Webtember is an annual, month-long online genealogy conference hosted by Legacy Family Tree Webinars. Held every September, the event features a large assortment of high-quality educational webinars led by international family history experts. The nice surprise is that the offerings are free to view for the full month of September with registration (as opposed to the usual 7-day view period). With 31 webinars on the schedule, there is a lot of high quality learning lead by favorite and familiar instructors, right at your finger tips from your favorite comfy chair. You will find a variety of topics including solid genealogy methodology, locality-based research, DNA topics including working matches and using third-party tools. The series starts Wednesday, September 9, so don't waste a minute.  You can view the full lineup here .  While you are checking out the Webtember content, browse a little further to check what they have in their library. I know you will find something...

Have you seen the latest updates from Ancestry yet? I heard Crista Cowan say on a video last week that it currently takes a full six months to roll out updates to all members.  I had waited a good 2-3 months before I finally started seeing the changes in my own Ancestry profile last week. (Some of these tools may require the Ancestry ProTools, an extra monthly subscription.) If you use the Ancestry Hints system, you will notice a big change to the look and feel of the experience. In addition to a visually cleaner interface, you will see:  a persistent side panel that show the family group details side by side comparison of records to the family group workflow adjustments for accepting or ignoring hints a new look that is cleaner allows easier navigation  Here is what you can expect from the new look. Notice the records on the left and the family group on the right. I like that the number of hints is highlighted at the top in green and that I can always see the family memb...

Julia Anderson walk us through some difficult ancestor searches in her video " The Needle in the Haystack: Researching Women and Minorities using FamilySearch’s Full-Text Search " offered through BYU Library Family History Center.  This video is packed with tons of  information.  I found it so helpful that I  have already found two new records for my most stubborn brick wall ancestor and I have   only tried one of her many tips so far.  Julia focuses on finding women, enslaved and other minority groups using FamilySearch's Full Text Search (FTS) tool. She offers a basic intro to the FTS and strategies for finding a variety of challenging ancestor groups - women, enslaved, Native American, and immigrants. She presents many examples and suggestions to bring you success in  your own search.  Plan to watch this video at least a couple of times to absorb all the knowlege Julia is sharing.  There is also a five page handout to help you with t...

Event update from Genealogical Research Institute of Virginia (GRIVA) sharing their upcoming virtual fall conference: GRIVA 2026 Virtual Fall Conference presents: Digging Up Your Ancestors – An Introduction to Using AI Date: Saturday, October 31, 2026 | 10:00 AM – 3:45 PM EDT Location: Virtual via Zoom Featured Speaker: Diana Elder, AGⓇ, AGL™ Discover how artificial intelligence can transform your family history research! Join the Genealogical Research Institute of Virginia (GRIVA) for a full-day virtual conference covering AI fundamentals, practical research workflows, transcribing complex court records, and solving tough Southern ancestor brick walls. Registration: $35 for GRIVA members | $45 for non-members Full schedule and online registration: https://griva.org/event/2026-fall-conference-event/ Brochure link here. Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Publications | Wake Cemetery Survey Images | Society Surnames | Digita...

Registration is now open for both.   Both conferences are virtual and in-person.  August 21-23 -  East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference ECGGC 2026 Attend the fifth annual Genetic Genealogy Conference August 21-23, 2026 virtually or in-person in Boston, Massachusetts.  Take your genetic genealogy skills to the next level. Twenty-two nationally known educators . I know you will recognize these names! View ECGGC 2026 Conference Schedule here.      Registration Details here.  Sept 18-19 -  NCGS 2026 Fall Conference NCGS Fall Conference 2026 Featuring Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL, FUGA, along with 24 other genealogy experts. You’ll get 22 lectures either in person or livestreamed.  This local conference held in Raleigh offers ten different focus topics: Records, NC Research, Tips and Techniques, America 250 NC, Underrepresented Populations, NC Archives and Libraries, Artificial Intelligence, DNA, Online Records View Speaker List View L...

Before the parades, barbeques and fireworks send us into sensory overdrive, let us sit a minute with the document that defines our very existence as a country. This particular anniversary should not pass without some quiet reflection on who we are, what we can be in our best iteration and what so many before us sacrificed for us to live in this still great, but troubled country.  The Declaration of Independence  Project was created online by the National Constitution Center (NCC) to honor and celebrate the Declaration as we pass through a most special moment in time. The online project from NCC "provides the Declaration's plain text with media links to related content for each section. The links take you to an annotated version of the Declaration, as well as essays and videos that present key principles and history and biographical information on the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. Visit the website . You will find two versions to explore as well as articles and...

