Volunteer Opportunities - We Need Your Help!

Genealogy Friends is an all-volunteer organization that depends on our members' help to keep the society running. We need to fill these positions:

Treasurer: Accounts for income and expenses for the society using Quicken, PayPal, and the bank website. Procedures are documented. You will be trained on the procedures and technology. If you can reconcile your checking account, you can do this. Duties can be done monthly and take about 30-45 minutes. More work will require extra time in Sept/Oct for Membership Renewals and August for the All-Day Seminar. 

Blog - Posting on the Genealogy Friends News on Blogger, including the calendar, summary of Roundtable and DNA Group meeting content, current events in Genealogy, and other items of interest. Training material and help with content are available. Tim required 1-2 hours per week. 

Photographer - Take pictures at in-person Gen Friends events and upload them to Google Drive to be posted on the website. 

Fold3 War of 1812 Pension File Update

 Fold3 Content Update:

In the past three months over 3,000 War of 1812 Pension files have been digitized. Most of the surnames begin with S and T. Link to their Blog Post.

Genealogy News

Enjoy FREE ACCESS to 96 million+ Civil War records through April 14, 2025, at Fold3. To see a full list of the records in the featured collections, please click here.

The 6th Annual 24-Hour Genealogy Webinar Marathon is April 3-4, 2025. This FREE event is hosted by Legacy Family Trees and My Heritage. Click here to explore the full schedule and register for free.

Tales & Trails, the 2025 NGS Family History Conference, is being held May 23-26, 2025, in Louisville, KY. Visit the National Genealogical Society website for registration and event information.

Registration is still open for most of the virtual (June 22-27) and in-person (July 13-18) courses being offered during the GRIP Genealogy Institute. Check the webpage for more details. 

6th Annual 24-Hour Genealogy Webinar Marathon!

The 6th Annual 24-Hour Genealogy Webinar Marathon, hosted by Legacy Family Tree Webinars and MyHeritage, is coming to a screen near you on April 3–4, 2025! The marathon kicks off on Thursday, April 3 at 4 P.M. Central (U.S.) and runs straight through to Friday, April 4 at 4 P.M. Central — that's 24 hours of nonstop learning, inspiration, and discovery.

This is a fantastic opportunity to learn from a powerhouse lineup of genealogy experts and educators from around the globe. Whether you're looking to dive deeper into DNA, break through brick walls, use AI for research, or explore your family's origins, there's something here for every genealogist — from beginner to pro.

Every session is completely free to attend live, but spots are limited per session, so be sure to register early to save your seat! Explore the full schedule and register now at: https://familytreewebinars.com/24-marathon/.

Texas Czech Genealogical Society Event

Texas Czech Genealogical Society (TCGS) will have a speaker event April 12, 2025.

 CZECH FAMILY ORIGINS

103 Hwy. Texas 21 W. Caldwell, TX 77836

Speakers: T.J. Slansky - "Researching the Opava and Brno Archives in the Czech Republic"
Tomas Pansky - "Czech Republic "Unplugged"
Clint Williams - "Discovering Your Czech Roots Through Oral Histories"

8:00 AM - Registration & Morning Refreshments 

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM - Speakers, Catered Lunch, Czech Gift Shop, Silent Auction

PLEASE REGISTER IN ADVANCE: 

Postmarked on/before 04/01/25 TCGS Members-$40; Non-Members-$45

Postmarked After 04/01/25 TCGS Members-$45; Non-Members-$50; At the door (All) - $60

Registration fee INCLUDES catered lunch; kolaches, coffee & orange juice 

Detailed information and registration forms are on the TCGS website at https://www.txczgs.org under “Events” https://txczgs.org/eventListings.php?nm=38.

TCGS is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization.

Websites to Explore

Connecticut State Library - New Haven County Court Records

https://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/archives/uncoveringnewhaven/main

This website offers information and links to websites, books, digitized records, etc., for diverse subjects including New Haven, Black and Indigenous History, Women's History, Colonial and National History, and Connecticut Courts. Be sure to check out their Blog, which is currently highlighting cases involving women in honor of Women's History Month.

Kilbourn Public Library - Wisconsin Dells/Lake Delton

https://kilbournpublic.advantage-preservation.com/

Part of the Community History Archive, this free searchable website provides links to digitized copies of newspapers local to the Wisconsin Dells area of Wisconsin. I found detailed obituaries including immigration information for siblings and cousins of some of my direct line ancestors living in other parts of Wisconsin, new information providing clues for additional research. Lots of community news, too.

Cousin Finder - No DNA Needed

Cousin Finder is a useful new genealogy feature unique to MyHeritage that uses the power of family tree matches to find members of MyHeritage who are your blood relatives — cousins — with whom you share common ancestors. Cousin Finder™ then lets you easily get in touch with them so you can collaborate and gain new insights about your shared ancestors and family history.

Think of Cousin Finder™ as a new way to find DNA Matches, but without a DNA test. The MyHeritage members that Cousin Finder™ reveals may be relatives you already knew about, but you didn’t know they use MyHeritage, and in many cases, they might be new relatives you’ve never heard of before. Unlike DNA Matches, Cousin Finder™ shows precisely how you are related to each relative. With Cousin Finder™, growing multiple branches of your family tree further has never been easier. Read more about Cousin Finder in the blog post.