Our meetings for the foreseeable future will be held virtually via Zoom. The fee to attend each meeting will be $5 for members or $10 for non-members, payable only through PayPal. Note that you do not need a PayPal account to register for a meeting; once directed to the PayPal site, you can simply use a credit card for payment.
Registration for each program will open the Monday before the meeting.
Members: All current members will receive an email on the Monday before the meeting, with a link to register for the upcoming meeting. Once you have registered and paid, you will receive an email with the link to join the meeting. Members who have registered will receive a reminder email on the Friday before the meeting, also containing the link to the meeting.
Non-members: Registration for non-members will open the Monday before each Saturday meeting. To register for an upcoming meeting, click on the link listed for that meeting in the list below. NOTE that ONLY MEMBERS are permitted to view the recordings of our events. If you want to view the recording of a future event, you must JOIN AND REGISTER in advance of that event. Use the non-member registration link in that event's description to join BCGS and register in a single step.
Please note that NO REFUNDS will be provided for meeting registrations. If you do not receive the Zoom link for the meeting within a few minutes of registering, please contact Nancy Heath at webmaster@bucksgen.org, and we will send you the link directly.
To stay informed of updates to our Calendar, click here to add your name to our newsletter mailing list!
| When: | Saturday, May 4, 2024, 10 am to 12 noon |
| Where: | Virtual meeting via Zoom (open to public) |
| Subject: | Presentism |
| Title: |
Presentism in Genealogical Research |
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Presentism is a type of historical bias in which our understanding of the present influences or clouds how we evaluate and interpret the past. Historians take great pains to avoid presentism—and genealogists should be on guard for it also. History scholar and professor Donna Cox Baker will define presentism for us and give examples of it. She will also explain how presentism may impair the craft of family history including the types of research questions we craft, the selection of research sources, and the interpretation of the data we find in our sources.
Registration for this program opens on Monday, April 29, 2024 for both members and non-members.
Members, use the link in the email you will receive on Monday, April 29 to register, or log into the website, go to Members Only and select Meeting Registration. Member registration fee is $5.00.
Non-members, use this link beginning on Monday, April 29, either to register as a non-member for $10.00, or to join BCGS and register as a member for a total fee of $25.00.
This presentation will be recorded. Only members who have registered for this program as members will be able to view it for 30 days following the program date, by logging in to the website and selecting "Meeting registration" from the Members-Only menu. |
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| Speaker: |
Donna Cox Baker |
| BCGS regulars will recall Donna Cox Baker from her well-received presentations on the use of Zotero in genealogical research. We are delighted to have her return to present to us again. Donna Cox Baker has a PhD in history and recently retired from a career in historical publishing. She began her journey in genealogy in 1985, and her love for history followed. In the past decade, she began to integrate genealogy into her historical profession and created a side business that blends them in a hybrid form she calls genohistory (see Genohistory.com). Zotero was her essential tool for her PhD dissertation work. She later realized its value for genealogy and applied it to that career. She has written two related books: Zotero for Genealogy: Harnessing the Power of Your Research and The Zotero Solution: Knowledge Management for the Scholarly Researcher. |
| When: | Saturday, June 1, 2024, 10 am to 12 noon |
| Where: | Virtual meeting via Zoom (open to public) |
| Subject: | Using AI for Documents |
| Title: |
Translating, Transcribing and Summarizing Documents Using Artificial Intelligence |
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Artificial intelligence has been featured prominently in the headlines recently. We are delighted to have Thomas MacEntee return for a presentation on one of the many used of artificial intelligence in genealogy. In this presentation you will learn how to harness the power of artificial intelligence to assist in translating, transcribing, and summarizing a variety of genealogy records. A handwritten baptismal record from the 1800s? No problem. A faded newspaper obituary? No problem. We’ll cover the best AI platforms as well as how to craft a solid prompt to get you the results you need.
Registration for this program opens on Monday, May 27, 2024 for both members and non-members.
Members, use the link in the email you will receive on Monday, May 27 to register, or log into the website, go to Members Only and select Meeting Registration. Member registration fee is $5.00.
Non-members, use this link beginning on Monday, May 27, either to register as a non-member for $10.00, or to join BCGS and register as a member for a total fee of $25.00.
This presentation will be recorded. Only members who have registered for this program as members will be able to view it for 30 days following the program date, by logging in to the website and selecting "Meeting registration" from the Members-Only menu. |
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| Speaker: |
Thomas MacEntee |
| Thomas MacEntee is a professional genealogist specializing in the use of technology and social media to improve genealogical research and as a means of interacting with others in the family history community. |
| When: | Saturday, August, 3, 10 am to 12 noon |
| Where: | Virtual meeting via Zoom (open to public) |
| Subject: | Bucks County Resources |
| Title: |
Genealogical Resources at the Research Library of the Bucks County Historical Society |
| Annie Halliday will discuss resources available at the Mercer Museum Research Library for genealogical research. You will learn how to use the online catalog to search through the collections, what databases are available for onsite researchers, and the basic policies of the Reading Room. The lecture will also cover what Bucks County government records are available in the library including deeds, estate files, and court records. Additionally, we will review our special research services such as research by mail, document retrieval, and obituary retrieval. Registration for this program opens on Monday, July 29, 2024 for both members and non-members.
