Whittier Area Genealogical Society

12/20/2025

Conference Keeper Conference Keeper - the Group! www.WAGWhittier.org is so excited to sponsor this week's newsletter. Register today to learn all about AI and Genealogy from 3 experts.

12/20/2025

WAGS 2026. Come join our hybrid meetings www.WAGSWhittier.org

12/17/2025

Still searching for the perfect gift this year? 🎁

How about something truly meaningful — a journey into your family’s past?

My genealogy gift certificates make it easy to give the gift of family history — a present that lasts for generations and brings families closer together.

Available now for the holidays!

💌 Contact me or visit https://www.knowwhowearsthegenesinyourfamily.com to learn more.

12/15/2025

2026 is just around the corner and January will be full swing soon with more hybrid/zoom classes at MGC. Attend online! OR attend in person at the Hybrid classes. All are free for anyone!
Register at: https://www.mymcpl.org/genealogy/programs

12/13/2025

https://www.huntington.org/exhibitions/stories-library-bronte-butler This looks interesting The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

Get a behind-the-scenes look at two centuries of the everyday lives of women writers through ephemera, letters, and journals.

12/13/2025

Do your family and friends say that it is hard to buy you a holiday gift? How about for just $30.00 WAGS 43rd Annual Seminar with 3 awesome presenters to help you make the connection between AI and Genealogy. Register today! PS There will be great door prizes to win too!!

12/12/2025

Free Ship Passenger Lists:

Finding your ancestor in a passenger list can be pretty exciting, and discovering websites free lists is also a bonus.

11 of the Best Websites for Free Passenger Lists (https://www.heritagediscovered.com/blog/11-of-the-best-websites-for-free-ship-passenger-lists) gets you started, and it also provides some helpful tips and background about U.S. ports of entry types of information in ship manifests.

To learn more about working with ship passenger lists, check out Goal D2 of the United States page (https://www.thefhguide.com/project-9-united-statesd2.html ).

12/08/2025

12/05/2025

12/03/2025

Between 1850 and 1950, nearly every American family tree hits the same weird snag. You’re scrolling through a census record, and there’s your great-great-grandfather’s household.

His wife. His kids.

And then… some random guy named John listed as a “boarder.” Different last name. No obvious connection.

You shrug and move on. Big mistake.

Because here’s what nobody tells you: that “boarder” might actually be family. A nephew. A brother-in-law. Your great-grandmother’s illegitimate son.

The census takers of the 19th and early 20th centuries were basically playing a giant game of telephone with American families, and they lost the plot constantly. At its peak in 1930, America had millions of boarders.

And a massive chunk of them weren’t strangers renting rooms. They were relatives hiding in plain sight, obscured by bureaucratic laziness, social stigma, and economic arrangements.

Let me show you why your family tree is probably missing entire branches because of a single word on a census form.

12/02/2025

Join us for the next Down Under Webinar!

Paul Milner, FUGA, MDiv will present "English DNA Matches: Tools for quickly building modern trees!"

https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/english-dna-matches-tools-for-quickly-building-modern-trees/

Start time: Sydney - 12pm, Wednesday 3 Dec; New York - 8pm, Tuesday, 2 Dec.

12/02/2025

How to Find Old Obituaries: Free and Online Resources

Read the story on the GenealogyBank blog: https://bit.ly/48Md9WY

Discover how to find old obituaries online, some for free. Uncover your family’s history and stories today with expert tips from GenealogyBank. Start your search now!

Photo: Calvary Cemetery, Queens, New York. Credit: Plowboylifestyle; Wikimedia Commons.