2019 Meetings
January 23, 2019 Genealogy Roundtable - Bring your 'brickwall' questions and we'll brainstorm suggestions
What is a Roundtable? It's a chance to 'pick the brains' of more experienced genealogists. Attendees can participate or just listen to the questions and answers - no pressure. We guarantee you will hear something interesting or useful; not just other people's stories, but how to turn those stories into successful research strategies for your own brick wall problem.
February 27, 2019 Find Answers with the FamilySearch Affiliate Library By Ryan Henrie, Director of the Cranberry Family History Center
Come learn how you can access FamilySearch at both the Cranberry Public Library & Cranberry Family History Center.
Ryan Henrie will use demonstration and case studies to illustrate how to access various collections on FamilySearch, new features for displaying your ancestry, and ways to explore and search FamilySearch.org with greater research success.
Ryan Henrie is the Director of the Cranberry Township Family History Center. He leads a group of wonderful volunteers to help researchers in breaking through walls to have genealogy success when using the free resources and databases there.
March 27 - Rich Venezia - The Aliens Are Coming: USCIS Record Sets
A-Files? AR-2 Forms? C-Files? Oh my! Wade through the alphabet soup of the five record sets the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services holds to find where your recent immigrant ancestor may be hiding. This lecture mainly applies to 20th-century immigrants. Audience Level: Intermediate
In addition to handling current immigration into the USA, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) holds indispensable genealogical records for anyone with immigrant ancestors who arrived from the late eighteenth-century forward. This lecture explores a bit about how USCIS came to be, but more importantly, the valuable records it holds. Participants will learn who is likely to show up in which USCIS file set, how the index searching and ordering process works, and see examples of each record set held by USCIS. The files that will be discussed are:
· A-Files (Alien Files) (including which files are held at NARA and which are held by USCIS)
· AR-2s (Alien Registration Forms)
· C-Files (Naturalization Certificate Files)
· Registry Files
· Visa Files
April 24, 2019 Crossing the Pond from Northern Ireland to America
Mary Jane Kuffner-Hirt is back from a recent trip to Ireland, further enriching her ancestral story of James Leech. She will share James’ 1763 Irish passport and Pennsylvania and Virginia land, tax and militia records and maps that she used to trace the migration of her Scots-Irish ancestors from Northern Ireland through Lancaster and Cumberland Counties and later to Rockbridge County Virginia. She will also discuss the resources and repositories where the records were found.
Our presenter - Dr. Kuffner-Hirt, has published in Familia, the journal of the Ulster Genealogical and Historical Society, and presented at the 2017 FGS conference; and in 2016, to an international migration studies conference in Northern Ireland. Now retired from positions at IUP and city and state government, she is applying her research skills to family history.
Bonus Meeting:
May 21, 2019 at 6:45 PM - North Hills Genealogists (2nd Location in Cranberry) Photo Detective Roadshow (Webinar) by Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective
North Hills Genealogists meet at Northland Library in McCandless Township. Cranberry has partnered with them to add a second location in Cranberry Township at Dutilh Church, 1270 Dutilh Rd., Cranberry Township, PA 16066 - meet in the sanctuary.
Directions: From Rt. 19, take St. Francis Way, (as though going to hospital), turn right, and follow to make right into church parking lot.
Summary: Have you ever wished that a photo detective could help you learn more about your pictures full of unknown people, or in a timeframe you can’t determine? Well, wish no more! The May meeting of North Hills Genealogists will be a live episode of “The Photo Detective.” If you’ve watched “Antiques Roadshow,” then you know how this works - a virtual show and tell. This is a totally interactive event in which NHG and CGC members will have submitted photos ahead of time and then meet virtually with Maureen Taylor, an internationally recognized expert on historic photograph identification, to learn about the specific clues she has uncovered.
May 22, 2019 Genealogical Clues in Family Photos presented by Maureen Taylor, the Photo Detective.
A single photograph can unlock a family mystery. The details are in the photographic clues. Pictures document births, deaths, marriages, and more. You can use an image as genealogical proof by understanding the language of family photographs. Learn what clues within photos can reveal more about the story within the photo.
Maureen Taylor is an internationally recognized expert on history photograph identification, photo preservation and family history research. Sought out by clients all over the world, from as far away as New Zealand, her pioneering work in historic photo research is unprecedented, evidenced by her success in solving photo mysteries. She has been featured in numerous publications and was dubbed "the nation's foremost historical photo detective' by The Wall Street Journal. Maureen has spoken on photo history, photograph preservation and family history at historical and genealogical societies, museums, conferences, libraries, and other organizations across the U. S. and in London and Canada. Her focus is on helping people rediscover their family history one picture at a time, and is passionate about getting folks to dig deep into their family history to tell the story of their ancestors. For more than a decade, she’s searched for images of individuals who lived during the Revolutionary War but also lived into the age of photography. It’s currently a two-volume set titled, The Last Muster, and the subject of three short films, A Trio of Revolutionary Voices. The quest for more photographs is ongoing.
Ms. Taylor's live webinars are supported by the North Hills Genealogists; and co-sponsored by the Cranberry Library and Cranberry Township Historical Society.
