Aurora Genealogical Society of Colorado
2025 Program Meetings
https://www.auroragenealogicalsociety.com
www.facebook.com/AuroraGenealogicalSocietyCO
https://conferencekeeper.org/event-submissions/
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If interested in attending, please send request to attend to: AurGenSoc@gmail.com
Attendance is free, however, donations are greatly appreciated.
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Tuesday, December 2, 2025 @1:00pm(MT) "Opening Up the BLM of Land Management"​​
ZOOM Only meeting: Presented by Carol Darrow, Professional Genealogist
Genealogist can benefit immensely from using BLM GLO records, as these documents offer valuable insight into land ownership and family history. By exploring land patents, surveys, and tract books, genealogists can trace ancestral land acquisitions, uncover kinship ties, and pinpoint where ancestors lived. Utilizing BLM GLO records is a key strategy in piecing together the intricate puzzle of genealogical research.
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Tuesday, January 27, 2026 @1:00pm(MT) "Fair Work: Labor Unions and Your Ancestor"​
ZOOM Only meeting: Presented by Jen Baldwin, Professional Genealogist
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Labor and work have been in question since the first colonies were established on our eastern shores. Developing a greater understanding for how labor unions affected American history - and your ancestor - can lead to highly valuable genealogical material.
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Tuesday, February 24, 2026 @1:00pm(MT) "Faith of Our Fathers"
ZOOM Only meeting: Presented by Sylvia Tracy-Doolos, Professional Genealogist
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Churches were an anchor for many of our ancestors. A general understanding of the role faith played in their lives and the effect on communities, states, and our nation will aid your understanding and may guide you to unexpected records.
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Tuesday, March 24, 2026 @1:00pm(MT) "Artificial Intelligence / Family History Research
ZOOM Only meeting: Presented by Vickie Smejkal, Experience Genealogist
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Vickie will present Artificial Intelligence and what is it and what it isn't. She will demonstrate how it relates to Family History Research by briefly mentioning how A.I. is being used on various family history websites and will then use the FamilySearch program to show some of its visible A.I. features and how it can be used to benefit your family history research.​​​
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Future Presentations:
Tuesday, 28 April 2026 @1:00p.m. (MT), HYBRID meeting - Military Records Hiding in Plain Sight
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Speaker Bios
​Carol Darrow: Per her Bio:
Carol Cooke Darrow is a professional genealogist who works as a lecturer and researcher. She has a degree in history from the University of Texas and is the co-author of The Genealogist's Guide to Researching Tax Records published in 2007. She currently offers two online opportunities to learn genealogy:
Beginning Genealogy classes via Zoom
Write NOW! a family history writing group, also on Zoom
Visit the Colorado Genealogical Society website (cogensoc.us) for more information and registration details about Carol's other classes.
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Sylvia Tracy-Doolos: Per her Bio:
Sylvia Tracy Doolos has been interested in genealogy for forty years and has been working as a professional genealogist for over ten as the owner of New Leaf Genealogy. She is President of the Colorado Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists (CAPG), and the Wales, Ireland, Scotland, England Family History Society (WISE), and Past President of the International Society of British Genealogy and Family History (ISBGFH). Sylvia is actively involved as a genealogical volunteer with both the Denver Public Library and the Carbon Valley Library and is an active member of several other genealogy societies. Sylvia is a proud graduate of ProGen 48 and has a B.A. in History with a minor in English focusing on linguistics, so she could study how language changes affected record keeping.
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Vickie Smejkal: Per her Bio:
Vickie has been doing genealogy for 36 years, has been a volunteer at the FamilySearch Center for over 31 years, and is currently the FamilySearch Coordinator having served for over 10 years thus far.
Vickie provides one-on-one training sessions with patrons and provides classes via Zoom on the various functions of FamilySearch, as well as other genealogical related presentations.
In additional to her family history work, she has spent over 18 years and continues to do so, working on her project she calls Block 12 Riverside - a pauper's site within Riverside's Pioneer Cemetery. She was also invited by the Fairmount Heritage Foundation to document all of the veterans interred at Riverside Cemetery. All of her documented subjects can be found on Findagrave.com and on her website RiversideCemeteryDenver.com
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