2022 Annual Seminar
After two long years, we are excited to have our annual seminar back this year on Saturday, October 22nd with D. Joshua Taylor as our featured speaker. Registration for our 2022 Annual Seminar is now open to our members! You can
register online with Eventbrite.
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D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS, FUGA, is a nationally known and recognized genealogist. Passionate about the diverse and dynamic field of family history. Joshua is the President of the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society (NYG&B), an organization dedicated to preserving the stories of all New Yorkers. Previously, Joshua volunteered in leadership positions for the Federation of Genealogical Societies and other organizations. In 2017, Joshua was named as one of Library Journal’s Movers and Shakers and in 2022 was named as a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association. A popular author and speaker, Joshua has been a coordinator for courses at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) and the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP) and is the recipient of RootsTech’s Distinguished Presenter Award. He holds an MLS (Archival Management) and an MA (History) from Simmons College and has been a featured genealogist on Who Do You Think You Are? and can be seen taking America through their past as a host on the popular PBS series Genealogy Roadshow.
August 27 General Meeting
Our next meeting will be Saturday August 27 at 10 a.m. - in the Carmack Room at the Johnson County Central Resource Library.
At the meeting, Barbara LaClair will speak about:
Researching Native American Ancestry
Lots of families have stories of possible Native American ancestry but lack proof. Others know for certain that they have a Native American branch in their family tree but may not know where to look for records and documents to help fill out the stories of those ancestors. This talk will cover how to look for proof of Native American ancestry, and then take a look at examples of records that are unique to Native Americans.
Barbara LaClair has been interested in family history since she was a teen, and has been actively researching her family's history for more than forty years. Her interest in Native American genealogy and history began with stories her grandmother told of early years growing up among Potawatomi friends and neighbors on the Prairie Band Reservation north of Topeka. Her interest grew stronger when she married her husband who is a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi tribe. Over the years, she has researched her husband's family and has also expanded her research to include records relating to other Native American tribes. She led a Native American Special Interest Group for the Topeka Genealogical Society for several years. She currently serves as President - Topeka Genealogical Society.
JCGS monthly meetings are open to all. You can attend the August 27 meeting in person or watch via Zoom. Current JCGS members receive the meeting Zoom link automatically.
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Looking Back: JCGS 48 years ago - December 1974
The December 1974 Quarterly highlighted the struggles of settlers, mostly from New England states, to reach the newly-opened Kansas Territory. In 1855 there were nine separate groups, organized and financially-assisted by the Emigrant Aid Company, that migrated to Kansas Territory. Seven of these groups are discussed in JCGS Genealogist Quarterly of December 1974.
The first group left Boston by train in late March, and reached the Lawrence KS area in mid-April, after a steamboat trip up the Missouri River. The Quarterly article recaps their struggles obtain supplies and building materials, as well as setbacks from disease and midwestern weather. Many of the New Englanders claimed land south and west of present-day Osawatamie and around the Neosha River. Fascinating reading! The article concludes with an alphabetical listing of emigrants including their occupations.
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Upcoming Events
We have a wide variety of events happening every month at JCGS.
From Monthly Meetings to Special Interest Groups to Genealogy Treehouse Chats, we're sure you'll find something that may be of interest to you.
Need One-on-One Help?
JCGS volunteers are available Monday - Saturday from 9-5 at the Genealogy Desk at the Johnson County Central Resource Library for general questions. For those looking for a little extra help with either Basic Genealogy or DNA & Genetic Genealogy we also offer free one-on-one sessions that can be booked in advance.
If you would like to sign up for an appointment please use the appropriate button below to view the available appointment times and make a reservation. If you would prefer to not use SignUpGenius, you may also email
libraryvols@jcgsks.org with your requested date and time.
Basic Genealogy sessions are available most Tuesday mornings. This is not for brick wall or advanced research help.
DNA & Genetic Genealogy sessions are available most Friday mornings.
Using Amazon Smile to Benefit JCGS
We are unveiling a great new idea for JCGS. With no extra effoert at all you can now have AMAZON
donate money to our society.
We have created a tech tip for you to follow in order to set this up. No gimmicks, just free money for us. It's like picking up loose change. It works exactly like your regular Amazon account but you must log in at smile.amazon.com. Go to the tech tip area found under members
here to view the directions.
