PAancestors.com

June 2024 Issue

June 2024 PA Happenings

Hello Reader!

Welcome to PA Ancestors Discoveries - where every issue helps you with 1 of the 10 struggles in your Pennsylvania genealogy research:

Overwhelm
Fuzzy focus
Lack of notes
Disorganization
Struggling alone
Ignoring sources
Fruitless searches
Little known records
No historical knowledge
Not using existing research

(And if a friend forwarded you this newsletter, you can subscribe here.)

This week we are talking about the new writing challenge, the return of the podcast, and meeting up in Pittsburgh.

Join the Chronicles Writing Challenge

If one of your goals is writing your family history, you can write along with me and a community of genealogists June 1st-10th.

Get organized, improve your focus, write about one generation in a fun and easy way.

You'll find all the information on Chronicle Makers Substack, and be able to subscribe for free to the writing challenge.

I'll also have an announcement over at Chronicle Makers tomorrow about a special Chronicles Club we are running this summer. The Club is a writing club just for genealogists. We'll meet every other Thursday and swap writing to get feedback. It's a great way to improve your writing and make sure you are saying everything you need to say about your family history.

Subscribe to Chronicle Makers to get the announcement and the writing challenge info.

The Your Pennsylvania Ancestors podcast is back!

I'm excited to announce that your favorite Pennsylvania genealogy podcast returns this June and I have a special message just for you!

Learn why the podcast was on a year long hiatus, what the plans are for this summer and fall, and upcoming topics. Check your podcast app on your phone for the new episode, or subscribe to the podcast to find the new episode.

You can subscribe to the podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, or in the podcast app of your choice.

Last opportunity to research with me in 2024

If you are ready to dive into archival research and see original records of your ancestors, you can join me for guided research in Pittsburgh.

Register by Thursday May 30th for a day of assisted in-person research at the Detre Archive at the Heinz History Center on June 20th (the day before the WPGS 50th Anniversary Conference). I will be with you as you research and you'll also get an orientation to the archives to start your day. Cost is $75, and includes the online preparatory workshop below ($25 value). Newsletter subscribers can save 33% with code PASUB33 at checkout. Register here by May 30th.

Online preparatory workshop is on June 4th on Zoom. This is included with the in-person research day above and also perfect for genealogists far from Pittsburgh who want to learn how to research in-person on their own. I'll walk you through how to make a research plan, use the online catalogs, and then how to do the in-person research. Cost is just $25 and includes a research guide you can customize for yourself. Register here by May 30th.

Can't wait to meet you!

Let's meet at WPGS 50th Anniversary Conference!

I'll be exhibiting at the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society 50th Anniversary Conference on June 21st and 22nd. Conference attendees will be get offers of discounts on the PA Ancestors Membership and the books: Pennsylvania Vital Records Research and Archives of Pennsylvania.

There is still time to register for this hybrid conference at wpgs.org.

Connect with me on the Whova conference app or in-person in the exhibit hall!

PA Ancestors Member Connections

PA Ancestors Members now receive a premium newsletter each Monday. The newsletter is features little-known record sources along with historical knowledge of those records so you can complete your research (and know it has been done well).

Not a member and want a preview? Here is a preview of the past issues:

Future issues this summer will be on colonial land records, deed records, probate records, and the various records of the Prothonotary's office. When you become a member, you get all the past member content I've created (Nothing disappears unlike with most memberships.).

See all the benefits PA Ancestors Membership.

That's it for this week's newsletter. If you found something useful, please share it with your genealogy friends and in any Facebook groups you are in and say you got it from PA Ancestors.

Keep discovering your ancestors,