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Virtual events
Webinar: Annual Meeting 2026
saturday, April 18, 2026
Join the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania for our Annual Meeting on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. ET. This virtual gathering is an opportunity for members to connect, hear updates on GSP’s accomplishments over the past year, and learn about exciting plans for the future.
The meeting will include the election of Officers and Directors, reports on GSP initiatives and achievements, and a featured presentation by Sheena Yap Chan titled “Confidence in Collaboration: Mentoring New Genealogists & Building Inclusive Genealogy Communities”. In this talk, Sheena will explore how mentorship and confidence-building can foster inclusive genealogy communities by supporting new researchers, promoting intergenerational learning, and strengthening collaborative practices in genealogical work.
Attendees will also have the chance to win door prizes. We hope you’ll join us for this important annual event celebrating our community of family historians.
- PRESENTER: Sheena Yap Chan
- TIME: Annual Business Meeting at 11:00 a.m. ET; Featured speaker at 12:30 p.m. ET
- COST: FREE for GSP members only
- LOCATION: Zoom
About the speaker:
Sheena Yap Chan is a Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestselling author, TEDx speaker, keynote speaker, strategist, and award-winning podcaster recognized for her work in elevating women’s leadership and self-confidence through the power of media and visibility. She is the founder of the Confidence Through Visibility™ movement and host of The Tao of Self-Confidence podcast, ranked in the top 0.5% globally with over 1.3 million downloads and 800+ interviews featuring celebrities, CEOs, and cultural icons. Her debut book, The Tao of Self-Confidence, was named one of the top 20 best self-confidence books of all time by Book Authority, while her latest release, Bridging the Confidence Gap, is a bold call to reimagine leadership by making visibility and self-trust core competencies. Through her signature VISIBLE Framework™, Sheena delivers transformational keynotes and corporate programs that help organizations bridge the confidence gap, retain diverse talent, and build cultures where women are seen, heard, and respected. Her work has been featured on NBC News, FOX, MindValley, and The Manila Times, and she has spoken for global brands including NASA, Live Nation, and UKG. Sheena believes that confidence is something we can build—and that visibility creates the impact we wish to see in the world.
Virtual: Tech SIG (Special Interest Group)
friday, April 24, 2026
Do you love using Technology or do you have problems with it? Do you think Technology could help with your genealogy research, but you don’t know where to start? Are you confused when people talk about files, uploading vs downloading, organizational tools, bookmarks, new software programs, genealogy software, AI, scanning, or anything else techy in nature?
Are you ready to dig deeper into the wide world of technology. Are you ready to take your use of Technology to a new level?
Well, GSP has a solution for you!
It’s our new Tech SIG and, because it’s virtual, you can attend no matter where you live. Come join us!
- TIME: 7:00 p.m. ET
- COST: Free and open to GSP members only
- LOCATION: Zoom
This NEW Tech SIG occurs on the fourth Friday of every month. It is open to GSP members only.
Virtual SIG: GSP Member Gathering
FRIday, May 15, 2026
It’s time to join us again for the Member Gathering on the 15th! This month after we cover what is new at GSP and in the world of genealogy, we will have longer breakouts, by popular demand. GSP members can choose one of the following breakout rooms:
-General Genealogy Discussion & Beginners
-Ethnic: Germans
-Methodology: DAR and the Genealogical Research System (GRS)
– Region: Southeastern PA
- TIME: 7 p.m. ET
- COST: Free for GSP members only
- LOCATION: Zoom
Where will you gather?
Join our interactive virtual discussion group to share and/or learn genealogy research tips on one of these subjects. All skill levels are welcome! The event is FREE and only for all GSP members.
Webinar: Hidden Gems in German and Polish Archives
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Many researchers are unaware that there are manifold resources ranging from wills and court records to mortgage registers, tax lists, emigration records, and more, held by local and regional German archives. In addition, Polish archives are of great importance when researching Germans in the former Eastern Provinces, for which church records sometimes have not survived. Archival materials can help fill in blanks in your family tree, but also provide details not found in parish records, allowing for a deeper understanding of an ancestor’s life experience. This presentation will show samples of records from different areas of Germany and Poland, analyze their value, and show how they were found.
- PRESENTER: Ute Brandenburg
- TIME: 7 p.m. ET
- COST: FREE to all
- LOCATION: Zoom
- The recording will be available for GSP members until July 20, 2026
About the speaker:
Professional genealogist Ute Brandenburg is a bilingual German American living in Iowa City, Iowa. Educated in Germany, she combines her lifelong immersion in German culture, history, and geography with in-depth knowledge of migration history as well as genealogical sources of both Germany and the United States.
Among Ute’s research interests are German immigration to the Midwest, research in the former Eastern Provinces of Prussia, and Jewish family history. Ute uses DNA to solve some of the most challenging cases of unknown origin of German immigrants and is an expert in resolving unknown parentage cases in Germany.
Ute conducts regular on-site archival research in Germany and Poland, working directly with original records in regional and state archives. She has planned and led heritage tours to Germany for individual research clients and their families.
Ute is the owner of German Genealogy Headquarters https://genealogyheadquarters.com, where she offers lectures on German genealogy with a focus on historical context. She also leads the German Genealogy Labhttps://genealogyheadquarters.com/german-genealogy-lab/ a study and discussion group for researchers seeking to advance their skills and understanding of German genealogical research.
In-Person Special Interest Groups
Genealogists Helping Genealogists
- DATE: Saturday, April 11, 2026; May 9, 2026
- In-person round table discussion group
- TIME: 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
- COST: GSP members- free; Non-members- $5
- LOCATION: GSP 2100 Byberry Rd., Suite 111, Philadelphia
- Space is limited. Email info@genpa.org to reserve.
