Happy Spring!
SKCGS Members will find the playback access code for Robbie Johnson’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
Are you passionate about SKCGS’s mission and looking for a meaningful way to volunteer your skills? We NEED you. In fact, without officers we cannot survive. Legally we will cease to exist at the end of May.
We’re searching for a leader to move into the role of President and 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. Write to Board@skcgs.org to volunteer. We also need a Vice-President and critically, a secretary. See Step Up and Make a Difference from our outgoing Secretary.
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
APRIL to Early MAY 2026 MEETINGS & EVENTS
All meetings are Pacific Time (PT) zone
Register at https://www.skcgs.org for all meetings unless otherwise stated.
Friday, April 3, 12:30–2:30pm PT: German Interest Group (EGS)(Online)Topic: “Using Hansen’s Map Guides To Locate YourAncestor’s German ParishRecords” by Bernard N Meisner. Visitors welcome. https://gig.eastsidegenealogicalsociety.org/ . Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/24meu744
The Map Guides contain detailed information about Catholic and Lutheran jurisdictions for locations within the former German Empire (including areas now in Poland,Lithuania, Russia, Denmark, and France), Switzerland and Luxembourg, and also some information about Jewish congregations in those areas. Given your ancestor’s hometown, learn how to identify the most likely parish(es) with their records, then check the online availability of the registers on FamilySearch, Archion and/or Matricula.
Presenter Bernard N. Meisner is a genealogist and lecturer based in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. He began researching his family over 35 years ago and enjoys sharing lessons learned from that experience, including his mistakes.
Saturday, April 4, 10-11am PT: Family Treemaker User Group (Online). Topic: General Q&A for the Family Tree Maker Program. Join our free SKCGS FTM email list for meeting reminders and discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/FTMUG
Tuesday, April 7, 6:30–7:30pm PT: SKCGS Board Meeting (Online). ALL Interested Members write to Board@skcgs.org for the Zoom link.
Wednesday, April 8, 2–3 pm PT: WikiTree Users (Online). Topic: Wikitree FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions. Bring your most pressing questions, and we’ll help one another get over the bumps. From login to leadership, Wikitree needs YOU, and you need Wikitree! Wikitree Users collaborate to create the best collaborative tree on Earth. Subscribe to our free online group: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Wikitree-SIG.
Thursday, April 9,11am–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.
Monday, April 13, 1–2pm PT: Genetic Genealogy/DNA Interest Group (Online). Topic: Is 23 AndMe back? We’ll take a look at how it fits into the “DNA for genealogy” ecosystem, including the new clusters. See https://throughthetreesblog.tumblr.com/post/810909158988709888/23andme-an-unfortunate-update, and Super Clustering DNA matches from Ancestry with FTDNA and 23andMe! https://youtu.be/BGMUVEXzuAY?si=7P1mvgZ9iu3JZgyQ
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
Thursday, April 16: Genealogy Help with SKCGS (In-person)
* 11am–1pm: Auburn Library, 1102 Auburn Way S, Auburn, WA
* 2–4pm: Federal Way Main Library, 34200 1st Way S, Federal Way, WA
Friday, 17 April, 1–3pm PT: Research Workshop (in person). 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, April 18, 10–11:15am PT. SKCGS Speaker Series (Online) Login at 9:30 for social time. Robbie Johnson will present at 10 after a brief announcement and introduction. Her presentation will be recorded for playback by SKCGS Members.
You’ve spent decades collecting documents and family artifacts, researching ancestors, and tracking down that mysterious woman in an old photograph you inherited. Now what? How do you take a jumble of information and share it with the people you love? Robbie Johnson will share some of her favorite strategies on writing up your findings for the most important audience: Your family and yourself. This talk will cover approaches to organizing material, prioritizing writing projects, overcoming writer’s block, staying motivated, and tips and tricks for getting words down on paper.
