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
October 27, 2026 – HYBRID
Tracking Down Your Eastern European Ancestors presented by Pam Vestal
Pam Vestal will present remotely
Presentation will be recorded and available for 2 months
Virtual attendees – HERE
In spite of the many wars, boundary changes, and political and natural catastrophes, an astonishing number of records exist for our Eastern European ancestors, both here and abroad. We’ll explore strategies for finding their places of origin, uncovering their original names, finding and requesting records, extracting and understanding their information, and dealing with foreign languages.
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. All of her ancestors are Eastern European.
November 24, 2026 – HYBRID
Applying for Dual Citizenship by Descent presented by Rhonda R. McClure
Rhonda McClure will present remotely
Presentation will be recorded and available for Unlimited months
Virtual attendees – Registration available later
While most countries base citizenship on place of birth, parentage, and marriage, some countries also offer citizenship by descent—meaning if you have ancestors who were citizens of that country two, three, or even four generations back, you might qualify for dual citizenship! Two well-known examples are Italy and Ireland. In this webinar, we will go over the requirements involved for these two countries, gathering documentation, applying—and waiting—for dual citizenship.
Rhonda is a nationally recognized professional genealogist and lecturer. Before joining American Ancestors/NEHGS in 2006, she ran her own genealogical business for 18 years. She was a contributing editor for Heritage Quest Magazine, Biography magazine and was a contributor to The History Channel Magazine and American History Magazine. In addition to numerous articles, she is the author of twelve books including the award-winning The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Online Genealogy, Finding your Famous and Infamous Ancestors, and Digitizing Your Family History. She is also the editor of the currently available 6th edition of the Genealogist’s Handbook for New England Research. Her areas of expertise include: immigration and naturalization, Late 19th and early 20th Century urban research, New England, Mid-West, Southern, German, Italian, Scottish, Irish, French Canadian, and Atlantic Canadian research
January 26, 2027 – HYBRID
Looking Ahead to 2027-Your Continuing Education in Genealogy presented by Kelley Barrett
Kelly Barrett will present remotely
Presentation will be recorded and available for 2 months
Virtual attendees – Registration available later
Ready to take your genealogy research to the next level in 2027? Whether you’re just beginning your family history journey or have years of experience, this engaging session will help you create a personalized continuing education roadmap tailored to your interests, goals, schedule, and learning style.
What You’ll Learn
• Explore your options. Discover the wide variety of genealogy education opportunities available today—from free webinars and self-paced courses to institutes, academic programs, study groups, and national conferences.
• Find the right fit. Learn how to choose educational opportunities that match your budget, schedule, experience level, and research interests.
• Build your own roadmap. Get practical strategies for creating a personal genealogy development plan, setting meaningful goals, tracking your progress, and staying motivated throughout the year.
Prefer learning from the comfort of home? Love traveling to immersive genealogy events? Somewhere in between? This session will help you map out a learning path that works for you—and make 2027 your year of genealogical growth.
A professional researcher, writer and certified Master Trainer, Kelley Barrett’s genealogy journey began in childhood. Family stories of suspicious name changes, disappearances, cattle rustling, and other mysteries sparked her imagination and a lifelong passion for family history. Following a successful career in Human Resources, she turned her skills in investigation, analysis, and documentation toward finding ‘lost’ relatives, solving family mysteries, and breaking through brick walls. Follow Kelley’s genealogy adventures in her blog “Jaunts and Junkets” and learn more by visiting her website www.ancestor-hunter.com .
February 23, 2027 – HYBRID
Comparing the Genealogy Big 4: Ancestry, FamilySearch, FindMyPast and MyHeritagenealogy presented by Caron Primas Brennan
Caron Primas Brennan will present remotely
Presentation will be recorded and available for 1 month
Virtual attendees – Registration available later
Everyone has heard of Ancestry, but there are some other big databases for genealogy research. They all share search capabilities as well as have their own unique merits. Learn “the good, the bad and the ugly” about the Big Four – Ancestry, FamilySearch, FindMyPast and MyHeritage. Learning about these databases will help you target your research. All of them have Library editions (free access) in addition to their subscriptions.
Caron Primas Brennan loves history, biography, puzzles, and a good mystery, which makes her perfectly suited to genealogy research! A 6th grade school project got her interested in researching her own family tree. Her special areas of genealogical interest are Colonial America, Prussian, and Norwegian research along her family lines as well as related DNA projects.
Caron belongs to several local and regional genealogy groups as well as being a member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild and a Professional Member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. She is the Facilitator for the Chicago Region of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG). Caron is Founder and Executive Director of the Iroquois Theatre Fire Historical Society (ITFHS) and a former Registrar and current Director for the National Society Daughters of the Revolution (DAR) Anan Harmon Chapter. She is certified by The Birren Center for Autobiographical Studies as a Guided Autobiography instructor. She has held Board positions at the Illinois State Genealogical Society, the Chicago Genealogical Society and CAGGNI. She has been speaking at local libraries and genealogical societies, and teaching at the Newberry Library in Chicago, for over fifteen years with consistently excellent feedback.
March 23, 2027 – HYBRID
ARE YOU the Family Archivist? (What to do with ALL that Family ?!?) presented by Sue Schlichting
Sue Schlichting will present remotely
Presentation will be recorded and available for 2 months
Virtual attendees – Registration available later
Have you become the collector of all things family history? Do you feel like you might need to add on to the house to accommodate all of these precious items? Do you have a plan for these special treasures and your genealogy research so they don’t end up in a dumpster one day? Learn some techniques for saving your work and preserving these family treasures for future generations of your family to enjoy.
Sue Schlichting of Pursuing Your Past, grew up in Nebraska. She has over 30 years of research experience. She has expertise in Midwestern research with an emphasis in Homestead records, Swedish and German records.
Sue enjoys sharing her passion for family history with young people through hands on experiences. She also seeks out creative ways to share family artifacts and stories with the non-genies in her family.
Sue Schlichting has been a professional genealogist since 2016. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, National Genealogical Society and Daughters of the American Revolution. She volunteers her time as the local church historian, editor of her family’s annual newsletter and serves on the Outreach committee for the Greater Omaha Genealogical Society.
Sue is a genealogist, speaker, teacher and coach.
April 27, 2027 – HYBRID
Pruning Your Family Tree presented by Jenny Hansen
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
- April: Mistakes I Have Made: Confessions of a Repentant Genealogist presented by Cheri Hudson Passey
- May: Got Mail: Using Postcards and Letter to Unlock Your Family History presented by Michelle Spencer
- June: Key US Records for Mexican Research presented by Lisa Medina
- July: Finding Records to Help Document Your Farming Ancestors presented by Lisa Gorrell
- August: Document Your Documents With Integrity presented by Jeanette Shiel
- September: Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Genealogy presented by Lynn Broderick
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