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Friday, March 21
GPGS Lock In (Special Events)
6:00 pm to 10:00 pm Grand Prairie Memorial Library, 901 Conover Dr., Grand Prairie, TX
 Have You Registered Yet? Don't Forget!!! CHECK - IN 5:30 - 6:00
The Grand Prairie Genealogical Society invites you to research your ancestry at an after-hours lock-in. If you've never tried a Lock-In, you need to! If you have, we look forward to seeing you again!
What is a Lock In?
A time when we have the Grand Prairie Main Library all to ourselves for after hours research. The Library provides a time and space exclusively for registrants. The public is locked out and we are "locked in" (think secure). This provides us an opportunity during extended hours to research and share without distraction. Computer access to library data bases and the internet; Roots Room access to the library’s print collection and lateral file photo archives.
We will have complimentary snacks, and cold drinks as well as a multi-item "bucket raffle" with great genealogical items totaling over $800. You'll want to take advantage of these for sure!
Pre-Registration Recommended
Best of all...it’s FREE!
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Thursday, April 3
Back to Basics (Monthly Meetings)
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm Meeting In Person and Virtual Via Zoom
Featuring Jim Thornhill
TOPIC DISCUSSION: BACK TO BASICS
Often, when we begin our family history journey, we dive right in and begin without considering where we are going to keep our family story, how we are going to make sure it is available for our decedents, what is the easiest way to keep it organized, and other basic concepts. Back to Basics is for the beginning Family Historian even if you have been researching for a while. You will get the information you need to make sure your family history will not get lost or destroyed, how to ensure your family history is error free, and how to keep it organized so you can find the information you need when you need it. You will learn how to start and build on your research in a focused manner using tools you can access from home, for free!
 Jim Thornhill has been researching his family’s history for 20 years, five of those as a professional genealogist. Jim is chief researcher for Heroes of the Past, a company that seeks to delight clients, provide context in our ancestor’s lives, and show how we all have Heroes in our Pasts.
Jim is a graduate of the ProGen professional genealogy course, the Genealogy Proof course, Texas Institute for Genealogical Research and was awarded the Birdie Monk Holsclaw Scholarship to the Institute for Genealogical and Historical Research in Athens Georgia. Jim has written articles for the Dallas Genealogical Society’s e-news and Stirpes, the Journal of the Texas State Genealogical Society. Jim is an active member in the Texas State Genealogical Society and the Dallas Genealogical Society, where he serves as President. Jim is a native Texan who has been living in the Dallas area his entire life and has roots in pre-civil war Texas and Mississippi.
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Thursday, May 1
Finding Nuggets in Letters (Monthly Meetings)
6:30 pm to 8:00 pm In Person and Virtual Via Zoom
Featuring Sue Gover-Lee
TOPIC DISCUSSION: FINDING NUGGETS IN LETTERS
Personal letters are valuable primary sources in genealogical research. These gems provide family connections and historical context. Discover where to find personal letters, how to organize them, and how to mine them for gold nuggets and additional clues. Compare information gleaned from letters with other records and documents.
 Sue Gover-Lee's passion for family history was ignited by her maternal and paternal grandmothers along with her parents. As a middle and high school student, she talked with adults in the community and was fascinated by the rich hometown history and family stories.
Locally, genealogy affiliations include Collin County Genealogical Society, Dallas Genealogical Society, Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries, and Mary Shirley McGuire NSDAR Chapter. Across the country, memberships include the New York Genealogical & Biograpical Society, National Genealogical Society, and Welles Family Association. Family history research interests span geographies (USA-NY and CT, Canada, UK, South Korea), technology (DNA data and AI utilization), and family records preservation and storytelling.
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Thursday, June 5
Mining the Gems in a Civil War Pension File (Monthly Meetings)
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm GP Memorial Library, 903 Conover Dr., Grand Prairie TX
In Person and Virtual Via Zoom
Featuring Bernard Meisner
TOPIC DISCUSSION: Mining the Gems in a Civil War Pension File
Mining the Gems in a Civil War Pension File. What originally began as a limited regime of protections for soldiers, widows, and orphans, eventually morphed into a system of old age pensions for almost one third of the elderly population. Most Union Army soldiers, their widows, or minor children applied to the federal government for a pension. Confederate veterans applied through the state in which they resided. Although most Union applications are available through the National Archives in Washington, DC, some newly released files are only available through the St. Louis Archives Center. Using the records of his great grand uncle, John Fierst, and his cousin's great grandfather, Peter Lenaghen, Bernard will reveal some of the genealogical gems that can be found in a Civil War pension file.
Bio: Bernard is a genealogist and lecturer based in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. He began researching his family over 30 years ago and enjoys sharing lessons learned from that experience, including his mistakes. Although he knew only one grandparent (his maternal grandfather) he has successfully identified all of his great-great grandparents, several triple- and quadruple-great grandparents, and his Meisner 8th great grandparents.
He is a past president of the Mid-Cities Genealogical Society, a co-leader of the Dallas Genealogical Society’s German SIG, and is a member of the Texas State and the National Genealogical Societies. He has been invited to write several articles for the Texas State Genealogical Society’s quarterly magazine, Stirpes.
Bernard retired from the National Weather Service Southern Region Headquarters where he was the Chief of the Science & Training Branch. He is certified as a consulting meteorologist by the American Meteorological Society. He has taught at the Universities of Texas, Oklahoma and St. Thomas (Houston).
Bernard earned a B.S. in physics/German from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in meteorology from the University of Hawaii. He has completed coursework of the National Institute for Genealogical Studies, the Texas Institute of Genealogical Research, and attended the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh each of the last seven years, completing courses in Irish, German, and Pennsylvania Research, Digital Research Skills, and Practical Genetic Genealogy.
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Thursday, August 7
DNA and NPE Surprises (Monthly Meetings)
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm Grand Prairie Library, 903 Conover Dr., Grand Prairie
In Person and Virtual Via Zoom
Featuring Lezlee Liljenberg CIC,CRIS,MLIS, MA, PA
 TOPIC DISCUSSION: Whether you are an amateur or a professional genealogist, my hope is for you to learn some new terms and information that you may not encounter every day in your research. We will delve into a couple of areas today I find many genealogists are unaware of because these are present day issues. These issues bring forth a modern-day quandary created by DNA surprises occurring every day due to the DNA test kits. People are doing this for fun and the outcome is not so fun every time. Others just want to know their heritage and of course there is always the fall back to “I just want to know my medical history”. So let me start with the term NPE. Does anyone know what an NPE is in the genealogy world? We will learn about the term and more.
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