Monthly Meeting – June 1, 2023 – “Using Newspapers to Find Your Ancestor’s Stories” by Pamela Brigham

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Newspapers are a rich source of information about our ancestor’s lives. You can find everything from vital statistics (birth, marriage, death) to bankruptcy notices to real estate transactions. This information can really help flesh out the story of your ancestor’s lives. In this class we’ll be talking about some of the items you can find in newspapers and the free and paid sites where you can find them. What sites work best for finding your ancestor’s stories? How to get the most out of the sites with your research. Come find out more about newspapers during this class!

Pamela Brigham – is the President of the Silicon Valley Computer Genealogy Group – website: svcgg.org. She believes in using technology as a tool to help break through brick walls and effectively document her genealogy. She was in the technology industry for 20 years and since she started researching her genealogy, ~11 years ago, has applied that knowledge of tech to effectively document her family’s past. She enjoys teaching classes in genealogy including classes on the Mac, FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, FindMyPast, and searching in newspapers. Pamela received a certificate in genealogy from Boston University.

The Zoom meeting will start at 7:00 pm sharp. Zoom meeting details will be sent by invitation only. If you are not a member and wish to attend, send an email with your email address to our Membership VP, Marilyn Ruccello .

For additional information, call (831) 915-9465.


”We always overestimate what we can do in two years, and we underestimate what we can do in ten years.”


Off the Charts : Presenting Ancestors’ STories (PAST) : meets on 3rd Wednesdays May 17 via Zoom @ 1:30 pm

We are a genealogy group for people who like to think outside the box and beyond the chart. We exchange support for our work and excitement about how we’re sharing it. Our meetings include topics and speakers on writing, crafts, photo projects, organization, trips, reunions, issues, and much more.

Wednesday May 17th @ 1:30-3:30 ==> Contact Kathy knielsen68@gmail.com for Zoom meeting details.

This Month we will be focusing on CURIOSITIES: Trips Down the Rabbit Hole.

Borrowed from Lewis Carrol’s 1865 Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland, going down the rabbit hole, in this digital age, has become a metaphor for something that transports one to a captivating and time-consuming topic. We will share our own experience with going down a rabbit hole that is off-focus and seemingly not pertinent to our own family history. In doing so, quite unintentionally, Kathy and Robin found common ground, literally, between the two of us and, in the process, helped more than one other with family history mysteries. PLEASE join us and share a rabbit-hole story.

Every meeting includes a chance to connect, ask questions, and update genealogy friends on your latest discoveries or roadblocks. We also have an opportunity to receive inspiration from others and to help.

Monthly Meeting – May 4, 2023 – “A Ticino Canton, Switzerland Research Project & How It Can Help With Your Ticino Research” by Sandy Peterson & Midge Buchert

Midge Buchert’s Italian-Swiss research project, specifically in Ticino, Switzerland was 20+ years in the making. Learn: Tool #1 – Midge’s Pedigree Database of connected Ticino Families. Tool #2 Midge’s Research Notes with some translations – This tool works hand in hand with Tool #1. Both sets of records (Tool #1 & #2) will be available through FamilySearch.org on your home computer, as well as at any FamilySearch Center. Search both resources to ascertain if your family surname is found within them.

Sandy Peterson is from the Central Coast, and has been researching her family since 1988. She began volunteering in the Santa Maria FamilySearch Center, and began teaching a few “how to” classes. 2015-2019, she served as the FamilySearch Center Director. Past president of the Santa Maria Valley Genealogical Society. She loves researching her Polish, Danish, German, Welsh, & English ancestry, and connecting with family relatives. Her favorite pastimes is to create graphic art collages from the documents, photos, and maps relating to her ancestors.

Midge Buchert’s Italian-Swiss research project, specifically in Ticino, Switzerland, was 20+ years in the making. Because of Midge’s extensive years of connecting Californian Central Coast families with their Italian-Swiss roots in the Canton of Ticino, plus the Family History Department’s interest in her valuable work. This project was first introduced in the Santa Maria LDA Church FamilySearch Center in Aug 1992, doing her own research and then volunteering for several years. She began researching Catholic Church records in Ticino, Switzerland for a friend whose Donati ancestors came from the Village of Broglio. These records were written in Latin, and because she had knowledge of the language, she’s been researching Ticino records ever since.

The Zoom meeting will start at 7:00 pm sharp. Zoom meeting details will be sent by invitation only. If you are not a member and wish to attend, send an email with your email address to our Membership VP, Marilyn Ruccello .

For additional information, call (831) 915-9465.


”Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries.” – Anne Herbert