The VCGS Mexican-American Special Interest Group meets to discuss historical literature, research strategies and current information pertaining to Mexican-American Genealogy. We strive to encourage our members to assist one another, as well as the general public in learning about family history. Members and attendees are encouraged to propose topics for discussion and to share ideas and knowledge in Mexican-American genealogy so that we can grow as a group.

Our meetings are open to the public and you don’t have to be a VCGS member to attend. We currently meet six times a year on zoom, The meetings are held in odd months of the year, (January, March, May, July, September, and November) on the first Saturday of the month.

Our next Zoom meeting will take place on Saturday, July 1, 2023 from 10:00 a.m to 11:30 a.m. 

To request to attend our meeting please contact Juan Venegas @ jvenegasgenealogy@gmail.com or Nancy Lehnhardt @ nancylgenealogy@gmail.com

A whole wide world of free resources awaits the genealogist who knows to look beyond Ancestry, FamilySearch, and other major sites. Discover online research portals with newspapers, maps, books and more for your family history research.

After a long professional career in academic archives and genealogy libraries, Nancy Loe, MA, MLS, launched her website, SassyJaneGenealogy.com. Her site features a blog, monthly newsletter, and genealogy e-books on U.S. and European research.

Nancy also provides expert guidance on information management to help genealogists search smart and find more primary sources. She has presented at genealogy gatherings in the US, Canada, and Australia, including NGS, Rootstech, and Legacy Family Tree.

Ask her about the strangest thing she ever discovered in an archives.

Second presentation:

Learn about the benefits of genetic genealogy is solving adoption cases.

Chris Pederson has been a teacher and public speaker for over 50 years and a genealogy researcher for almost 20 years. He was introduced to genealogy by an uncle who had done some work on his family history. Later, he was asked by a boss who knew Chris’ interest in genealogy to answer a few questions about searching for his birth parents. Chris found information for this person relatively quickly and that sparked his interest in turning genealogy into a business. Chris turned to DNA to solve other adoptees’ brick wall problem. That started his journey in using genetic genealogy to solve brick wall problems.

Hal used various resources to uncover the story of a relative who he was surprised to find to be an inmate in the Massachusetts State Prison in the 1910 census. The newspaper coverage of Louis Tennis’ murder trial, subsequent divorce, and eventual pardon was extensive and revealing. Additionally, he was able to obtain the actual court records from 1907 to 1909. The supporting documents for his successful pardon included a 14-page, typewritten plea from the prison chaplain… fascinating reading! Old newspapers and old court records, along with census, birth, marriage, and death, records allowed him to piece together lost (or hidden) family history.

Hal Bookbinder is a retired information systems professional who continues to instruct business courses at the university level. He has been actively researching his genealogy for more than three decades, identifying over 4,000 relatives and tracing two lines to the mid-1700s in modern Ukraine. Hal has written and spoken on border changes, migration, citizenship, safe computing unique research techniques. He has served as president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Los Angeles and of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies. He also publishes a series of monthly articles on safe computing which are freely available at https://www.tinyurl.com/SafeComputingArticles. He and his wife, Marci, were raised in the Catskills of New York State and now live in the LA area.

Second presentation:

Learn how to stay safe from hackers while using your computer and smartphones in today’s challenging technical environment. The impact of the rise of AI on privacy will also be discussed.

The VCGS Mexican-American Special Interest Group meets to discuss historical literature, research strategies and current information pertaining to Mexican-American Genealogy. We strive to encourage our members to assist one another, as well as the general public in learning about family history. Members and attendees are encouraged to propose topics for discussion and to share ideas and knowledge in Mexican-American genealogy so that we can grow as a group.

Our meetings are open to the public and you don’t have to be a VCGS member to attend. We currently meet six times a year on zoom, The meetings are held in odd months of the year, (January, March, May, July, September, and November) on the first Saturday of the month.

Our next meeting will take place on Saturday, September 2, 2023 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in person at The Museum of Ventura County Research Library, 100 East Main Street, Ventura.  Our talk/tour will be guided by Deya Terrafranca – Research Library & Archives Director. All are welcome, but please RSVP to nancylgenealogy@gmail.com or jvenegasgenealogy@gmail.com.

In this program, Cari Taplin discusses family legends and takes the audience through a brief outline of the life of Roy Rogers (Leonard Slye). Then, through census research, illustrates her family’s legend of being related to Roy Rogers. She also shows a short documentary “Searching for Roy” created by her cousin, Betsy Greer, that further demonstrates the importance of family legends.

Cari A. Taplin is related to Roy Rogers. Or at least that’s what her family told her. As a result, finding her true heritage has been her focus since the year 2000. She is a native of Wood County, Ohio but now lives in Longmont, Colorado. Cari holds the Certified Genealogist® credential and has served in a wide variety of volunteer and leadership positions for state, local, and national societies. As the owner of GenealogyPANTS, she provides speaking services. she also lends help and shares her expertise as an administrator on the highly popular Facebook Group “The Genealogy Squad.” Cari currently works for Ancestry ProGenealogists. Cari’s personal research focuses on midwestern and Great Lakes states. When she’s not working on her genealogy, she is a wife, and a mother of two young adults.

