Seattle: Stephanie Weiner, Oct. 8-9

Stephanie Weiner is an avid genealogist who presents at IAJGS conferences. She will be speaking on two very different topics for the Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State and the Jewish Education Council in Seattle.

During dinner with a relative who was a Holocaust survivor, she began gathering family information, scribbling madly on paper napkins. She has graduated from napkins to a software program but continues, 27 years later, to add data to her family tree. Weiner is a librarian for San Diego County (California) Library and has taught online genealogy searching to staff members and the public. A Jewish adoptee, she has been active in adoption issues for 22 years.

At 7 p.m. Monday, October 8, Weiner will present "Doing the One-Step in Ancestry.com," sponsored by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State, and at 7 p.m. Tuesday, October 9, she will present "Judaism, Adoption and Assisted Reproduction," in conjunction with the Jewish Education Council. Both programs are at the Stroum JCC, Mercer Island. See below for more details on each topic.

"Doing the One-Step in Ancestry.com" will enable participants to learn some of the Steve Morse One-Step tools that provide alternate ways of accessing U.S. census and immigration information on Ancestry.com. The program is appropriate for both newcomers and experienced genealogists.

Searchable databases found on the Web can provide useful information to genealogists. Unfortunately, many websites are not easy to use; they don’t always offer all the versatility that is possible. Different databases and programs may produce varying results.

She will demonstrate and compare search screens and searchable fields in Ancestry.com and One-Step. If time permits, she will discuss additional Ancestry.com databases.

JGSWS members, free; others, $5.

"Judaism, Adoption and Assisted Reproduction" is suitable for teachers, educators and others interested in these issues. Weiner will speak about genealogical problems faced by adoptees and AR children. These include family trees in classroom situations, personal timelines, heritage exploration and genetic traits charts.

How many times were you - as a child - asked to draw a family tree? What about a timeline of major life events or a report about your culture or heritage? Learn how these common assignments can be challenging for adopted children and families who have chosen assisted reproduction – and solutions to these challenges.

For details or to register, email Tammy Kaiser, tammyk@jewishinseattle.org, for more information. Cost: $10.

For both events, photo ID is needed to enter the JCC.

For more information, click here or email JGSWS president Lyn Blyden, president@jgsws.org.