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Genealogy Research Tips and
Sahyun Library Updates
Ancestors West is Hot Off the Press
The Spring edition of Ancestors West has been published and is available for your enjoyment on the Society Publications page of our website. Read memories about the 1925 Santa Barbara Earthquake and survival stories shared by our members in this issue. The themes for all 2025 Ancestors West issues, along with the submission deadlines for
Australian newspapers and many other added to Newspapers.com!
As you know one of our premium subscription sites available to members at the Sahyun Genealogical Library is Newspapers.com Here’s a blog post by them, they have added 500+ new papers to their collection including Australian newspapers. posted by SBCGS Webmaster – Rosa Avolio
Roots Tech 2025!
RootsTech is a family history and technology conference and trade show held annually in the Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, Utah. It first debuted in 2011 having been created from the ground up by a team at FamilySearch. You don’t have to go to Salt Lake City to participate, you may attend online
Saving A Nation’s Stories: The US National Archives and Why Advocacy Matters
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) preserves American history, protects the records that underpin our profession, and makes them accessible for our research now, and in the future. Funding decisions in Congress directly impact NARA’s ability to function. Join the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) for a panel discussion featuring Rebecca Koford, the Director
Griffith’s Valuation – What it is and how to search it
Today I learned about Griffith’s valuation: Griffith’s Valuation was a boundary and land valuation survey of Ireland completed in 1868 The valuation records offer detailed insights into 19th-century Irish property, occupiers and local changes, providing valuable data for family history, economic studies, and understanding historical social structures. Tithe and valuation records are some of the
Be A Super Sleuth: Accessing Images at FamilySearch
Do you know that over 95% of the online records of FamilySearch are not accessible by a surname search. Newly digitized records are being put in Images and not in the Card Catalog. In this presentation at St. Mary’s County Genealogical Society of Maryland, Jill Morelli will tell us how to find these records and
New Experiment at Family Search
Many of us have discussed the “Tree” on FamilySearch.org and the fact that it’s available to anyone to add to or edit. Well, here’s some news about that, if you go to the home page of FamilySearch.org and scroll down to Family Search Labs and “View Experiments” on the right side of the page. Then
Extra! Extra! Free Access at Newspapers.com
Access to Publisher Extra® papers on Newspapers.com will be free until 10:59 pm PST on February 17th. Access over 1 BILLION pages in the largest online newspaper archive! A free account is required. Submitted by Robin McCarthy
Genealogy Tech Talk News
Time is running out to view the Genealogy Tech Talk class recording. On February 10th it will be moved to the Tips & Tools section of the Webinar Archive for members only. We have a great slate of topics for upcoming meetings. Judy Thompson will cover the recent enhancements to Full-Text Search at FamilySearch and
Discover the New Full-Text Search Feature at FamilySearch.org
FamilySearch.org has introduced an enhancement to its full-text search results. Now, the initial results include a list of names mentioned within the document itself. This powerful tool, made possible through advanced artificial intelligence, is designed to make your genealogical research even more intuitive and efficient. Dive in and discover connections you might have missed before.
New Genealogy Tech Talk Class at SBCGS
Join Robin McCarthy and Judy Thompson to learn how technology can enhance and improve your genealogy work. The class will explore a range of tools including artificial intelligence (AI), the Online Repository Assistant (ORA), WikiTree, Goldie May, various browser extensions, and more. Each monthly two-hour hybrid workshop will discuss a tool during the first hour.
Recording of California Pioneers Certificate Program
If you missed Colin Whitney’s presentation about the California Pioneers Certificate Program, the recording is available here until January 31st. After January, it will be available only to Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society members in the Webinar Archive section of our website. Submitted by Robin McCarthy
Announcing the California Pioneers Certificate Program
Do you have a California ancestor who survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake; or perhaps an ancestor who participated in the California gold rush? Maybe your ancestor was an early settler in California before it became a state. If any of these situations apply to you then you might be eligible to earn a California
Have You Heard About the New BIRLS Database?
What is the BIRLS database you ask? It’s the Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) database, originally created and maintained by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA). “It provides an index to basic biographical information on more than 18 million deceased American veterans who received some sort of veterans benefits in their
Are You Researching Civil War Ancestors?
Brian Rhinehart’s recent newsletter from CivilWarRecords.com discusses a valuable resource at the Wisconsin Historical Society for Civil War researchers. Discover Civil War History at the Wisconsin Historical Society The Wisconsin Historical Society began preserving Civil War documents as early as 1861, when the conflict first erupted—and their efforts haven’t stopped since. Over 150 years later,
Extra! Extra! Read All About It!
The Winter edition of Ancestors West has been published and is available for your enjoyment on the Society Publications page of our website. Read all about the celebrations, festivals, and holiday traditions shared by our members in this issue. The themes for all 2025 Ancestors West issues, along with the submission deadlines for stories, are
New podcast to recommend
I like to listen to podcasts and I recently came across this one. Genealogy Toolkit, it’s straightforward genealogy tips for beginners or experienced. I always learn or relearn something I forgot. there are 48 weekly episodes, looks like it began in January 2024, with no ads or promotions just useful genealogy tips. Check it out
Reinterpreting ‘In-Law’: A 19th-Century Twist on Family Terms
Courtesy of Michael John Neill’s Tip of the Day post “Steps Towards In-Laws” dated 2-December-2024. The use of the “in-law” did not always just indicate the relationship that it does today. In most modern uses of “in-law” a “father-in-law” is the father of someone’s spouse. In the same way a “mother-in-law” is currently generally interpreted
SBCGS Member Launches a New Podcast
In addition to having recently achieved her certified genealogist credentials (CG®), Elizabeth Swanay O’Neal, our Education Director has partnered with Tami Osmer Mize from ConferenceKeeper to release a new podcast. Elizabeth says, “The Branching Out Genealogy Podcast is all about, well… GENEALOGY, of course! In our first episode, we introduce ourselves and talk about our
Korean War Era Draft Registration Cards Now Available on Fold3!
Fold 3 is digitizing Korean War era draft cards, so far they have completed and made available Wyoming and Alaska. Read more about it here Then visit the Sahyun Genealogical library and search for your ancestors. Rosa Avolio – Webmaster
