Beginner’s Guide to DNA testing for Genealogy
2024-01-13 13:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago)
This presentation will give an overview of the 3 main types of DNA tests available for family history purposes. It will explain how Y-DNA, Mitochondrial DNA and Autosomal DNA are inherited and how to use your DNA results to verify the accuracy of your family tree, connect with new cousins, break down brick walls and solve mysteries.

How Do I Keep All This Stuff Straight: Organizing Your Research
2024-02-10 13:00 - 16:00, 2025-02-08 13:00 - 16:00
Don’t let the “stuff” of genealogy overwhelm your space or your computer files. Organized research can save you time and money and help guide you to the next big breakthrough!

Citation for Beginners
2024-03-09 13:00 - 16:00
Learning to write genealogical citations is part art, part science and potentially terrifying. Learn what important components to note while researching , and how to put them together while writing to subdue the panic and produce quality work.

5 Tips for Deciphering Handwritten Documents
2024-04-13 13:00 - 16:00
Reading handwritten documents can be one of the most challenging aspects of genealogical research. Learn 5 tips from a genealogical translator to help you make those hard to read words understandable.

Cemeteries, Symbols, and Caretakers - Stories in Stone (Cemetery Research)
2024-05-11 13:00 - 16:00
Ever wonder what various gravestone symbols mean? Is everything “set in stone” completely accurate? We will “walk through” cemeteries all over the country with tips on how to use cemetery and associated records in your genealogy quest.

Hispanic How to do Mexican Research for Genealogy
2024-06-08 13:00 - 16:00
This class is for anyone interested in doing Mexican genealogical research, and wants to find what they are looking for. We will cover the availability of resources, research strategies, and where to find help.

When the Records were "Burnt Up"
2024-07-13 13:00 - 16:00
Bad news about records can often be overcome with persistence and flexibility. Put on your own discovery hat and create your treasure maps to lead you to the answers.

Dating Family Photographs 1900-1940
2024-08-10 13:00 - 16:00
Do yo have a shoebox full of early 20th century family pictures with no labels indicating who the people were? Wouldn’t you like to learn how to analyze the photos systematically to pinpoint when they may have been taken? That’s what this session will teach you. Then you might be able to identify the mystery people whose names were lost with time.

Bastrop County Cemeteries
2024-09-14 13:00 - 16:00
Come learn more about the cemeteries in Bastrop County and how to find people you are looking for.

Colonial Immigrants: Who They Were and Where They Came From
2024-09-14 13:00 - 16:00, 2025-09-13 13:00 - 16:00
Between 1607 and 1790, about 900,000 immigrants came to the colonies. Learn about each of the nationalities that came before the Revolutionary War, where they came from, and sources available to identify them.

Understanding Family Migration Patterns
2024-10-12 13:00 - 16:00
Moving from one location to another required a major change in living conditions. The choices that led to the decision to move, and the directions of movement are pivotal in understanding those ancestors. What might help you understand the migration choices your ancestors made? How can we develop strategies that force us to learn more about our family and find new people? Come find out!

NO MEETING - Veterans Day Events
2024-11-09 13:00 - 16:00

NO MEETING - OPEN HOUSE
2024-12-14 13:00 - 16:00

7 Ways to Jumpstart Your Research
2025-01-11 13:00 - 16:00
How do genealogists “prime their pumps”? This session offers a slew of sources, methods, fresh ideas, and case studies to recharge your innovation when you think both you and your opportunities are totally exhausted.
Come to our first meeting of the new year and find out! We will watch a webinar and then share our own tips and techniques.
Bastrop County Genealogical Society’s Meeting Format:
1:00 – 2:00 – Open research discussion and Genealogy 101
2:00 – 3:00 – Skills development (i.e. webinars, speakers, etc.)
3:00 – 4:00 – Open discussion. Help us plan our meeting topics for the 2025 calendar

BCGS Meeting
2025-02-08 13:00 - 16:00, 2025-03-08 13:00 - 16:00, 2025-04-12 13:00 - 16:00, 2025-05-10 13:00 - 16:00, 2025-06-14 13:00 - 16:00, 2025-07-12 13:00 - 16:00, 2025-08-09 13:00 - 16:00, 2025-09-13 13:00 - 16:00
TOPIC TBD

Navigating Naturalization Records
2025-03-08 13:00 - 16:00
First papers, petitions, certificates and registrations. These are some of the key documents for Naturalization–the process to apply to become a U.S. citizen. Due to changing laws and an evolving process over time, locating the appropriate official paperwork can often be a challenging task for family historians. Learn how to navigate naturalization records and what information they contain about your ancestors.

Railroad Records and Railroad History: Methods for Tracking
2025-04-12 13:00 - 16:00
Did great-grandpa traverse this nation as he worked for the railroad? For which railroad did he work? Where did it run? Are there railroad records which may give us personal details? Visuals and references demonstrate the wealth of historical materials available all across the U.S. When this lecture is over you will know where to turn to find out more about the railroad, its records, and where to find them. Also learn about online personnel and payroll records, indexes, books, railroad employee and union magazine indexes, inventories of railroad records, indexes of insurance claims, identified photographs of people, trains, and stations, architectural drawings, and links to other free websites and finding aids. Some of these lists give a person’s name, birth date and place, railroad jobs held, and more. An extensive handout gives links to these and many others.

7 Immigration Methodologies
2025-05-10 13:00 - 16:00
Family historians face significant challenges tracing immigrant ancestors. Changes in language, culture, family composition, given name, surname, country of residence, and occupation tend to obscure the origins of many immigrants. We will be introduced to seven methodologies to effectively trace immigrant origins, illustrated with examples from the early 1600s to the early 1900s.

Daughters of the American Revolution Update and Genealogical Research System
2025-06-14 13:00 - 16:00
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution has been collecting genealogical information since 1890 to support both the application process for membership and to honor the service of Patriots. The Society operates a marvelous library in Washington, DC. Over the last few years they have scanned and provided public access to extensive online resources. Come learn more.

A Nose for News: 20 Tips for Getting the Most out of Newspapers
2025-07-12 13:00 - 16:00
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution has been collecting genealogical information since 1890 to support both the application process for membership and to honor the service of Patriots. The Society operates a marvelous library in Washington, DC. Over the last few years they have scanned and provided public access to extensive online resources.

Using Google Earth for Genealogy
2025-08-09 13:00 - 16:00
Google Earth is one of the best free genealogical tools available! Learn how to unlock mysteries in your research from unidentified photographs, to how an ancestral location looked a hundred years ago or more, to plotting homesteads precisely using land patent legal descriptions. You’ll learn how to interpret the genealogical records you already have in new and exciting ways using layers, overlays, forensic analysis, and little known online tech tools.
