Wichita Genealogical Society

04/17/2026

Don’t forget—our next Wichita Genealogical Society meeting is tomorrow!

Join us for Photo Restoration: The Latest One-Click Tools, presented by Gary Clark. This program will explore how today’s tools can bring old, damaged photographs back to life—restoring details, correcting color, and even transforming images into something frame-worthy.

If you’ve ever looked at a faded or damaged family photo and wondered what could be saved, this is a session you won’t want to miss.

📅 April 18, 2026
🕐 1:00 PM
📍 Wichita Advanced Learning Library

This program is free and open to the public. Bring a friend and come learn what’s possible with today’s restoration tools.

04/05/2026

Genealogy is like an Easter egg hunt... you know it's there, but where???

But here's the truth.
Those "missing" records usually aren't gone... they're just hiding.
Try this
* search with spelling variations
* use wild cards (* and ?)
* check nearby locations
* look at neighbors and witnesses
Most breakthroughs don't come from luck, they come from knowing where to look next.

What's the hardest records you've tried to find?

03/17/2026

Genealogists don’t need luck… but let’s be honest—it helps 🍀
Ever had a “lucky” find? 👀
💡 Truth: What feels like luck in genealogy is usually: • searching creatively
• checking multiple records
• and not giving up
One record leads to another… and suddenly it looks like luck 😉
Tell me—what’s your “lucky” find?

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

02/10/2026

Genealogy isn’t just online.
Your ancestors didn’t live on websites—they lived in places, left paper trails, and show up in books and maps you can still access today. 📚
If you’re stuck, this might be your missing step.
Wichita Advanced Learning Library