June to early July with South King County Genealogical Society

Happy Summer! 

SKCGS Members will find the playback access code for Steven W. Morrison’s presentation at the end of this email. *if you expected to find the code but do not see it, your SKCGS Membership has expired. Renew on our website: https://www.skcgs.org/support-skcgs/membership 

Most of our small meetings continue through summer; our Speaker Series will resume in September. Write to Education@skcgs with suggestions or even better, volunteer to join the team planning our education year, contacting possible speakers, and arranging their talks.  

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

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PROGRAM UPDATES

All meetings are online except the in-person Research Group and Genealogy Help at KCLS Auburn, Federal Way, and Renton Main 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. https://www.skcgs.org

*Members: passcode for the recording of this month’s speaker presentation is at the bottom of this email.*

JUNE to Early JULY 2026 MEETINGS & EVENTS

All meetings are Pacific Time (PT) zone

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

Tuesday, June 2, 2pm PT: SKCGS Board Meeting. All SKCGS Members invited; write to Board@skcgs.org for Zoom link. Note that the time has changed.

Friday June 5, 12:30–2:30pm PT, German Interest Group (EGS)(Online). Topic: “Striking Gold: Using Cluster Research to Identify an Unknown Father by  Dana Palmer, CG^®, CGL^®  Visitors welcome and more information at https://gig.eastsidegenealogicalsociety.org/. Registration is required: https://tinyurl.com/432j5fvu 

Blended ethnic families can be tough to trace. Be successful finding your German ancestor’s parents by using cluster research techniques and free online tools. This case study presentation will show how an unknown father of a German Catholic family who lived in Cincinnati was found by searching for others with the same name who were living in the same location and belonged to the same church.

Discussion will show how analyzing church records, obituaries, cemetery and other records led to the discovery of the unknown father and his origins in Germany. This is a great example of using cluster research to find elusive ancestors.

Presenter:  Dana Palmer, CG^®, CGL.^® Dana specializes in Midwestern research, lineage society applications, and publishing family books. In addition to her client work, she is part of the Mayflower Silver Books team, and lectures at RootsTech and the National Genealogical Society (NGS) conferences. Her book Ultimate Guide to Mastering Family Search was released in print and digitally in November 2025.

Saturday, June 6, 10–11am PT:Family Tree Maker User Group (Online). Topic: General Q&A for the Family Tree Maker Program. Subscribe to the free SKCGS FTM email list for meeting reminders and discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/FTMUG

Monday, June 8, 1–2pm, PT: Genetic Genealogy/DNA Interest Group (Online). Topic: What’s New at Gedmatch? See Getting Started with GEDmatch Tier 1 Tools | One-to-Many Essentials & Match Strategies: https://youtu.be/8sgPRq_9ud0?si=3uWYnUC4U7AEOWjl. We are genealogists who use DNA data as part of their research. Join the free email group for meeting notices and discussion: ttps://skcgs.groups.io/g/Genetic-Genealogy

Wednesday, June 10, 2–3pm PT: WikiTree Users (Online). Topic: Tools to improve your WikiTree profiles and move your research forward. Wikitree Users collaborate to create the best collaborative tree on Earth. Join our free online group: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Wikitree-SIG. 

Thursday, June 11, 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, June 15,  1-2 pm  PT: Tech User Group. Topic: Firm foundation for trees: Research notes. Strategies to create notes you will use, accessible everywhere. The Tech Users Group share knowledge and learn about technology tools, media, apps and websites. Join our free email group for meeting information and discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/TUG.

Thursday June 18: 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 June 19, 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 June 20, 10 am PT: Steven W. Morrison, MPA presents “Digging Up New Dirt – Part 1: Unearthing the REAL New England Immigrant; Part 2: Finding, Proving, and Publishing.” Join at 9:30 am for social time. The presentation will be recorded for review by SKCGS Members.

