The Family Tree Maker SIG meets on the 3rd Friday of most months from 10:30AM to 12:30PM Pacific time via Zoom. (Check this website for information on each upcoming meeting date.) If you would like to attend and are not on the SIG e-mail distribution list, please send an e-mail to ftmsig@eastsidegenealogicalsociety.org to request the meeting link.

The Family Tree Maker SIG meets on the 3rd Friday of most months from 10:30AM to 12:30PM Pacific time via Zoom.

If you would like to attend and are not on the SIG e-mail distribution list, please send an e-mail to ftmsig@eastsidegenealogicalsociety.org to request the meeting link.

You can also send questions for discussion in advance to the same e-mail address, ftmsig@eastsidegenealogicalsociety.org

Eastside Genealogical Society has a new Special Interest Group (SIG), an Artificial Intelligence SIG which meets on the third Tuesday of most months at 2PM.

The purpose of it is to learn together about using AI to help with our genealogy, encourage each other, and share information, tips, and resources.

Topics for discussion this month:
Creating Effective AI Prompts
Which AI tools work best for different tasks?

Please email AIsig@eastsidegenealogicalsociety.org to be added to the mailing list and get the Zoom link.

EGS is planning a field trip to Heritage Quest Research Library (HQRL) in Puyallup, WA. The First 10 EGS members to sign up will be free – all others will need to pay the $15 day use fee. 

Details: 

• Thursday, May 21, 2026, in place of May EGS Lunch Bunch
• Meet at FamilySearch Center, 10675 NE 20th Street, Bellevue
• 8:45 AM—Gathering time—for carpooling
• $15 day charge for library usage for non-members of HQRL
• $40 to join HQRL (Individual), then day usage fee included for a year
• FamilySearch Affiliate Library
• Extensive library of books and resources; some available for purchase at huge discounts
• Bring a lunch, or buy a lunch nearby (bakery and café in same complex)
• RSVP to Kimberly Nichols—let her know if you will be meeting us there or carpooling
• Those carpooling will return to Bellevue mid-afternoon

Click to request the Zoom meeting invitation

Date: May 16, 2026 (Saturday)
Time: 1:30 PM (PT)
Topic: Staying Behind in Italy during the Age of Mass Migration – Everyday Life for Our Ancestors in Italy
Presenter: Victoria Calabrese

Description: This presentation will discuss daily life in Italy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the period of mass emigration. The presentation will include information about home life, economics, society, gender roles, the emigration process, and what life was like for those who remained behind. This presentation gives a fuller perspective of the migration process, including not just those who migrated, but including those who never migrated, showing how their lives were affected just as much as those migrating.

Presenter: Victoria Calabrese
Victoria Calabrese received her Ph.D. in modern European history from the Graduate Center at the City University of New York. Her research focuses on modern Italian history, gender, migration, and nation building. Her book, Italian Women in Basilicata: Staying Behind but Moving Forward during the Age of Mass Emigration, 1876–1914, was published by Lexington Books in 2022. The book examines women in the southern Italian region of Basilicata and the many ways their lives changed when their husbands emigrated. In addition to the women who remained behind, she has written articles on honor and infanticide, and on traveling child musicians. Victoria is an avid genealogist, focusing on southern Italian genealogy research. She is currently an adjunct professor at Lehman College, teaching courses in early modern and modern European history.

Eastside Genealogical Society
German Interest Group

Presenter: 
Dana Palmer, CG®, CGL® 

Dana specializes in Midwestern research, lineage society applications, and publishing family books.

In addition to her client work, she is part of the Mayflower Silver Books team, and lectures at RootsTech and the National Genealogical Society (NGS) conferences.

Her book Ultimate Guide to Mastering Family Search was released in print and digitally in November 2025.

When: Friday, 5^th  of June, 2026
from 12:30 to 2:30 pm Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)

Zoom Registration Required:
https://tinyurl.com/432j5fvu

Topic: Striking Gold: Using Cluster Research to Identify an Unknown Father  

Blended ethnic families can be tough to trace. Be successful finding your German ancestor’s parents by using cluster research techniques and free online tools. This case study presentation will show how an unknown father of a German Catholic family who lived in Cincinnati was found by searching for others with the same name who were living in the same location and belonged to the same church.

Discussion will show how analyzing church records, obituaries, cemetery and other records led to the discovery of the unknown father and his origins in Germany. This is a great example of using cluster research to find elusive ancestors.

More information: Visitors are always welcome. Our website is:
https://gig.eastsidegenealogicalsociety.org

The Eastside Genealogical Society’s Genealogy Book SIG meets on the second Friday of most months at 10 AM PT via Zoom.

The book for this month is Hey America, Your Roots Are Showing by Megan Smolenyak

Email Kimberly Nichols at vicepresident@eastsidegenealogicalsociety.org to request a zoom link and be added to the email list.