The Santa Maria Valley and San Luis Obispo County genealogical societies are joining with the Santa Maria Public Library to present three experts in family history and DNA research at the Central Coast Genealogy Seminar.
The event will be 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, at the library, 421 S McClelland St.
This is the largest such event in recent memory at the Santa Maria Library, which houses a collection of genealogy materials for researchers, including items on permanent loan from the Santa Maria Valley Genealogical Society and the database Ancestry.
Society members offer free tutoring and research help by appointment at the library.
The seminar requires pre-registration by Tuesday, Oct. 31. Cost is $40 for members of either society, $55 for non-members.
Registration forms are available at the library or online at the San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society website, www.SLOCGS.org.
The three speakers — Angie Bush, Dr. Michael Lacopo and Nancy Loe is —will present a variety of sessions in the library’s Shepard Hall, Altrusa Theater and Nelson Room.
Bush works as a genetic genealogy researcher with Ancestry ProGenealogist in Salt Lake City. She will present four sessions on DNA: The Professional Toolbox, Testing, Understanding Ethnicity, and Adoption and Unknown Parentage.
Dr. Lacopo is the author of numerous books and journal articles, as well as the genealogy blog, Hoosier Daddy?
He will offer sessions on Using Tax Records for Genealogical Problem Solving, Using Social History in Research, Deconstructing your Family Tree, and More than the Census.
Loe is a professional genealogist and local researcher whose website https://www.sassyjanegenealogy.com offers research articles and a newsletter, as well as other information.
Loe will present three sessions to help new researchers get started including Your Family Tree Smart Start, Discovering Immigrant Ancestors, and Top Ten Skills Every Genealogist Needs.
For more information about the seminar or to register, visit www.slocgs.org and for more information on the library’s special genealogy resources, call the library’s reference desk, 925-0994 ext. 1511.
— Mark van de Kamp for city of Santa Maria.