Founded 1991
1500 Shenandoah Road Alexandria, Virginia 22308 |
Monday, August 5
Entering Information onto FamilySearch's Family Tree (Training and Education)
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm HHSC, Room 214
INSTRUCTOR: LINDA MACLACHLAN
The purpose of the workshop is to learn how to post information onto the family tree on
the Familysearch.org website. Workshop is limited to 6 folks.
Please remember to create a free account on Familysearch, if you don't already have one,
ahead of the workshop date. Please remember to bring your user id and password with you.
To register for the workshop, please send an email with the workshop name and date,
and your name and phone number to Amy Breedlove at albreedlove@comcast.net.
Thank you.
There is another handout titled "Calling Famsearch for Help" available on the
Training Forum portion of the MVGS website.
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Tuesday, August 20
The Koblitz Ancestral Journey (General Meeting)
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm Hollin Hall Senior Center - Rm 112
Speaker: Gary Koblitz
My interest in tracing my paternal family began when I was
in my 60s with very little information to begin with, due to
family circumstances. I have determined that my paternal
lineage traces back many generations – probably centuries – in
an area that is now largely the State of Saxony. Also, I knew
very little about branches of my American paternal
relationships, who descended from my immigrant
grandfather and his brother. I have succeeded in
identifying them – over 50 persons spread over four generations.
What will genealogists learn from this presentation?
My goal is to convey some pathways to success in tracing
one’s ancestry and family descendants, even starting
late in life and with a plethora of unknowns. Most of my
formative years were spent in a small town in northeast
Connecticut. I graduated from Penn State in 1967
and immediately went to work for the federal government
as an intelligence analyst, where I had a 40-year career.
I have lived in Northern Virginia the entire time My wife and
I raised a son and daughter, and we have three grandchildren.
I was always actively involved in my children’s activities,
and I have played many civic roles in my communities.
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Thursday, August 22
Instagram for Genealogists (Training and Education)
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm ZOOM
INSTRUCTOR: JO PEARSON
Discover how to use Instagram to share your family history through photos and stories.
This workshop will guide you in setting up a genealogy-focused Instagram account,
creating engaging posts and Stories, and using Instagram Reels to share quick tips and
historical snippets.
To register, please send an email with your name and phone number, the class date
and name, to Amy Breedlove at albreedlove@comcast.net. Thank you.
Once you've registered, a reminder email will be sent to you a few days before the
class with the zoom link and any handuots, etc. |
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Monday, August 26
Virginia Special Interest Group [SIG] (Special Interest Group)
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm TBD
We will have a SIG meeting on this date. Topic and location to be determined.
Please check this website in June or July for updates. If you have any questions,
please send an email to Amy Breedlove at albreedlove@comcast.net. Thank you. |
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Saturday, September 7
A Day in the Life: Experiencing Your Ancestors Stories Using Cultural History (Conference)
9:00 am to 3:30 pm Hollin Hall Senior Center, Room 112
Mount Vernon Genealogical Society
Fall Conference
It’s like time traveling with your ancestors!
Have you ever wondered about a typical day in the life of your ancestors?
What did they do for work? What did they do for play? What did they want? What did they believe?
Would you like to travel back in time to walk in their shoes and see the world as they saw it?
This year’s immersive program combines the intrigue of time travel with the richness of cultural
history to offer a most unique genealogical perspective.
Which ancestor will you visit first?
Join us at our 2024 Annual Conference to expplore the genealogical art of time travelling.
John Colletta will share how historical research methods can provide intriguing insights into the
lives of our ancestors.
Our keynoter, John Colletta, has been called "one of America's most popular genealogical lecturers."
He will discuss the types of historical research that can help us understand the day-to-day lives of our
ancestors. The presentation will take the form of a conversation between John Colletta
and past MVGS President Janell Blue.
Find our more about Dr. Colletta at:
Our second speaker for the day will be Professor George D. Oberle III of George Mason University.
He will discuss "How to Learn About Your Ancestors' World".
George Oberle is the History Librarian, Associate Professor, and Director of the Center for Mason Legacies
at George Mason University. He is particularly interested in connecting local history research with broader
academic scholarship so that we can better learn from each other. His expertise is on the politics of
knowledge in the early American republic and his forthcoming book titled Creating an Informed
Citizenry: Contested Knowledge in the Early American Republic from the University of Virginia Press is
scheduled for release in Spring of 2025.
Professor Oberle will be asisted by Tom Seabrook
Tom Seabrook is a PhD student in George Mason University’s Department of History and Art History.
His research interests include memory, technology (especially the built environment), and local history.
Tom currently serves as a Graduate Research Assistant with the Center for Mason Legacies, where
he works on the Mason family manuscript account book project.
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Monday, September 9
Entering Information onto Find A Grave (Training and Education)
10:00 am to 12:00 pm HHSC, Room 214
INSTRUCTOR: LINDA MACLACHLAN
The purpose of the workshop is to learn how to add information onto
the Find A Grave website. Workshop is limited to 6 folks.
