South King County Genealogical Society February 2026 Happenings

by Charles Hansen

February 2026 to early March 2026 with South King County Genealogical Society
SKCGS Banner.png

Greetings. 

SKCGS Members will find the playback access code for Robyn Smith’s “Cluster Research: Using Other People to Find Your People” presentation at the end of this email. *If you expected to find the code but did not, your SKCGS Membership has expired. Renew on our website: https://www.skcgs.org/support-skcgs/membership 

We’re searching for leaders to help keep our small but mighty nonprofit running smoothly! The best part? You won’t be doing it alone! You’ll be supported by a dedicated, hands-on board and fantastic volunteers who are ready to help. Email Board@skcgs.org to help.

Stay connected! Get updates on our virtual and in-person events, plus the latest genealogy news and tips, by subscribing (free) to the online group at https://skcgs.groups.io

Skcgs.groups.io is the SKCGS online platform for discussion and information sharing:

  • we communicate and share information with each other
  • other than your email, you are not required to provide personal information
  • you can unsubscribe or change your email format at any time

PROGRAM UPDATES

All meetings are online except the in-person Research Group and Genealogy Help at KCLS Auburn, Federal Way, and Renton Highland library branches. 

Live transcription (captioning) is available during our Zoom meetings by request

Online meeting participants need to register for SKCGS Zoom meetings. Upon registration, Zoom will send a confirmation email with instructions on joining the meeting. 

FEBRUARY TO EARLY MARCH 2026 MEETINGS & EVENTS

All meetings are Pacific Time (PT) zone

Register at https://www.skcgs.org for all meetings unless otherwise stated 

Tuesday, February 3, 6:30–7:30pm PT: SKCGS Board Meeting. Interested Members are invited; write Board@skcgs.org for the zoom link.

Friday, February 6, 12:30–2:30pm PT: German Interest Group (EGS)(Online). Topic: “Swiss Essentials: Locating Church Records & Understanding the Impact of Citizenship” by Charlotte Noelle Champenois, AG®, AGL™. Visitors are welcome. More information at https://gig.eastsidegenealogicalsociety.org/ Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/yfyrt6yw  

Saturday, February 7, 10–11am PT: Family Tree Maker User Group (Online). Topic: Question and Answer for the Family Tree Maker program. Join our free online group: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/FTMUG. 

Monday, February 9,  1–2pm PT: Genetic Genealogy/DNA Interest Group (Online). Topic:  DNA Research Plan: How to Focus, and Choosing Best Matches. See: Selecting DNA Tools for a Research Plan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8eOuMnE_yU. Read: https://www.yourdnaguide.com/ydgblog/finding-your-best-dna-matches . This group is for genealogists who use DNA data as part of their research. Join our free email group for meeting notices and discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Genetic-Genealogy

Wednesday, February 11, 2–3pm PT. WikiTree Users  (Online). Topic: Wikitree browser extensions & Apps; when and how to use them.See: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:WikiTree_Sourcer_User_Guide (copies profiles, creates source citations) :: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:WikiTree_Browser_Extension (WikiTree browsing, reading, and editing) :: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/ Space:WikiTree_BEE#Options (more options) : https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:WikiTree_Tools_and_Apps. Wikitree Users create the best collaborative tree on Earth. Join our free online group: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Wikitree-SIG.

Thursday, February 12, 11am–1pm PT: Genealogy Help with SKCGS at Renton Main Library (In-person) Genealogy questions? SKCGS offers one-on-one help with a volunteer. 100 Mill Avenue S, Renton, WA.

Monday, February 16, 1–2pm PT: Tech Users Group (Online). Topic: Using  GoldieMay for research projects. See “Goldie May as a Newspaper Finding Aid https://youtu.be/FcRWWrth0JM?si=tzRWht2f5ngt831d 45 mins. The Tech Users Group is for sharing knowledge and learning about technology tools, media, apps and websites. Please join our free email group for meeting information and discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/TUG.

Thursday, February 19: Genealogy Help with SKCGS (In-person). Genealogy questions? SKCGS offers one-on-one help with a volunteer.

  11am–1pm PT: Auburn Library, 1102 Auburn Way S, Auburn WA.

  2-4pm PT: Federal Way Main Library, 34200 1st Way S, Federal Way WA.

Friday, February 20, 1–3pm PT: Research Workshop. SKCGS Members only. In-person research at the Kent FamilySearch Center, 12817 SE 256th St, Kent, WA. RSVP in advance to Winona Laird (206-818-7610).

Saturday, February 21, 10–11:15am PT: SKCGS Speaker Series (Online). Doors open at 9:30 for social time; after a brief announcement and introduction, we’ll learn about “Cluster Research: Using Other People to Find Your People.” The presentation will be recorded for review by SKCGS Members; everyone is invited to join the meeting and download the handout, which is Robyn’s work product; do not share it without her permission.

