October 10th, 11 a.m., Payson Public Library

Steve Allison from the Payson FamilySearch Center will be speaking on the major differences between FamilySearch and Ancestry and how they can be used together in genealogical research. He will also provide an overview of recent innovations in FamilySearch research capabilities.

October 17th, 10 a.m. – noon, FamilySearch Center, 913 S. Ponderosa St,. Payson

As a follow-up to the October 10 meeting, Society members will be provided an opportunity to receive a hands-on one-on-one introduction to FamilySearch. Trainers will also be available to answer questions and/or assist experienced FamilySearch users with their research. Lastly, an NGCGS member will be available to discuss the use of Ancestry, both for individuals with an Ancestry account and those who do not have an account. Please note the time and location difference.

Steve Allison has been a hobby genealogist

since the late 1970s.

He has experienced the amazing evolution from paper-based and microfilm-based genealogy to online digital access.

"I love finding photos and stories to honor the memories of people in my family tree," he said. "Early on, I was able to find portrait photos for most of my direct-line ancestors through 4 generations. However, for decades, I could not find any photo for one set of my second-great-grandparents. I had just about concluded that no photo existed. About five years ago, I was looking for something else on Ancestry.com when I found a public tree with a beautiful studio portrait photo of this couple, uploaded and shared by a distant cousin I'd never met. I was able to copy that photo, upload it to FamilySearch, and make a print for my home office. The ability to digitally scan, upload, and share family treasures with the entire human family is a modern miracle."

Upcoming Meetings

November 14th, 11 a.m., Payson Public Library

NGCGS Vice President Bill Cluck will be doing a presentation on the use of artificial intelligence in genealogical research.

December 12th, 11 a.m., Payson Public Library

Holiday Party with members and guests sharing some of their own genealogical adventures.

ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND!

Unless otherwise designated, meetings begin at 11 a.m. at the Payson Public Library, 328 North McLane Road, Payson, AZ 85541.

Come a bit early for light refreshments.

Sept. 12th, 11 a.m., Payson Public Library

Kori Tueller, Administrator of the State of Arizona Research Library, will speak in person about national and regional efforts to archive historical information, including:

1. Chronicling America

2. National Digital Newspaper Program - Library of Congress

3. Arizona Memory Project

Arizona Research Library Catalog

Past Meetings

Connect the Dots of Memory to Reality

By Carol Baxter

A genealogist knows or soon learns the value in mining old newspapers and local records for data. Pre-internet, when everything was printed, the search had to be done with care not to tear fragile pages, and one might need to travel hither and yon to view collections.

Close to 280,000 items have been digitized and are available to seek out online via the Arizona Memory Project.

Items such as historical magazines, school yearbooks, and early territorial biographies make up over a third of the collection.

“I have so many favorites,” said Kori Tueller, Administrator of the State of Arizona Research Library, a branch of the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records. “The Arizona Education Directories cross a long span of time and list teachers, subjects taught, and salaries, things that are not public now. If you want to look up a teacher you had, you can connect the dots of memory to reality.

“We have periodicals on just about any subject, farming, ranching, aviation, ads, catalogs from vendors trying to appeal to grocers, and lots on citrus, that people might not think about using for research,” Tueller said. Want to know who was crowned Grapefruit Queen in 1945, check out the Desert Grapefruit, March, Number 7.

Discover vintage photographs from the 1800s (many with names) to members of the Rainbow Bridge-Monument Valley Expedition party of 1933 eating watermelon quarters that are wider than their shoulders, and about another 90,000 images.

The state historical newspapers section hosts more than 300 separate newspaper titles spanning from 1859 to the present across all 15 counties.

Tueller grew up reading the newspaper, first comics and puzzles. She grew up in Massachusetts and her dad brought home the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald. Her family lived in a neighborhood filled with long-term residents and her family regularly read the obituaries. “It made us feel connected to the neighborhood and it was a way to honor them,” she said. As an adult, Tueller read the local paper wherever she lived to explore the area.

Tueller was sitting in a library carrel in Ahwatukee waiting for her teen in the band to finish marching when she decided to pursue a career in library science, and she has never looked back. Pride for the Memory Project collections is apparent in her voice. “We know not everyone can make it to Phoenix, that is why we make the digital library available, and we feel strongly about helping people use tools to access the database through video tutorials and other resources,” she said.

Rim Country residents who wish to discover more about the Arizona Memory Project, Chronicling America, Library of Congress' National Digital Newspaper Program, the Arizona Research Library Catalog, and Arizona Genealogy Day directly from Kori on Saturday, September 12 at 11:00 a.m. in the Mogollon Room at Payson Public Library. Her presentation is hosted by the Northern Gila County Genealogical Society. Come a bit early for light refreshments.

Library of Congress Stats:

1890s pure quantity peak: 13,000 active publications

1910 dailies peak: 2,200

1970s and 80s circulation delivered: 63,000,000

The Payson Roundup is one of 5,595 currently active newspapers!

2026 dailies: 938

August 8th, 11 a.m., Payson Public Library

Vic Conner, NGCGS member, will share an overview of Google Workspace and how it can be used in genealogical research.

Click here to download Vic’s handout.

Use of AI in Genealogical Research

February 14, 2026

Bill Cluck will give a short talk on the Use of AI in Genealogical Research. NGCGS will begin the process of updating the bylaws to reflect our anticipated new situation. The 2026 budget will also reflect the new situation as we currently see it.

