Upcoming Monthly Meetings
Available to JGSSN meeting attendees: private access to the resources of the FamilySearch Center!
The FamilySearch Center resources will be available for JGSSN use after the meeting until 4:00 pm. Those resources include free access to a variety of genealogy programs, such as Ancestry.com, MyHeritage, Newspapers.com, and many others. In addition, the library will make their document, photo, slide, audio and video scanners available. Bring in your family memories and convert them to digital files. See the attachment for a list of the resources. Library staff will be available to assist.
The FamilySearch Center resources will be available for JGSSN use after the meeting until 4:00 pm. Those resources include free access to a variety of genealogy programs, such as Ancestry.com, MyHeritage, Newspapers.com, and many others. In addition, the library will make their document, photo, slide, audio and video scanners available. Bring in your family memories and convert them to digital files. See the attachment for a list of the resources. Library staff will be available to assist.
| lvfsl_web_programs_and_scanning_resources.pdf |
June 15, 2025
Guest speaker, Roslyn I. Torella, will present: "Using Social Security Records to Break Brick Walls"
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Zoom Lecture. Zoom Link will be sent with the registration confirmation.
Members: To RSVP, click here (free for members)
Non-members: To pay the $5 admission, click here and then click here to register.
Using Social Security Records to Break Brick Walls
Social Security records can reveal your ancestor’s name, origin, and social history. Learn what records are available and how to find and interpret them. Topics covered are a brief history of Social Security benefits, anatomy of the SSN, how to do a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for records, what is the Death Master File (DMF) and the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) and how to interpret the Social Security records available on Ancestry and FamilySearch.
About Roslyn Torella:
Roslyn Torella specializes in Italian and immigrant genealogy through her business, Mahoning Valley Roots. She wrote a monthly Italian genealogy column for La Gazzetta Italiana for many years and is treasurer and newsletter editor for the Mahoning County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society. She has published in the National Genealogical Society (NGS) Magazine. Roslyn enjoys conducting workshops and lectures on genealogy and is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. She lives in Lowellville, Ohio, where she is known as her hometown’s “unofficial, self-appointed historian” and has written and published a book about her hometown’s wicked past.
| torella_-_social_security_records_0125_esig.pdf |
July 20, 2025: Guest speaker, Susan Weinberg, will present: "Mining the Manifest"
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Zoom Lecture. Zoom Link will be sent with the registration confirmation.
Members: To RSVP, click here (free for members)
Non-members: To pay the $5 admission, click here and then click here to register.
"Mining the Manifest"
After 1906, immigration manifests offer a wealth of information, but what do you do if your family came over prior to that time? And how did they go from New York to other areas in the United States? This presentation explores the immigration period from the early 1890s through 1906, a period which begins to offer useful information for a genealogical search. Using a case approach, we will look at derivative naturalization documents, trace contacts they were going to through the NY vital records and follow immigrants who found their route through Canada. Once in New York, we will explore how you can follow their journey to the areas outside of New York. We will explore cases with name changes and variable spellings, work back from other documents, and resolve conflicting data.
About Susan Weinberg:
Susan Weinberg is an artist, author, researcher, and frequent speaker on genealogy topics. Drawing on her long career in finance, she often applies spreadsheets as an analytic tool in her genealogy research. Her creative work often involves storytelling and frequently explores family history themes. Susan is active in organizations within the world of Jewish genealogy, serving as the president of the Minnesota Jewish Genealogical Society (MNJGS), vice president of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) and vice president of the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest (JHSUM). She developed the Jewish Identity and Legacy Project, an oral history project with elders, then authored the book We Spoke Jewish: A Legacy in Stories that includes oral history, artwork, and history on three groups of Jewish immigrants who spanned the 1900s. Susan has created and manages websites for the former Jewish communities of several ancestral towns. She writes frequently for publications on genealogy topics and does genealogy research for clients around the world.
| mining-the-manifest-handout.pdf |
August 17, 2025: Guest speaker, Jude C. Richter, will present: "Using Online Collections at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum."
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Zoom Lecture. Zoom Link will be sent with the registration confirmation.
Members: To RSVP, click here (free for members)
Non-members: To pay the $5 admission, click here and then click here to register.
Using Online Collections at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
This presentation will provide strategies and tips for genealogists who want to make the most of the Museum’s online collections, which hold not only Holocaust-era records but also materials from the interwar period and even earlier. Join us and learn how to maximize your search results in the Museum’s collections catalog and how to narrow them. You’ll also see how to use collection finding aids to identify those collections that are the most relevant to your specific interests and find records in those collections that might add to what you already know about your ancestors.
About Jude C. Richter:
Jude C. Richter holds a Ph.D. in Russian history from Indiana University. From 2002 through 2006 he worked for the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany conducting research in the collections of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM). Since 2006, he has worked for USHMM. He is a Research and Reference Specialist in the Museum’s Survivors and Victims Resource Center. In this role, he searches the International Tracing Service (ITS) Digital Archive and other Museum collections to document individuals’ experiences during the Holocaust for survivors, their families, and the families of victims.
September 14, 2025: Guest speaker, Terri Conway, will present: "From Immigrants to Citizens: Tracing Your Naturalized Ancestors"
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Location: Las Vegas FamilySearch Center, 509 S 9th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Members: To RSVP, click here (free for members)
Non-members: To pay the $5 admission, click here and then click here to register.
From Immigrants to Citizens: Tracing Your Naturalized Ancestors
Unlock the secrets of your family's history with our informative lecture on how to determine if and when your ancestor was naturalized. Dive into U.S. naturalization records spanning from 1790 and into the 20th century and discover crucial details about your ancestors' journey to citizenship. Learn step-by-step methods to verify your ancestor’s naturalization status, consult the comprehensive FamilySearch Wiki, and navigate the FamilySearch Catalog to locate District Court records that may hold invaluable insights. This lecture will provide the tools you need to expand your genealogical research.
About Terri Conway:
U.S. naturalization records that have helped her learn about the origins of her family, and help others. After retiring from a career in international human resources, Terri earned her professional certificate in genealogy from Boston University. She volunteered at the FamilySearch Center from 2021-2023 and continues to help anyone looking for their ancestors from Eastern Europe, particularly Poland and Galicia.
Finding the Las Vegas FamilySearch Center and where to park:
Click here for directions.
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