Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society DNA Special Interest Group Meeting Tuesday, April 28, 2026, Starting at 7:00 pm via Zoom
Join us as we discuss various topics relating to the uses of DNA in genealogical research. This month we will continue the discussion Ancestry’s Pro Tools, focusing on Matches by Cluster.
Calendar reminder: TPCGS DNA Special Interest Group Meeting
Every month on the Fourth Tuesday beginning at 7:00 PM Pacific Time
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
TPCGS 2026 Spring Seminar Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society 2026 Virtual Spring Seminar Saturday, 2 May 2026 9:00 am to 12:00 noon
Our speaker will be Jill Morelli.
This will be a half-day seminar held virtually on Zoom in the morning. ________________________________________ FREE for members! membership $22 single $25 joint NO Registration required. Join TPCGS and attend for FREE! ________________________________________
Jill Morelli, CG, CGL, is a writer, lecturer, and founder of the Certification Discussion Group (strategies for a successful portfolio). She lectures and has written articles for National Genealogical Society Quarterly, The Sept, Crossroads, and others. She is past president of Seattle Genealogical Society. Jill lives in Seattle and travels regularly to Boston to visit her most darling grandchildren.
Jill is the author of Journeys of the Forgotten: The Orphans of Hamilton County, Iowa, a collection of biographies of the identified orphan train riders.
Jill’s Presentations: The Nordic Passage: Scandinavian Migration to the Pacific NorthWest Scandinavian migration to the American Northwest forms a distinctive chapter in the region’s settlement story, but has similarities to the settlement patterns of other settlers. Between the 1870s and early twentieth century, thousands of Scandinavians, composed of Danes, Swedes, and Norwegians, were drawn to America by letters from relatives and the promise of fertile land, timber, and opportunity. While many initially moved to established Midwestern colonies, many made a second move to Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. They brought with them habits of hard work, thrift, and cooperation forged in their rural villages of origin. Though each nationality maintained its own traditions and dialects, they shared much more than they differed. Understanding these common experiences helps explain how the Scandinavian presence left an unnaturally large cultural imprint on the region.
Push and Pull: Decision-Making of a 19th Century Emigrant With the notable exception of Native Americans and African Americans, we are a nation of immigrants. In fact, between the years of 1816 and 1930 over 54 million people emigrated from Europe with most immigrating to the United States, Canada and Australia. Do you wonder why your ancestors emigrated? Why did they leave their ancestral home of perhaps hundreds of years to travel further than they could have even imagined to a country where they probably did not know the language or the customs? It is also likely that they did not leave a record of why they left and why they chose to immigrate to the location they decided upon. We will parse out the reasons behind one family’s reasons by looking at a letter written shortly after immigration to the writer’s brother. Documents and manuscripts can often give us clues as to the motivations of our ancestors to leave and make their decision-making about the destination.
________________________________________ FREE for members! NO Registration required. Join TPCGS and attend for FREE! ________________________________________
Cyndi Ingle of Cyndi’s List will serve as emcee! ________________________________________ Seminar Schedule 8:45 am: Virtual Doors Open 9:00 am: Opening Remarks by Cyndi Ingle 9:15 am: First Presentation by Jill Morelli 10:15 am: Break 10:30 am: Second Presentation by Jill Morelli 11:30 am: Questions and Wrap-Up
Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society Genealogy Chat Tuesday, April 21, 2026, starting at 7:00 PM via Zoom
Please join us and let’s chat!
Discussion starter topic – open.
This is a monthly opportunity to connect with others and talk about anything and everything genealogical. The value of this meeting increases with the participation of each person that attends and contributes to the conversations. This is your chance to celebrate the breaking down of a brick wall in your research or ask questions of others that can help you find records or relatives. Everyone, members, and guests are welcome and encouraged to attend and participate.
Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society Mystery Book Club Saturday, April 18, 2026, starting at 3:30 pm via Zoom
Please join us as we discuss a fictional genealogical book, Malice of Angels, the third book in the Esme Quentin series, by Wendy Percival.
More information at: Amazon: Malice of Angels This book may also be available in print from various book stores or libraries. Available free on Kindle Unlimited.
TPCGS Book Club Zoom Meeting Every month on the Third Sat beginning at 4:00 PM Pacific Time
Tacoma Pierce County Genealogical Society Monthly Educational Meeting Tuesday, April 14, 2026, starting at 6:00 pm
This month’s presentation:
Judy G. Russell AKA The Legal Genealogist® will present “Polls, Personalty and Property – Making Sense of Tax Lists”. Somebody had to pay government’s bills, and they did it through the law by imposing taxes on polls, personal property and real property. The records of those taxes offer some of the best clues available to our ancestors, their families and their neighborhoods.
Judy is a wonderful speaker that you won’t want to miss.
This month’s meeting will be Zoom Only until we can find a new physical location to meet in person.
Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society Legacy Family Tree Software SIG Meeting Tuesday, April 7, 2026, from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm virtual via Zoom
This month we will continue with notes and topics that Siri Nelson presented in her Legacy User Group and has graciously allowed me to use in our group. The topics are: Geo Location Database, Changing field names in the Individual Information Screen, Reviewing reports and options – Individual, Name List, and Birthday Calendar.
This is our monthly meeting to share tips & tricks, problems & solutions. Sometimes we will watch videos or share our screens to aide in learning more about using Legacy Family Tree software.
Everyone is welcome to attend and participate in the learning. If you are just thinking about trying Legacy for the first time, you’ve been using it for a year or two or you are an old pro with many years of experience using Legacy this is the group for you.
We look forward to meeting with you, every month on the First Tuesday at 7:00 PM Pacific Time
We look forward to meeting with you, every month on the First Tuesday at 7:00 PM Pacific Time
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society Writing Family History
Wednesday, April 8, 2026, starting at 7:00 PM via Zoom
The Writing Family History Special Interest Group (WFH-SIG) supports TPCGS members in documenting, writing, and preserving their family histories—formally or informally. Monthly meetings will provide a mix of presentations, writing exercises, and peer reviews to help members make progress in their projects.
Date & Time: Every month on the Second Wednesday, starting at 7:00 PM Pacific Time
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society Legacy Family Tree Software SIG Meeting Tuesday, April 7, 2026, from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm virtual via Zoom
Open Discussion
This is our monthly meeting to share tips & tricks, problems & solutions. Sometimes we will watch videos or share our screens to aide in learning more about using Legacy Family Tree software.
Everyone is welcome to attend and participate in the learning. If you are just thinking about trying Legacy for the first time, you’ve been using it for a year or two or you are an old pro with many years of experience using Legacy this is the group for you.
We look forward to meeting with you, every month on the First Tuesday at 7:00 PM Pacific Time
We look forward to meeting with you, every month on the First Tuesday at 7:00 PM Pacific Time
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society Writing Family History Wednesday, April 8, 2026, starting at 7:00 PM via Zoom
The Writing Family History Special Interest Group (WFH-SIG) supports TPCGS members in documenting, writing, and preserving their family histories—formally or informally. Monthly meetings will provide a mix of presentations, writing exercises, and peer reviews to help members make progress in their projects.
Date & Time: Every month on the Second Wednesday, starting at 7:00 PM Pacific Time
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
You are free to copy articles to any non-commercial web site or message board or printed publication you wish. Don’t bother to ask permission, just do it.
