Member Meetings & Programs
The Western New York Genealogical Society hosts a minimum of six member meetings a year. These meetings are generally held on the third Saturday of the month during March, April, May, September, October and November (unless special opportunities or conflicts arise). Occasionally, bonus webinars, trips, and workshops may be offered during the year.
As a special benefit for members, videorecordings and digital handouts are made available whenever possible.
Upcoming Society Programs
Feb 23, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM ESTZoom (Virtual Event)Program Description: Join us for the first NextGen meeting where Gabrielle Kandefer, our chair, will delve into free genealogy websites including FamilySearch and FindAGrave and Jeanette Sheliga, WNYGS’s Program Chair, will demo FultonHistory.com!
Mar 15, 2025, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM EDTZoom (Virtual Event)Program Description: Cooking can bring us back to a particular place, time, conversation, experience, family. Eleanor Brinsko will be looking at the history of the evolution of home cooking and how we can use these recipes, cookbooks, and experiences to help us further our research and presentation.
Mar 20, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM EDTZoom (Virtual Event)Program Description: Join Mark Olsen, Family Tree Maker Ambassador, to discover all of the potential benefits in using the program to support your family history journey.
Apr 12, 2025, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM EDTZoom (Virtual Event)Program Description: Did your ancestor serve in the American Revolution? This program will explain the different types of army service and how the differences might have impacted where your ancestor was recorded. Also discusses militia and Continental Line structures and the federal pension.
May 17, 2025, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM EDTZoom (Virtual Event)Program Description: The National Parks Service's National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is our country’s catalog of places of significance to our past. New York has over 6,000 listed sites. Our people are there, but they aren’t easy to find. Learn how to coax them out and build their stories.
Advanced registration is required for all programs.
After registering for an online program, you will receive a Zoom confirmation email containing the meeting link.
Download Program Flyers
March Program - Cookbooks & Recipes
April Program - From Local Militia to the Continental Line
May Program - National Register of Historic Places
Save the Date: Upcoming Special Interest Group Programs
Sun., April 27, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. EST - Virtual
NextGen SIG Meeting: "Digital Media and Organization Strategies" (Members Only Program)
Sat., May 31, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. EST - Virtual
Family Tree Maker SIG Meeting with John Fassbender (Members Only Program)
Questions or Suggestions?
Have a question about an upcoming program?
Do you have a suggestion for a program topic or speaker?
Past Programs
2025 Programs
Feb 15 2025: "The Underground Railroad Run Through Here" presented by Janice Lovelace [WMA] [Flyer]
Jan 11 2025: "Analyzing Census Data Using Spreadsheets" presented by Tara Shymanski [WMA] [Flyer]
2024 Programs
[WMA] indicates the content is available for viewing in the Members Area.
Nov 16 2024: Annual Business Meeting & Elections and "Twenty Years of Stuff - Now What Do I Do?" presented by Elissa Scalise Powell"[Flyer]
Oct 5 2024: 50th Anniversary Founders Celebration featuring Thomas W. Jones and Karen Mauer Jones [Flyer]
Sept 8 2024: “Brick by Brick: Tracing Your Home’s History”with Tina Beaird [WMA] [Flyer]
Jul 13 2024: “Save Our Cemeteries" Workshop
Jun 22 2024: “Birthplace and Crossroads of Western New York" Talk & Workshop
Apr 20 2024: Members Meet-Up - Rochester Genealogical Society's "Genealogy in Bloom" Conference with Jeanette Sheliga
Mar 16 2024 "Chautauqua County Poor Farm & the Emigrant Train" presented by Michele Henry [WMA] [Flyer]
Feb 17 2024: "Using AI for Genealogy" presented by Margaret M. McMahon [Flyer]
Jan 20 2024: "Wide World of Passports" presented by Debra Dudek [Flyer]
Prior Programs (2021-2023)
Additional information on past member programs and trips here.
Member Program Photo Gallery
Click any image to learn more about past WNYGS programs and events.