This SIG has a roundtable format, starting with a “tip of the month” (a 5- to 10-minute presentation on an investigative tool), after which the meeting then will be opened for discussion on individual genealogical questions.
All skill levels are welcome. This is an in-person only meeting with the aim of furthering individual research. If you have any genealogy research questions; looking for help trying to break through your brick wall; or just want to meet up with fellow genealogists, come join us.
Genealogy Small Talk
- DATE: Tuesday, April 28, 2026; May 26, 2026
- In-person round table discussion group
- TIME: 12 p.m. – 2 p.m.
- COST: Free to GSP members; $5 for non-members
- LOCATION: GSP 2100 Byberry Rd., Suite 111, Philadelphia PA 19116
- Space is limited. Email info@genpa.org to reserve.
Enhance your genealogy research knowledge! Join our roundtable discussion group in-person on the fourth Tuesday of every month. Everyone will have the opportunity to express new ideas, ask questions, learn new techniques with time to research. This is a friendly atmosphere for all.
GSP Member Tours
PA German Cultural Heritage Center Library
FRIday, April 24, 2026
Join us for an exclusive member tour of the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center Library. Highlights of the holdings at the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center Library include:
- Eighteenth and nineteenth-century immigration records
- The Pfälz emigration records from the Institut für Pfälzische Geschichte und Volkskunde in Kaiserslautern
- Germany and the Germans to America Series 1840 to 1897
- Church and cemetery records
- Will abstracts
- Tax and land records of several Pennsylvania counties
- Local, county, family histories (largely Berks, Lehigh, Lebanon, and Lancaster counties)
- Revolutionary and Civil War records
- The published Pennsylvania Archives
- Works regarding the culture, dialect and folklore of the Pennsylvania Dutch
- Pennsylvania German Society publications
- The Don Yoder Folklife Collection
The Heritage Library is currently running two exhibitions, one on Carl Friederich Egelmann, an astronomer and printmaker from Berks County. The exhibit showcases some of his work, and the tour would include a discussion surrounding Egelmann himself, as well as almanacs as a method for individuals to make decisions when going about their daily lives. The second exhibition is Healing Herbs, Vibrant Roots – this exhibition displays transatlantic medical texts, herbals, information on Christopher Sauer, Jr., and more. Both of these exhibitions can be found on PA German Cultural Heritage Center website https://www.pagerman.org/current-exhibitions/
- DATE: Friday, April 24, 2026
- TOUR TIME: 10 a.m.-11:30 p.m.; RESEARCH TIME: 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
- COST: GSP Members: $15; Non-members: $20
- LOCATION: Kutztown University, Dwight E. Breidegam Building- 15155 Kutztown Rd., Kutztown PA
There will be no on-site sales. Tickets must be purchased online in advance.
Lunch: 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
You are welcome to bring a bagged lunch as there are tables in the library to accommodate eating on site. There are a variety of options that you can choose from if you would like to grab a bite at one of the local eateries in town. Recommendations will be provided at the end of the tour.
Research: 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
As the Library staffing is limited it is unlikely that they will be able to spend one-on-one time with each researcher to address individual questions. If you have a specific goal in mind, come prepared with as much information as possible. For example, if you are looking for records on an individual, be sure to have his/her date of birth, death, county and township of residence. This will help to narrow down the collection and facilitate self-guidance. You are welcome to bring a laptop/notebook to take down information.
Parking: Parking is free at the Heritage Library. Depending on the number of members who attend, should we exceed the parking lot capacity, alternate free parking arrangements will be made.
Upcoming 2026 GSP webinars
- 18 Jun – “The 1838 and 1847 Pennsylvania Abolition Society Census” with 1838 Black Metropolis
- 16 Jul – “An Archivist’s Guide to Genealogical Research at the Heinz History Center” with Sierra Green
- 20 Aug – “Navigating the Records From The War of 1812” with Brian Rhinehart
- 17 Sep – “19th Century Naturalizations” with Jefferson Moak
- 15 Oct – “Genealogy at the Moravian Archives” with Thomas J. McCullough
- 19 Nov – “Using Google Earth Pro, Griffith’s Valuation & Irish Townlands, to Map and Visit the Land of Your Ancestors” with Joe Hunter
- 17 Dec – “Timelines: A Path to Your Next Research Steps” with Annette Burke Lyttle
Webinar Recordings
How DNA Solved the Idaho Multiple-Murder Case but Raised Ethical Issues
Zoom event with Michael Ramage, JD, CG
April 16, 2026
View the recorded presentation. This recording is for GSP members until June 15, 2026.
Finding Your Elusive Ancestor
Zoom event with Sydney F. Cruice
March 19, 2026
View the recorded presentation. This recording is for GSP members until April 18, 2026.
The Page-Turning Truth: write a compelling autobiography or family history story
Zoom event with Rhonda Lauritzen
February 19, 2026
View the recorded presentation. This recording is for GSP members until April 20, 2026.
The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania Annual Business Meeting 2025
See a review of GSP’s last 12 months, what’s in store for 2025 and the election of officers and directors.
Saturday, March 22, 2025
View the annual meeting recording. This recording is available to GSP members.
339 Quaker Manumissions and Beyond Project
Zoom event with the 339 Manumissions and Beyond Project
Thursday, February 20, 2025
View the recorded presentation. It is available to all.
This is a Members Only Area
Visiting the GSP Office?
Directions: Coming from the Roosevelt Blvd we are the first driveway on the left, after WaWa, GSP is listed on the property sign on the bottom row. The entrance is across from the Gazebo and you ring the bell to the right of Gen of PA to be buzzed in.
