The Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society invites community members to its upcoming general meeting on Saturday, Jan. 20. The presentation, titled “Finally Get Organized! Conquer the Clutter Using Your Natural Learning Style,” will be provided by professional genealogist and Society Education Director Elizabeth Swanay O’Neal.

Elizabeth Swanay O’Neal, professional genealogist and education director of the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society, will discuss how to organize family history during the society’s Jan. 20 meeting. Credit: Courtesy photo

The presentation is tailored to those who struggle with organizing family history documents, photos, and digital files, but can’t find a system that works.

“This presentation is perfect for everyone from beginning family history enthusiasts to seasoned genealogists,” O’Neal said. “Participants will learn which organizational strategies suit their specific learning styles, and how to implement them.”

This free event will take place at the First Presbyterian Church, 21 E. Constance Ave., Santa Barbara. Join at 9:30 a.m. for refreshments, meeting with the Society’s Special Interest Groups to chat about everything from beginning genealogy to writing your family history, and perusing genealogical books for sale. Following a short business meeting at 10:30 a.m., O’Neal’s presentation will begin at 11 a.m. The business meeting and presentation will also be available via Zoom; please register at SBGen.org to attend online.

O’Neal is a professional genealogist, writer, educator, and national genealogical speaker. Her specialties include methodology, technology, and online research resources. She has studied at the National Institute for Genealogical Research (GenFed) in Washington, D.C., the Forensic Genealogy Institute (FGI) in Dallas, and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) in Salt Lake City. She serves as the education director for the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society, president of the Second Life Virtual Genealogical Society, director of the NGSQ Study Groups Program, and a genealogical consultant for the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).

As a family history lecturer, O’Neal has given presentations for Legacy Family Tree Webinars, RootsTech, the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the Utah Genealogical Association, and many others. Her professional memberships include the Association of Professional Genealogists, where she serves as president of the Southern California Chapter, the Genealogical Speakers Guild, and she is an active member of the public speaking club Toastmasters International. 

Since 1987 Elizabeth has made it her goal to research, share, and preserve her family stories. She is the author of the family history lifestyle website Heart of the Family, where her mission is to help others make the past part of their present.

About the Genealogical Society

The mission of the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society is to help people discover, document, preserve, and share their family histories in California, the United States, and around the world. The Society is an all-volunteer organization with over 500 members, and a 5,000-square-foot genealogical research library featuring over 19,000 books and a computer lab with access to nine genealogical subscription websites. Annual memberships start at $40; please visit SBGen.org to learn more about membership benefits, events, presentations, or to become a member.