Robbie Johnson holds the credential of Certified Genealogist®. Her research and writing focuses on England, Canada, the Pacific Northwest, Native-Indigenous ancestry, and genetic genealogy. She has presented lectures/workshops for the BCGEducation Fund’s Putting Skills To Work, the SLIG Advanced Analysis Practicum course, Family History Academy, the Denver Library, and several genealogical societies. She’s served as a coordinator and secretary for the ProGen Study Groups, and as a mentor for the GenProof Study Groups and the Certification Discussion Group. Robbie worked for over 40 years as an editor and writer before becoming a professional genealogist. She lives in Skagit County, Washington.
Monday, April 20, 1–2pm PT: Tech Users Group (Online). Topic: Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Notebook LM, Photos, for Genealogy. We’ve not discussed these tools since 2004. What has changed, and what are good alternatives?
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.
Monday, April 27, 1–2pm PT: Genealogy Chat (Online). Meet up and chat about genealogy subjects and topics. We have no agenda; we just like one another! https://skcgs.groups.io
Friday, May1,12:30–2:30pm PT: German Interest Group. (EGS)(Online) Topic: “Locating Records from Poland Online” by Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz. Visitors welcome and more information at https://gig.eastsidegenealogicalsociety.org/
Registration is required: https://tinyurl.com/rp2zubuw
Finding records from Poland for genealogical research is a critical step in exploring our Polish ancestry but Poland’s complex history and the language barrier can be confusing.
After a brief overview of Poland’s changing borders and their impact on the languages in which historical records were created, Julie will explain the process of identifying one’s ancestral village and illustrate the use of gazetteers to determine the parish and civil registry offices. She will introduce key websites for locating historical records online and offline, with an emphasis on sites that offer indexed records and digital images. Julie will suggest strategies to help you get around the language barrier, and demonstrate how you can trace your Polish ancestry from the comfort of your own home.
Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz is a genealogist, writer, and speaker with nearly 30 years of experience in researching her family’s origins in Poland, Germany, the U.S., and Canada. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from the State University of New York in Buffalo and a master’s degree in endocrinology from the University of California, Berkeley.
Her passion for genealogical research started when she was a graduate student, after she was given a copy of her great-grandparents’ marriage record as a gift. After reading the names of a previously unknown generation of ancestors on that document, she was hooked.
She currently serves as President of the Polish Genealogical Society of New York State (PGSNYS) and has previously served as Vice-President for the New England Regional Genealogical Consortium, Inc, and Secretary of the Polish Genealogical Society of Massachusetts (PGSMA). She administers several genealogy-related Facebook groups. Her articles have been published in the newsletters of the PGSNYS, the PGSMA, the Polish Genealogical Society of America, the Western New York Genealogical Society, and the Irish Genealogical Society International, and she is the author of a genealogy blog, From Shepherds and Shoemakers.
Saturday May 2, 10–11am: Family Tree Maker User Group (Online). Topic: General Q&A for the Family Tree Maker Program. Join our free SKCGS FTM email list for meeting reminders and discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/FTMUG
Tuesday, May 5, 6:30–7:30pm PT: SKCGS Board Meeting (online). All SKCGS Members welcome; write to Board@skcgs.org for the Zoom link.
Monday,May 11 May, 1–2pm PT: Genetic Genealogy/DNA Interest Group (Online). Topic: Proving your Family Tree with DNA. See DNA in Action 1 of 6: Proving Your Pedigree with DNA: https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/dna-in-action-1-of-6-proving-your-pedigree-with-dna.
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, May 13, 2–3pm PT, WikiTree Users (online). Topic: Powering Wikitree with your DNA data, easily & safely. Start here: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:DNA. Wikitree Users collaborate to create the best collaborative tree on Earth. Join our free online group: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Wikitree-SIG.
Thursday, May 14, 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.
Friday, May 15, 1–3pm, Research Workshop (in-person). 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, May 16, 10–11:15am PT: SKCGS Speaker Series (Online) Elizabeth Swanay O’Neal:”Research at the library…without leaving home!”
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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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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! 
Our ancestors didn’t live in a void. Events and people in their communities, region, and world affected their decisions and other factors in their lives. We can learn much more about our families when we research their friends, neighbors, and associates and learn about the history and geography of the places they lived, including neighboring jurisdictions. This lecture will introduce the concept of cluster research and explore resources to help you better understand the jurisdictions and history of the areas in which your ancestor lived.
