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For more detailed information about events since Sep 2025, click on the "event details" links below.
Presentations at most General Meetings are recorded and typically available to logged-in OGS members for one month. Some speakers allow the recording and/or handouts to be available indefinitely, as indicated below.
Feb 2026: David McDonald, "For Whom Are You Writing? A Guide To Genealogy Compilations". See event details.
Jan 2026: J. Mark Lowe, "Finding Uncle John's Grist Mill". See event details.
Dec 2025: Holiday Party. See event details.
Nov 2025: Helen Edwards, "Transcribing My Father-in-Law's Naval Journals". See event details.
Oct 2025: Karen Wallace Steely, "How To Research and Share the Skeletons in Your Family Closet". See event details.
Sep 2025: Dawn Carlile, "Researching Oregon Trail Ancestors". See event details.
Jun 2025: Kyle Kisebach, "Working with the FamilySearch Center".
May 2025: Devon Noel Lee, "From Research to Draft: Rapidly Writing Your Ancestor’s Story".
Apr 2025: Craig R. Scott, "Researching Your War of 1812 Ancestor".
Mar 2025: Brian Rhinehart, "Was My William Smith in the Civil War".
Feb 2025: Melissa Barker, "Digging into Finding Aids". OGS members: click here to find links to the recording and handout.
Jan 2025: Nancy Neville Cordell & Steven Morrison, "Finding a Professional Genealogist". OGS members: click here to find a link to the recording.
Dec 2024: Holiday Party.
Nov 2024: Jerri McCoy, "Witches of Salem".
Oct 2024: Karen Wallace Steely, "Find A Grave, a Users Guide".
Sept 2024: Karen Wallace Steely, "Using Photographs in your Reserarch".
Jun 2024: Peggy Clemens Lauritzen, "Apprentices, Indentured Servants, and Redemptioners in America". OGS members: click here to find links to the recording and handout.
May 2024: Janice M. Sellers, "Jewish Genealogy: How Is This Research Different from All Other Research?"
Apr 2024: Diane Richard, "Genealogical Gems in Ledgers".
Mar 2024: Lynn Heidelbaugh and Thomas Paone, "Book Talk: Between Home and the Front".
Feb 2024: Gena Philibert-Ortega, "Her Name Was Not Unknown: Finding Female Ancestors".
Jan 2024: Jerri McCoy, "Review Your Sources and Notes - Are You Overlooking Clues in Your Early Research?".
Dec 2023: Holiday Party.
Nov 2023: Cyndi Ingle, "Cyndi's List in Practice". Cyndi's List website: https://www.cyndislist.com/.
Oct 2023: Nancy Cordell, "Picking Cottens: Doing Research on the Enslaved and Enslaver in Mississippi". OGS members: click here to find a link to the recording.
Sep 2023: Kathy Erlandson and Kerry McHugh Upton, "Meet OGS". OGS members: click here to find a link to the recording.
June 2023: Mary Paynton Schaff, "Washington State Library Research". Washington State Library website: https://www.sos.wa.gov/library/genealogy.aspx.
May 2023: Marian Burk Wood, "Planning a Future for Your Family's Past".
Apr 2023: Linda Fialkowski, Jon Halvorson, and Greg Nordlund, "Research in Other Countries". OGS members: click here to find links to the recording and handouts.
Mar 2023: Vicky Lambert, "Finding Living People".
Feb 2023: Peggy Clemens Lauritzen, "Faith of our Fathers".
Jan 2023: Janice M. Sellers, "Immigration and Naturalization".
Dec 2022: Holiday Social. OGS members: click here to find a link to the recording. For WASGS Washington Pioneer Pursuit Project, check out the WASGS link WA Pioneer Pursuit.
Nov 2022: Don (Jerry) Pugnetti Jr., "The Art of the Interview". OGS members: click here to find a link to the recording. Visit Jerry's website https://www.donpugnettijr.com/
Oct 2022: Maria Adams and Lynda Solter of the Roslyn Ronald Cle Elum Heritage Club’s Roslyn Cemetery Committee, "Roslyn Cemeteries". OGS members: click here to find a link to the recording. See the OGS Links menu to find links to the Roslyn Cemeteries website; Interactive Kiosk; Ronald, Roslyn, & Cle Elum Heritage Club; and CWU RRCHC interviews.
Sep 2022: Shawna Valentine, "How To Prepare for a Research Trip".
Jun 2022: Dr. Jewel Lorenz Dunn, "What's In the Washington State Archives". OGS members: click here to find a link to the recording. Recording includes a presentation prior to the program of 2022 WSGS awards for Outstanding Volunteer and the election of the slate of OGS officers for 2022-2023.
May 2022: Jerri McCoy, "You Joined What?". OGS members: click here to find a link to the recording.
Apr 2022: Laurel Smith, "Genealogical Forum of Oregon (GFO)". Check out their website https://gfo.org/ to access all of their online resources!
Mar 2022: Mary Kircher Roddy, "Read 'Em or Weep - Promise and Pitfalls in Newspaper OCR". OGS members: click here to find links to the recording and handout.
Feb 2022: Marian B. Wood, "Get Ready for the 1950 US Census".
Dec 2021: Crystal Shurley, "Research at NARA". OGS members: click here to find a link to the handout.
Nov 2021: Lori Lee Sauber, "Organized Research from Cradle to Grave". OGS members: click here to find links to the recording and handout.
Oct 2021: Member Stories. OGS members: click here to find a link to the recording.
Sep 2021: Maggie Cogswell from the Washington State Archives, "Analyzing Photos". OGS members: click here to find links to the recording and handout.
Jun 2021: Member Stories. OGS members: click here to find a link to the recording.
May 2021: Maggie Cogswell from the Washington State Archives, "Digitizing CCC Photos". OGS members: click here to find a link to the recording.
Apr 2021: Judi Hine, "War of 1812 and the National Society U.S. Daughters of 1812". OGS members: click here to find a link to the recording.
Mar 2021: Thomas MacEntee, "Genealogy Tech Talk with Thomas". OGS members: click here to find a link to the handout.
Feb 2021: Joyce Ogden, "A Voyage on the Erie Canal". OGS members: click here to find a link to the recording.
Jan 2021: Drew W. Crooks, "Powerful Legacy – Fort Nisqually and the American Settlement of South Puget Sound". OGS members: click here to find a link to the recording.
Dec 2020: Mark O’English and Gayle O’Hara from Washington State University, "Academic Archives and How to Use Them in Your Research". OGS members: click here to find a link to the recording.
Nov 2020: Chris Staudinger, "Olympia, An Origin Story". See Pretty Gritty Tours Virtual Tours page. Scroll down for the Olympia presentation. This is similar to the virtual tour that was presented at our Nov 2020 General Membership meeting.
Oct 2020: Jerri McCoy, "The Salem Witch Trials".
Sep 2020: Kerry McHugh Upton, "OGS Website Overview".
Jan 2020: Godfrey J. Ellis and Merry E. Ellis, "Researching in England, Using the Internet".