Whittier Area Genealogical Society

03/17/2026

03/16/2026

A little bit of opinion here. When using images from FamilySearch, the citation they have really only tells you where you got it on their site.

It's incomplete, especially for copies of actual records.

You should also determine what it is you are looking at. What office created the record? What file was it is? What book/page was it from?

These details matter to me because they help me know what I'm looking at and can help me to analyze it. I need more detail than just a county record I found on FamilySearch.

--Michael

03/15/2026

https://www.gov.uk/general-register-office Have you ordered a Civil Registration item (Birth, Marriage, Death) from the GRO in the UK? Want to learn how? www.WAGSWhittier.org 21st 1:00 PM PT in person or via zoom. Free and Open to the general public.

03/13/2026

When doing research in the British Isles do you know the correct terminology? Join us Mar 21st 1PM PT to learn in person or zoom www.WAGSWhittier.org for all the details

03/09/2026

Ancestry just rolled out several significant updates, and I sat down with Crista to walk through all of them. https://youtu.be/pgSTh3H632A&list=UULFcvpi8XvOScBogIxmarmADw

Here's what we cover:

- Fold3's 2.4 million Revolutionary War pension images are now full-text searchable thanks to handwriting recognition. That means you can search for any name mentioned in a pension, not just the pensioner.
- Ancestry is now pushing roughly 5 million additional record images, including probate files, through the same full-text search pipeline.
- The new Photo Insights feature uses AI to analyze photos and documents in your gallery, estimating date ranges, locations, and historical context.
- Full document transcription is available for anything you upload to Ancestry.
- Ancestry Preserve lets you ship a box of physical photos, slides, film reels, and documents to be digitized and automatically added to your tree.
- 90 new US DNA Journeys have been added, focused on migration patterns within the United States.
- A redesign of the person profile page and the hints review workflow is coming soon.

03/05/2026

We’re excited to introduce Scribe AI, a powerful new feature on MyHeritage that transcribes, translates, and interprets historical family documents and

03/05/2026

https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/expohall/whittier-area-genealogical-society

The Whittier Area Genealogical Society (WAGS) was founded on May 16, 1981, to meet the needs of those in Whittier, Los Angeles, CA and the surrounding communities who are interested in genealogy and family history. We offer hybrid monthly educational meetings featuring prominent genealogists, bimont...

03/04/2026

Did you miss the March 1 Tea at Caples House? No problem... Join us on April 12 (2:00 or 3:00). Enjoy a wonderful spring afternoon at Caples House with tea, treats (gluten free & delicious) and a guided tour of the museum property [$15 tea & treats | $5 tour].

Reservations (pay in advance or at the door) can be made by visiting https://capleshouse.com/community-events

03/01/2026

Join the Chicago Genealogical Society on March 9, 2026 from 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. central for our CGS Webinar via Zoom: “American Genealogical Resources to Help you Discover Your Mexican Ancestry" with Moises Garza. Registration is required.*

Haven’t made the jump to Mexico yet, this presentation will provide you with American Genealogical Resources to help you trace your ancestors back to Mexico or its Spanish Colonial period. You will learn about websites and record sets that are vital for Mexican American genealogy research.

Our speaker will be Moises Garza. Moises’s passion for genealogy started in the cotton fields of west Texas. As a migrant worker, he was blessed to work in the fields next to his father, Lauro Garza, who had a sharp memory and told countless stories about his own ancestors. He has been doing genealogy since 1998 and has helped countless others in their own quest to find their ancestors. Today, he continues with this passion by publishing and creating resources to help you in your own search.

* Registration is required via the Chicago Genealogical Society website at https://www.chicagogenealogy.org/event-6465410 . Registration will close 1 hour prior to the event. This webinar is FREE for CGS members. Non-Members can register for the event for $10. No refunds. The meet-up will take place virtually via ZOOM. Everyone registered will receive an email the morning of the event with log-in instructions and a link. This information is not to be shared.

Note: The Webinar will be recorded and available on the CGS website in the Members Only section at https://www.chicagogenealogy.org/Webinar-Archive.

Thank you for being a member of The Chicago Genealogical Society!
https://www.chicagogenealogy.org/

02/26/2026

Deadline is March 7th to rewatch! What has AI helped you find? SHARE with the class!!!