June 26, 2019 Cemetery Walk
We will meet at the Zelienople combined cemeteries on South Oliver Street at 6:00 pm to fulfill 49 current requests for photos posted on the Find-A-Grave website. If you can, bring your digital camera or phone, garden gloves, and spray bottle filled with water. Afterward, we will go to the new ice cream shop behind Baldinger’s on Route 19. Rain date will be July 10, same time and place. This is the third year our group has done this "Genealogical Act of Kindness."
July, 2019 In Lieu of Meeting - Attend GRIP evening sessions, La Roche University
August 28, 2019 - Preserving Research with Genealogical Software
Susan Ennis will present an overview about using software to store, record, organize and publish one's genealogical research. She will include pros and cons of using software and feature a variety of companies. The second part of the presentation will offer attendees a chance to discuss the software they use, and highlight their favorite features or reasons they like that option.
September 25, 2019 - Beaver County Genealogy and History Center
Learn about the vast resources available to genealogists in the Beaver County Genealogy & History Center, it is located to the former county 911 center at the Beaver Station Cultural & Event Center. The space is an undergrounds bunker - and well suited to preserving the collection. In addition to regular classes, the center is staffed by a team of expert volunteers. Newspapers, civil records and court records, cemetery records, church records, high school yearbooks, and so much more - all carefully cataloged and indexed. Many documents are searchable online. Jim Teapole, vice president of the group, will share an overview of what you discover when visiting the center. If you have any Beaver County, Pennsylvania connections, don’t miss this meeting!
October 23, 2019 - Digging Deep with Wills and Estates
Wills and estate files can hold valuable clues for your genealogy research. Many helpful facts can be recorded in these papers, including dates of death, family members, married names for women, affiliations, occupations, and more. Learn more about finding and using these unique records. Margaret Hewitt, Special Collections Librarian, at the Butler Area Public Library will be our guest presenter.
November 16, 2019 - Special Event - Saturday, November 16, 10:30 AM - 12:00 Noon
A visit to the Pennsylvania Department of the Main Carnegie Library in Oakland.
Marilyn Holt, Library Services Manager for Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Department, which focuses on local history and genealogy, will guide us through the department's resources as they relate to genealogists. This is a great opportunity to tap Marilyn's expert knowledge of the department's holdings and procedures.
What is a Roundtable? It's a chance to 'pick the brains' of more experienced genealogists. Attendees can participate or just listen to the questions and answers - no pressure. We guarantee you will hear something interesting or useful; not just other people's stories, but how to turn those stories into successful research strategies for your own brick wall problem.
February 27, 2019 Find Answers with the FamilySearch Affiliate Library By Ryan Henrie, Director of the Cranberry Family History Center
Come learn how you can access FamilySearch at both the Cranberry Public Library & Cranberry Family History Center.
Ryan Henrie will use demonstration and case studies to illustrate how to access various collections on FamilySearch, new features for displaying your ancestry, and ways to explore and search FamilySearch.org with greater research success.
Ryan Henrie is the Director of the Cranberry Township Family History Center. He leads a group of wonderful volunteers to help researchers in breaking through walls to have genealogy success when using the free resources and databases there.
March 27 - Rich Venezia - The Aliens Are Coming: USCIS Record Sets
A-Files? AR-2 Forms? C-Files? Oh my! Wade through the alphabet soup of the five record sets the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services holds to find where your recent immigrant ancestor may be hiding. This lecture mainly applies to 20th-century immigrants. Audience Level: Intermediate
In addition to handling current immigration into the USA, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) holds indispensable genealogical records for anyone with immigrant ancestors who arrived from the late eighteenth-century forward. This lecture explores a bit about how USCIS came to be, but more importantly, the valuable records it holds. Participants will learn who is likely to show up in which USCIS file set, how the index searching and ordering process works, and see examples of each record set held by USCIS. The files that will be discussed are:
· A-Files (Alien Files) (including which files are held at NARA and which are held by USCIS)
· AR-2s (Alien Registration Forms)
· C-Files (Naturalization Certificate Files)
· Registry Files
· Visa Files
April 24, 2019 Crossing the Pond from Northern Ireland to America
Mary Jane Kuffner-Hirt is back from a recent trip to Ireland, further enriching her ancestral story of James Leech. She will share James’ 1763 Irish passport and Pennsylvania and Virginia land, tax and militia records and maps that she used to trace the migration of her Scots-Irish ancestors from Northern Ireland through Lancaster and Cumberland Counties and later to Rockbridge County Virginia. She will also discuss the resources and repositories where the records were found.
Our presenter - Dr. Kuffner-Hirt, has published in Familia, the journal of the Ulster Genealogical and Historical Society, and presented at the 2017 FGS conference; and in 2016, to an international migration studies conference in Northern Ireland. Now retired from positions at IUP and city and state government, she is applying her research skills to family history.
Bonus Meeting:
May 21, 2019 at 6:45 PM - North Hills Genealogists (2nd Location in Cranberry) Photo Detective Roadshow (Webinar) by Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective
North Hills Genealogists meet at Northland Library in McCandless Township. Cranberry has partnered with them to add a second location in Cranberry Township at Dutilh Church, 1270 Dutilh Rd., Cranberry Township, PA 16066 - meet in the sanctuary.
