GFO Announces Upcoming Classes, Workshops & Special Interest Groups

The Genealogical Forum of Oregon has announced the following upcoming classes, workshops and meetings:

Virginia Special Interest Group Meeting

10 a.m., May 5

Virginia Genealogy Trivia Quiz

Attendees at the May meeting will have a chance to test their knowledge of Virginia history and research.

There will be a list of questions taken from past meeting presentations. Then we will devote the remainder of our time for sharing and give everyone a chance to talk about their research problems, to ask questions, to share a new discovery, or a research technique or record group.

Great Lakes Region Special Interest Group

9:30 a.m., May 12 at GFO’s Library

Participants will look at the Ohio River as a major regional transit corridor, Judi Scott’s recent presentation on orphan trains, a genealogy visit to LaCrosse, Wisconsin -- and an ancestor’s puzzling move from Bohemia to Minnesota. Attendees are invited to bring stories about their family and research in the Great Lakes Region. Questions? Contact Lynn at [email protected].

May GenTalk: My Cuban Cousins

2 p.m., May 19

Presenter: Janice Sellers says, "I was always told that I had cousins who had immigrated to Cuba, but no one could remember their names or even which branch of the family they were from. And Cuba is a difficult country to research. As more records have become available online, I was able to uncover enough clues to find and contact some of my Cuban cousins. In the summer of 2015, I traveled to Cuba to see what traces I could find of my family there."

Janice is a professional genealogist who specializes in forensic, Jewish, Black and newspaper research. She has presented numerous talks to diverse audiences at local, regional, state, and national events. All GFO's GenTalks are free and open to the public. Florida International University (FIU) has recently made its Enrique Hurtado de Mendoza Collection available online for free. An article by FIU News calls this database the "Cuban equivalent of Ancestry.com." The database online includes an extensive set of family trees, civil records, and sacramental documents. GFO recommends checking out this resource as you prepare for the May 19th GFO GenTalk, My Cuban Cousins.

GFO's DNA Beginners Class

9 a.m. – noon, May 26 at GFO’s library

The class will tackle some major aspects of both AncestryDNA and MyHeritage to help participants enhance their testing experience. As MyHeritage accepts autosomal tests from all the major companies, GFO recommends uploading the DNA before coming to the class.

Finding common ancestors with AncestryDNA test results can be difficult with few responses from matches, missing or locked pedigree charts, and no chromosome browser. This class will explore a few methods to help participants navigate AncestryDNA’s website to work around some of these obstacles. MyHeritage might be the “new kid on the block”, but they are moving quickly to become a front runner in the autosomal DNA testing field. Participants will explore the new features that make it a company worth using. All classes are free and anyone is welcomed. Please download the handouts and the evaluation feedback for class (available on the GFO calendar).

Clark County Spring Seminar

Friday - Sunday, May 25 - 27

During an event-filled weekend, the Saturday seminar key speaker will be David Allen Lambert. Serving as chief genealogist for the venerable New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), David’s seminar topics include:

World War I Military;
Great Migration Era settler research; and
Probate & Deed Records research.

As an honored guest at the Seminar's Hudson Bay Company Gala Reception Friday evening, David will share his genealogical gems, including some seemingly small finds that led to amazing stories. Clark County Genealogical Society is collaborating with Friends of Fort Vancouver to bring some Fort interpreters as guests.

Seminar seating is limited to 150 people.