San Mateo County Genealogical Society

Discovering Our Family History Together

Public Events

Upcoming events

    • 25 Apr 2026
    • San Mateo Public Library

    San Mateo Celebrates! Generations Day - A Community Gathering Across Generations In-Person

    Saturday, April 25, 2026
    10:00AM - 4:00PM

    San Mateo Public Library – Main Branch
    Free and open to the public
    https://www.sanmateocelebrates.com/events/generations-day

    Generations Day marks the beginning of the Main Library’s twentieth anniversary year. The building comes alive with music, storytelling, food, and opportunities for reflection designed to welcome children, parents, grandparents, and neighbors into shared civic space.

    1:30–2:00 PM

    Generational Activity with the San Mateo County Genealogical Society and SMPL Children’s Librarians


    • 16 May 2026
    • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
    • San Mateo Public Library

    Learn where to find and use all the major genealogy database collections at local public libraries, FamilySearch Centers, and Affiliate Libraries, including library editions of Ancestry, MyHeritage, and newspaper collections: Newspapers.com,  and Newspaper Archive. While some genealogy databases may be restricted for use only within the library, many valuable resources can be accessed at home.  In this presentation, you will learn how to conduct research without breaking the bank. 

    Rachel Hull Kellerman is a professional teacher, librarian, and archivist.  She currently teaches a Genealogy Workshop at the Palo Alto Adult School as well as computer workshops at the San Mateo Public Library.

    • 13 Jun 2026
    • 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
    • 2635 Homestead Rd Santa Clara. CA

    Join us for a free and exciting afternoon dedicated to discovery. We’ve gathered some of the region’s top lineage societies, historical organizations, and genealogy experts. Explore informative displays, enjoy brief presentations, view vintage cars, and even sample some historical local cuisine while you network with fellow researchers. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, there’s a seat at the table for you!

    • 27 Jun 2026
    • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
    • via Zoom

    Terry is a genealogist with nearly 50 years of experience, specializing in DNA-based research to solve family mysteries. She facilitates a monthly Research Like a Pro with DNAsession for her local family history society and leads the Advanced DNA group for the BC Genealogical Society, where she supports researchers in refining their skills and building confidence in working with DNA results.

