Latest News For Members
Out-of-Area Events
FEBRUARY MEETING FOR MEMBERS and GUESTS
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2025 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.
General Land Office: Get the Most Out of the BLM-GLO Website
by Lisa Gorrell
Whether your ancestor obtained land from the federal government in the public land states, or even if they didn’t, you’ll benefit from this presentation on the General Land Office website.
In person at the FamilySearch Center, 667 10th Street NE, East Wenatchee or via Zoom.
Topic: WAGS General Mtg Zoom Link
Time: Feb 10, 2025 02:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87405234522?pwd=N1RVbFxbnwE6xfpAlktnk4aeA4kBEe.1
Meeting ID: 874 0523 4522
Passcode: FebWAGSMtg
JANUARY MEETING FOR MEMBERS and GUESTS
MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2025 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.
Breaking Down Brick Walls with DNA
by Kate Penney Howard, genetic genealogist
Perhaps DNA can help you with those pesky blanks in your family tree–strange names or no names; immigrants with odd or non-existent information; people who just show up! When traditional genealogical techniques fail to give us an answer, we can turn to DNA to find more opportunities to discover clues.
Topic: WAGS General Meeting Zoom LInk
Time: Jan 13, 2025 02:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88156085836?pwd=IGcFc8082x8vkAslyxz9OxzjvCa0JF.1
Meeting ID: 881 5608 5836
Passcode: January
Or arrive in person at the FamilySearch Center at 667 10th Street NE, East Wenatchee
“Name Your Price” Book Sale
Start your Christmas shopping today! WAGS is offering you some of our extra books. Shop with WAGS and pretend you’re in a game show called “Name Your Price!” Claim as many of these books (they were part of our Checkout collection) by naming your price and coming into the WAGS Library on December 14, 17 or 21 from 1 to 4 p.m. to collect your books. This is a first come/first served opportunity. Don’t delay!
NO DECEMBER MEETING!
Let’s all take an end-of-the-year break and recharge with family and friends.
On Monday, January 13, 2025 we’ll gather again to hear genetic genealogist Kate Penney Howard present “Breaking Down Brick Walls with DNA.”
NOVEMBER MEETING FOR MEMBERS and GUESTS
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2024 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.
The Great War and Its Stories:
Researching Your WWI Soldier
by Jill Morelli
Seattle-based genealogy educator Jill Morelli will tell us what records survive from World War I, and where to find them. Let’s look at our WWI soldiers through the lens of the available online and in-state repositories.
This will be a hybrid meeting. For an in-person experience, come to the FamilySearch Center at 667 10th Street NE in East Wenatchee. You may also attend via Zoom.
Join Zoom Meeting link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83006828680?pwd=gBs32mls0GPJDXm8ajZldLAp310Zn0.1
Meeting ID: 830 0682 8680
Passcode: November
OCTOBER MEETING FOR WAGS MEMBERS
MONDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2024 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.
“Future Capital Projects at the Museum”
A conversation with WVMCC Executive Director Marriah Thornock
This presentation is prepared specifically for WAGS members–to give us the latest news on how the museum’s remodeling plans are taking shape, and to allow us to ask all of our logistical questions on how the WAGS Library will be affected.
This will be a hybrid meeting. Marriah will be in person at the FamilySearch Center, 667 10th Street NE, East Wenatchee.
Zoom will also be available:
Topic: WAGS October General Meeting – Members Only
Time: Oct 14, 2024 02:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85236160487?pwd=4nfa8gpWGi00iw3jaVTMVEEaoolrwI.1
Meeting ID: 852 3616 0487
Passcode: October
SEPTEMBER MEETING FOR MEMBERS AND GUESTS
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.
“Finally Get Organized: Conquer the Clutter Using Your Natural Learning Style”
by Elizabeth Swanay O’Neal
This will be a hybrid meeting. Meet in person at the FamilySearch Center, 667 10th Street NE in East Wenatchee, or via Zoom:
Topic: WAGS September General Mtg Zoom Info
Time: Sep 9, 2024 02:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82124904792?pwd=aQr13KObNwXwgHY2aWXPOI32KSgnyZ.1
Meeting ID: 821 2490 4792
Passcode: September
Come and learn about different organizing strategies AND a little about yourself! Knowing how you learn will point you to the most effective way to sort out your genealogy research.
JULY PLANNING MEETING
MONDAY, JULY 15, 2024 at 2:00 p.m.
