Special Interest Groups

Special Interest Groups are one of our member benefits.  Meetings of the groups are held either once a month, or once every other week.  As a member of SMCGS you are able to attend any of these meetings without charge.  In fact, you can pick and choose, and rotate among groups as your interests change.  Not a member? Click here to join now.

Groups work together to share their knowledge, resources and questions to help one another in their research.  Feel free to email us if you have any questions. You can also check our calendar for current meeting dates.

The Interest Groups meet via Zoom.

DNA Interest Group

The DNA Interest Group meets on the third Thursday of each month from 2:00 to 3:45 PM.  The purpose of this group is to help you better understand how to use DNA in your family research. We explore various ways to use testing sites like AncestryDNA, MyHeritage, 23andMe, FamilyTreeDNA, and third-party DNA sites. We work collaboratively to interpret your DNA results and to help answer your DNA questions. 

German Interest Group

The German Interest Group meets on the second Thursday of every month at 10AM.  The German SIG emphasizes sharing family histories and recent research successes, seeking  advice on overcoming brick walls, and learning from others about useful research tools, techniques and online resources.  Please contact historian@smcgs.org to get on the mailing list.

New England Interest Group  

The New England Interest Group meets on the second Thursday of every month at 3PM.  We’d like to hear from you about your interests in Colonial and Early America.  If you'd like to join us, please contact paloaltopapa@gmail.com to get on the mailing list. 

British/Irish Interest Group    

In hopes of a soft Brexit, we have now combined the British and Irish groups into one peaceful collaboration.  Meetings are the first Wednesday of every month at 3PM.​  Come and bring your knowledge and questions to share with other researchers.  Please contact publications@smcgs.org to learn how to participate and get on the contact list.