Wichita Genealogical Society

03/07/2026

Major genealogy update!
Crista Cowen announced during her presentation at RootsTech, Ancestry has finished digitizing Revolutionary War pension files, and they are now fully text searchable. This means you can search inside the documents themselves and potentially find ancestors mentioned in testimonies, affidavits, and family statements. If you have Revolutionary War connections, this is definitely worth a new search.

03/02/2026

Oh the names you will see
On your family tree!

Some were shortened,
Some were changed,
Some rearranged across the sea.

If your ancestor vanishes from view,
A different spelling may be waiting for you.

Theodor Geisel — better known as Dr. Seuss — was the son of German immigrants who kept their surname. Many other families adapted theirs after arriving in America.

Müller became Miller.
Schmidt became Smith.
Names were translated, simplified, and reshaped to fit a new language and a new life.

If someone seems to disappear from your records, the clue might be hiding in a name change.

Because every branch of your family tree has a story — even the spelling.

👇 Did your family name change along the way?

03/01/2026

🔍 Unlocking the Power of Ancestry Pro Tools

Join the Wichita Geneaological Society for our March program featuring Jason Felihkatubbe (Choctaw) — a professional genealogist with more than 25 years of research experience and a nationally recognized expert in Native American genealogy.

📅 March 21, 2026
🕐 1:00 PM
📍 Wichita Advanced Learning Library
711 W. 2nd St., Wichita
🎟 Free & Open to the Public

Meet the Speaker

Jason specializes in Native American genealogy with a focus on the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee, and Seminole nations in Indian Territory/Oklahoma. He is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, a longtime contributor to the USGenWeb Project, and a respected lecturer on Native genealogy and culture.

About the Program

Discover how Ancestry’s Pro Tools can elevate your research.

✔ Analyze relationships with greater precision
✔ Organize research using advanced tagging & color coding
✔ Track hypotheses and evaluate evidence
✔ Compare trees and improve data accuracy
✔ Maintain citation-rich, well-documented family trees

Whether you’re managing complex projects, collaborating with others, or mentoring new researchers, you’ll gain practical strategies to strengthen your genealogical work.

Bring a friend and join us for an afternoon of learning and discovery!

02/28/2026

Coming Soon to KC! As part of the commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary, the National Archives presents the Freedom Plane National Tour. This traveling exhibit will bring seven historical documents to cities around the country and its first stop will be the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, MO, March 6-22! Check this out for more information: https://www.theworldwar.org/exhibitions/freedom-plane-national-tour-documents-forged-nation National Archives Foundation US National Archives

02/26/2026

📣 Genealogy + AI = New Research Possibilities

Our friends at the Midwest Geneaology Center are hosting their annual Spring Seminar, and this year’s focus is one many of us are eager to explore — Artificial Intelligence in Genealogy.

🧬 Branches & Bytes: Exploring AI in Genealogy
📅 April 18, 2026
🕘 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
📍 Midwest Genealogy Center, Independence, MO

Presenters Steve Little and Mark Thompson will share practical ways AI can help genealogists:

✔ Break through brick walls
✔ Discover patterns and connections
✔ Turn family facts into compelling stories
✔ Reveal hidden details in photographs

Sessions include:
• Introduction to AI for Genealogists
• Turning Family Facts into Stories with AI
• Supercharging Your Genealogy Research with AI
• Unlocking Hidden Details in Your Family Photos

💲 Cost: $40 (includes continental breakfast & lunch)

👉 Learn more & register:
https://www.mymcpl.org/genealogy/programs/spring-seminar

If you attend, we’d love to hear what you learn and how you plan to use AI in your research!

02/26/2026

Meet Granny Picklebean.
She’s been shaking the family tree for years… and she’s learned one thing:
You never know what might fall out.

👇 Tell me in the comments:
Does your family tree drop nuts too?

02/13/2026

POV: I could clean…
But my ancestors are waiting. 😌📜
Tell me I’m not the only one choosing genealogy over housework.

02/10/2026

02/06/2026

If you know, you know. Genealogy turns us all into suspicious detectives.

02/04/2026

Only a genealogist understands that going back a generation can actually move you forward.
Sometimes progress means undoing a mistake so your family tree can finally grow the right way. 🌳

02/03/2026

In partnership with Wichita Genealogical Society, the Wichita Public Library is excited to announce our newest offering: the Memory Lab!

The Memory Lab, located in the Research Pavilion at the Advanced Learning Library, offers free equipment for self-directed digitization of photos, documents, film, cassette tapes, and more. Library patrons can reserve one of two workstations on the Library’s website for up to three-hours at a time.

As we celebrate our history on this special day, we are excited to help you preserve your priceless mementos with the Memory Lab!

Visit wichitalibrary.org/memory-lab to learn more and reserve a station.