Join us for our July Program
The Clayton Genealogical Library covers two city blocks. Learn what it has and how to get it.
Officially the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research, it’s a (massive!) special collection of the Houston Public Library System and one of the top ten genealogical libraries in the country.
Important. Prestigious. Unique. Free, available and helpful for family history searchers.
Irene B. Walters, our August guest and speaker at 7 p.m. July 27th by Zoom, will introduce us to the many treasures that Clayton holds, and more important . . . how to access them. Clayton is particularly noted for its free access to qualified librarians.
Over the 24 years Irene has been at Clayton since she earned 
her MS in Library Science, she has filled virtually every role in the Clayton administration, including managing volunteers, periodicals, cd-roms, and cataloging. She currently coordinates Clayton’s participation in the digitization process with the LDS Library in Salt Lake City.
Clayton’s collections include nearly 100,000 research volumes in open stacks, more than 3,000 periodicals, an extensive microfilm collection with census records, ship passenger lists, military records and a wide variety of state and local records not available in either books or internet sites.
It has a unique collection of more than 15,000 published and unpublished family histories.
Come discover what it can offer you. As usual, AGS members get priority Zoom openings; registration will open July 20 for members and July 24 for non-members if slots are available. Contact karenliston @ austingenealogicalsociety.org to reserve a spot.
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Summer Seminar
Diahan Southard will be walking us through the ABC’s of DNA for a three-hour webinar from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28. Diahan believes that you don’t have to know everything about DNA to use it effectively to solve genealogical problems . . . and she can prove it. Come listen/see by Zoom. You might want to pick up her easy-to-digest DNA primer, Your DNA Guide, before the webinar. She’s another much sought-after speaker on the genealogy circuit.
ABC Strategies For Working With DNA Matches — key strategies to use on your match list to identify particular matches or to break down brick walls. Ask the Wife (dividing genetic networks); Bottoms Up (working from the bottom of your match list); and Cousin Categories (determining which kinds of cousins might answer your questions).
Behind The Genetic Genealogy Curtain — how the testing company comes up the numbers of those little shared pieces of DNA and how you can use them to build your family history.
It’s $25 for members, $30 for non-members.
To register, there is a 2-step process. First, complete registration form at the following link. Second, pay by PayPal or check. Details below.
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- Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeJCshZqmUZp3ukRWo3QSau5NEXwlEOmSy7ARFoO2yTMD6uIQ/viewform?usp=pp_url
- Payment: Pay by PayPal link below, or pay by check, payable to Austin Genealogical Society, at 3616 Far West Blvd., Suite 117-247, Austin, TX 78731-3082.
Upcoming Programs
August
DNA expert Diahan Southard takes over our shortened Summer Seminar from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28. See above to register.
September
Dig into British and Scottish research with Michelle Leonard, professional genealogist from Glasgow, Scotland at 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 25. Michelle continues our series of expert presentations from across the pond.
October
Thomas McEntee has agreed to come back to talk about the 1950 census, at the request of those who saw him talk about mining social media at the May meeting. The 1950 census records will be released April 1 next year. Let’s get prepared! Tuesday, October 26 at 7 PM.
November
Sue Kaufman of the Clayton Library will speak about Filling in the Family Stories Using Social History. Tuesday, November 16 at 7 PM.
We expect that meetings will continue to happen via Zoom, and we may add some extras in. We’ll reevaluate as the vaccination process unfolds. We are considering meeting in person quarterly in 2022, with Zoom meetings twice quarterly. Stay tuned.
You can find notifications of DNA North at their Facebook page, Capital Area DNA SIG.
Other get-togethers are currently on hiatus. Stay safe and do genealogy.
For a link to meetings, please contact communications@austingenealogicalsociety.org
We’re glad that you dropped in.
The Austin Genealogical Society is here to give you the tools you need to become a better genealogist.
Here's how we do it:
• SIGs: AGS has several special interest groups (SIGs) that meet regularly, and we launch new ones as our members want them. Open and free. Free. On hiatus.
• Saturday Morning Drop-In: The third Saturday of each month we have experienced genealogists on hand to assist in solving genealogical issues from basic to complex. Members also come to work collegially. No charge. (on hiatus)
• Monthly Membership Meetings: We showcase an expert on genealogical research methods and new technology. All presentations are designed to help our members become better genealogists. Meetings are free. Currently meeting by Zoom.
• Research Trips: Further your research by visiting genealogy libraries and archives across the US. Our fall trip in October 2019 was to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
• Our Summer Seminar: We bring in a known expert for an extended seminar. and-a-half seminar. In 2021, our scheduled expert was Diahan Southard, renowned DNA expert and creator of Your DNA Guide. Details above.
Visitors are always welcome at any of our meetings. So please come, and bring a friend!