The Eastside Genealogical Society will meet on Thursday, November 9, 2017 in the Bellevue Regional Library (Room 1), 1111 – 110^th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004 at 7 pm, with doors opening at 6:30 pm for networking.

Topic: Adoptions and DNA – Finding Long Lost Family

We will . . .

. review two adoptee’s stories of how we found living biological relatives.

. learn about DNA basics, DNA search tips and understanding DNA testing results.

. learn how to build a DNA Match’s family tree with documented resources only to discover potential relatives.

. learn how to ask questions and find answers using on-line resources that will lead you to discovering your own family tree and finding remaining biological relatives.

There is enough content, technique and intrigue here to interest every family historian.

Speaker:  Leslie Edmunds is an expert-level family historian and consultant trainer. She has been developing skills over the last 40 years and enjoys sharing tips and techniques to mine a resource to its fullest potential. She is often heard saying” It’s crazy but true; when I look, I find.” Leslie is known for starting with the vaguest of clues to discover entire family lines for other people. Her regions of expertise include Canada, the US, the UK, Scandinavia, Germany, Luxembourg, Hungary, Slovakia and Northern Europe. Her time periods of expertise include 1940 to present, 1860 to 1940, and 1700 to 1860. Leslie has recently completed projects in compiling surname family units over three centuries in ancestral locations, finding living biological relatives of adoptees, creating biographical stories/timelines from newspapers, creating sourced only family trees, tracing Quaker immigrants, researching civil war participation and using government-sponsored digital archives and demographic databases to hone her skills and develop new resource knowledge. Leslie is all about doing family history on a budget and has an incredible arsenal of free on-line and off-line resources at her finger tips.

Also see our website for FREE genealogical help and other Special Interest Group meetings. Visitors are always welcome at all meetings. www.eastsidegenealogicalsociety.com

The German Interest Group of The Eastside Genealogical Society (EGS) will meet on Friday, November 3, 2017, from 1 to 3 pm in the Relief Society Room of the LDS Church at 10675 NE 20^thSt, Bellevue, WA 98004 with doors opening at 12:45 pm for networking. Visitors are always welcome at our meetings.

Topic: Applying for German Naturalization – Carol will share her experience applying for German naturalization, based on Article 116, paragraph 2 of the German Basic Law.  This law allows descendants of Germans, who lost their citizenship during the 1933 to 1945 time period, to receive German naturalization.  It is also a story of how a person’s birthplace can shape their life and that of their descendants.

Speaker: Carol Shafer is a first generation American on her mother’s side. Currently, she is an English as a Second Language teacher at City University in Seattle and has worked for the government, in the private sector and in education.

For more information, kindly visit our website at https://egsgermangroup.wordpress.com/  .