Upcoming Meetings and Events - Future Events View

Bring your brick walls and questions for our panel of experts: Mike Kalt, Debbie Long, Barbara Freedman and others!

Join us for an exciting and informative webinar on “Family History and Artificial Intelligence!” Discover how AI is transforming the way we research, document, preserve and share our family histories. This webinar will explore: Some current AI technology being used in family history; What is ChatGPT and how does it work; Using ChatGPT to generate text, fine-tune responses and evaluate output relevant to family history research; Limitations of AI technology and ChatGPT and key things to consider. Possible uses of ChatGPT in Family History including research, analysis, documentation and sharing the lives and stories of our ancestors. This webinar is perfect for anyone interested in exploring the exciting possibilities of AI in the realm of family history research, and specifically using the tool of ChatGPT. Whether you’re a seasoned genealogist or just getting started, this webinar will provide you with valuable insights and strategies for using AI to uncover your family’s unique story. Join us to learn more about the intersection of Family History and Artificial Intelligence and how this technology can revolutionize the way we understand and appreciate our family heritage.

Yizkor (memorial) books document the history of Jewish communities destroyed in the Holocaust. Written in Yiddish, Hebrew, or both, they are a crucial resource for research in East European Jewish history, Holocaust studies, and Jewish genealogy; often, they include necrologies (lists of those who died), making them especially valuable for genealogical research. Visually, many of these books are extremely rich, featuring detailed maps, photographs, and illustrations.

Have you been confused by your ancestors’ vital records? Many birth records show the person as illegitimate, missing a surname, having a hyphenated surname, not matching their parents or siblings, or having married via a “ritual Marriage.” Janette Silverman explains some of the punitive family laws in the old Austrian Empire that led to these curiosities, how Jewish communities worked to circumvent these laws, how this is reflected in vital records, and the insight we can gain about the lives of our Galician ancestors. You may be able to apply the lessons learned to help solve confusing surnames in records of other countries as well.

“Using FamilySearch for Jewish Research”