Gloria Quigg helps a guest with online research. Photo by Ken Gorman
Carol Fielding
The Ranch Roots Genealogy Club hosted its first Discover Your Roots Clinic on October 26, 2015 with great success. The purpose of the clinic was to provide individual assistance and resources to SBR community members who are beginning or continuing their quest to find their ancestors and build their family trees.
In addition to members of the club, two special guests were present: Gloria Quigg from the SaddleBrooke Genealogy Club and Sandy Lawford representing D.A.R. (Daughters of the American Revolution).
Gloria assisted with general research, DNA and Family Tree Maker. Doing general research she was able to find records on a guest’s grandfather. Each record provided more clues where Gloria was able to provide ideas where she might find them. Working with Sandy, one person discovered that she had as many as 13 possible patriots that would qualify her for membership in the D.A.R.
A constant stream of inquisitive people sat one-on-one with our special guests and members of the club who were armed with paper forms for documenting research and laptops for doing online searches through Ancestry.com, GEDmatch.com, FamilySearch.org, FindAGrave.com and several others. Some came with hand-written notes of known ancestors, another came with bags of memorial cards collected over the years and others came with just a name of an ancestor with no known birth or death date. There was a lot of energy in the room, and everyone left with more information than they came with and a renewed enthusiasm for continuing their research or just getting a handle on how to organize their family’s information.
Ken Gorman, guru and manager of the many club websites at SaddleBrooke Ranch, was present to take pictures of the Genealogy Club members and participants at work. With those pictures he has put together a short video. Follow the link to view this video: www.saddlebrookeranch.org/ranchRootsClub.
The Ranch Roots Genealogy Club meets again on December 21 in the La Mesa Room from 1:00-2:30 p.m. to discuss family traditions and on the fourth Monday of each month thereafter. Everyone at SaddleBrooke Ranch is welcome to join us!