Past events

28 Mar 2026 The Best of Rootstech
28 Feb 2026 Midwest Archives: Worthy of More Than a Flyover
24 Jan 2026 Researching in Central and South America
22 Nov 2025 The History and Architecture of San Francisco’s Chinese American Neighborhoods
18 Oct 2025 Teasing Out the Hidden Story Behind the Genealogical Facts and General Meeting
27 Sep 2025 Using Full-Text Search to Solve Your Brick Walls
17 Sep 2025 SMCGS annual potluck picnic
24 Aug 2025 (SMPL) Introduction to Genetic Genealogy
26 Jul 2025 Migration of Religious Non-conformists to the U.S.: Amish, Mennonite, Quaker and Moravian
12 Jul 2025 Digitizing and Documenting Family History (SMPL event)
28 Jun 2025 Plan Ahead: Mining all the Gems for your Research Trips
14 Jun 2025 (SMPL) Stories from the Immigrants from 80 Countries Who Immigrated Through Angel Island
17 May 2025 Tangled Branches:Navigating DNA Challenges in French-Canadian and Indigenous Ancestry
26 Apr 2025 General Land Office: Getting the Most Out of the BLM/GLO Website.
22 Mar 2025 The Best of Rootstech
22 Feb 2025 Researching Your Civil War Ancestors
25 Jan 2025 Translating, Transcribing and Summarizing Documents Using AI
25 Dec 2024 🎄Christmas Day
23 Nov 2024 New England Genealogical Resources Before 1845 and Three Rhode Island Searches
19 Oct 2024 Sharing Stories
28 Sep 2024 Uncovering Your History: Genealogical Research at the David Rumsey Map Center
24 Aug 2024 No meeting in August
27 Jul 2024 FamilySearch Overview – Everything You Don’t Know But Should
22 Jun 2024 An Untold Chapter about my Father- The Upper Burma Road
18 May 2024 Death Is Not the End – What Probate Records Can Tell You
13 Apr 2024 Michelle Leonard DNA Seminar
23 Mar 2024 The Best of Rootstech
24 Feb 2024 Introducing 10 Million Names
27 Jan 2024 Getting Organized Using Technology and a Research Report
18 Nov 2023 Family History Guide with Bob Taylor
28 Oct 2023 Genealogy Fair
26 Oct 2023 SCCHGS: “Census 101” In-person seminar
26 Sep 2023 SCCHGS: “Getting Started with Genealogy” In-person seminar
23 Sep 2023 Finding What you Need and Making the Most of What you Find
26 Aug 2023 Library Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting
22 Jul 2023 So you think you have a brick wall?
8 Jul 2023 SVCGG - Monthly Meeting
20 Jun 2023 SCCHGS Historical Records of the American Colonization Society
17 Jun 2023 Genealogical Gems Found in Ledgers with Diane Richard
20 May 2023 Extracting Information from German Vital Records
22 Apr 2023 Putting the Flesh on the Bones with Ron Arons
25 Mar 2023 Researching England’s Records with Bill Cole
18 Mar 2023 The Best of Rootstech
25 Feb 2023 Work Your Way to Ireland Using American Records
21 Feb 2023 No More Excuses: Ten Family History Writing Tips for Procrastinators” SCCGS event
28 Jan 2023 The Great Estates of the Peninsula
25 Dec 2022 🎄 Christmas
24 Nov 2022 🌽 Thanksgiving
19 Nov 2022 Genealogy Round Table
31 Oct 2022 🎃 HALLOWEEN
29 Oct 2022 Using Maps for Genealogy - NEW DATE!
24 Sep 2022 National Register of Historic Places
12 Aug 2022 🛠 CANCELLED
29 Jul 2022 Field Trip
25 Jun 2022 Farming families
21 May 2022 Genealogy Resources at the San Francisco Public Library
23 Apr 2022 Mining for Treasures in the Internet Archive
26 Mar 2022 🎤Highlights from RootsTech 2022
26 Feb 2022 🎤 House histories
22 Jan 2022 🎤 The 1890 Census, by Margaret Melaney
20 Nov 2021 🎤 All-Hands Membership Meeting plus Sharing Stories
6 Nov 2021 🎟Fall Seminar - Making Sense of Your DNA Matches, with Diahan Southard
23 Oct 2021 🎤 A Tour of the New SMCGS Website, by Mike Davis
25 Sep 2021 🎤 1950 Census: Are You Ready?, by Thomas MacEntee
28 Aug 2021 Union Cemetery Field Trip
24 Jul 2021 🎤 Using Maps to Tell Stories, by Sue Long
26 Jun 2021 📣 ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
22 May 2021 🎤 The Importance of On-Location Research in a Digital World, by Craig Siulinski
24 Apr 2021 🎤 Sisters Unite! Two Hundred Years of Women's Suffrage, by Lisa Oberg
10 Apr 2021 🛠 Workshop - Using Photos in Microsoft Word, with Maggie Melaney