England Census Records are one of the three main record groups you are likely to use for researching your ancestors in England. This presentation provides an overview of census records in England and Wales from 1841 up to the recently released 1921 Census. It includes discussion of details included in the census returns and the evolution of the census forms and content for those years. A brief overview of pre-1841 population lists that can be used for pre-census research is also covered. A printed handout with selected bibliography for additional reading is provided.

David Flint has been doing English genealogy research for over 15 years. He was born in England, where he lived until the age of ten, when his family moved to Canada, and then to the United States. He currently lives in Irvine with his wife, Nancy.

David devotes time to genealogy research, attending lectures and seminars, teaching genealogy classes, and occasional speaking engagements. He previously served as President, Vice-President and Treasurer of the South Orange County California Genealogical Society (SOCCGS) where he continues serving on the society’s executive board.

David retired after working for the County of Los Angeles for 40 years, ending his career as Assistant Director of the Los Angeles County Public Library. He began his interest in genealogy at a library conference in Phoenix, Arizona in 2002, where he met two British Isles research specialists from FamilySearch. He likes to say that genealogy found him because he wasn’t looking for it at the time. He enjoys cooking, good wine, travel, and likes to read history and historical fiction. In addition to working on his family history, David is developing a specialized collection of British Isles reference books in his home library. He and his wife Nancy have made trips to England to keep in touch with family and visit the country where he spent his childhood.

At his home society in Mission Viejo he leads a monthly England special interest group, and a monthly Legacy Users Group for SOCCGS members using the Legacy Family Tree genealogy program. He also teaches a beginners class for Legacy and leads an annual week-long research trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City for SOCCGS members.

The VCGS Mexican-American Special Interest Group meets to discuss historical literature, research strategies and current information pertaining to Mexican-American Genealogy. We strive to encourage our members to assist one another, as well as the general public in learning about family history. Members and attendees are encouraged to propose topics for discussion and to share ideas and knowledge in Mexican-American genealogy so that we can grow as a group.

Our meetings are open to the public and you don’t have to be a VCGS member to attend. We currently meet six times a year on zoom, The meetings are held in odd months of the year, (January, March, May, July, September, and November) on the first Saturday of the month.

Our next Zoom meeting will take place on Saturday, November 4, 2023 from 10:00 a.m to 11:30 a.m. 

To request to attend our meeting please contact Juan Venegas @ jvenegasgenealogy@gmail.com or Nancy Lehnhardt @ nancylgenealogy@gmail.com

Land records are among the earliest, most complete and most valuable genealogical records-and often among the most puzzling. Learn more about how a colonial-era ancestor could have acquired land.

Judy G. Russell, The Legal Genealogist ® , is a genealogist with a law degree who provides expert guidance through the murky territory where law and family history intersect. An internationally-known lecturer and award-winning writer, she holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist ® and Certified Genealogical Lecturer℠ from the Board for Certification of Genealogists ® . Her blog is at https://www.legalgenealogist.com .

During the first year of the California Gold Rush approximately 100,000 men came west to seek their fortunes. Some struck it rich, some returned home during the winter of 1849-50, some stayed, and some died in their quest.  Judy Janes will discuss ways to determine whether you have a Gold Rush ancestor in your family tree.

Judy Janes is a past President of the Ventura County Genealogical Society, and currently serves on the Executive Board. Judy is a third-generation Californian who has been doing genealogical research for 27 years. She has successfully tracked several of her 17th century immigrant ancestors back to their roots in France, Holland, England, and Germany.

All our monthly lectures and workshops are free to our members and the public. Non-members should request a Zoom invitation here. Please note that we cannot respond to same-day requests.

There is no DNA Special Interest Group meeting this month and CVGS has no DNA SIG meeting this month.

The VCGS Mexican-American Special Interest Group meets to discuss historical literature, research strategies and current information pertaining to Mexican-American Genealogy. We strive to encourage our members to assist one another, as well as the general public in learning about family history. Members and attendees are encouraged to propose topics for discussion and to share ideas and knowledge in Mexican-American genealogy so that we can grow as a group.

Our meetings are open to the public and you don’t have to be a VCGS member to attend. We currently meet six times a year on zoom, The meetings are held in odd months of the year, (January, March, May, July, September, and November) on the first Saturday of the month.

We do not meet today. Our next meeting will take place via Zoom on Saturday, January 6, 2024 from 10:00 a.m to 11:30 a.m. 

To request to attend our meeting please contact Juan Venegas @ jvenegasgenealogy@gmail.com or Nancy Lehnhardt @ nancylgenealogy@gmail.com