Genealogy Study Group

01/09/2026

January 2026 GSG Shoutout

Happy New Year and Hello everyone!

Many of you know I was a public school teacher my whole career.
And it is this time of year that the “teacher” in me rears up and early. Why? For some reason I can’t get out of the “are schools closed” due to some sort of weather event. Back when I first started, we have a “phone tree” that we all had a few staff members to call. Well, upon asking my kids how they now find out of there is a “Snow Day” and I was informed that all their phones start going off all at once, by getting a “robot” call, and an email, and a text, along with the creeper line on the TV. You can also check each districts website and there is usually a big screen stating the schools are closed on “X” day and date. And/Or all afterschool activities are cancelled too. They say their phones are lighting up for several minutes in a row, as the districts cover all their bases on contacting each student’s call number. Which brings me to this year’s GSG topic! Look How Far We Have Come

So now that we are doing Zoom through May – we don’t have to worry about going out in the cold, driving in hazardous conditions, slipping and sliding and all the other fun and names that we need to call Mother Nature yet again.

The first day of Spring for 2026 is: March 20th. That is only about 71 days away!

We will start off with a whole new Opening Slide show followed by a recording of a webinar I hosted this past weekend by a friend and colleague of mind from FamilySearch talking about Full-Text Search. This will seriously be a “Look How Far We Have Come” presentation!

We will start at 11:00am so log in about 5 minutes prior to that.
I will be sending out the ZOOM link shortly. There is no handout, but a link will be provided to you for a 15 page packet you may wish to print.

Thanks again for supporting the Genealogy Study Group as we start year 14!

See you Saturday, 10 January!
Megan

11/23/2025

Great Britain? UK? British Isles? Let’s break it down.

GB = England + Scotland + Wales
UK = GB + Northern Ireland
British Isles = UK + Republic of Ireland (+ Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey)

Wherever your ancestors came from across these islands, ISBGFH can help you explore those stories. Take advantage of our membership drive discount before time runs out! The sale ends on 30 November 2025, so join today and have access to our programming and British Connections Quarterly in December.

Visit www.isbgfh.com TODAY!

11/07/2025

New Membership Sale Extended!

Family History Month ended in October, so why would we extend our offer? We have had quite a few people reach out to say they missed the sale. Others want to know more about member benefits, and a few have enjoyed our online promotions because our ads have made them smile and reignited their interest in genealogy and family history. With so many different resources available online, you can embark on your genealogical journey from the comfort of your own home--but you need a roadmap. We have members from all over the world, so consider joining ISBGFH for a year at 30% off. We have programs, publications, people, and more -- every month! Visit www.isbgfh.com today!

11/06/2025

Hello everyone!

If anyone knows what happened to FALL, please tell Mother Nature to return it for a little bit more time. I am not ready for the winter weather, as all news outlets are reporting that we could be seeing anything from a dusting to 6” of show through Monday. But don’t be sad, the temps predicted for the middle of next week will be back into the 50’s and the snow will have melted.

But in the mean time… we have converted to ZOOM meetings, so there is no reason to bundle up and go out in the cold for a GSG meeting! So put on your cozy comfy weekend attire and join us for the last meeting of 2025!

Saturday 08 November is our meeting.

We will start at 11:00am so log in about 5 minutes prior to that.
We will kick off our opening slideshow, then a presentation by myself for the popular If It’s Free, It’s For Me!

I will be sending out the ZOOM link and handout to you Friday afternoon. We’ve been working on more information for you to have for your research to keep you busy until we meet again in January 10th.

Thanks again for supporting the Genealogy Study Group for 13 years!

See you soon!
Megan

10/23/2025

Wondering about joining? Another one of our membership benefits is a discount to our 1-day long Summer Institute and our 5-day long British Institute! Your membership not only gives you a discount but access to the recordings, syllabus and event (which are both VIRTUAL). So please consider becoming part of our ISBGFH membership by visiting www.isbgfh.com, join us during Family History Month and get a 30% off discount on a membership.