In-Person at the FamilySearch Center, 667 10th Street NE, East Wenatchee
and via Zoom (Zoom address will be published closer to the meeting).
With our library’s future location change, and with the changes wrought by Covid, we need to take a good look at who we want (and need) to become–what will we do to keep engaging our members and the community at large? Come and join in the discussion!
Recording of Gilad Japhet’s session at RootsTech 2026
| MyHeritage Founder and CEO Gilad Japhet took the stage at RootsTech to share how MyHeritage continues to push the boundaries of genealogy. Whether you were in the room or missed it this year, the full recording of the session is now available to watch here. |
Heritage Quest Research Library – Finding Your Dutch Roots
 Explore the Exceptional Genealogy Classes at HQRL! Join us online via Zoom or in person at HQRL and connect with fellow genealogy enthusiasts who share your curiosity and drive—together, we can explore the fascinating world of family history! Just a reminder of upcoming class March 19, 2026!Don’t miss out, sign up today! Finding Your Dutch Roots Thursday, March 19, 2026Alexander Tolksdorf click here for class flyerMany communities across the United States boast a rich Dutch heritage, owing their founding and regional culture to the influence of Dutch immigration. This presentation will explore resources and techniques to trace your Dutch ancestors in the United States and back into the Netherlands, with additional emphasis on cultural and historical context that surrounded the lives of your Dutch ancestors. Join Alexander Tolksdorf to explore resources and techniques to trace your Dutch ancestors in the United States and back into the Netherlands, with additional emphasis on cultural and historical context that surrounded the lives of your Dutch ancestors. Click Here to Sign-up Click Here to See All of Our 2026 Classes!Visit our blog for great tips & hints exploring your family story! |
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Free Access to 145 Million Irish Records
| Hi there, St. Patrick’s Day is a great time to explore the stories that connect families to Ireland — and for a few days, MyHeritage is opening access to its Irish historical records for free. From March 14–18, 2026, MyHeritage is offering free access to 145 million Irish historical records. These collections include birth, marriage, and death records, parish registers, newspapers, passenger lists, and court records that document everyday life in Ireland. Together they can help people discover relatives, trace migration stories, and learn more about the communities their families came from. .png?width=1000&upscale=true&name=Free%20Irish%20records%20for%20St.%20Patricks%20day%202026_753_423_1%20(1).png) |
Users love Scribe AI on MyHeritage
| Hi there, Last week at RootsTech we introduced Scribe AI, our new AI-powered tool for analyzing historical documents and photos, and it’s already creating a major buzz among family history enthusiasts. Scribe AI transcribes handwriting, translates foreign languages, extracts key details like names and dates, and provides helpful context to make difficult records easier to understand. Genealogists are already using it on everything from 19th-century birth records and handwritten letters to old family photos. We’ve just published a new blog post highlighting early reactions from bloggers and users who tested Scribe AI on their own family documents. The feedback has been fantastic! |
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Sweden Birth, Marriage, and Death Collections Now Complete on MyHeritage
MyHeritage is now home to the complete set of Sweden’s historical birth, marriage, and death collections. Family historians will now enjoy comprehensive nationwide coverage in one place for the first time.
Search Sweden Births, 1850–1920
Search Sweden Marriages, 1850–1945
Search Sweden Deaths, 1850–1945
This milestone brings together more than 33 million fully indexed records from the Lutheran Church books, covering births (1850–1920) and marriages and deaths (1850–1945), complete with original images. These records are essential for confirming names, dates, family relationships, and parishes, and they integrate seamlessly with Record Matches in family trees. For anyone researching Swedish roots — whether their ancestors emigrated to North America or remained in Sweden — this is a major milestone that removes gaps and simplifies the research process.
You can read the full blog announcement here.
Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society New England to the Midwest
Bridging the Gap: New England to the Midwest, 1780 – 1850
Speaker: D. Joshua Taylor
Friday, February 20, 2026 @ 10am Meeting via Zoom only
*To receive a Zoom link, please register at bigenealogy.org
Migration from New England to the Midwest in the early nineteenth century transformed families and communities. This presentation examines why people moved, how they traveled, and where they settled, using real research examples to illustrate these journeys. We will explore records and research techniques that help bridge the gap between departure and destination.
For more than 20 years, Joshua Taylor has been sharing the incredible connections that can be made through genealogy and family history. An avid genealogist, he is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and is past President of the Federation of Genealogical Societies.