Steven Waltz Morrison, MPA was an adjunct faculty for seven years, & the past-president of both the Puget Sound APG Chapter, and the Olympia Genealogical Society. He’s presented to all the genealogical societies across Western Washington. In 2022 he spoke at the NGS conference, and presented to international audiences in Canada and Ireland three times. In 2016, Steven received the Scholar Award from The American Society of Genealogists.He has coordinated genealogical institute courses on Quakers four times: at the British Institute, the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, and at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy twice. In 2026, Steven will co-coordinate the first genealogical institute course focusing on the five Northwest States: Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, & Wyoming. It will be presented by the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy in February to May of 2026, as an online course. Twenty-three topics, with twelve instructors: Research in the US Northwest. 

Part 1: DIGGING UP NEW DIRT: Unearthing the REAL New England Immigrant. Do you believe that family associations know everything about their early New England ancestors? Well, guess again! While Deacon John Doane’s activities in the Plymouth Colony are well documented, his life in his mother country was a complete mystery. Learn what nuggets YOU might uncover about your elusive ancestor, by revisiting original records and adding historical context to your timeline. 

Part 2: DIGGING UP NEW DIRT: Finding, Proving, and Publishing. Follow the trials and tribulations of a small group of dedicated family researchers who set out to identify the ancestor of Deacon John Doane. Over a decades-long search, plausible theories were researched and eventually discarded as dead ends. Then the release of online records resulted in a wave of new discoveries. Comparative analysis from both sides of the pond eventually proved that a candidate from London, England was the likely youthful Deacon. A case study for the ages for anyone with a lost New England ancestor.

Monday June 22, 1-2pm PT: Genealogy Chat (Online). Meet up and chat about genealogy subjects and topics. We have no agenda; we just like one another! 

Saturday, July 4:  Independence Day. No FamilyTree Maker meeting; KCLS closed.

No July SKCGS Board Meeting. Email Board@skcgs.org with concerns.

Wednesday, July 8, 2 – 3pm PT: WikiTree Users (Online). Topic: Leveraging the FamilySearch Family Tree (FSFT) to improve Wikitree (WT) Ancestor Profiles. Begin by improving the FSFT profile and ensure that all appropriate records are linked to each family member. Merge duplicate profiles if necessary, and unlink mistaken records. Then use Sourcer to create or improve the WT profile and the FSFT Sources tab to gather all the free source-cited records for each Wikitree profile. You can also link <WT<>FSFT profiles in both so researchers can jump back and forth. Wikitree Users collaborate to create the best collaborative tree on Earth. Join our free online group:https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Wikitree-SIG. 

Thursday, July 9, 11am–1pm PT: Genealogy Help with SKCGS at Renton Main Library (In-person). 100 Mill Avenue S, Renton, WA. 

Monday, July 13, 1–2pm PT: Genetic Genealogy/DNA Interest Group (Online). email group for meeting notices and discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Genetic-Genealogy. Topic: Collaboration with DNA Matches &  Other Relatives. Bring your experiences and suggestions about where to find these groups. 

• FamilyTree DNA groups: https://www.familytreedna.com/group-project
• DNA Group Projects: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:DNA_Group_Projects
• One Name Studies: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Project:One_Name_Studies
• Gedmatch Ancestor Projects: https://app.gedmatch.com/AP/ap_group_list1.php
• Ancestry.com group messaging. Click New to start a new group, name it, then type the names to put them in the group
• RootsChat (heavy UK use)

Thursday , July 16: EGS German Interest Group will celebrate its 40^th Anniversary in our old LDS room in Bellevue. Remember Christmas Potlucks? Remember visiting after our in-person meetings? Can you believe we haven’t done this since 2020?  Significant others are invited. If you want more details, just send an email to GIG_Leader@eastsidegenealogicalsociety.org

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

• 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 Part1, “Digging Up New Dirt:  Unearthing the Real New England Immigrant” AND Part 2, “Finding, Proving and Publishing”

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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.

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SOUTH KING COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY