Seattle Genealogical Society

Special Interest Groups at SGS

Special Interest Groups (SIGs) provide an opportunity for members to meet with others who have similar genealogical interests. Each group has a chair (or co-chairs) who faciitates and coordinates with the Director of Education to set a schedule of meetings for the year. Meetings focus on specific topics or questions, with lots of time for discussion and interaction. Participants are encouraged to share their research and knowledge. Upcoming meetings are listed on our Calendar of Events and Home Page.

New!  Pacific Northwest Interest Group
Share information and discuss Pacific Northwest genealogical research.  This new SGS-sponsored special interest group meets monthly on the first Wednesday of the month at 6:30PM Pacific, 9:30PM Eastern, via Zoom.  SGS membership is encouraged but not required.
 
 

DNA Interest Group
We seek to determine how best to use DNA test results in our family history research: which test to use, who to test. Each meeting begins with a review of currently available DNA tests, followed by a presentation of “What’s New”, and then short presentations about their DNA research results by group volunteers. Resource-rich handouts are provided at each meeting. The archive of DNA Interest Group handouts may be viewed here (SGS Members only).
 
Meetings are held quarterly, online using Zoom.
Sign up to receive meeting handouts and links by contacting sgsdnasig@gmail.com
DNA Image
 
DNA Workshops - The DNA Interest Group also sponsors monthly workshops, online using Zoom, to explore tools for genealogical analysis of DNA test results, such as GEDmatchDNA Painter, and GDAT (formerly GenomeMate Pro).
 
All meetings are virtual via Zoom until in-person meetings can resume.
 

 
Pass It On Writers' Group
We encourage attendees to create their family histories and share their compositions with others in an effort to improve their writing. This group is historically smaller than other SIGs to encourage camaraderies and sharing of effort.  Meetings are virtual via Zoom until in-person meetings can resume. This group is currently closed to new members.
 
 

 
Write It Up! Writers' Group
Whether you are writing an article for a scholarly journal, recording family stories, or compiling a genealogy, all are welcome to share your work with others.  This group meets virtually on the second Monday of each month at 7PM.  Members are encouraged to post their work in a shared folder by the beginning of the month to give others a chance to read in advance.
 

 
family search logoFamilySearch Users Group
Meeting the first Saturday of the month September through June, this group explores use of the free universal online Family Tree maintained by FamilySearch. Meetings are virtual via Zoom until in-person meetings can resume.
View video recordings of recent meetings here.
 
 
 
 
 

 
MAC Computer Interest GroupPicture of MAC
Jointly sponsored by SGS and Fiske Genealogical Library, this group meets every other month from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Meetings are open to the public and address topics and resources helpful for those using MacIntosh (Apple) computers and the Reunion program in their genealogy research.  Meetings are virtual via Zoom until in-person meetings can resume.
 

 
German Interest GroupGerman Flag
Meetings, which were usually held in-person on the third Saturday of the month from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at the SGS Library, are now virtual via Zoom, same day and time.
 
 
 

 
Irish Interest GroupIrish Flag
Each year during March members of this group support SGS outreach at Irish Week community events held in Seattle. Meetings, which were formerly held in-person on the third Saturday of each month from 10:15 am to 12:15 pm at the SGS Library, are now virtual via Zoom, same day and time.
 
 

 
Scandinavian Interest GroupScandinavian Map
This group meets quarterly (Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct) on the second Sunday of the month from 1:00 to 3:00.  Meetings are virtual via Zoom until in-person meetings can resume.
 
 
 
 
 

 
Japanese-American Interest Group
This group has been suspended pending a search for a group leader (or two).
Meetings were held quarterly on the fourth Sunday of the month (January, April, July, October) from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm.  Meetings are virtual via Zoom until in-person meetings can resume.
 
 
 

 
Start a new special interest group!
Are you interested in a particular topic or geographical area for which SGS does not yet have a special interest group? Contact the Director of Education, education@seagensoc.org, to discuss your idea. If other members are interested, including someone willing to chair the group, a new special interest group can be formed.