subject to change. Societies are open to the public, except as noted)

  • BOUSE: Bouse Genealogical Society – 9:30am, every Friday (October - April) at Bouse Community Building, 44031 Plomosa Rd. Bring sack lunch. Publication: Bouse Genies Newsletter. Write to: Society, PO Box 463, Bouse, AZ 85325-0463, Phone: 480.229.3741. E-mail: bousegenies@gmail.com. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bousegeniesaz.

  • BUCKEYE: Sun City Festival Genealogy Club, 3pm, 2nd Tuesday (except June – September) at Sun City Festival, Sage Center, 26501 W. Desert Vista Blvd., Buckeye, AZ 85396. Phone: Gayle Klein, President- 360-921-2700,: festivalgenealogy@gmail.com, Website:  http://festivalgenealogy.wixsite.com/festivalgenealogy.

  • GREEN VALLEY: *Southern Arizona Genealogical Society - 1:00pm, 3rd Thursday (October – May 2024) at La Posada Rec Center, 685 S. La Posada Circle, #37, Green Valley. (Oct. 20, 2023 instead of the 19th). Green Valley/Sahuarita Genealogy Library at 665 S. Park Centre Ave., Green Valley. Publication: Past Tracks. Write to: Society, PO Box 1009, Green Valley, AZ 85622-1009. Website: https://azsags.org/. [Hybrid meetings]

  • KINGMAN: Mohave County Genealogical Society - 1pm, 1st Wed., at Mohave County Museum Library, 400 West Beale St. Write to: Society, 400 West Beale St., Kingman, AZ 86401. E-mail: library@mohavemuseum.org.

  • LAKE HAVASU CITY: Lake Havasu Genealogical Society, Inc. – 9am, 3rd Wednesday (October - May) at the Genealogical Society Family Research Library, 2126 N. McCulloch Blvd., Suite 17, Lake Havasu City, 928.854.5447. Publication (for members): Generation Connection Newsletter. Write to: Society, PO Box 953, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86405-0953. Email: lhgs@frontier.com. Website: https://lhgs.weebly.com/

  • MESA: Sunland Springs Village Genealogy Club - 7pm, first Monday (except May - October) in Superstition Room. Genealogy Help Group and Classes also held. Write to: Sunland Springs Genealogy Club, c/o Mary Hamilton, 11134 East Pampa Avenue, Mesa, Arizona 85209. Phone: 480-495-8731. Email: maryhamilton477@gmail.com. Website:  None.

  • ORO VALLEY: Sun City Vistoso Genealogy Society and Library, 1pm, 2nd Tuesday (check website for location). Meetings are open to guests; library is for members only. Write to: Society, 1565 E. Rancho Vistoso Blvd. Oro Valley, AZ. Email: vmbarr@gmail.com. Website: https://scvgs.org/.

  • PAYSON: Northern Gila County Genealogical Society and Library - 1:00pm, 1st Saturday, at 302 E. Bonita, Payson. Publication: Gila Heritage. Write to: Society & Library, 302 E. Bonita, Payson, AZ 85541-5012. Phone: 928.474.2139. E-mail: ngcgs@suddenlinkmail.com. Website: None.

  • PHOENIX AREA: *Black Family Genealogy & History Society – 9:45am, 2nd Saturday. Write to: Society, PO Box 75654, Phoenix, AZ 85087-5654, Phone: 408.444.6903. Email: contact@bfghs.org. Website: https://www.bfghs.org. [Virtual]
    • *Family History Society of Arizona – 6:30pm, 3rd Wednesday at Mesa Inter-Stake Center, 830 E. 2nd Ave., Mesa & Zoom. See website for SIGs. Publication online: FHSA Newsletter. Write to: Society, PO Box 63094, Phoenix, AZ 85082-3094. Website: www.fhsa.org/>. Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fhsaz. [Hybrid]

    • *Phoenix Genealogical Society - 1:00pm, 1st Tuesday (except holidays) at West Phoenix Family History Center, 3102 N. 18th Ave (and Earll Drive), Phoenix. Phone: 602.687.7030. Website: www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~azpgs/, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhoenixGenealogicalSociety/.

    • Phoenix Jewish Genealogy Group - 1pm, one Sunday each month between September and May (check calendar on website). Meetings are either virtual or in-person. In-person meetings are at the Cutler-Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center, 122 E. Culver Street, Phoenix. Email: emilyhgarber@gmail.com. Website: www.azjhs.org/genealogy-group.

    • First Families of Arizona - 10:00am, last Tuesday (September through May, except December when it is the 3rd Tuesday) at First United Methodist Church, 5510 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. Website: http://thefirstfamiliesofarizona.net/.

    • *Trilogy Genealogy Club – 1pm, 1st Monday (September - June) in the Center for Higher Learning at the Kiva Club, Peoria, AZ. Website: https://www.tvagenealogy.club/. [Virtual]

    • *West Valley Genealogical Society – Meetings begin 1:00pm, 2nd Monday (September - May), First Presbyterian Church, Swain Hall, 12225 N. 103rd Ave., Sun City, AZ. Genealogy Library located at 12222 N. 111th Ave., Youngtown, AZ; phone: 623.933.4945; Publications: Desert Tracker journal and Tidbits newsletter. Write to: Society, 12222 N. 111th Ave., Youngtown, AZ 85363-1225. Website: https://www.azwvgs.org. [Hybrid]

    • PRESCOTT: Northern Arizona Genealogical Society- 1pm, 4th Saturday at FamilySearch Library, 1001 Ruth St., Prescott, and virtual. Electronic Publication: The Bulletin. Write to: Society, PO Box 695, Prescott, AZ 86302-0695. Website: a href=https://www.nagsprescott.org/>https://www.nagsprescott.org/. [Hybrid]

  • SADDLEBROOKE: Saddlebrooke Genealogy Club – 1pm, 1st Thursday, Coyote Room at SaddleBrooke One, 64500 E. Saddlebrooke Blvd. Saddlebrooke, AZ. Email: saddlebrookeazgenealogyclub@gmail.com, Website: https://sites.google.com/view/saddlebrookeAZgenealogyclub.

  • SIERRA VISTA: Sierra Vista Genealogy Club – 1pm, 1st Wednesday (October – May), Ethel Berger Center, 2950 E. Tacoma St., Sierra Vista. Website: https://sierravistagenie.wordpress.com/.
  • STATEWIDE: *Arizona Genealogical Advisory Board – 1:30pm, 2nd Saturday every other month beginning in January virtually. Contact information@azgab.org for Zoom link. Publication: AzGAB Newsletter. Write to: Society, PO Box 5641, Mesa, AZ 85211-5641. Website: https://www.azgab.org. [Virtual]

  • TUCSON AREA: *Pima County Genealogy Society -1pm, 3rd Saturday (except July & December) at Truly Nolen Leadership Training Center, 436 S. Williams Blvd., Tucson. Email: help@azpimagensoc.org. Website: https://www.azpcgs.org/. Write to: Society, PO Box 16421, Tucson, AZ 85732. [Hybrid] Registration required.
    • Sunflower Genealogical Society – 2pm, 4th Tuesday month by a Zoom session or in person at the Sunflower Club House, 9401 N. Sunflower Park Drive. Consult the Sun Catcher for date, time and meeting information for the upcoming month. Website: https://sunflowerliving.com/club_pages/sfgs/index.html.
  • YUMA: *Genealogical Society of Yuma Arizona - 10am, last Saturday at the Yuma Main Library, 2951 S. 21st Drive, Yuma. Website: https://www.gsya.org or call 928.446.2892.

* Denotes Member of AzGAB Compiled May 2023 by AzGAB, PO Box 5641, Mesa, AZ 85211. Permission is hereby granted to genealogy instructors, libraries and non-profit societies to reproduce for the benefit of their patrons or members. Please give proper credit.

AzGAB
Arizona Genealogical Advisory Board
PO Box 5641
Mesa, AZ 85211-5641

AzGAB is a statewide non-profit organization

Our mission is to promote genealogy and history by addressing the educational needs and interests of the Arizona genealogical community and the general public through cooperation with, and support of, member societies and individuals.

Betsy Gottsponer, President – e-mail: president@azgab.org

Anne Bodine, Secretary - e-mail: secretary@azgab.org

Visit our web page: www.azgab.org/

Visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ArizonaGenealogicalAdvisoryBoard

West Valley Genealogical Society