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Special Interest Groups

Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are one of the most valuable resources available to members. SIG meetings are an opportunity to discuss your genealogy experiences and challenges with members who are interested in the same kind of research that you are. The specific SIG topics discussed in individual SIG meetings vary based upon the interests and needs of SIG members at the time.

SIG members help point you in the right direction and give you new ways to think about your family history challenges. You can also help them based upon your own experience.

SIGs meet under the guidance of a SIG coordinator, usually about once a month during the Fall, Winter and Spring. SIG schedules are included on our Events Calendar. Meetings are held via Zoom unless otherwise noted.

A list of our current VGS Special Interest Groups is provided below.

VGS members are welcome to join one or more SIGs for no charge by clicking below.

Join SIGs

FxGS SIGs

AFRICAN AMERICAN GENEALOGY SIG

SIG Leader: Marlene Parker
aamericansig@fxgs.org

The African American Genealogy Special Interest Group will explore research areas unique to the African American community, including how using census records, Reconstruction and Freedman Bureau records, plantation records, slave schedules, and other record groups can reveal information about African American ancestors. There are no meetings scheduled at this time.

Upcoming Meetings: View African American SIG Events

BEGINNER'S SIG
SIG Leader: Stephany Glotfelty

beginners@fxgs.org

Are you new to genealogy? Feel the need for a refresher on certain topics? Are you trying to figure out what to do with all the names and dates that you have gathered? Are you running into brick walls before you feel like you've even gotten started? The Beginners’ SIG is a chance for novice genealogists to gather, learn, and share some of the challenges they are facing. Meetings are held on the 2^nd Wednesday of every month from 7:00-8:30 p.m. In odd-numbered months, we will meet in person at the Annandale FamilySearch Center, and in even-numbered months, we meet via Zoom. Email Stephanie Glotfelty to be added to the SIG email list to get Zoom links.

Upcoming Meetings: View Beginner’s SIG Events

FAMILY HISTORY WRITING SIG

SIG Co-Leaders: Lee James Irwin, Sean Furniss, and Fran Millhouser

fhwritingsig@fxgs.org

Are you done with the research? Have you begun to write? Come to the Writer’s SIG! Learn to create non-fiction genealogic narratives so compelling that your family will crave to read them. Learn to incorporate historical context, tell two stories simultaneously, place your protagonist in the center of the action, add suspense, inject drama, and use dialogue to move your story forward. Benefit from the critical review of your peers. Visit us and check it out.

Upcoming Meetings: View Family History Writing SIG Events

GENETIC GENEALOGY SIG

SIG Leader: Janet Hall Werner

geneticsig@fxgs.org

The Genetic Genealogy (DNA) SIG generally meets the first Wednesday of each month throughout the school year (Labor Day through June), at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. Contact Janet Hall Werner atgeneticsig@fxgs.orgto receive notices and the Zoom link for the meetings.

Janet Hall Werner leads the SIG. Her focus as a professional genealogist is on the now-daily use of DNA to solve practical problems in genealogy and break down brick walls. Recent successes with the explosion of autosomal DNA testing will be reviewed, as well as practical applications of DNA in finding elusive ancestors, using DNA to find birth parents of adoptees, the use of Y-DNA, and other DNA strategies.

Upcoming Meetings: View Genetic Genealogy SIG Events

GERMAN GENEALOGY SIG

SIG Leader: Mark Lazaroff

germansig@fxgs.org

The German SIG’s mission is to promote historical and genealogical research into the lineage and lives of our German-speaking ancestors. Our area of interest covers all German-speaking countries in Europe, both in today’s Germany and areas formerly part of the 1871 German Empire. We emphasize how to track your German-speaking immigrant ancestor backward through American sources and repositories as well as in European archives. We usually have a speaker and meet on the third Monday of each month from 1pm to 3 pm except in December and the summer months.

German SIG September 2023 Summary

German SIG October 2023 Summary

Upcoming Meetings: View German SIG Events

IRISH FAMILY SIG

SIG Leader: Paul McFarland

irishsig@fxgs.org

Genealogists of varying experience meet to share their knowledge of Irish research and Irish history with other members; provide ideas or direction on how members could achieve successes; better understand why relatives left Ireland through the study of Irish history; locate family members the emigrant may have left behind through study of Irish records; encourage members participation in Irish research.

Irish SIG New Member Information

Upcoming Meetings: View Irish Family SIG Events

MID-ATLANTIC GENEALOGY SIG

SIG Leader: Don Coram

midatlanticsig@fxgs.org

The Mid-Atlantic SIG covers the states of New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia and New York City. To the extent of interest, the SIG will also temporarily cover Virginia and West Virginia in the absence of an Old Dominion SIG leader. SIG meetings will consist of interactive presentations by SIG members of their genealogical research, mostly related to the Mid-Atlantic region, but occasionally wandering further afield if our Mid-Atlantic research leads to other places. We also go on field trips to Mid-Atlantic research facilities.

The plans for the next few meetings are to continue in the round table format. We will focus in each meeting on Delaware, New Jersey, Virginia, or West Virginia,providedthat there is enough experience in research those states to make a round table discussion productive. So please let me know on which of these four states you can contribute to a round table discussion. The plans for the next few meetings are to continue in the round table format. We will focus in each meeting on Delaware, New Jersey, Virginia, or West Virginia, providedthat there is enough experience in research in those states to make a round table discussion productive. So please let me know on which of these four states you can contribute to a round table discussion.

The dates are: 9/20/2023, 10/18/2023, 11/15/2023, and 1/17/2024

Mid-Atlantic SIG September 2023

Virginia Published Sources November 2023

Virginia Sources November 2023

View Mid-Atlantic SIG Events

NEW ENGLAND STUDY GROUP SIG

SIG Leader: Linda MacLachlan

newenglandsig@fxgs.org

The special interest group for colonial New England genealogy will no longer meet on alternate months at the Mt. Vernon Genealogical Society Research Center and the McLean Family History Center. Instead, it will meet at whatever time you prefer to discuss colonial New England research with Linda MacLachlan. Just email her at the email address shown above to make an appointment, or come to one of the Centers while she is staffing it:

Linda is at the McLean Family History Center, 2034 Great Falls Street in Falls Church every Friday between 9:30 am and 1 pm.
She is at the MVGS Research Center, 1500 Shenandoah Avenue in Alexandria on the 2nd or 3rd Wednesday of any month between 10 am and 2 pm.