Directions: From Rt. 19, take St. Francis Way, (as though going to hospital), turn right, and follow to make right into church parking lot.
Summary: Have you ever wished that a photo detective could help you learn more about your pictures full of unknown people, or in a timeframe you can’t determine? Well, wish no more! The May meeting of North Hills Genealogists will be a live episode of “The Photo Detective.” If you’ve watched “Antiques Roadshow,” then you know how this works - a virtual show and tell. This is a totally interactive event in which NHG and CGC members will have submitted photos ahead of time and then meet virtually with Maureen Taylor, an internationally recognized expert on historic photograph identification, to learn about the specific clues she has uncovered.
May 22, 2019 Genealogical Clues in Family Photos presented by Maureen Taylor, the Photo Detective.
A single photograph can unlock a family mystery. The details are in the photographic clues. Pictures document births, deaths, marriages, and more. You can use an image as genealogical proof by understanding the language of family photographs. Learn what clues within photos can reveal more about the story within the photo.
Maureen Taylor is an internationally recognized expert on history photograph identification, photo preservation and family history research. Sought out by clients all over the world, from as far away as New Zealand, her pioneering work in historic photo research is unprecedented, evidenced by her success in solving photo mysteries. She has been featured in numerous publications and was dubbed "the nation's foremost historical photo detective' by The Wall Street Journal. Maureen has spoken on photo history, photograph preservation and family history at historical and genealogical societies, museums, conferences, libraries, and other organizations across the U. S. and in London and Canada. Her focus is on helping people rediscover their family history one picture at a time, and is passionate about getting folks to dig deep into their family history to tell the story of their ancestors. For more than a decade, she’s searched for images of individuals who lived during the Revolutionary War but also lived into the age of photography. It’s currently a two-volume set titled, The Last Muster, and the subject of three short films, A Trio of Revolutionary Voices. The quest for more photographs is ongoing.
Ms. Taylor's live webinars are supported by the North Hills Genealogists; and co-sponsored by the Cranberry Library and Cranberry Township Historical Society.
June 26, 2019 Cemetery Walk
We will meet at the Zelienople combined cemeteries on South Oliver Street at 6:00 pm to fulfill 49 current requests for photos posted on the Find-A-Grave website. If you can, bring your digital camera or phone, garden gloves, and spray bottle filled with water. Afterward, we will go to the new ice cream shop behind Baldinger’s on Route 19. Rain date will be July 10, same time and place. This is the third year our group has done this "Genealogical Act of Kindness."
July, 2019 In Lieu of Meeting - Attend GRIP evening sessions, La Roche University
August 28, 2019 - Preserving Research with Genealogical Software
Susan Ennis will present an overview about using software to store, record, organize and publish one's genealogical research. She will include pros and cons of using software and feature a variety of companies. The second part of the presentation will offer attendees a chance to discuss the software they use, and highlight their favorite features or reasons they like that option.
September 25, 2019 - Beaver County Genealogy and History Center
Learn about the vast resources available to genealogists in the Beaver County Genealogy & History Center, it is located to the former county 911 center at the Beaver Station Cultural & Event Center. The space is an undergrounds bunker - and well suited to preserving the collection. In addition to regular classes, the center is staffed by a team of expert volunteers. Newspapers, civil records and court records, cemetery records, church records, high school yearbooks, and so much more - all carefully cataloged and indexed. Many documents are searchable online. Jim Teapole, vice president of the group, will share an overview of what you discover when visiting the center. If you have any Beaver County, Pennsylvania connections, don’t miss this meeting!
October 23, 2019 - Digging Deep with Wills and Estates
Wills and estate files can hold valuable clues for your genealogy research. Many helpful facts can be recorded in these papers, including dates of death, family members, married names for women, affiliations, occupations, and more. Learn more about finding and using these unique records. Margaret Hewitt, Special Collections Librarian, at the Butler Area Public Library will be our guest presenter.
November 16, 2019 - Special Event - Saturday, November 16, 10:30 AM - 12:00 Noon
A visit to the Pennsylvania Department of the Main Carnegie Library in Oakland.
Marilyn Holt, Library Services Manager for Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Department, which focuses on local history and genealogy, will guide us through the department's resources as they relate to genealogists. This is a great opportunity to tap Marilyn's expert knowledge of the department's holdings and procedures.
- If you want to carpool, meet us at 9:00 AM in the Cranberry Mall parking lot just below Jason's Deli. We will leave at 9:15 AM sharp.
- If you'd like to stay longer after the presentation to get some research done, you can drive alone or with a like-minded friend.
- Parking options include the Carnegie Museum lot at $7 all day, Soldiers and Sailors underground lot at $5 all day, or on-street parking (variable rates starting at $3 per hour.)
- Food related option: drive to Pamela's Diner in the Strip District for breakfast before the event. We would leave Cranberry at 8:00 AM. If interested, e-mail us at [email protected].
- There are several restaurants in the area near the Carnegie Library if attendees would like to have lunch before returning to Cranberry.