Photo by Igor Omilaev, Unsplash

American Indian Ancestors

Saturday, March 22, 2025

American Indian Ancestry is speaker Janet Carruth’s topic at the March 22 meeting of the Northern Gila County Genealogical Society. Visitors are welcome! The meeting begins at 11 a.m. Come a bit early for light refreshments. The society is located at 302 East Bonita Street, Payson, AZ 85541. More info: www.ngcgs.org, (928) 474-2139 or ngcgs2019@outlook.com.

Denisovans and Neanderthals

January 25, 2025

Do you know what Denisovans and Neanderthals are in relation to genealogy? You are invited to the Saturday, January 25th meeting of The Northern Gila County Genealogical Society. Club president Bill Cluck will give the presentation. Visitors are welcome! The meeting starts at 11 a.m. at NGCGS 302 East Bonita Street, Payson, AZ 85541. More info: (928) 474-2139 or ngcgs2019@outlook.com.

Annual Membership Meeting

November 23, 2024

This Saturday, we will be voting on the 2025 slate of officers during the business portion of our meeting. During the membership portion, we are asking anyone with some new information on their family search progress to let us know, and we will add them to the list for this meeting (15 minutes talk time). There are usually some great stories. We tried to do this each year until the pandemic slowed us down.

32 Years of Searching Expertise

August 24, 2024

The Northern Gila County Genealogical Society (NGCGS) welcomes Diane Huebner as the speaker at our meeting on August 24.

The meeting is open to the public and begins at 11 a.m., but arrive a little early for light refreshments. Location: 302 E. Bonita St., Payson.

Member Diane Huebner has been working on her genealogy for 32 years, so she has seen many changes in the way research is done and does not miss using microfiche. She will share the story about how a favorite female family name caused a big error in her family tree, and it was corrected after Ancestry DNA matched her up with a cousin.

How to Use Genealogy Websites

May 25, 2024

There are many websites you can use to trace your family tree and dig into your ancestral roots. Bill Cluck, the Northern Gila County Genealogy Society’s president, will discuss his favorite online databases, covering unique features and user experiences on free and subscription services on May 25 at our monthly meeting. The public is welcome at our monthly meeting. It begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 25, at 302 East Bonita Street in Payson.

Speaker: Dr. Melanie Russell

July 27, 2024

The Northern Gila County Genealogical Society (NGCGS) welcomes Dr. Melanie Russell as the speaker at our meeting on July 27. She will speak about the importance of writing our own personal history. Dr. Russell earned her PhD in English Literature from the University of Sheffield. She has been an English Professor since 2007 and currently teaches at Gila Community College.

The meeting is open to the public, at 11 a.m., Saturday, July 27 at 302 E. Bonita St., Payson. Come a bit early to get settled. Light refreshments served.

Genealogy to Legacy

March 23, 2024

From Genealogy to Legacy: Transforming Facts into Unforgettable Narratives with Kirsi Dahl.

Technology’s Impact on Genealogy

February 22, 2025

Machine learning, optical character recognition (OCR), natural language processing (NLP), and generative AI are revolutionizing the search and are allowing genealogists to explore wider and deeper, but there is no need for anyone to feel lost in the alphabet soup of new tech!

The Northern Gila County Genealogy Society and the Payson Area Computer Meet-up Group will host Susan Mueller as a guest speaker at their first joint meeting at the NGCGS building.

Mueller is an expert genealogist with more than 30 years of experience sleuthing ancestors. She is a retired educator, has taught monthly genealogy classes for the Erie County Public Library for a decade, and leads the Genealogy Special Interest Group for Computer Users of Erie, Pennsylvania.

“I have found the advances in the AI digitization of records and subsequent indexing by our online providers to be extremely exciting,” Mueller said. “ Not only do we have the geometric availability of records, but this comes with total document name-indexing with increased accuracy.”

However, if using AI as a research assistant feels like a foreign or scary concept, you are not alone. Generative AI scares Mueller too. Her presentation, Technology’s Impact on Genealogy, is an opportunity to listen, ask questions, and gain knowledge in a friendly setting.

The public is welcome. The meeting begins at 11 of February 22, at 302 East Bonita, Payson.

Arizona’s Confidential Intermediary Program - Reuniting Adult Adoptees with their Birth Parents

April 27, 2024

Ray Baxter is the guest speaker at the Northern Gila County Genealogy Society Meeting on Saturday, April 27, from 11 a.m. until noon. Baxter was an Arizona Confidential Intermediary for nine years reuniting adult adoptees with their birthparents. He will discuss this program and the recent changes that have taken place with the advent of Pre-Adoption Original Birth Certificates. He will also touch on how DNA testing websites have allowed adoptees to learn of their genealogy heritage. The genealogy society is located at 302 East Bonita Street in Payson. Learn more at ngcgs.org or call (Thurs. – Sat.) 928-474-2139.

FamilySearch.org — a Fresh Look

September 28, 2024

The Northern Gila County Genealogical Society (NGCGS) welcomes Gene Carruth as the speaker at our meeting on September 28. Topic: Familysearch.org - A Fresh Look. Gene will demonstrate and highlight the site’s key features and share the activities and fantastic resources of this extensive database. He will also demo FamilySearch’s “Memories” phone app that is used to gather photos and ancestral stories. A digital handout includes hot links to key educational classes on the FamilySearch Wikipedia, How to Use the FamilySearch Catalog, How AI works, etc.

Gene is currently retired from his prior life at Valley National Bank, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, and the Arizona Air National Guard in Phoenix. Gene and his wife managed the Phoenix Family History Center for over 9 years.

The meeting is open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. Come a bit early to get settled. The meeting begins at 11 a.m. at 302 E. Bonita St., Payson.