Genealogy Research Tips and
Sahyun Library Updates

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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,

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

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

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

Courtesy of Michael John Neill’s Tip of the Day post “The First Things” dated 18-November-2024 When searching any database, ask yourself: What type of records are in this database? What time period is covered? Were the originals extant? Are there gaps in coverage? Was the attempt to include all records or just some? Does it

Approved minutes from the prior month’s Board meeting are posted in the Member Resources area of our website for members to read. If you’ve ever wanted to know about what the Board discusses this is a good place to find out. It’s interesting to read. You can also find the current year’s operating budget, the

A helpful new document, Writing Effective AI Prompts, has been posted on the blog Family Tree Tech. Whether you’re diving into AI for the first time or refining your approach, this very thorough guide is packed with insights to craft clear, effective prompts. Check it out to enhance your AI interactions and streamline your projects.

Handouts from the Family History Month 2024 classes can be found in Handouts section of the members’ area of our website. Remember to sign in first to access them. Submitted by Robin McCarthy