List of 2021 Meetings
January 27, 2021 Digging in the Digital Archive: Discovering Your Family's History in Digital Collections
This lecture will present a how-to guide for finding online sources outside of the major genealogy websites for Western Pennsylvania and beyond. It will give an overview of discovering free digital collections relevant to your research and tips and tricks for getting the most of these sites. It includes an introduction to the various digital collections available, the sources contained within, strategies for discovery, and finally, case studies that demonstrate the power of using digital collections to enhance family history research.
About our presenter: Kristin Britanik is a professional genealogist and owner of Deep Genealogical Services based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She previously worked in archival digitization within the University of Pittsburgh's Archives & Special Collections, coordinating digital collections sites, including the Historic Pittsburgh project. She was also the digitization program manager at The Andy Warhol Museum. Before moving to Pittsburgh, Kristin worked as a researcher at the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) in the Research Services department and as an archival digitization specialist for Ancestry.com.
February 24, 2021 The Barry Family’s Journey from Ireland to Pittsburgh: A Genealogy Adventure. 6:30 PM Zoom
The Barry Family’s Journey from Ireland to Pittsburgh: A Genealogy Adventure. Jim Barry of Reston, Virginia. Jim has been an avid genealogist for over 30 years. He is the project administrator for the Earls of Barrymore DNA Project and the Barry DNA Surname Group.
This will be a live, virtual presentation of Jim's case study for his Irish ancestry, starting from his Pittsburgh-born parents and involving an essential Pittsburgh document trail.
March 24, 2021, Miners and Means: Life in a Coal Town. 6:30 PM Zoom
Amanda Peters, archivist at the Coal and Coke Heritage Center will share insights into the life of a coal miner and his family. She will explore immigration and migration, working in the mines and around the coke ovens, company and employee dynamics, and culture. Plus, we will take a live, virtual tour of the Heritage Center; learn more about artifacts in the collection and resources available for research. The Coal and Coke Heritage Center is a part of the Penn State Fayette Campus Library. https://fayette.psu.edu/visit/coalandcoke
Matt Scislowicz, President of the Eureka Coal Heritage Foundation Miners Memorial in Windber, PA. Until recently, there was a Coal Museum in Windber, but it was disbanded. Matt is very friendly and well-informed, and would be a great resource during a Genea-Break, to answer questions. He would LOVE to talk with us. His group's website is: http://echf.org/
April 28, 2021. A Genealogist’s Guide to the Pennsylvania State Archives. 6:30 PM Zoom
The presentation will cover various types of records of interest to genealogists in our collection and what records from our collection are available online. Our presenter will be Aaron McWilliams | Archivist, PHMC | Pennsylvania State Archives, 350 North Street | Harrisburg PA 17120. Phone: 717.787.8953 | Fax: 717.787.4822
Website: www.pastatearchives.com Email: RA-StateArchives@pa.gov
May 26 Facebook: A Tool for Genealogical Research. 6:30 PM Zoom
At first glance, Facebook doesn’t seem like a good fit for genealogy research. Yet, many genealogists and family historians are using the world’s most popular social media platform to locate other researchers, post queries and lookups, and to harness the power of Facebook Pages and Groups. Facebook, like many other websites, can be a distraction and time waster. However, with a little practice and a focuses approach to using the site, you will be amazed at how much Facebook can help advance your research.
Who is Thomas MacEntee? What happens when a “tech guy” with a love for history gets laid off during The Great Recession of 2008? You get me, Thomas MacEntee, a genealogy professional who’s also a blogger, educator, author, social media connector, marketer, network builder, and more. Thomas was laid off after a 25-year career in the information technology field, so he started his own genealogy-related business called High-Definition Genealogy. He shares many of his articles and videos for free at GenealogyBargains.com!
Thomas describes himself, “I’m a lifelong learner with a background in a multitude of topics and I’ve finally figured out what I do best: teach, inspire, instigate, and serve as a curator and go-to-guy for concept nurturing and inspiration. I believe in success, and that we all succeed when we help each other find success.”
