November 25 Workshop

Alisa gave us a multitude of suggestions for research when we have only a short time to spare. Many of the ideas were either for the FamilySearch or Ancestry websites. 

Some of the "Family History in 5 Minutes a Day" hints were to create a FamilySearch account, upload pictures to Memories, work on hints for sources in either website, or watch a short video from Roots Tech or YouTube.

Alisa also reminded us to register for Roots Tech 2026, which is a free online event produced by the Family History Library and scheduled for Marth 3-5, 2026.

November 18 Workshop

This past Tuesday we took a look at formulating a research plan. We began with a pedigree chart with a few unanswered questions about dates and locations of events.

The five steps to a successful plan:

Identify your objective

List known facts

Formulate a hypothesis

Identify possible record sources

Access the records

November 11 Workshop

For our Veterans Day meeting we shared information about an ancestor who was involved in a military conflict. 

We heard about two brothers who served from Wisconsin during the Civil War. Another ancestor wrote a daily diary during his four years of service in the Civil War, and that diary has been translated from the French.

Two Canadian military men were mentioned. One was a pilot who was shot down over Germany and is buried there. Another fought at the Somme and tragically saw his brother killed during that encounter.

Another ancestor was a Navy veteran who fought during both WWI and WWII.

We also discussed several ancestors who did not serve in military forces but worked in factories or continued farm work during the two World Wars.

November 4 Meeting

We welcomed back former members of our club during the first meeting of 2025-2026. Several reported that they had learned family information from "new" cousins.

The topic for the evening was The Ancestor Hunt, where you can find links to all kinds of free websites for both U. S. and Canada records.

We looked at the three main sections of the website. You can read a series of recent articles on "how to" genealogy. Another section contains quick reference guides. The main focus was on the Resource Categories where we explored some of the 24 possibilities for further research.

Fold3 Announcement

 

Free access to WWI and WWII records through November 16.

November

Our November workshops will begin Tuesday, November 4, at 7PM. We're looking forward to seeing everyone who has returned to Palm Creek. 

November 4: The Ancestor Hunt. We'll take a look at a website with something for everyone.

November 11: Roundtable. Let's share information about one of our ancestors who served in the military.

November 18: A Simple Plan. We will demonstrate the steps needed to formulate a research plan.

November 25: Family History in 5 Minutes a Day. Suggestions for research when you only have a few spare minutes.

Family History Month

October is Family History Month. You could celebrate by organizing your research materials to bring for our meetings and workshops in 2025-2026.

We plan to return to a workshop format that was popular in the past: organizing into groups with similar research goals. Some of the suggestions: website exploration, Canada research, DNA suggestions, software tips, and/or any miscellaneous brick wall problems. We welcome other ideas from members.

The first Vista Grande genealogy class was held this past Monday. The topic was how to organize and produce a family cookbook. Classes will continue throughout the season on the first Monday morning of each month.

A few of the topics planned for the coming year include Irish land records, how weather affected your ancestors, collateral research, adding your ancestors' photos to your computer, as well as several case studies to provide research guidance. 

 

FamilySearch Full-Text Search

FamilySearch has announced that the Full-Text Search option has "left" the Labs area and can now be accessed under the Search Tab. We have demonstrated and recommended its use over the past year. If you haven't yet tried it, now is the time!