Genealogy Research Tips and
Sahyun Library Updates

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

Many of you have heard me say, “Check out state sites and archives” here are three I came across recently. Texas:  One-Million Issues in the Texas Digital Newspaper Program Florida: Florida Digital Newspaper Library Indiana: Indiana Memory Hosted Digital Collections Posted by Rosa Avolio – Webmaster  

If you don’t already know about Conference Keeper you should check it out. ConferenceKeeper.org is the most complete genealogy calendar of events anywhere!  Here you will find thousands of genealogy webinars, seminars, conferences, workshops, podcasts and more, from genealogy societies, libraries, and other organizations all around the world.

Michael John Neill posed this rhetorical question in a recent Genealogy Tip of the Day. Should you stop “five years after they died? Thirty years after they died? Never?” “It can be difficult to tell. The important thing is to not stop searching after the individual’s estate has been settled. A deceased person can easily

Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society members will soon be able to access Santa Barbara News-Press content through the society’s Newspapers.com Publisher Extra subscription. No more scrolling through microfilm at the main branch of the Santa Barbara Public Library. This invaluable resource is due to the Santa Barbara Historical Museum’s recent acquisition of the News-Press archives,

Recently I came across what I thought was a Certificate of Birth but it was headed “Delayed Certificate of Birth” I was surprised to find it contained different information than a Certificate of Birth issued at the time of the birth. Here’s a seven-minute video by Lisa Lisson explaining what a Delayed Certificate of Birth

Saturday’s Member Orientation was very well received by new, returning, and current members alike. There’s always something to learn about our SBCGS’s Sahyun Genealogical Library.  It’s a gem in our community; with access to so many books, maps, surnames, and locality files not to mention the wide variety of subscription sites from which to research

Free Access to AncestryDNA Shared Matches Tool Now through September 3rd, if you have a current Ancestry Membership and have taken an AncestryDNA test, you can try out Ancestry’s Pro Tools Shared Matches feature. Here’s how to access it. Go to your DNA Results Summary and click View DNA Matches. Click one of your DNA matches and then