Seasoned family history researchers guide participants in building skills to uncover information that leads to creating a more complete family story, including tracing ancestry, researching descendants and searching records. Learn how to navigate the San Francisco Public Library’s expansive holdings of historical records, ephemera, photographs, city directories, newspapers and the databases it provides access to, including Ancestry and Fold3. Learn about important online resources like FamilySearch.org, with its robust and global Research Wiki, and how to access other institutional archives.

The primary focus will be on San Francisco and California; however, other states and international sources and resources will be discussed. Additionally, hosts will provide information to advance your skills when using state and federal censuses, wills, property records, military and immigration records, as well as deciphering handwriting on old records and more. Meetings will include examples of documents and resource materials.