NSDCGS Program Meeting feature speakers with expertise on various issues relating to Genealogy.
- 4th Tuesday of the month (except December)
- In-person: City of Carlsbad Faraday Administration Building in Room 173B
- Doors open at 9:30 a.m.
- Virtual via Zoom: Registration link below
- Presentation: 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
- All meetings will be hybrid (in-person and virtual)
- Presentation recordings are available to current NSDCGS members
Upcoming Speakers and Topics
April 28, 2026 – HYBRID
Mistakes I Have Made: Confessions of a Repentant Genealogist presented by Cheri Hudson Passey
Cheri Hudson Passey will present remotely
Presentation will be recorded and available for 1 months
Virtual attendees – Register HERE
We all make mistakes as we build our family tree. Discover how to avoid them from a repentant genealogist. She made mistakes, but you don’t have to!
Cheri Hudson Passey is a professional genealogist, instructor, writer, and speaker, and the owner of Carolina Girl Genealogy, LLC. She hosts the YouTube genealogy chat show GenFriends and works as a genealogical researcher subcontracted by Eagle Investigative Services, Inc. for the U.S. Army Past Conflict Repatriations Branch. Cheri is actively involved in a wide range of genealogy societies and organizations and currently serves on the board of the National Genealogical Society. Her work emphasizes sound research methodology, context-driven analysis, and making genealogy approachable and meaningful for researchers at every level. She writes the blog Carolina Girl Genealogy, where she shares practical research tips, proven methodologies, family stories, and her own research adventures. Cheri is also the author of Genealogy in Reverse: Finding the Living, A Practical Guide for All Genealogists.
May 26, 2026 – HYBRID
Got Mail: Using Postcards and Letter to Unlock Your Family History presented by Michelle Spencer
Michelle Spencer will present remotely
Presentation will be recorded and available for 6 months
Virtual attendees – Registration available later
Postcards and letters to family members can enrich your genealogical research. They can add details to your ancestor’s life and timeline, aid in cluster (“FAN”) research, provide clues about military service and occupations, and add historical context for family events. Join me in this lighthearted look through Grandma’s mail.
Michelle L. Spencer, owner of RomaMaryGrace, specializes in family business research, material culture, pandemics, and historic preservation. Michelle has more than thirty years of speaking, research, and writing experience. She loves traveling, researching, and collecting old things. She has co-authored more than sixty nominations to the National Register of Historic Places and her genealogical clients included the television shows Who Do You Think You Are? and Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr. She and her husband live in Millbrook, AL. You can find her on YouTube: @romamarygrace1909 or online at romamarygrace.com.
June 23, 2026 – HYBRID
Key US Records for Mexican Research presented by Lisa Medina
Lisa Medina will present remotely
Presentation will be recorded and available for 2 months
Virtual attendees – Registration available later
An overview of U.S. records from the 19th and 20th century that contain information about Mexican immigrants, as well as tips for finding clues for tracing them to their origins in Mexico.
Lisa Medina is an enthusiastic and experienced lecturer who brings together the stories and methodologies of genealogy with the effective pedagogies of a teacher in her presentations. She has experience researching in several U.S. states, as well as the Mexican states of Jalisco, Nuevo León, Chihuahua, Sonora and Sinaloa. Lisa has attended the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and is a ProGen alum.
July 28, 2026 – HYBRID
Finding Records to Help Document Your Farming Ancestors presented by Lisa Gorrell
Lisa Gorrell will present remotely
Presentation will be recorded and available for 2 months
Virtual attendees – Registration available later
Up to about 1900, farming was the number one occupation. Nearly ten million Americans were engaged in some agricultural endeavor, from farmers, dairymen, florists, and gardeners to stock raisers, with the majority as farmers or farm laborers. You probably have many farmers in your family. This presentation will cover those records you already use (census, deeds, probate, tax records) but also focus on how to get the most out of them to tell your farmer’s story. The second half of the presentation will cover resources that can add context to the farming family story.
Lisa S. Gorrell is a Certified Genealogist®. She has served on the boards of several genealogical societies and is currently the recording secretary with the Contra Costa County Historical Society, where she volunteers at their archives. She enjoys giving genealogy presentations and writing about her family on two blogs: “Mam-ma’s Southern Family”http://mam-massouthernfamily.blogspot.com/ and “My Trails into the Past” http://mytrailsintothepast.blogspot.com/. She has written a three-generation family history about her husband’s Swedish ancestors.
August 25, 2026
Document Your Documents With Integrity presented by Jeanette Shiel
Past Topics
2026
- January: Write Your Family History Quickly presented by Susie Wickman
- February: What’s New in Family Tree Maker 2024 presented by Mark Olsen
- March: Why You Should Research Collateral Lines presented by Dawn Carlile
2025
- January: 8 Tips for Using AI as Your Genealogy Assistant presented by Dana Leeds
- February: Railroad Record and Railroad History: Methods for Tracking presented by Paula Stuart-Warren
- March: The Value of Using Maps presented by Suzanne Young Brayer
- April: Do Yourself A Favor: Create A Locality Guide presented by Lisa Medina
- May: Using Tax Records in Your Family History Research presented by Melanie McComb
- June: Unraveling Family History with AI: Leveraging AI to Trace an Ancestor’s Journey with ChatGPT presented by Diane Henriks
- July: Creating Your Ancestor’s Resume presented by Karen Molohon
- August: Internet Archive For The Family Historian presented by Tina Beaird
- September: Solving Your Picture (Photo) Problems presented by Allyson Maughan
- October: The Salem Witchcraft Hysteria presented by John Putnam
2024
- January: Research a Veteran presented by Jennifer Holik
- February: The Greatest Generation presented by Jennifer Holik
- March: Heritage Tours: How to Plan Your Own Ancestry Travel presented by Erica Forrest
- April: Learn from Lineage Societies … without Being a Member! presented by Elizabeth Swanay O’Neal
- May: Stories among the Headstones: Researching in the Cemetery presented by Cheri Hudson Passey
- June: The Family History Research “Circle”: The Internet, FamilySearch Centers, Social Networks, Libraries and On-Site Research presented by Maureen Brady
- July: Locating Images of Ancestors: Putting A Face With A Name presented by Andy Likins
- August: Let’s Get Social With Genealogy And Social Media presented by Amber Oldenburg
- September: Not Who He Once Was: Tips For Finding Your Name Changing Ancestors presented by Mary Kircher Roddy
- October: American Warp, Jewish Weft: Weaving Jewish-Specific Sources With Traditional Genealogy presented by Jane Neff Rollins
- November: Getting the Most From Distant Relatives presented by Ed Storey