Our ancestors did not live in a vacuum. They lived, worked, socialized, and married amid a larger group of people. Robyn demonstrates how studying this larger group of people often increases our success in breaking through stubborn brick walls and finding our family.

Robyn Smith has been researching her family and the families of others for almost thirty years. She specializes in court and land records, genealogy skill-building, and slavery research. 

A respected speaker in the field, Robyn has taught widely at genealogy conferences, for genealogical societies across the U.S., and for institutions such as the Maryland State Archives, the National Archives and the Smithsonian Institution. She taught at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP) in 2023 and worked with the Georgetown Memory Project in 2022. She also taught a genealogical workshop for Maryland Public Television. 

Her lectures on Legacy Family Tree Webinars have garnered thousands of views. Robyn writes extensively and has published articles in Family Tree Magazine, and in the peer-reviewed Maryland Genealogical Society Journal and the National Genealogical Society Quarterly Journal. Rooted in her passion for family research, writing and teaching remain the heartbeat of Robyn’s work. For more than fifteen years, she has authored a popular genealogy teaching blog called Reclaiming Kin (www.reclaimingkin.com). Her blog focuses on strengthening genealogical research skills for all genealogists and addressing the unique challenges of researching American slavery. Posts at Reclaiming Kin have been referenced by The Washington Post, The New York Times, Ancestry, and the Library of Virginia among others.

Monday, February 23,1–2pm PT: Genealogy Chat (Online) Meet up and chat about genealogy subjects and topics. We have no agenda; we just like one another!

Tuesday, March 3, 6:30–7:30 pm PT: SKCGS Board Meeting. Interested Members are invited; write Board@skcgs.org for the zoom link.

Friday, March 6, 12:30–2:30pm PT: German Interest Group (EGS)(Online). Topic: “Using Genealogy.net/Compgen.de” by  Fritz Juengling Ph.D., AG®, AGL™. Visitors welcome; https://gig.eastsidegenealogicalsociety.org/. Registration is required:  https://tinyurl.com/mry7k3kn

Saturday, March 7: the usual Family Tree Maker User Group is cancelled this month. Join our free online group: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/FTMUG; ask questions in the group.

Monday, March 9, 1–2 pm PT, Genetic Genealogy/DNA Interest Group (Online). Topic: New Tools for our DNA Research. Rootstech, MyHeritage WGS and more. This group is for genealogists who use DNA data as part of their research. Join the free email group for meeting notices and discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Genetic-Genealogy

Wednesday, March 11, 2–3 pm PT: WikiTree Users (Online). Topic: How Wikitree Projects can move your research forward. See: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:Projects. Wikitree Users collaborate to create the best collaborative tree on Earth. Join our free online group: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Wikitree-SIG. 

Thursday, March 12, 11am–1pm: Genealogy Help with SKCGS at Renton Main Library (In-person) Genealogy questions? SKCGS offers one-on-one help with a volunteer. 100 Mill Avenue S, Renton, WA.

*************

SKCGS Speaker Series: Monthly on the third Saturday, 10am. 

  • September 20 2025: Roxanne Lowe “Write Your Own Obituary”
  • October 18 2025: Craig K Gowens “The Border Reivers: The Beginnings of America’s Scotch-Irish”
  • November 15 2025: Mags Gaulden “WikiTree’s DNA Features, With A Splash of mitoYDNA.org”
  • January 17 2026: Mary Kircher Roddy “Putting Your Learning to Work: Getting the Most From an Educational Opportunity”
  • February 21 2026: Robyn N. Smith “Cluster Research: Using Other People to Find Your People“
  • March 21 2026: Winona Laird “Publish Your Story using AI and Kindle Direct Publishing”
  • April 18 2026: Robbie Johnson “Writing for Relatives 101-–From Research to Family History” 
  • May 16 2026 Elizabeth Swanay O’Neal “Research at the library…without leaving home!”
  • June 20 2026:  Steven Morrison Part 1, “Digging Up New Dirt:  Unearthing the Real New England Immigrant” AND Part 2, “Finding, Proving and Publishing”

*************

MEMBERSHIP:  We welcome guests to our meetings and special interest groups, which are free. Naturally we hope that visitors will want to become members. Support like yours helps us to educate and engage with our community to foster interest in family and local history. You can find more information about membership at our website at https://www.skcgs.org/support-skcgs/membership.

You are receiving this email because you have attended a SKCGS meeting and indicated you would like to receive periodic notice of events. If you would like to be removed from our list and stop receiving emails from us, send an email to skcgsfriends+unsubscribe@skcgs.org.

Like – Facebook :: Blog :: Website – SKCGS.org :: Member support – info@skcgs.org

SOUTH KING COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY