Our meetings are held on the 1st Saturday of the month at 1:30 p.m. at the Greene County Records Center and Archives​ in Xenia, Ohio (535 Ledbetter Rd)*  Please note that we are in the process of transitioning our meeting locations and some presentations may have a different location listed.
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All meetings are free and open to the public; unless noted otherwise, registration is not required.

​*We will have a Zoom link for our meetings if you are unable to attend in person.  Please email us using the form on the contact page if you would like the link.
2023-24 Greene County Chapter Calendar
  • 4 Nov 23: Migration Trails to Ohio
    • Speaker: Peggy Clemens Lauritzen, AG
    • Abstract: This lecture will focus on different groups that migrated to the newly-formed Ohio country and how the land was divided up as people began to settle.  We will study these trails, as well as circumstances that brought people here.
    • Bio: Peggy Clemens Lauritzen, AG, FOGS, has an amazing ability to bring laughter into the lives of her audience members.  One of her favorite photos is a picture of her mother on her way to a church picnic, then on to an afternoon of cemetery transcribing.  It was taken just four days before Peggy was born!
      Having grown up with parents that were deeply involved in genealogy takes her love of family history to a new level.  Some people are amazed that she knew people that were actually born in the 1800’s; her own grandparents.  Listening to the stories from bygone years, touching the fabrics from quilts, dresses, blessing gowns, and bonnets all have added to the admiration of previous generations.  
      ​Peggy is a frequent lecturer at many local societies in Ohio, as well as Family History seminars.  She has presented at Brigham Young University, and ICAPGen, and taught Continuing Education classes at several community colleges and The Ohio State University.  One of her proudest moments was achieving the credentials that qualified her to be an Accredited Genealogist, for it polished her research skills.
      ​She is a featured columnist in Reminisce magazine, has written several Legacy QuickGuides, and has filmed as an instructor for Ancestry Academy, and worked as a researcher for Ancestry ProGenealogists.  She was recognized for her work by being award the title of Fellow of the Ohio Genealogical Society in 2018, as well as receiving the Laura G. Prescott Award for Exemplary Service in Genealogy. 
  • 2 Dec 23: Chapter Holiday Party 
  • 6 Jan 24: Getting Things Done and Family History: Productivity Tips and Tools 
    • Speaker: Diana Elder (virtual)
    • Abstract: How do you stay productive when you have numerous genealogy projects? Learn a system to capture to-do items, prioritize projects, and erase overwhelm.
    • Bio: Diana Elder AGⓇ is a professional genealogist accredited in the Gulf South region of the United States and serves as a Commissioner for The International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen). Diana authored Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist’s Guide and co-authored the companion volume, Research Like a Pro with DNA: A Genealogist’s Guide to Finding and Confirming Ancestors with DNA Evidence. She created the study group and eCourse that teach the Research Like a Pro process through videos and learning modules. Diana and her daughter, Nicole, share research tips on their website, Family Locket (https://familylocket.com/), and are the hosts of the Research Like a Pro Genealogy Podcast.  Diana teaches regularly at genealogy conferences such as RootsTech and the National Genealogy Society Conference. She also presents webinars and seminars to local genealogy societies across the United States.
  • 3 Feb 24:  Book Discussion: Buried Secrets: Looking for Frank and Ida, the true genealogical detective story of my quest to discover my grandparents’ hidden past
    • Speaker: Anne Hanson (virtual)
    • Abstract: When Anne Hanson’s dad first asked her to investigate the secret past of his parents, little did she know what she was getting into. For two decades, despite all her digging, she failed to unearth even the tiniest speck of evidence that the families of her grandparents, Frank and Ida Hanson, had ever existed. If her quest were a detective novel, its title would have been, “The Case of the Missing Ancestors.”