27 Mar 2021 🎤 Angel Island, by Grant Din
20 Feb 2021 🎤 DNA: Finding My Grandfather, by David Brunzel
23 Jan 2021 🎤 Children Left Behind, by Judy Fambrough Billingsley
26 Dec 2020 🎤 NO General Meeting in December
21 Nov 2020 🎤 Preserving Family Photos, Stories, and Documents, by Carolyn Williams
7 Nov 2020 🎟 Fall Seminar - Gems for Genealogical Research, with Lisa Louise Cooke
24 Oct 2020 🎤 Creative Hypothesis Development for Brick Walls, by Jan Joyce
26 Sep 2020 🎤 The Mystery Aussie, by Pam Wong
22 Aug 2020 🎤 NO General Meeting in August
25 Jul 2020 🎤 Orphan Train and Home Children, by Chris Green
27 Jun 2020 🎤 Northern California Genealogy, by Sean Conley
30 May 2020 🎤 10 Reasons Why You Can't Find Your Ancestors, by Gena Philibert-Ortega
2 May 2020 🎟 Spring Seminar (CANCELED) - Gems for Genealogical Research, with Lisa Louise Cooke
25 Apr 2020 🎤 (CANCELED) - Orphan Train and Home Children, by Christine Bell Green
28 Mar 2020 🎤 (CANCELED) - Preserving Family Photos, Photo Stories, Documents, by Carolyn Williams
22 Feb 2020 🎤 Titanic Connections: Exploring the Legend & Genealogy, by Sheryl Rinkol
13 Feb 2020 🛠 Workshop - US Land Records in Public Land States, with Martha Wallace
25 Jan 2020 🎤 Researching Off-line: Using Archives, Libraries, & Courthouses, by Lisa Gorrell
28 Dec 2019 🎤 NO General Meeting in December
23 Nov 2019 🎤 Brick Wall Busters: Techniques for Genealogical Success, by Sharon Hoyt
2 Nov 2019 🎟 Fall Seminar - The Law, GPS Evidence, and DNA Ethics, with Judy Russell
19 Oct 2019 🎤 Researching Ancestors in Historical Events: A Salem Witch Trials Case Study, by Melinda Kashuba
28 Sep 2019 🎤 What You Don't Know about Ancestry.com, by Crista Cowen
24 Aug 2019 🎤 Indexing Work Day
27 Jul 2019 🎤 Round Table Discussions
22 Jun 2019 🎤 Sharing Stories: Readings and Potluck
18 May 2019 🎤 Mayflower Families, by Bob Trapp
4 May 2019 🎟 Spring Seminar - Your Genealogy: Research, Organize, & Solve, with Michael John Neill
27 Apr 2019 🎤 The Power of Digital Photography and Family History, by Ron Madson
11 Apr 2019 🛠 Workshop - Finding Power in Your Family's Story: A Writing Workshop, by Regina Mason
30 Mar 2019 🛠 Workshop - Writing Family Stories, by Craig Siulinski
23 Mar 2019 🎤 Gen Mtg - Lies, Lies & More Lies: Can DNA Solve My Parental Lineage?, by Jeff Valiant
23 Feb 2019 🎤 City Directories: A Window into your Ancestors' Lives, by Pamela Brigham
14 Feb 2019 🛠 Workshop - Hispanic Genealogy: Spanish Records, by Lucy Jennings Sweeney
26 Jan 2019 🎤 Blogging for Sharing Family History Stories, by Craig Siulinski
17 Nov 2018 🎤 Prohibition, by Ray Cosyn
3 Nov 2018 🎟 Fall Seminar - Exploring DNA, with CeCe Moore
20 Oct 2018 🎤 A Year in Salem: The Witchcraft Crisis of 1692, by Gay Scott
22 Sep 2018 🎤 Researching Civil War Ancestors, by Mary Boyle
28 Jul 2018 🎤 Round Table Discussions
19 May 2018 🎤 The Streets of Menlo Park, by Bo Crane
5 May 2018 🎟 Spring Seminar - Forensic Genealogy plus California Research: Missions to Present, with Sheila Benedict
21 Apr 2018 🎤 English Probate and Death Duty Records, by Chris Green
24 Mar 2018 🎤 Making A Family Video to Share, by Dr. Jan Joyce Aherns
24 Feb 2018 🎤 Who's in Your Neighborhood? Meeting the Diverse Research Needs of Your Community, by Linda Harms Okazaki
27 Jan 2018 🎤 The Slave Narrative that Freed Me, by Regina Mason
4 Nov 2017 🎟 Fall Seminar - Federal Records plus Mapping the West, with Pamela and Rick Sayre
3 May 2017 🎟 Spring Seminar - Not Your Usual Records, with Amy Johnson Crow
22 Oct 2016 🎟 Fall Seminar - Research Rewards, with Paula Stuart-Warren
18 Jun 2016 🎤 Ancestry Day by the Bay
7 May 2016 🎟 Spring Seminar - Successful Searching, with Thomas MacEntee
2 May 2015 🎟 Spring Seminar - Immigration and Ancestral Customs, with Warren Bittner CG
1 Nov 2014 🎟 Fall Seminar - How Knowing the Law Makes Us Better Genealogists, with Judy Russell

San Mateo County Genealogical Society

     SMCGS is a 501(c)(3) organization

PO Box 230
San Mateo, CA 94401-0230
https://smcgs.org

 

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