Sunday, May 3, 1pm Pacific
Speaker: Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz
Beyond Vital Records: New Frontiers in Polish Genealogy
Description: This session begins with a concise overview of Poland’s shifting borders and how these geopolitical changes influenced the languages of historical record-keeping. After demonstrating how to use gazetteers to pin down precise administrative jurisdictions, Julie will dive into the digital landscape. She will highlight essential websites for accessing indexed records and digital images. Beyond vital records, attendees will discover where to find census data, court and notary files, historical maps, photographs, and more. The lecture concludes with practical resources for translation and an exploration of how AI
About Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz
Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz is a genealogist, writer, and speaker with nearly 30 years of experience in researching her family’s origins in Poland, Germany, the U.S., and Canada. She currently serves as President of the Polish Genealogical Society of New York State (PGSNYS) and has previously served as Vice-President for the New England Regional Genealogical Consortium, Inc, and Secretary of the Polish Genealogical Society of Massachusetts (PGSMA). She administers several genealogy-related Facebook groups. Her articles have been published in the newsletters of the PGSNYS, the PGSMA, the Polish Genealogical Society of America, the Western New York Genealogical Society, and the Irish Genealogical Society International, and she is the author of a genealogy blog, From Shepherds and Shoemakers.
Non-members pay $5.00 Zoom link will be sent the week of the event. Members automatically receive a Zoom link.
Sunday, May 24, 1pm Pacific
Speaker: Mark Thompson, AI Expert
Unlock the Other 90%: Getting More from Your AI Tools-1.5 Hrs
Description: Do you feel like you’re only scratching the surface with AI tools like ChatGPT? Most genealogists use just 10% of what these powerful tools have to offer. In this session, you’ll discover how to unlock the other 90%. Genealogists are expert researchers with vast knowledge locked in their files, photos, and memories. What if AI could work with all of that, and not just one question at a time? Imagine feeding your AI tool documents, family videos, or audio recordings, then watching it transform your materials into insights, images, and stories. Learn how to move information in and out of AI tools to get the most accurate and useful results from your research.
Join Mark Thompson to discover how going beyond simple prompts will change the way you research, analyze, and share your family history!
About Mark Thompson
Mark Thompson is a professional genealogist and public speaker specializing in the application of artificial intelligence to genealogy. As co-host of the Family History AI Show podcast alongside Steve Little, Mark helps genealogists bridge the gap between high technology and their family history research. With a background in executive IT leadership, Mark brings a unique perspective to the rapidly evolving field of AI-assisted genealogy. He currently serves as President of the Victoria Genealogical Society and chairs their DNA Special Interest Group. A member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, Mark is a frequent presenter on technology-centric genealogy topics including AI, Genetic Genealogy, and Family Archiving. When not exploring family histories, he enjoys photographing nature in his home province of British Columbia.
Non-members pay $5.00 Zoom link will be sent the week of the event. Members automatically receive a Zoom link.
Sunday, June 14, 1pm Pacific
Speaker: Ellie Vance, Russian Genealogy Research Specialist
Finding your Family with Routes to Roots: Utilizing RTR Foundation Resources in your Research
Description: From maps, to archival inventories, and to databases galore, the Routes to Roots Foundation website is a treasure trove of resources to help you find your Jewish ancestors! Come learn about how to use this important tool in your genealogical research.
Jewish genealogists seeking family documents from Eastern Europe are now able to search this single online source for listings of their ancestral towns. The database includes the combined archival holdings in Belarus, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland and Ukraine (as well as selected archive holdings from archives in Russia, Latvia, Romania, Israel and Washington, DC). Also included are documents from civil registration offices in Poland and civil registration offices in Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova (ZAGS Offices); the Jewish Historical Institute (Warsaw, Poland); Pinkassim collection of the V. Vernadskyi Library (Kiev, Ukraine); Regional Museum (Ostrog, Ukraine) and the private collection of Rabbi Moishe Leib Kolesnik (Ivano Frankivsk, Ukraine).
About Ellie Vance
Ellie Vance Christensen graduated from Brigham Young University with degrees in Russian and Family History and Genealogy. While at BYU, she studied abroad in Russia and interned at the International Genealogical Center in Moscow, Russia. Upon graduation from BYU, she worked as the Slavic research specialist for the FamilySearch Library, where she
enjoyed helping Library guests locate their ancestors in the Russian Empire. She later worked as a technical historical records expert at FamilySearch aiding in the development of AI handwriting recognition tools for Cyrillic languages. Ellie enjoys helping others trace their roots in the Russian Empire and especially enjoys teaching others to do it themselves. She currently spends her days as a stay-at-home mom doing occasional client and speaking work.
Non-members pay $5.00 Zoom link will be sent the week of the event. Members automatically receive a Zoom link.