Dive into Genealogy Research with Our 2026 Genealogy Jumpstart Series

Genealogy Jumpstart image with vintage photos.

Your family tree starts here! Join Local History Librarian Katie Stilp for our monthly genealogy series offered select Tuesday afternoons all year long. Attend in person at the library or virtually via Zoom. If you attend in-person, you don’t need to register. If you’re attending via Zoom, please register for each session individually using the specific registration links provided.

Whether you’re a beginner, have dabbled in a little research, or are a seasoned family historian this series has something for you. We’ll focus on a different topic during each session, exploring record sets and resources to help you successfully research your family tree. We’ll also provide live demonstrations of our genealogy databases and share additional resources for deeper investigation to enhance your research toolkit.

Each session can be taken on its own, so you’re welcome to join at any time – though attending the entire series will maximize your learning experience. Missed a past session? Catch up on our YouTube channel.

A note on technology skills: In the Genealogy Jumpstart sessions, we’ll explore various website-based resources and databases available through the library. While brief instruction will be provided on how to locate and navigate these resources, time constraints prevent us from covering every feature in detail. You’re welcome to bring your own device to follow along, but please note sessions focus on genealogy research rather than developing technology skills. If you need further assistance with navigating the resources or using technology, please refer to our events calendar for Technology Help sessions. Additionally, we’ll cover offline resources, as not all genealogy records are available online.

2026 Genealogy Jumpstart Sessions

If you’d like to attend the sessions via Zoom, click on the title of the program below to register. In-person attendees don’t need to register. Handouts and videos will be available after the program.

Please note session start times change to 2 pm – 3:30 pm.

• Finding Your Family in Online Repositories – Handout | Video – Tuesday, January 27 at 2 pm

• Court Records – Handout | Video – Tuesday, February 17 at 2 pm

• Probate Records – Handout | Video – Tuesday, March 24 at 2 pm

• Land Records – Handout | Video  – Tuesday, April 21 at 2 pm

• Military Records – Pre-WWI – Handout | Video – Tuesday, May 5 at 2 pm

• Military Records – WWI and Beyond – Handout | Video – Tuesday, May 19 at 2 pm

• Planning a Research Trip – Handout | Video – Tuesday, June 23 at 2 pm

• Family Photos 101 – Scanning, Organizing and Preserving – Handout | Video – Tuesday, August 11 at 2 pm

• International Research – Handout | Video – Tuesday, September 8 at 2 pm

• Organizing Your Research – Part 1 – Handout | Video – Tuesday, September 15 at 2 pm

• Organizing Your Research – Part 2 – Handout | Video – Tuesday, September 29 at 2 pm

• Using Your DNA for Genealogy – Part 1 – Tuesday, October 27 at 2 pm – Handout | Video

• Using Your DNA for Genealogy – Part 2 – Tuesday, November 3 at 2 pm – Handout | Video

• Preserving Family Stories – Tuesday, November 17 at 2 pm – Handout | Video

• Genealogy Help Drop-In – Tuesday, December 15 at 2 pm

Additional Genealogy Programs and Services

Looking for more genealogy programs? You may also be interested in our Find Your Ancestors genealogy series. You can also find previous years’ Genealogy Jumpstart series using the “Genealogy Jumpstart” tag, below.

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