NOTICE
The VCGS website will be transitioning to a new web server on Monday, September 28, 2020. Any changes made during the transition may be lost. This includes updates to contact information, member settings, and profile updates made by VCGS members. Please refrain from making changes from midnight Sunday until this notice is removed. WELCOME TO THE
VENTURA COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
VCGS provides activities and learning opportunities to support your genealogical research, be it local, regional, or distant. Those with Ventura County roots will find plenty of local records, made available by our wonderful volunteers. We also mainain an extensive genealogical library collection and we offer lectures at our meetings on the third Saturday of every month except December. These days (2020) we are meeting online with Zoom. Become a member and experience the many benefits of membership and be sure to explore all the genealogical treasures on our website. We hope to Zoom with you soon!
We welcome your donations to help us fulfill our mission!
SEARCH VCGS WEBSITE (e.g. John Doe)
Free Lecture [on Zoom]
Saturday, October 17, 2020
1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
Online with Zoom
Presenter: Drew Smith
"Your Ancestor's FAN Club: Using Cluster Research to Get Past Brick Walls"
Our ancestors were each surrounded by family, associates, and neighbors. By researching them, we discover additional records pointing to our own ancestors.
Drew Smith has been a librarian in the Academic Services department at the University of South Florida (USF) Tampa Library since 2007. Between 1994 and 2007, he was an instructor for the USF School of Library and Information Science (now the School of Information), where he taught undergraduate-level courses in library/Internet research skills and website design, and graduate-level courses in genealogical librarianship and indexing/abstracting. Prior to 1994, Drew worked for academic computing departments at USF and at Clemson University in South Carolina.
Drew regularly speaks at conferences and meetings of national, state, and local genealogy societies, especially on topics linking genealogy and technology. Together with George G. Morgan, Drew has been the co-host of The Genealogy Guys Podcast since September 2005. Beginning in 2016, he hosts the Genealogy Connections Podcast, which alternates weeks with The Genealogy Guys Podcast.
Second Presentation
Presenter: Leticia Rodella
"Spanish Patriots during the American Revolution"
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Letty Rodella has researched this topic for about five years and is still researching this relatively little known chronical in our American Revolution. The presentation covers three areas. Letty first presents a brief background history of the involvement and the contributions by the Spanish Government and the Spanish Patriots to the Continental Congress and its army. Spain’s contributions include both military and monetary support. She will then name notable Spaniards who played important roles in assisting the Colonist in our fight for independence. Among the notable patriots are the Spanish Presidio Soldiers living along the borderland states from Florida to California. Letty will then identify various resources, books and online sites, which name many of these Spanish Patriots. Perhaps you are a descendant of these Spanish patriots.
Letty Rodella is a retired educator having spent 42 years in the educational field. Those years include teaching in TX and CA. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Texas at El Paso and her Master’s Degree from Cal. State Fullerton. Letty retired as district administrator from El Rancho Unified School District in Pico Rivera, CA and continued on as an independent educational consultant, university supervisor for student teachers and on the Board of Directors for an educational consulting firm. Her love of genealogy started 20 years ago. She has traced her Ancestry to the early 1500s, among those pioneers who settled in West Texas and New Mexico. Letty has presented this topic at several Daughters of the American Revolution meetings, at genealogical and historical meetings, and at conferences throughout Southern California. Letty is President of the Society of Hispanic, Historical and Ancestral Research (SHHAR) in Orange, CA.
All our monthly lectures and workshops are free to our members and the public. Non-members should contact webkeeper@venturacogensoc.org for a Zoom invitation.
The DNA Special Interest Group meeting will precede the general meeting from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM on Zoom. Contact the webmaster to be added to the invitation list.
Benefits of Membership
- Monthly lectures and workshops with talented and exciting speakers.
- Yearly Fall seminar. Review our EVENTS page to keep informed of our upcoming activities.
- Our monthly newsletter. Each issue contains articles and information of interest to family researchers.
- Access to our members-only section on the Society's website.
- Members-only email notification of special genealogical interest items and local, state, and national genealogical events.
- Opportunity to participate on special projects.
- The most compelling reason to join VCGS is the friendships you will establish with fellow researchers in the area. Those with a new interest in genealogy can learn from experts, and the experts can share the wealth of their experience. Membership is from January 1 to December 31 of each year.
Click on the JOIN US menu item to pull up a Membership Form.
Reference Library
Ventura County Genealogical Society provides full maintenance and development of the Genealogy Collection housed within the Camarillo City Library (upper level), 4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, California. You can access the catalog using the Library choice on the left-side menu. Library volunteers are regularly scheduled to help you use the collection, answer genealogy questions, or get you started with genealogy.
Get Involved!
All VCGS activities are brought to life by the hard work of our volunteers. Society elections are held each year in November, and vacancies on the VCGS board are filled as needed. If you would like to volunteer your assistance, please contact the president. Follow Us on Facebook!
 Follow us on our FaceBook page to receive timely updates about genealogical activities and our society. You don't have to be a member of Facebook to view our page, but Facebook requires you to be a member to post comments. Affiliations
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Research Surprises - Weds Class [on Zoom]
Wednesday, Sep. 30th
10:30 am to 11:30 am
Shirley will facilitate members' stories about things that they learned from unexpected sources. [This meeting will be held ...
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Refocusing on Your Research: Ways to Get Back to Work and Get Results - Weds Class [on Zoom]
Wednesday, Oct. 7th
10:30 am to 11:30 am
Sandy Hall talk to us about how she has formulated her research plans and carried them out. Lyn will assist. ...
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Contra Costa County Genealogical Society - D. Joshua Taylor
Saturday, Oct. 10th
http://www.cccgs.net
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Mexican American Special Interest Group Meeting
Saturday, Oct. 10th
10:00 am to 11:30 am
This group is devoted to the researching of ancestors from Mexico, Spain and other Spanish speaking countries. We hope to ...
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MyHeritage - Weds Class [on Zoom]
Wednesday, Oct. 14th
10:30 am to 11:30 am
Ray will talk about the research records available on MyHeritage. [This meeting will be held online with Zoom and ...
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VCGS DNA Special Interest Group Meeting
Saturday, Oct. 17th
10:30 am to 11:30 am
Topic: Discussion Groups using Zoom Breakout Rooms Join us online as we discuss all DNA-related topics. All DNA ...
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VCGS general meeting - Drew Smith
Saturday, Oct. 17th
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Presenter: Drew Smith "Your Ancestor's FAN Club: Using Cluster Research to Get Past Brick Walls" Our ancestors ...
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