Genealogy research isn’t always easy. We all encounter dilemmas, stumbling blocks, and brick walls. A little crowdsourcing could help! Come with your questions and we’ll all do our best to answer them.

Image: Walter and Freda Schauland, courtesy of Jane Gramlich

The most popular subscription genealogy database is a powerhouse of information, but it can also be overwhelming. Jane will cover Ancestry’s record content and functions and show you different ways of searching that will yield useful results.

Jane has been a librarian in the Special Collections Division (genealogy and local history) at the Akron-Summit County Public Library since 2007. She has been a member of CVGS since 2008 and has served as Vice President and Program Chair since 2015. She also currently serves as a trustee and newsletter editor for the Ohio Chapter of Palatines to America.

Cynthia (Cindy) Ross Kettler has been a member of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution since 2008. As a member of the Hannah Luther Bosworth Chapter in Strongsville, she has held the offices of Regent, Vice Regent, Registrar, Historian, and Treasurer. At the state level, Cindy is currently serving as Northeast District Director. At the National level, Cindy has served as Division Vice-Chair for the East Central Division for the America 250! and Membership Committees. Other lineage society memberships include Daughters of the American Colonists, Colonial Dames of America, General Society of Mayflower Descendants, Continental Society Daughters of the Indian Wars, and the Jamestowne Society.

Join us for an armchair trip on a historic road - with a genealogy find!

Carol has been a member of CVGS for 19 years and for the past 11 has served as its treasurer. Born in Cleveland, she lived in Independence and subsequently moved to Brecksville. She retired from LTV Steel (formerly Republic Steel) and Forest City Enterprises. Carol has been a Red Hatter for the past 21 years and a volunteer with the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad for the past 17. She also volunteers for Destination Cleveland. Travel is a passion.

We’re starting our new season with a dive into the world of genetic genealogy, which has revolutionized genealogy research in the last two decades.

Our speaker is Richard Hill, who has become a well-known author, speaker, and activist in this field. His pioneering work of finding his biological parents through DNA testing created a foundation for other adoptees wishing to do the same.

Richard will cover the basics of genetic genealogy, the three major test types, and the offerings of five leading companies. You’ll learn the key factors that impact your results. Richard will also discuss each company's strengths, limitations, and favorite features, as well as some third-party tools you can use to extract even more information from DNA test results.

Eva Szabo will talk about the waves of Hungarian immigration, the resulting settlements in Cleveland, and keeping Hungarian culture alive through the United Hungarian Societies and the Cleveland Hungarian Museum. Eva was an original founding member of the Museum. She has served as President and Vice President, and currently represents the Museum for the Hungarian American Coalition.

Newspapers are a great resource to add meat to the bones in the process of researching one's family history. Tom Neel will explore examples of the treasures found in newspapers and then discuss some of the websites that are out there today to research our ancestors in the paper. Tom was Library Director for the Ohio Genealogical Society (OGS) from 1984 until retiring in 2021. He has served as President of the Firelands Genealogical Society and as Trustee of the Ashland County Chapter of OGS. He is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and Kent State University.

Presented by Deborah Weight, Anna Styles, and Dawn Austin from the Westlake FamilySearch Center.

AncestryDNA currently tells Jane she’s 33% Scottish - not surprising given her 2x great-grandparents, Thomas Muir and Ellen Campbell, emigrated from Glasgow in 1879. So a trip to Scotland had been in the back of her mind for a long time, and it finally became possible in September 2023. Plenty of research done over the years paved the way. But it was the incredible resources on FamilySearch, ScotlandsPeople, and ScotlandsPlaces, as well as the assistance of the Glasgow & West of Scotland Family History Society that made the trip a success. If you have Scottish ancestry, learn how these resources could help you!

The Ohio Historical Marker Program is more than just metal markers scattered along our roadways. It’s a means of telling community stories and it give the traveler a “sense of place.” Denny knows these markers well. He will share stories gathered from twenty years of research about some of the people, places, and events that have put a mark on our state history. He will also help you navigate Remarkable Ohio, a website where you can discover all the markers on your own.

Denny retired from the Bay Village and Aurora School Districts in 1998. An accomplished photographer, he has contributed 1,000 photos to the Ohio Historical Marker Program as part of his extensive research. Currently living in Stow, he is also a volunteer with Summit Metro Parks, Cascade Locks Park Association, Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Join our members for our monthly meeting, featuring speaker X who will be joining us for a presentation on Y. Light refreshments social to follow.