Genealogy Research Tips and
Sahyun Library Updates

Are you interested in learning more ways to use AI in your genealogy research? If so, then check out these three Legacy Family Tree Webinars that are free to watch until September 30th. Using AI to Answer the Big Three: What, Where, and Why of Ancestor Locations by Diana Elder, AG, ACL This presentation demonstrates how

You can read all about Learning Paths in the Legacy Family Tree Webinars blog here, watch the quick intro video here, and browse all the Learning Paths here, or build your own custom path from any webinars in the catalog. Enrolling, creating custom paths, tracking progress, and earning completion certificates are all free — and

If you’ve been missing our Genealogy 101 class, The Essential Skills for New Genealogists webinar series offered through Legacy Family Tree Webinars may be just what you’re looking for! Dr. David Mc Donald offers a foundational roadmap for anyone looking to grow from a casual collector of names into a disciplined and effective family historian. This

You can now have your own private tree at FamilySearch that other people can’t change, unless you give them access and permission, just like your Ancestry tree. Join James Tanner from the BYU Family History Library to learn how You Can Have Your Own Family Tree on FamilySearch. The webinar is free to attend. No

The Summer issue of the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society’s quarterly journal has been posted on our website for your reading pleasure. Here are some of the highlights. A Vermont Rogue: The Curious Case of Newell Ordway By Christine Ordway Klukkert We Can’t Choose Our Ancestors By Cathy McDuffie Jordan Lydia, A Woman Worthy By

The June issue of the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society Tree Tips newsletter has been posted on our website for your reading pleasure. Here are some of the highlights. The Annual Meeting on June 20th features Nancy Loe, a professional genealogist and archivist, and author of many ebooks on research methods and practical skills. This

If you’ve been missing our Genealogy 101 class, The Essential Skills for New Genealogists webinar series offered through Legacy Family Tree Webinars may be just what you’re looking for! Dr. David Mc Donald offers a foundational roadmap for anyone looking to grow from a casual collector of names into a disciplined and effective family historian. This

Did you miss our recent private tour of the Santa Barbara Mission Archive-Library? If so, there’s good news. The Archive-Library is hosting a free Open House on the first Saturday of each month, where you can see several artifacts, books, and artwork from their collection, and learn more from knowledgeable folks about the Archive-Library.  The

With our next monthly meeting coming up, we wanted to take a moment to remind everyone about our Zoom attendance policy. When registering and joining any of our Zoom events, please use an identifiable name — preferably your full name. This applies to all public meetings and classes. Why does this matter? Two reasons: Security.

Join American Ancestors on May 18th to hear from acclaimed historian W. Fitzhugh Brundage as he discusses his book, A Fate Worse than Hell, his harrowing new history of Civil War prisoner-of-war camps, North and South. The most comprehensive work to date on the lives of America’s prisoners during the Civil War is based on

The May issue of our monthly Tree Tips newsletter is available to read here.

If you’ve been missing our Genealogy 101 class, The Essential Skills for New Genealogists webinar series offered through Legacy Family Tree Webinars may be just what you’re looking for! Dr. David Mc Donald offers a foundational roadmap for anyone looking to grow from a casual collector of names into a disciplined and effective family historian. This

“The California State Library has recently digitized a collection of historical periodicals from 21 California correctional institutions, published between 1915 and 1991. The full collection is now available online through the State Library’s catalog. “This collection of prison press periodicals was written and produced by incarcerated individuals in California state prisons between 1915 and 1991.

MyHeritage announced they “have completed the publication of the Sweden Births, Marriages, and Deaths collections, spanning 1850 to 1945 (1920 for births). Together, these collections include more than 33 million historical records drawn from Sweden’s Lutheran Church books.” Sweden Births, 1850–1920 Sweden Marriages, 1850–1945 Sweden Deaths, 1850–1945 MyHeritage is a premium subscription site available at

I recently attended a webinar on how to find funeral home records for our ancestors. The presenter listed many different archives and online resources to find these records and more. Since we are a genealogical library and not an archive researchers may not find our records very easily. SBCGS volunteers have been working with local

If you have RootsTech playlists with unwatched videos and handouts before 2024, now’s the time to get busy watching them. FamilySearch.org has announced that it will no longer retain presentation recordings and handouts older than 3 years. Use this link and select the Year dropdown menu to catch up on previous years’ recordings before they disappear

Have you been using FamilySearch.org’s Full-Text Search tool from home? You might be surprised to learn that you’re likely missing important records—and there’s no way to know it from your computer. Understanding FamilySearch Access Levels Most genealogists are familiar with FamilySearch’s restrictions on some indexed records. When searching indexed collections, you’ll sometimes encounter records marked

Special Invitation to SBCGS (& guests) from San Luis Obispo Genealogical Society IN PERSON ONLY February 18, 2026 2:00 – 5:00 pm IOOF Hall 520 Dana St., San Luis Obispo Google Maps “Family Tree Maker* staff will be visiting genealogy societies and Family Tree Maker User Groups across the state to host hands-on training sessions