American Indian Ancestors
American Indian Ancestry is speaker Janet Carruth’s topic at the March 22 meeting of the Northern Gila County Genealogical Society. Visitors are welcome! The meeting begins at 11 a.m. Come a bit early for light refreshments. The society is located at 302 East Bonita Street, Payson, AZ 85541. More info: www.ngcgs.org, (928) 474-2139 or ngcgs2019@outlook.com.
Technology’s Impact on Genealogy
Machine learning, optical character recognition (OCR), natural language processing (NLP), and generative AI are revolutionizing the search and are allowing genealogists to explore wider and deeper, but there is no need for anyone to feel lost in the alphabet soup of new tech!
The Northern Gila County Genealogy Society and the Payson Area Computer Meet-up Group will host Susan Mueller as a guest speaker at their first joint meeting at the NGCGS building.
Mueller is an expert genealogist with more than 30 years of experience sleuthing ancestors. She is a retired educator, has taught monthly genealogy classes for the Erie County Public Library for a decade, and leads the Genealogy Special Interest Group for Computer Users of Erie Pennsylvania.
“I have found the advances in the AI digitization of records and subsequent indexing by our online providers to be extremely exciting,” Mueller said. “ Not only do we have the geometric availability of records, but this comes with total document name-indexing with increased accuracy.”
However, if using AI as a research assistant feels like a foreign or scary concept, you are not alone. Generative AI scares Mueller too. Her presentation, Technology’s Impact on Genealogy, is an opportunity to listen, ask questions, and gain knowledge in a friendly setting.
The public is welcome. The meeting begins at 11 of February 22, at 302 East Bonita, Payson.
Denisovans and Neanderthals
Do you know what Denisovans and Neanderthals are in relation to genealogy? You are invited to the Saturday, January 25th meeting of The Northern Gila County Genealogical Society. Club president Bill Cluck will give the presentation. Visitors are welcome! The meeting starts at 11 a.m. at NGCGS 302 East Bonita Street, Payson, AZ 85541. More info: (928) 474-2139 or ngcgs2019@outlook.com.
Annual Membership Meeting
This Saturday we will be voting on the 2025 slate of officers during the business portion of our meeting. During the membership portion, we are asking anyone with some new information on their family search progress to let us know and we will add them to the list for this meeting (15 minutes talk time). There are usually some great stories. We tried to do this each year until the pandemic slowed us down.
FamilySearch.org -- A Fresh Look
The Northern Gila County Genealogical Society (NGCGS) welcomes Gene Carruth as the speaker at our meeting on September 28. Topic: Familysearch.org - A Fresh Look. Gene will demonstrate FamilySearch.org highlighting its key features, and share the activities and fantastic resources of this extensive database, He will also demo FamilySearch’s “Memories” phone app which is used to gather photos and ancestral stories. A digital handout includes hot links to key educational classes on the FamilySearch Wikipedia, How to Use the FamilySearch Catalog, How AI works, etc.
Gene is currently retired from his prior life at Valley National Bank, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and the Arizona Air National Guard in Phoenix. Gene and his wife managed the Phoenix Family History Center for over 9 years.
The meeting is open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. Come a bit early to get settled. The meeting begins at 11 a.m. at 302 E. Bonita St., Payson.
Diane Huebner, speaker
The Northern Gila County Genealogical Society (NGCGS) welcomes Diane Huebner as the speaker at our meeting on August 24.
The meeting is open to the public and begins at 11 a.m., but arrive a little early for light refreshments. Location: 302 E. Bonita St., Payson.
Huebner has been working on her genealogy for 32 years, so she has seen many changes in the way research is done and does not miss using microfiche. She will share the story about how a favorite female family name caused a big error in her family tree, and it was corrected after Ancestry DNA matched her up with a cousin.
Speaker: Dr. Melanie Russell
The Northern Gila County Genealogical Society (NGCGS) welcomes Dr. Melanie Russell as the speaker at our meeting on July 27. She will speak about the importance of writing our own personal history. Dr. Russell earned her PhD in English Literature from the University of Sheffield. She has been an English Professor since 2007 and currently teaches at Gila Community College.
The meeting is open to the public, at 11 a.m., Saturday, July 27 at 302 E. Bonita St., Payson. Come a bit early to get settled. Light refreshments served.
How to Use Genealogy Websites
There are many websites you can use to trace your family tree and dig into your ancestral roots. Bill Cluck, the Northern Gila County Genealogy Society’s president, will discuss his favorite online databases, covering unique features and user experiences on free and subscription services on May 25 at our monthly meeting. The public is welcome at our monthly meeting. It begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 25, at 302 East Bonita Street in Payson.
Arizona’s Confidential Intermediary Program - reuniting adult adoptees and birthparents.
Ray Baxter is the guest speaker at the Northern Gila County Genealogy Society Meeting on Saturday, April 27, from 11 a.m. until noon. Baxter was an Arizona Confidential Intermediary for nine years reuniting adult adoptees with their birthparents. He will discuss this program and the recent changes that have taken place with the advent of Pre-Adoption Original Birth Certificates. He will also touch on how DNA testing websites have allowed adoptees to learn of their genealogy heritage. The genealogy society is located at 302 East Bonita Street in Payson. Learn more at ngcgs.org or call (Thurs. – Sat.) 928-474-2139.
March Meeting: From Genealogy to Legacy with Kirsi Dahl
From Genealogy to Legacy: Transforming Facts into Unforgettable Narratives with Kirsi Dahl.