10/16/2025

Why consider joining? One of our membership benefits is access to our British Connections Quarterly from 1979 to our latest edition. This is not a newsletter but an educational journal. And as a bonus, we are currently indexing each quarterly with place names, surnames and more! Visit www.isbgfh.com, join us during Family History Month and get a discount on a membership.

10/10/2025

10/10/2025

Hello everyone!

Fall is in the air, the hours of daylight is dwindling, and we can now declare it is Sweater Weather!

WHICH MEANS….

We begin our 8 months of ZOOM meetings! So find your cozy place to join in, and don’t worry about heading out in the upcoming rainy, cold, dreary days of Fall / Winter.

Tomorrow (Saturday 11 October) is our meeting.
We will start at 11:00am so log in about 5 minutes prior to that.
We will kick off our opening slideshow, then a presentation / webinar by David Allen Lambert - the NEHGS Chief Genealogist (New England Historic Genealogical Society).

His presentation is called Using Cemetery Transcripts in your Family History Research

Since our last presentation was on Find A Grave - this presentation is an excellent wrap up on using cemeteries to hopefully unlock some of your hidden and unknown facts of your family. Even though he is from the New England area, all his tips and tricks apply to cemeteries worldwide. There is no handout for this presentation, so bring your notepad and a writing utensil.

See you tomorrow!
Megan

09/29/2025

It isn't too late to join us for the British Institute 2025! Don't miss this amazing opportunity to attend Paul Milner's Virtual conference. For more details, see www.isbgfh.com Hope to see you there!

09/18/2025

Hello everyone!

I want to start by thanking you all for your kind words and understanding about my conference confusion. It is just one of those “life happens” things that you just can’t work around, especially after you have paid for 3 days of coursework.

This Saturday, Michele has so graciously offered to run our GSG meeting via ZOOM! The topic is going to be on The Sanborn Maps used for historical and genealogical research. There are 2 handouts that are connected to this email for your records. One is 2 pages long and the other is 26 pages long, you decide if you want to print them or not…. Always good references to have!

As for our usual “news” portion of the GSG opening slideshow…
1) In October we start our ZOOM format through the winter. The meeting in October will be on the 11th, back to our second Saturday schedule. November GSG will be held on the 8th. December we do not meet. So mark your calendars now, and watch for the shoutouts then.

2) RELATIVE RACE - Start Season 16 on Sunday, September 21!
BYU TV at 9pm Eastern time. If you don’t get BYU TV, remember you can watch it on line the next day.

3) In October, I will share our adventure to Reno, Nevada. And we have photos!!!

So stay in your pj’s and bunny slippers and join Michele as she speaks about and shows a video about Sanborn Maps.

Time: 11:00am - 1:00pm
Place: Zoom from your favorite spot
Extra: Bring your snacks and beverages to enjoy

Watch for the Zoom link shortly.

See You Soon!
Megan

09/16/2025

Hello everyone!

Just a heads up to a change for this upcoming GSG meeting on Saturday, 20 September 2025.

Due to a conference presentation being rescheduled that I must be at on Saturday (all day)…. I am unable to present for GSG.

BUT!!!! We have a deal for you all!

Michele has offered to show a presentation / host a ZOOM GSG MEETING on Saturday for everyone!
Watch your email on Thursday for the information, zoom link, & handout.

I wanted to let you know ASAP that we were not meeting in person, but online.

Enjoy this glorious weather !
Thanks for understanding and enjoy the presentation !

Megan

08/07/2025

Hello everyone!

I am sending the shoutout for this weekend’s GSG Meeting so you can prepare!

Saturday - 9 August 2025
Herrick Library North Branch
11:00am - 1:00pm

Feel free to bring your beverage and snacks!

The community room is air conditioned so you may want a lightweight wrap to keep you warm.

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday!

The PDF’s are 2 pages long and an additional 1 page handout, so bring it with you so you can take notes during the presentation!

Happy Hunting!
Megan