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Genealogy Research Tips and
Sahyun Library Updates

Welcome to the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society’s official blog – a digital space where we embark on a journey to unravel the fascinating tapestry of our shared ancestry. We are thrilled to introduce not only our society but also a treasure trove of knowledge – the Sahyun Genealogical Library.

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

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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

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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

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Database Searching Tips

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

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Do You Know . . . ?

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

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New Resource Alert: Writing Effective AI Prompts

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.

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Remembrance Weekend at Findmypast

Veterans Day is known as Remembrance Day in the United Kingdom. In honor of this, Findmypast is extending Remembrance Day to a full weekend of free access to EVERYTHING on its website. This comprises all military records, including 11,400 newly added records, their newspaper archive, and the 1921 census. Free access to Findmypast begins on

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Family History Month Handouts

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

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Free Webinars This Weekend

Are you sad that Family History Month is almost over? Fear not! WikiTree Week starts on November 1st with a full week of live and recorded genealogy classes and events. The week starts with the WikiTree Symposium – three days of free webinars from more than 20 popular genealogy speakers such as Thomas MacEntee, Melissa

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Texas, Florida and Indiana

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  

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Free Sites for Genealogy Research

I’ve talked about these sites many times at my Lunch & Learn classes so I’d like to share this link to Amy Johnson Crow’s video: Overlooked Free Genealogy Websites She does a great job summarizing these sites. Enjoy, happy researching!   Posted by Rosa Avolio, Webmaster  

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How to Find Genealogy Webinars and Conferences

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.

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When Do You Stop Searching for a Relative?

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

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Free MyHeritage Class

Using MyHeritage Library Edition for Your Family History Research Robin McCarthy will give an overview of some of MyHeritage Library Edition’s top features and how it can expand your genealogy research. This premium subscription is available at the Sahyun Genealogical Library and for members from home. Robin will be presenting over Zoom. Register here to receive

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Soldiers and Sailors Database

Did you know that the National Park Service maintains more than just parks and forests? The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System (CWSS) is a database containing information about the men who served in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War. Other information on the site includes histories of Union and Confederate regiments,

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Breaking “News” – the Santa Barbara News-Press that is

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,

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Announcing New Writers’ Group

A new Writers’ Group is being launched on Wednesday, October 16th for Family History Month. The group is for those who wish for a targeted discussion about writing – what engages the reader, show instead of tell, verbs and visuals, what to do if you have no photos, what makes for compelling writing, etc. The

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FREE Legacy Family Tree “Webtember”

Legacy Family Tree Webinars is hosting their annual Webtember series: free, month-long online genealogy lectures! Take your genealogy skills to the next level with this FREE online genealogy conference, held each Friday in September: 20 live webinars in all. Join live for all four Fridays or just one, and if you can’t, they’ve got you

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Do You Know About Delayed Certificates of Birth?

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

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