Members, use the link in the email you will receive on Monday,July 29 to register, or log into the website, go to Members Only and select Meeting Registration. Member registration fee is $5.00.
Non-members, use this link beginning on Monday, July 29, either to register as a non-member for $10.00, or to join BCGS and register as a member for a total fee of $25.00.
This presentation will be recorded. Only members who have registered for this program as members will be able to view it for 30 days following the program date, by logging in to the website and selecting "Meeting registration" from the Members-Only menu. |
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| Speaker: |
Annie Halliday |
| Annie Halliday joined the Mercer Museum staff in 2019 and currently serves as the Director of Library and Archives of the Mercer Museum Research Library (operated by the Bucks County Historical Society). She received her MLIS from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Since joining the Mercer Museum Annie has processed collections for the museum’s archives, built library programs inspired by Bucks County history, managed the library’s research services, and other exciting projects. |
| When: | Saturday, November 2, 2024, 10 am to 12 noon |
| Where: | Virtual meeting via Zoom (open to public) |
| Subject: | Genealogy Methodology |
| Title: |
Building a Family through Circumstantial Evidence: A Family for Isabella |
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When there’s no birth, marriage or death record, what’s a genealogist to do? Learn how to use circumstantial evidence to build a family: A Family for Isabella (tracing a woman married before the 1850 census);
Registration for this program opens on Monday, October 28, 2024 for both members and non-members.
Members, use the link in the email you will receive on Monday, October 28, to register, or log into the website, go to Members Only and select Meeting Registration. Member registration fee is $5.00.
Non-members, use this link beginning on Monday, October 28, either to register as a non-member for $10.00, or to join BCGS and register as a member for a total fee of $25.00.
This presentation will be recorded. Only members who have registered for this program as members will be able to view it for 30 days following the program date, by logging in to the website and selecting "Meeting registration" from the Members-Only menu. |
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| Speaker: |
Judy Russell |
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Judy G. Russell is a genealogist with a law degree. She writes, teaches and lectures on a wide variety of genealogical topics, providing expert guidance through the murky territory where law and family history intersect. Judy is a Colorado native with roots deep in the American south on her mother’s side and entirely in Germany on her father’s side. She holds a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University and a law degree from Rutgers School of Law-Newark. Before she retired, she worked as a newspaper reporter, trade association writer, legal investigator, defense attorney, federal prosecutor, law editor and, for more than 20 years, as an adjunct member of the faculty at Rutgers Law School.
She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society and numerous local societies. A recipient of the Silver Tray Award from the Utah Genealogical Society and the 2017 Award of Excellence from the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, she now serves as a member of the NGSQ editorial board.
Judy is sought after internationally as a speaker. She holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist® and Certified Genealogical LecturerSM from the Board for Certification of Genealogists®. Her award-winning blog appears at The Legal Genealogist website (https://www.legalgenealogist.com). |
| When: | Saturday, December 7, 2024, 10 am to 12 noon |
| Where: | Virtual meeting via Zoom (open to public) |
| Subject: | Genealogy Methodology |
| Title: |
Building a Family through Circumstantial Evidence: Who in the World was Paul Knop? |
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When there’s no birth, marriage or death record, what’s a genealogist to do? Learn how to use circumstantial evidence to build a family: Who in the World was Paul Knop? (tracing an unknown relative named by 20th
Registration for this program opens on Monday, December 2, 2024 for both members and non-members.
Members, use the link in the email you will receive on Monday, December 2, to register, or log into the website, go to Members Only and select Meeting Registration. Member registration fee is $5.00.
Non-members, use this link beginning on Monday, December 2, either to register as a non-member for $10.00, or to join BCGS and register as a member for a total fee of $25.00.
This presentation will be recorded. Only members who have registered for this program as members will be able to view it for 30 days following the program date, by logging in to the website and selecting "Meeting registration" from the Members-Only menu. |
|
| Speaker: |
Judy Russell |
|
Judy G. Russell is a genealogist with a law degree. She writes, teaches and lectures on a wide variety of genealogical topics, providing expert guidance through the murky territory where law and family history intersect. Judy is a Colorado native with roots deep in the American south on her mother’s side and entirely in Germany on her father’s side. She holds a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University and a law degree from Rutgers School of Law-Newark. Before she retired, she worked as a newspaper reporter, trade association writer, legal investigator, defense attorney, federal prosecutor, law editor and, for more than 20 years, as an adjunct member of the faculty at Rutgers Law School.
She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society and numerous local societies. A recipient of the Silver Tray Award from the Utah Genealogical Society and the 2017 Award of Excellence from the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, she now serves as a member of the NGSQ editorial board.
Judy is sought after internationally as a speaker. She holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist® and Certified Genealogical LecturerSM from the Board for Certification of Genealogists®. Her award-winning blog appears at The Legal Genealogist website (https://www.legalgenealogist.com). |