Seattle Genealogical Society & Library

11/20/2025

This came up on my feed today---Lisa Oberg giving her presentation at Sand Point!

11/15/2025

Join us for Virtual Sunday!
What if the secret to getting your family excited about their history isn’t a written report… but a story they can actually see and hear?

Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at how Kathy Weber, SGS President and Family Historian, turned her Irish family history research into a compelling presentation that changed how her relatives connected with their past.
How did she decide what to include? What visuals made the biggest impact?
Come find out — and get inspired to reimagine how you share your research, too.

📅 Sunday, November 16
🕐 1:00–2:00 PM (PT)
💻 Zoom Virtual Event Register Here: https://bit.ly/43yTLKe

11/13/2025

Did you know we have 333 databases with images available for you for free? Our Library offers American Ancestors databases, (from New England Historical Genealogical Society) to anyone who visits us in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle. 289 of those databases are from the US and 44 are from other countries. So bring your research question and come visit, open 5 days per week.

11/06/2025

🌟 This Saturday’s SGS Speaker — Special Time! 🌟

Presentation begins one hour earlier to accommodate our speaker joining us from the UK!
📅 Saturday, November 8
⏰ 12:00 PM Pacific Time
🔗 Click here to register: https://bit.ly/4orDFu7

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Janet Few, who will lead us through a rich and engaging look at the world of historical occupations performed by women. Trades such as lacemaking, straw plaiting, and other roles dominated by women, while examining the working conditions, tools, and risks involved.

Though her examples draw primarily from England, the context and insights offer a valuable framework for anyone researching women’s work in the past, no matter the location.

10/20/2025

We have just a few more spaces for the Saturday October 25 Calvary Cemetery (Seattle) talk and walking tour at 1:00pm. The long time superintendent will give us history of the cemetery and help us learn more from gravemarkers. Pre registration required at seagensoc.org

10/19/2025

Mexican Special Interest Group Meeting
Wednesday, October 22
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Virtual via Zoom; email Diane Hughes-Hart at SGSMexSIG@seagensoc.org to receive the meeting link.

This meeting will recap the Members Discoveries for this past year and if time, discuss and Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month (15 Sep-15 Oct 2025) and upcoming Día de Mu**to = Day of the Dead (Sat, 1 Nov-Sun, 2 Nov, 2025).

**tos Finding Your Roots

10/17/2025

Join us virtually this Sunday for a special presentation by local author, Karen Treiger, whose book Standing on the Crack: The Legacy of Five Jewish Families from Seattle’s Gilded Age was published in August. Blending Pacific Northwest history with deeply personal family narratives, Karen traces the journeys of her ancestors who immigrated from Europe to Seattle and Portland between 1874 and 1913.

Karen was born in Seattle and educated at Barnard College and New York University Law School --where she was editor-in-chief of NYU Law Review. She has been named to the Jewish Book Council Author’s Network, the Seattle Holocaust Center for Humanity Speaker’s Bureau, and served on the University of Washington Advisory Council for the Extension Writing Program.

Sunday, October 19th at 1 pm PT
Register here: https://bit.ly/48vbq8V

10/10/2025

The SGS 2025 Fall Seminar Starts This Weekend
The wait is over—our Fall Seminar kicks off this Saturday, and we are thrilled to DNA expert Dr. Blaine Bettinger to the Seattle Genealogical Society.

If you are just beginning to explore genetic genealogy or are already experienced in using DNA for research, Blaine will deliver four fresh, cutting-edge lectures packed with tools, strategies, and insights to take your research further:

• DNA-Based Relationship Estimators & Analyzers [NEW]
• Using Autosomal DNA for 18th and 19th Century Mysteries
• Understanding DNA-Based Traits
• Are You Doing Everything?

Seminar Schedule:
Saturday, October 11 | 9:00 AM – Noon PT
Sunday, October 12 | 1:00 – 4:00 PM PT
Live via Zoom (recordings available to registrants for a limited time)
Don’t miss our DNA-related door prizes throughout the weekend.

