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 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 is on San Francisco and California; however, other states and international sources and resources are discussed. Additionally, hosts 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 include examples of documents and resource materials.