Learn about the new holdings at State Archives of NC! View the linked recording of the January 23 webinar here .  Description from the video webpage : "Researchers can explore many new collections at the State Archives this year, 2026. Learn highlights from staff in government records, digital services, and special collections in Raleigh and the Archives' Outer Banks and Asheville branches. Topics will include new records about Black Mountain College, additions to the oral history and photograph collections, new military correspondence, and ways to access these records online. Whether you are a genealogist, historian, or just interested in sampling new collections, tune in to learn what the State Archives has to offer!"

Those attending  RootsTech2026  in-person already have their plans in order. For the rest of us who follow excitedly via virtual attendance, the time has come to start checking out this years speakers and classes. Virtual attendance is free. You can plan your streaming schedule. If something streams at a time when you are not available to watch, you can watch on demand later.  RootsTech2026 offers three days of content (March 5-7) and presentations covering over 40 different genealogically relavant topics.   This is an amazing online learning opportunity. Check out the speaker list and 3 day schedule. The speaker list this year is huge.  I count at least two hundred and fifty speakers. I know you will find some familiar names and faces and discover some new favorites. The schedule can be sorted by skill level, topic and online presentations. Register and put RootsTech2026 on your calendar. I promise you will be spending your genealogy time wisely. I...

The Friends of the NC Archives held their yearly meeting this past Saturday, Nov 1. After their business meeting, they offered four presentations and a Q&A session, all focused on their theme of Commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of the Founding of the Armed Forces .  If you were not able to attend, you are in luck. The proceedings were captured on video and can be viewed at the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources YouTube page.  Here is the link -  https://www.youtube.com/live/PsZO7OCcS4g The business meeting run for the first 30 minutes and then the focus presentations commence. Here is the schedule from the event so that you can approximate the timing on each individual topic. Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website  -  Homepage  |  WCGS Events  |  Join WCGS  |  Publications  |  Wake Cemetery Survey Images  |  Society Surnames  |  Digital Resources  |  His...

President Barbara McGeachy was in attendance for the Fair held on Oct. 4. Here is her report - I had a great time this morning at the NC Archives & State Library Family History Fair in downtown Raleigh. We had a good turnout and lots of people signed up for our email list. The talks were recorded and are already available on YouTube on the "statelibrarync" channel as "2025 Family History Fair: African American Genealogy and History" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3jeTTB3C48 WCGS Table -Oct 4 -  NC Archives & State Library Family History Fair Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website  -  Homepage  |  WCGS Events  |  Join WCGS  |  Publications  |  Wake Cemetery Survey Images  |  Society Surnames  |  Digital Resources  |  History Resources  |  More Links and Resources  |  Contact -  info(at)wakecogen(dot)org

What happened where and when is important. You will find this short video very important for establishing historical location and context for you Colonial ancestors. First Colonies: 1565-1700 | American Colonial History | Jamestown, Plymouth, Puritans, Quakers This presentation outlines the development of European colonies in the future United States and Canada, from 1565 to 1700. source Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website  -  Homepage  |  WCGS Events  |  Join WCGS  |  Publications  |  Wake Cemetery Survey Images  |  Society Surnames  |  Digital Resources  |  History Resources  |  More Links and Resources  |  Contact -  info(at)wakecogen(dot)org

  This post is one I originally wrote for the  Fall 2020 issue of the Wake Genealogy Watch newsletter . The topics are still pretty fresh. I hope you find something useful here.  - Cyndi Deal DNA for genealogy is a big topic and there are no shortcuts on the learning curve, but there is so much DNA education at our fingertips right now. With so many great genetic genealogy webinars available on line, why not sharpen your skill set?  (Bonus - All but two of these are free!) - CD Beginner  You Can Do DNA (series 2024) , presenter - Diahan Southard.   (Updated and expanded to a series in 2024.  Parts 1-4 are here, Part 5 can be viewed on YouTube) New to DNA? Start here. This covers test types, test companies, testing strategies, best explanation of ethnicity estimates ever, and basic concepts in a very beginner friendly format.  What Exactly is a Centimorgan? An Introduction to the Science of DNA Testing , presenter - Ran Snir.   W...

Here are the details for the WCGS virtual meeting of 2025. This promises to be a popular topic! Please join us. Tuesday, Jan 28 @ 6:30pm - Virtual Topic:  Be a Super Sleuth! Accessing and Using Images on Family Search Speaker:  Jill Morelli, CG, CGL Did you know that Family Search is placing their recently digitized material online in less that 24 hours after it is scanned? Did you know that they were placing them, not in the Catalog but in Images? This makes the images tab (under Search) as the most up-to-date repository of records--not the Catalog. These records are also not yet indexed and so they cannot be accessed using a surname search. What is a Super Sleuth to do? We will learn how to access these records and perhaps how to use other tools to find your ancestor in the document easier. You will want to see what FS has put on line in the geographic area where you are researching! Treasures await!   Join us!  Free and virtual! *Please register by 4pm day of meet...