WCGS Monthly Meeting - The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Genealogy Today and Into the Future (Monthly Meetings)
7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Online meeting
Presenter: Rob Richardson
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Genealogy Today and Into the Future
Surprise! Artificial Intelligence Is Already Working To Help You In Genealogy.
And there's much more to come: From solving brick walls to recreating ancestors’ images
Our speaker Rob Richardson has been closely following the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it’s helping researchers resolve and find meaning in huge repositories of data. Hmm, “finding meaning in big data”, that sure sounds like genealogy doesn’t it. And sure enough, AI is beginning to make inroads at the large on-line genealogy websites to make your work more accurate and easier to do.
In his presentation Rob will provide a survey of what’s happening right now at those large sites and more importantly he will take a look at what’s on the horizon and beyond -
Making old photos look like they were taken yesterday,
Performing data analyses that will break through brick walls for you,
Even writing family histories for you that will read like they were written by David McCollough or Stephen Ambrose.
But big questions remain. Will AI prove too capable, depriving the genealogist of the thrill of hunt and the satisfaction of a job-well-done? Maybe. The promises and pitfalls of AI - now and in the future will all be discussed and assessed in Rob’s presentation.
WCGS Monthly Meeting - Researching HER Life: Genealogical Tools and Methods for Researching Your Fem (Monthly Meetings)
7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Online meeting
Presenter: Gena Philibert-Ortega
Researching HER Life: Genealogical Tools and Methods for Researching Your Female Ancestor
One of the brick walls most family historians face is researching a female ancestor. However, if you know the tools and methods for researching women, it can make the process easier. In this lecture, we will explore the records that document female ancestors. We will also go over research methods for finding and learning more about your female ancestors.
WCGS Monthly Meeting - World War I Genealogy Where Do I Start? (Monthly Meetings)
7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Online meeting
Presenter: Debra Dudek
World War I Genealogy Where Do I Start?
Start your journey towards learning more about your family’s connection to the war to end all wars. Using a fail-proof method of record gathering, you can begin to construct a large amount of information even if your ancestor’s official military records were destroyed in the NRPC fire. With thousands of resources available online, traditional archives, and in specialized museums, you'll be on your way to tracing your ancestor's Great War experience quickly and confidently.
WCGS Monthly Meeting - Bringing Your Ancestor to Life (Monthly Meetings)
7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Online meeting
Presenter: Dr. Deborah Abbott
Bringing Your Ancestor to Life
Your Ancestors are more than names and dates. Discovering the courageous stories that fill the dash between birth and death will breathe life into your ancestors and help in your quest to unlock the unique doors of your family history. In order to share your genealogy with finesse, interest and appeal, you must answer the “who, what, where, why and how” questions about your ancestors. In this lecture, learn how to recognize the clues that will lead to interesting family stories. While creating and unraveling your family history, we will explore the effective use of censuses, vital records, newspapers, deeds, manuscripts, and other ways to find supporting documents. Case studies will be used.
WCGS Monthly Meeting - No meeting this month (Monthly Meetings)
7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Thursday, September 16
WCGS Monthly Meeting Reconstructing Communities Using Sanborn Maps Census Records & City Directories (Monthly Meetings)
7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Online meeting
Presenter: Ari Wilkins
Reconstructing Communities Using Sanborn Maps Census Records & City Directories
Recreating communities can provide rich and insightful details about an ancestor’s life and surroundings. This lecture will demonstrate ways to combine data from census records, Sanborn maps and city directories.
WCGS Monthly Meeting - State and Territorial Censuses Underused Genealogical Tools (Monthly Meetings)
7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Online meeting
Presenter: Bernard Meisner
State and Territorial Censuses Underused Genealogical Tools
Genealogists are familiar with the federal census records, however, the state and territorial censuses remain a much under-used resource because they were not taken systematically and centrally archived. In this presentation Mr. Meisner will discuss these other census reports and their value in filling in the gaps between the federal census years, and in providing additional information concerning your families, their occupations, and the places they lived.
