Vicky Ferraresi
The PebbleCreek Genealogy Club (PCGC) next meets on Monday, March 10 from 9 a.m. to noon.
PCGC meets the second Monday of each month in the Palm Room in the Eagle’s Nest Clubhouse. Meetings start at 9 a.m. with a short business meeting, followed by an invited speaker with the remaining time devoted to “Tips and Tricks” from members, networking, and sharing of research. Guests are always welcome!
The speaker on March 10 will be Vicki Reisenfeld on “Exploring the Past with ChatGPT: a Guide to AI-Enhanced Genealogical Research.” She will introduce using AI for genealogy research and will explain and demystify how to use it. Ms. Reisenfeld has been researching her family since 2002 after receiving unorganized family photos (sound familiar?). As she tried to make sense of the recurring names, she was hooked! She came to Arizona in 2020 and is active in the Trilogy at Vistancia Genealogy Club. She is the Immediate Past-President of the Trilogy Genealogy Club, and is looking forward to having more free time to incorporate the latest AI and DNA tools available to further advance her research.
At the February meeting, David Gaboury presented “Moving South: Canadian Migration to the United States.” Dave, a member of PCGC, has been researching family history for 30 years. He specializes in French-Canadian ancestry and recently published a book on the 360-year history of all Gabourys who have lived in North America. He’s a past board member of the Heritage Education Commission in Moorhead, Minn., and a co-facilitator of the Canada SIG at the West Valley Genealogical Society in Youngtown, Ariz.
The Tips & Tricks session was “French Settlement in Canada in the 1600s” with Chris Pelikan. Chris described Samuel de Champlain’s exploration, settlements, the rise of “Mercantilism,” population growth, his ancestors’ role in this early Canadian history and French migration south in the 1700s.
PCGC continues to develop our new members-only mentoring program, Genealogy Detectives. It is specifically intended to help those new to genealogy to receive guidance as they begin researching and building their family tree. Current members can get assistance and ideas on their ongoing research, especially when “stuck.” This is a great reason for you to join PCGC!
We continue having monthly luncheons for members; it’s a great opportunity to get to know one another. Members should keep an eye out for an email regarding dates and locations.
Looking forward, on April 10 PCGC will visit the Irish Cultural Center and McLelland Library in Phoenix. The speaker at the monthly meeting on April 14 will be Denise Beeson on “Genealogy Research Using Cemetery Records.”
Visit our new website at pebblecreekgenealogy.club for more information about PCGC. General information is open to all site visitors with additional content available to members only. This is another member benefit and another great reason to join PCGC.
We hope to see you on March 10 as we learn more about discovering our families!