Future Club Meetings – topics TBD
June 23 (the annual cemetery walk)
July event and date TBD
August 25
September 22
October 27
Last revised 20 February 2021
This lecture will present a how-to guide for finding online sources outside of the major genealogy websites for Western Pennsylvania and beyond. It will give an overview of discovering free digital collections relevant to your research and tips and tricks for getting the most of these sites. It includes an introduction to the various digital collections available, the sources contained within, strategies for discovery, and finally, case studies that demonstrate the power of using digital collections to enhance family history research.
About our presenter: Kristin Britanik is a professional genealogist and owner of Deep Genealogical Services based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She previously worked in archival digitization within the University of Pittsburgh's Archives & Special Collections, coordinating digital collections sites, including the Historic Pittsburgh project. She was also the digitization program manager at The Andy Warhol Museum. Before moving to Pittsburgh, Kristin worked as a researcher at the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) in the Research Services department and as an archival digitization specialist for Ancestry.com.
February 24, 2021 The Barry Family’s Journey from Ireland to Pittsburgh: A Genealogy Adventure. 6:30 PM Zoom
The Barry Family’s Journey from Ireland to Pittsburgh: A Genealogy Adventure. Jim Barry of Reston, Virginia. Jim has been an avid genealogist for over 30 years. He is the project administrator for the Earls of Barrymore DNA Project and the Barry DNA Surname Group.
This will be a live, virtual presentation of Jim's case study for his Irish ancestry, starting from his Pittsburgh-born parents and involving an essential Pittsburgh document trail.
March 24, 2021, Miners and Means: Life in a Coal Town. 6:30 PM Zoom
Amanda Peters, archivist at the Coal and Coke Heritage Center will share insights into the life of a coal miner and his family. She will explore immigration and migration, working in the mines and around the coke ovens, company and employee dynamics, and culture. Plus, we will take a live, virtual tour of the Heritage Center; learn more about artifacts in the collection and resources available for research. The Coal and Coke Heritage Center is a part of the Penn State Fayette Campus Library. https://fayette.psu.edu/visit/coalandcoke
Matt Scislowicz, President of the Eureka Coal Heritage Foundation Miners Memorial in Windber, PA. Until recently, there was a Coal Museum in Windber, but it was disbanded. Matt is very friendly and well-informed, and would be a great resource during a Genea-Break, to answer questions. He would LOVE to talk with us. His group's website is: http://echf.org/
April 28, 2021. A Genealogist’s Guide to the Pennsylvania State Archives. 6:30 PM Zoom
The presentation will cover various types of records of interest to genealogists in our collection and what records from our collection are available online. Our presenter will be Aaron McWilliams | Archivist, PHMC | Pennsylvania State Archives, 350 North Street | Harrisburg PA 17120. Phone: 717.787.8953 | Fax: 717.787.4822
Website: www.pastatearchives.com Email: RA-StateArchives@pa.gov
May 26 Facebook: A Tool for Genealogical Research. 6:30 PM Zoom
At first glance, Facebook doesn’t seem like a good fit for genealogy research. Yet, many genealogists and family historians are using the world’s most popular social media platform to locate other researchers, post queries and lookups, and to harness the power of Facebook Pages and Groups. Facebook, like many other websites, can be a distraction and time waster. However, with a little practice and a focuses approach to using the site, you will be amazed at how much Facebook can help advance your research.
Who is Thomas MacEntee? What happens when a “tech guy” with a love for history gets laid off during The Great Recession of 2008? You get me, Thomas MacEntee, a genealogy professional who’s also a blogger, educator, author, social media connector, marketer, network builder, and more. Thomas was laid off after a 25-year career in the information technology field, so he started his own genealogy-related business called High-Definition Genealogy. He shares many of his articles and videos for free at GenealogyBargains.com!
Thomas describes himself, “I’m a lifelong learner with a background in a multitude of topics and I’ve finally figured out what I do best: teach, inspire, instigate, and serve as a curator and go-to-guy for concept nurturing and inspiration. I believe in success, and that we all succeed when we help each other find success.”
Future Club Meetings – topics TBD
June 23 (the annual cemetery walk)
July event and date TBD
August 25
September 22
October 27
Last revised 20 February 2021