Happy Summer! ☀️🌺
All SKCGS Members and their loved ones are invited to join us in our potluck social! Local Members, search your email for Signup Genius for more details. Please respond with what you plan to bring to the lunch social as soon as possible.
Help Wanted
Your Education team is planning the 2026-27 Speaker Series. We would like to hear recommendations of speakers and programs you have found engaging, useful and that you think your fellow SKCGS members would enjoy. Please write to Education@skcgs.org and share your thoughts, or become part of the team! Most of our small meetings continue through the summer; our Speaker Series and the Research Workshop will resume in September.
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 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
*Local Members: We are looking forward to seeing you soon at the potluck social in early August. Please carpool if possible because parking is limited.
AUGUST TO EARLY SEPTEMBER 2026 MEETINGS & EVENTS
All meetings are Pacific Time (PT) zone
Register at https://www.skcgs.org for all meetings unless otherwise stated.
Saturday, August 1, 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.
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Monday, August 3, 11:30am-3:30 pm PT: SKCGS Members Potluck and Social. Members’ loved ones are welcome. If you don’t see a link to sign up to bring food, your membership has expired. Renew or sign up as a new Member, and you are invited!
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Monday, August 10, 1–2pm PT: Genetic Genealogy/DNA Interest Group (Online). Topic: Research at Family Tree DNA if You Did Not Test There.
1. Test someone else! or upload for someone else with permission
2. Upload your autosomal raw data from another testing company
3. Get permission from a family member to see their kit results
4. Upload to Gedmatch and/or MitoYdna.org to compare results with FTDNA testers
5. Connect your DNA tests to your Wikitree profile for hints to matches; Geni profiles can also link to FTDNA.
6. Use public Y DNA Project data at FTDNA and/or Wikitree
7 Check mail lists at Groups.io, GoogleGroups, & Substack
We are 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, August 12, 2–3 pm PT: WikiTree Users(Online): Topic: Wikitree Goals through 2026. How can we help one another make our part of Wikitree the best? Let’s share profiles and learn together. Wikitree Users collaborate to create the best collaborative tree on Earth. Join our free online group: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Wikitree-SIG.
Thursday, August 13, 11am–1:pm: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
Monday, August 17, 1–2 pm PT: Tech Users Group (Online). Topic: Putting it All Together: Practical Research Routines. What are the tools, nuts & bolts we can share with one another–using online sites, platforms, and software that not just move the research forward, but also build confidence in what we think we know. See: Genealogical Research Process Simplified: https://youtu.be/G0poOZn6rfw?si=cz3XNXddACtStmEn (20 mins).Tech User Group shares knowledge and learns about technology tools, media, apps and websites. Join our free email group for meeting information and discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/TUG.
Thursday, August 20: Genealogy Help with SKCGS (in-person). Genealogy questions? SKCGS offers one-on-one help with a volunteer
- 11am-1pm: Auburn Library: 1102 Auburn Way S, Auburn
- 2-4pm: Federal Way Main Library: 34200 1st Way S, Federal Way
Monday, August 24, 1–2pm PT: Genealogy Chat (Online). Meet up and chat about genealogy subjects and topics. We have no agenda; we just like one another! Join our free online group for Chat reminders and genealogy discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io.
Saturday, September 5, 10–11 am 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
Tuesday, September 8, 1–2pm PT: SKCGS Board Meeting (Online). Write to Board@skcgs.org for the Zoom link.
Wednesday, September 9, 2–3pm PT: WikiTree Users (Online). Topic: Space Pages? Creating & Using this flexible tool. Bring your questions and examples. Wikitree Users collaborate to create the best collaborative tree on Earth. Join our free online group: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Wikitree-SIG.
Thursday, September 10,11–1pm PT: Genealogy Help with SKCGS at Renton Main Library. Genealogy questions? SKCGS offers one-on-one help with a volunteer. 100 Mill Avenue S, Renton.
Friday, September 11, 12:30–2:30 pm PDT: EGS German Interest Group: “1816: The Year Without a Summer & Its Impact on German Migration” by Carolyn Schott, CG®
Visitors welcome: https://gig.eastsidegenealogicalsociety.org/.
Registration is required: https://tinyurl.com/2s4z4c8z
The eruption of Mt. Tambora in Indonesia unleashed a volcanic winter that reverberated around the globe, earning the year 1816 the name “The Year Without a Summer.” Immense quantities of volcanic ash drastically altered weather patterns and created unseasonably cold temperatures that caused crop failures and food shortages. This crisis prompted many Germans to seek new opportunities abroad, both in the U.S. and in the Russian Empire, which offered both land and religious freedom.
This presentation discusses the intertwined environmental, economic, and social ramifications of the Year Without a Summer, highlighting its pivotal role in the history of German emigration.
Presenter Carolyn Schott, CG® has researched her German ancestors for 30 years, following their wanderings through Eastern Europe before arriving in the U.S. She is a founder of the Black Sea German Research Community (www.blackseagr.org), a former board member of the Germans from Russia Heritage Society (GRHS), and author of the book, “Visiting Your Ancestral Town.”
Schott’s research has required her to research records in the U.S., Germany, Ukraine, Moldova, Hungary, and Poland. The Black Sea German Research Community, which she helped found, is a website dedicated to helping people with hard-to-find information on their ethnic German ancestors who lived in areas bordering the Black Sea. She has been speaking on genealogy-related topics since 2007 and has been a regular speaker at the International German Genealogy conventions, the Foundation for East European Family History Studies, the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, and other genealogy societies. This presentation will not be recorded.
Monday, September 14, 1–2pm PT: Genetic Genealogy/DNA Interest Group (Online). Topic: Using DNA Matches as Clues to Build Your Tree. See Dare to Grab the Gold Ring: https://skcgs.blogspot.com/2024/04/dna-dare-to-grab-gold-ring.html, How to Use DNA Relatives Clustering at 23andMe: https://customercare.23andme.com/hc/en-us/articles/38509301730839-How-to-Use-DNA-Relatives-Clustering-at-23andMe & Building Family Trees with DNA Evidence: Beginner’s Guide: https://www.gedmatch.com/blog/building-family-trees-with-dna-evidence-beginners-guide/.
We are 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
Thursday, September 17: Genealogy Help with SKCGS (in-person). Genealogy questions? SKCGS offers one-on-one help with a volunteer
- 11am-1pm: Auburn Library: 1102 Auburn Way S, Auburn
- 2-4pm: Federal Way Main Library: 34200 1st Way S, Federal Way
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SOUTH KING COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
Explore the Exceptional Genealogy Classes at HQRL! Join us online via Zoom or in person at HQRL and connect with fellow genealogy enthusiasts who share your curiosity and drive—together, we can explore the fascinating world of family history! 
Presenter: Joel Cole was born and raised in Padova, Italy. He has been involved with Italian Family History for over 30 years. He accompanied his father Trafford for his first genealogical research in Maniago, Italy, when he was 15 and since then he has been fascinated by family history. He has worked as a researcher for over 25 years, visiting almost every State Archive in Italy and almost 1,000 parish archives. He is familiar with paleography having taken several classes in Italy, and with Latin documents, having studied it for over 10 years. Joel has presented in many international genealogical conferences about Italian Family History and has worked for years for private companies performing research in all of Italy, consulting Civil records, Parish and Diocesan Catholic records, Notary records and many more sources. In 2015 he moved to Utah covering several roles for FamilySearch. He is currently the content strategist for Southern Europe, including Italy. Joel’s research specialties are: Italy, Southern Switzerland and Istria-Croatia. Expert at deciphering ancient Italian and Latin documents.
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