Special Interest Groups

Special Interest Groups are one of our member benefits.  Meetings of the groups are held either once a month or once every other week, depending on the group.  As a member of SMCGS, you can attend any of these meetings without charge and can rotate among groups as your interests change.  Non-members can email the moderator to ask for a one-time invitation.  Not a member? Click here to join now.

Groups work together to share their knowledge, resources and questions to help one another in their research.  Newcomers are welcome.  Feel free to email us if you have any questions. You can also check our calendar for current meeting dates.

British/Irish Interest Group     

During Shelter at Home the British/Irish Interest Group will be meeting via Zoom.  In hopes of a soft Brexit,

we have now combined the British and Irish groups into one peaceful collaboration.  Come and bring your knowledge and questions toshare with other researchers.  Please contact publications@smcgs.org to learn how to participate and get on the contact list.  Meetings are every other Wednesday at 3PM.​

During Shelter at Home the DNA Interest Group

will be meeting via Zoom on the third Thursday of every month.  The purpose of this group is to help members at all levels to better understand how to use DNA in their family research. We explore various ways to use testing sites like AncestryDNA, MyHeritage, 23andMe, FamilyTreeDNA, and third-party DNA sites such as GEDmatch and DNApainter. We work collaboratively to interpret our DNA results and to help answer our DNA questions.

Please contact lindalongley@comcast.net for more information or to get on the mailing list.

German Interest Group

During Shelter at Home the German Interest Group will be meeting via Zoom on the second Thursday of every month.  The German SIG emphasizes sharing family histories and recent research successes, seeking  advice on overcoming brick walls, and learning from others about useful research tools, techniques and online resources.  Please contact historian@smcgs.org to get on the mailing list.

NEW!  New England Interest Group  

 During Shelter at Home the New England Interest Group will be meeting via Zoom on the fourth Thursday of every month.  We’d like to hear from you about your interests in Colonial and Early America.  We'll have our first meeting in March.  If you'd like to join us, please contact publications@smcgs.org to get on the mailing list.