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Virtual events
Special Interest Group: GSP Member Gathering
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
GSP Member Gathering returns on the 15th! This month after we cover what is new at GSP and in the world of genealogy, we will have longer breakout sessions, by popular demand.
GSP Members can choose one of the following breakout rooms:
- Technology/Databases
- Military
- Religious Records
- Land Records & Migrations
- First Families of Pennsylvania (lineage society)
- Beginner Genealogy
- Brick Wall case: Colonial era Quaker family (Lock)
- Brick Wall case: Late 18th C. land records (Yeigh/Jaig)
The brick wall breakout rooms are new to the Gathering meetings. We’re featuring two cases submitted from members, where attendees can brainstorm ideas and give advice on where to look next! Participants will receive a summary of the brick wall cases before January 15. If this experiment is well received, we will continued to feature members’ brick wall cases in the following months.
Join us virtually to meet like-minded genealogy enthusiasts and to share and/or learn genealogy research tips on the above topics. This is for GSP members only! Must log in to register.
Where will you gather?
What the Heck Does That Say? Overcoming the Challenge of Difficult Handwriting
Thursday, January 16, 2025
One of the biggest hurdles to overcome in genealogy is the seemingly illegible handwriting in our ancestors’ records. Whether you struggle to navigate colonial penmanship that doesn’t even look like English or wrestle with contemporary documents that are poorly written, a few good strategies can make all the difference. We’ll look at more than 20 techniques to help you figure out what the chicken scratches on the page say as well as what the style of writing might reveal about our ancestors.
- PRESENTER: Pam Vestal
- TIME: 7 p.m. ET
- COST: FREE
- LOCATION: Zoom
- The recording will be available for GSP members until March 17, 2025.
About the speaker:
Pam Vestal is a professional genealogist and speaker who turned her focus to her longtime love of genealogy after a 20-year writing career. Her articles have appeared in the National Genealogical Society Magazine and The Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly, and her lectures take her from coast to coast. Pam specializes in conducting genealogical research and then transforming that information into illustrated stories that even non-genealogists can enjoy.
In-Person Special Interest Groups
Genealogists Helping Genealogists
- DATE: Saturday, January 11, 2025
- 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, January 28, 2024 (Note: there will be no December meeting.)
- 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.
Upcoming GSP webinars
- 20 Feb – “339 Quaker Manumissions and Beyond Project” with The 339 Project (Speakers Dennis Gregg, Avis Wanda McClinton, Katherine “Kitty” Mizuno, and Judith Bines)
- 20 Mar – “Pin Your Ancestors Down with Google Maps & Google Earth” with Cyndi Ingle
- 17 Apr – “Research in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County” with Amy Arner
- 15 May – “An Introduction to the Philadelphia City Archives” with Joshua Blay
- 19 June – “In Search of My Family” with Joyce Mosley
- 17 July – “The Andrew Williams Family of Seneca Village: A Case Study of African American Research in New York City” with Aaron Goodwin
Webinar Recordings
Researching Pennsylvania House Histories—A Case Study
Zoom Event with Pam Pracser Anderson, CG
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Members only. View the recorded presentation. Webinar is available until February 17, 2025
Annual General Business Meeting
Zoom event with election of officers and directors
Saturday, March 23, 2024 – 11 a.m. ET
Members only. View the recorded presentation.
This is a Members Only Area
Unlock a treasure trove of records: Become a GSP Member
As a member, you’ll gain exclusive access to our vast collection of Pennsylvania county records, church registers, funeral and cemetery records, family Bible record collections, family papers and correspondence. Additionally, explore published genealogies, town and county histories, as well as periodicals filled with valuable insights for your research.
Join us today and embark on an extraordinary journey into your past!
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.