Registration: https://bit.ly/4gPVPmA
$55 General Public | $40 SGS Members
There is still time to grab your spot. Do not miss this weekend of DNA learning with one of the best in the field.

Discover our public research library, unique databases and educational opportunities. SGS offers support and resources to aid research both locally and in the world wide genealogical community.

10/10/2025

New Transcription SIG Forming at SGS!

Love history? Enjoy deciphering handwriting—or want to give it a try? Join our new in-person Transcription Special Interest Group (SIG) at the Seattle Genealogical Society.
We will gather monthly at the SGS Library to transcribe and tag historical documents together, rotating through federal, state, and local records. First up: Revolutionary War Pension Records — one of the National Archives’ largest Citizen Archivist missions.

Interest Meeting
Date: Wednesday, October 15
Time: 6:00 PM PDT
Location: SGS Library 4649 Sunnyside Ave N, Seattle, Suite 302
Questions? Contact: Betsey Cotter: cotterbetsey@gmail.com

Bring your curiosity (and maybe your reading glasses) we will provide the snacks.

No transcription experience needed. Learn more, ask questions, and help shape this brand-new SIG.

10/10/2025

Ready to Start—or Refresh—Your Genealogy Journey?

Curious about how to begin, where to find the best records, or how to make sense of DNA results? This fall, SGS is offering a Beginning Genealogy course designed both for those just getting started and for experienced researchers who want to sharpen their skills. Build (or rebuild) a strong foundation for your family history research in a supportive, structured setting.
Choose Your Series:
Wednesday Mornings – Oct 15, 22, 29 & Nov 5 | 10:00–11:30 AM
Thursday Evenings – Oct 16, 23, 30 & Nov 6 | 7:00–8:30 PM

Optional 5th Session: In-person library tour & one-on-one research help at SGS (week of Nov 10).
Fee: $80 (SGS members $60)
Register here: http://bit.ly/4gZd84s
Instructor: Cecellia Rogers

Discover our public research library, unique databases and educational opportunities. SGS offers support and resources to aid research both locally and in the world wide genealogical community.

09/27/2025

The SGS 2025 Fall Seminar is quickly approaching—and we are thrilled to welcome internationally recognized DNA expert Dr. Blaine Bettinger to Seattle Genealogical Society!

Whether you are new to DNA or already deep into genetic genealogy, Blaine will bring you the latest tools and insights in FOUR fresh and exciting lectures:
DNA-Based Relationship Estimators & Analyzers [NEW]
Using Autosomal DNA for 18th and 19th Century Mysteries
Understanding DNA-Based Traits
Are You Doing Everything?

Saturday, October 11 (9 am–noon PT)
Sunday, October 12 (1–4 pm PT)
Live via Zoom (recordings available to registrants for a limited time)
🎟 Registration: https://bit.ly/4gPVPmA
$55 (general public)
$40 (SGS members)

09/09/2025

TOUR THE MOHAI ATRIUM WITH SGS
After a summer break, SGS field trips return with a tour of the atrium at the Museum of History and Industry. Join SGS at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 16 for this exciting look at Seattle's history.

A museum guide will utilize several of the largest artifacts in the atrium to trace some of the tensions and contradictions of expansion and industry in Seattle. This includes a focus on the experiences of working people as the city rapidly grew in the late 19th and 20th centuries.There are 5 stops on the tour with several handouts used as tools for discussion and investigation. The guide will share facts about the artifacts, engage in storytelling, and also have discussion questions for the group. This will be a conversational and active tour, rather than simply lecture based.

Additionally, the tour will include an overview of the kinds of materials in the MOHAI library and collections, as well as how to book research time at the library and access online collections.

Optional lunch at noon at the Lakefront Pavilion (the museum café, which is to the left of the admissions desk, past the museum store). Bring your own lunch or purchase from the café’s menu.

Registration fee: $30 non-members (SGS Members $20)

Limited to 25 participants, so sign up now.

Join the Tour: https://tinyurl.com/SGS-Sep-Field-Trip-Sign-Up