Note to Dues-Paying OGS Members
The new OGS membership year began September 1. Dues-paying OGS members (except those who joined after June 1 this year or renewed recently) who log in to this site will see a notice regarding the need to renew your membership.
We strongly recommend that you use the on-line renewal process; log in to this site via the Members Only link in the nav menu and follow the instructions. If you wish to change your membership plan (e.g. from an individual membership to a family membership), please contact us first at
membership@olygensoc.org.
If you have any trouble logging in or have any questions about the membership renewal process, please contact us at the above email address.
OGS Goes Virtual in Response to COVID-19
On March 11, in light of the growing concern about the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and in the interest of protecting the high-risk population we serve, the OGS Executive Committee cancelled face-to-face gatherings of the Society until such time as this threat has passed.
An ad hoc committee reviewed several available tools for virtual meetings in April and gained substantial experience with the May 9 Virtual Spring Seminar.
In late May, the OGS Board decided to conduct all OGS general meetings for the 2020-2021 program year virtually. OGS Board meetings also will be conducted virtually. It is expected that a number of other OGS events (e.g. DIG and various SIG meetings) also will be virtual, but none have been scheduled to date.
OGS will be using Zoom for its virtual meetings. Participants who have not used Zoom are encouraged to view the video "Joining a Zoom Call for the First Time" at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9isp3qPeQ0E.
Special Interest Groups 2020~2021
Two years ago we started up small groups to focus on various genealogy subjects relating to data management programs and "How-to" groups. Each group met in person on a monthly basis, learning and sharing about the focus topic. The best part of each of these groups was getting to know each other beyond our monthly general membership meetings! Last spring we suspended all in person gatherings. An Ad-Hoc group was formed to determine how we could move forward as the Olympia Genealogical Society under the current environment. The Zoom online platform was adopted as our plaform for holding our meetings. Although not the same, it gives us the opportunity to continue our meetings. This is exciting to be able to offer this, especially for snowbird members, those unable to able to attend due to time of day or transportation issues. You will be able to log in and attend the meetings no matter where you are!
You'll need to be a current member of OGS. Once logged onto the website, you'll be able to access the different Zoom log ons for each SIG meeting. The SIG Groups will be listed on the left hand border once you have logged onto the Members Only section found on the left hand border.
Special Interest Groups and Facilitators:
- ANCESTRY - Greg Nordlund
- DNA - Kerry McHugh Upton
- FAMILY HISTORY WRITING - Cindy Neff
- FAMILY SEARCH - Carolyn Gibbons
- FAMILY TREE MAKER - David Abernathy
Special Interest Groups are open to all members. Feel free to contact the facilitator to learn more about the group. More information is shared on the Forum page once you have logged onto the OGS website, Members Only section. Access to the Forums is a benefit of membership; if you aren't a member yet, join up and start taking in all that membership offers!
If you have a subject that you feel would be of benefit to other members, please contact Kerry McHugh Upton to share your idea. We'll send out a notice to the membership to see if there are other members interested in a SIG group on that topic. These groups can be a cultural group, other genealogical database groups, etc.
Best Practices for getting the most out of a Zoom meeting: have a camera on your computer so others can see you (although not mandatory), a microphone that allows us to hear you, and speakers or a headset so you can hear us! Some members use a headset with a boom mic on it. You'll be able to start accessing the meeting 15 mins. prior to the meeting start time.
Welcome to Our Website!
The Olympia Genealogical Society's website is designed to allow our members to engage with each other as they trace their ancestors, fill out their family trees, and discover their family histories. We want to make this site a dynamic experience where members can share with and learn from one another. Here are just a few ways to engage on this site today:
- Go to the Members Only area and log in.
- Review your Profile and provide any appropriate revisions to your Contact Info and Member Settings.
- Under the Surnames tab of your profile, add the names of your ancestors.
- Join a Special Interest Group (SIG).
- Submit feedback, topic ideas or tips to Webmaster@OlyGenSoc.org.
If you aren’t already an OGS member, please consider joining and engaging with our community. To do so, see
Membership in the menu in the left column.
Special Interest Groups 2019~2020
Special Interest Groups and Facilitators:
- ANCESTRY - Greg Nordlund
- DNA - Judi Hine & Kerry McHugh Upton
- FAMILY HISTORY WRITING - Cindy Neff
- FAMILY SEARCH - Carolyn Gibbons
- FAMILY TREE MAKER - David Abernathy
- LEGACY - Gayle Strom
- ROOTS MAGIC - Rosemary Walrod
Special Interest Groups are open to all members as well as visitors. Meeting location and time to be set with the facilitator. Please contact the facilitator to learn more about the group. More information is shared on the Forum page once you have logged onto the OGS website, Members Only section. Access to the Forums is a benefit of membership; if you aren't a member yet, join up and start taking in all that membership offers!
Other committees that were started up last year:
- Cemetery Project -- Members will update our Cemetery page, working with the local cemeteries. It's been 40 years since OGS has added to the content of the cemeteries database! If you're interested in learning more about this project, contact Eileen or Norman Dodge.
- Outreach -- The Outreach committee will share to the community about the Olympia Genealogical Society via local community events, schools, and other opportunities the group identifies. Please contact Kathy Erlandson or Greg Nordlund.
OGS Newsletter