      Finally, Anne unearthed her grandparents’ true identities and the secrets they took to their graves. Journeying into an early twentieth century drama of pain and heartache, she solved a mystery from an era when a young couple, thwarted by social conventions, could simply vanish and create new lives. They radically altered their family destiny, with aftereffects that reverberated for generations.
      Yet Buried Secrets: Looking for Frank and Ida is, ultimately, a love story. When she learned the truth of her grandparents’ past, Anne comprehended the true depth of their love. Buried Secrets also illuminates the love between a dad and the daughter who gave him answers he had longed for his entire life.
    • Bio: Anne Hanson, an inveterate explorer of the unknown, has always followed when her curiosity beckoned. She crossed the ocean for her African Studies degree, and as a reporter would drive endless miles across town to get the story. Finally, when investigating her grandparents’ secrets, she journeyed into a bygone century, her vehicle painstaking and detailed research.
      Anne has written for the Boston Globe and numerous newspapers, as well as for corporate publications and the New England Historic Genealogical Society’s American Ancestors magazine. Although she loathes first drafts, Anne loves whipping unfinished writing into shape.
      When she is not sleuthing or writing, Anne, a lover of food, foreign languages, and local history, can often be found photographing plants and trees during open-air exercise sessions, or creating art with repurposed objects. During the day, she works for a software company. Her favorite authors include English novelists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries such as Jane Austen, Anthony Trollope, and Barbara Pym.
      A Wesleyan University graduate, Anne grew up in suburban Philadelphia, where she attended Quaker schools. She now lives with her husband just outside Boston, Massachusetts.
  • 2 Mar 24: America 250-Ohio
    • Speaker: Ms. Taylor Tomu, Community Outreach and Engagement Specialist, America 250-Ohio Commission
    • Abstract: Ms. Tomu will discuss the America 250-Ohio Commission and the plans for Ohio to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday
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  •  6 Apr 24: TBD
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  • 4 May 24: The Home Archivist: Preserving Family Records Like A Pro!​
    • Speaker:  Melissa Barker (virtual)
    • Abstract: Learn from a professional archivist how to preserve, protect, and archive family records, photographs, and artifacts. Best practices for organization, purchasing archival materials and practical records preservation that any home archivist can achieve! Learn how to process your collection of genealogical records from start to finish. Learn the steps archivists use to process small and large records collections at the archives and how you can use these steps to get a handle on your family records collections!
    • Bio: Melissa Barker is a Certified Archives Manager and Public Historian currently working at the Houston County, Tennessee Archives. She is affectionally known as The Archive Lady to the genealogy community. She lectures, teaches, and writes about the genealogy research process, researching in archives and records preservation. She conducts virtual presentations across the United States and other countries for various genealogy groups and societies. She writes a popular blog entitled A Genealogist in the Archives and is a well-known published book reviewer. She has been a Professional Genealogist for the past 19 years with expertise in Tennessee records. She has been researching her own family history for the past 33 years.
  • 1 Jun 24: Wanted! Seeking Unknown Parents
    • Speaker: Dana Palmer
    • Abstract: Are you struggling to find your ancestors’ parents? Learn how to bust those brick walls and find your family by using a variety of sources. This lecture examines two case studies for a husband and wife and how kinship was proven. The couple were both from Ohio, married in Indiana, moved to Illinois, and finally settled in Nebraska. We’ll explore how kinship was proven for both the groom and bride and how to overcome the lack of traditional records which should have listed the parent’s names.
    • Bio: Dana Palmer, CG®, CGL(SM) specializes in lineage society applications, publishing family books, and Midwestern research – specifically Ohio. In addition to her client work, she reviews military repatriation cases, and is part of the Mayflower Silver Books team.
  • 6 Jul 24: No meeting - Happy Independence Day!
  • 3 Aug 24: TBD
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  • 7 Sep 24: TBD
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  • 5 Oct 24: TBD​
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  • 2 Nov 24: TBD
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  • 7 Dec 24: Chapter Holiday Party 

​Other calendar items of note:​​