In order to enter informaiton onto Find A Grave, you will need to set up
a free account before the workshop date. Please remember to bring
your user id and password with you to the workshop.
To register for the workshop, please send an email with your name and
phone number, the workshop name and date, to Amy Breedlove at
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Tuesday, September 24
LinkedIn for Genealogy (Training and Education)
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm ZOOM
INSTRUCTOR: JO PEARSON
LinkedIn isn't just for job seekers - it's a valuable tool for genealogy
networking and collaboration. This class will help you optimize your
LinkedIn profile, join genealogy-related groups, and connect with
other professionals and enthusiasts in the field.
To register for the class, please send an email with your name and
phone number, the class date and title, to Amy Breedlove at
Once you've registered, a reminder email will be sent to you a
few days before the class with the zoom link and any handouts. |
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Wednesday, September 25
Every Genealogy Journey Rests on Maps (Training and Education)
10:00 am to 12:00 pm ZOOM
INSTRUCTOR: SHARON MACINNES
Sharon MacInnes will explain how she uses a variety of maps in her research.
Examples of different maps include: topographical maps, migration trail maps,
19th-century maps and atlases showing landowners, Birdseye maps, fire insurance
maps, Newberry Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, Google Earth, warrantee
maps, and railroad maps.
She'll also explain Township/Range/Section maps.
To register for the class, please send an email with your name and phone number,
and the class name and date, to Amy Breedlove at albreedlove@comcast.net.
Thank you. |
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Monday, October 7
Entering Information onto Find A Grave (Training and Education)
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm HHSC, Room 214
INSTRUCTOR: LINDA MACLACHLAN
The purpose of the workshop is to learn how to add information onto the
Find A Grave website. Workshop is limited to 6 folks.
In order to enter information onto Find A Grave, you will need to set up
a free account before the workshop date. Please remember to bring your
user id and password with you.
To register for the workshop, please send an email with the workshop
name and date, and your name and phone number to
AmyBreedlove at albreedlove@comcast.net .
Thank you.
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Tuesday, October 22
TikTok for Genealogy (Training and Education)
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm ZOOM
INSTRUCTOR: JO PEARSON
Engage with a younger audience on TikTok! This workshop will guide you
through setting up a TikTok account, creating short, captivating videos
related to genealogy, and using trends and hashtags to reach a broader
audience interested
in family history.
To register for the class, please send an email with your name and
phone number, class date and title, to Amy Breedlove at
albreedlove@comcast.net.
Once you've registered, a reminder email will be sent to you a
few days before the class with the zoom link and any handouts. |
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Friday, October 25
Where Did I Put That?: Lessons in Organizing Our Work (Training and Education)
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm HHSC, Room 201
INSTRUCTOR: JANET BAILEY
This Educational Event will be a cross between an old fashioned quilting bee
[where we share our designs, ideas, successes, and failures], and a
collaborative seminar on organizing our research, our files, and our writing.
I am hoping it will be a comfortable way to share our experiences and learn
from one another!
As your "teacher" I will start the discussions and send you information on
what you can bring to the first class. I am hoping this twist on the regular
CLASS experience will help us to benefit from shared ideas that will help
move our research forward. If we want to meet again, something will be
set up at that time.
To register for the class, please send an email with the class name and
date, and your name and phone number to Amy Breedlove at
albreedlove@comcast.net. Thank you.
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Monday, November 4
Using FamilySearch.org (Training and Education)
10:00 am to 12:00 pm HHSC, Room 214
INSTRUCTOR: LINDA MACLACHLAN
The purpose of the workshop is to learn how to use the Familysearch.org
website more effectively. Workshop is limited to 6 folks.
Please remember to create a free account, if you don't already have one,
ahead of the workshop date. Please remember to bring your user id and
password with you.
To register for the workshop, please send an email with the workshop
name and date, and your name and phone number to Amy Breedlove
at albreedlove@comcast.net . Thank you.
There is another handout titled "Calling Famsearch for Help" available
in the Training Forum portion of the MVGS website.
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Friday, November 15
Researching your French Ancestors from Home (Training and Education)
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm ZOOM
INSTRUCTOR: AMY BREEDLOVE
Do you have ancestors that originated in France? If so, come learn about
France, what's unique about it that could affect your genealogy research,
how and what types of records were created, where and how to find and
access them, and much more.
To register, please send an email with the class name and date, as well
as your name and phone number to Amy Breedlove at
albreedlove@comcast.net. Thank you. |
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Monday, December 2
Using FamilySearch.org (Training and Education)
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm HHSC, Room 214
INSTRUCTOR: LINDA MACLACHLAN
The purpose of the workshop is to learn how to use the Familysearch.org
website more effectively. Workshop is limited to 6 folks.
Please remember to create a free account, if you don't already have one,
ahead of the workshop date. Please remember to bring your user id and
password with you.
To register for the workshop, please send an email with the workshop
name and date, and your name and phone number to Amy Breedlove
at albreedlove@comcast.net . Thank you
There is another handout titled "Calling Famsearch for Help" available
in the Training Forum portion of the MVGS website.
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