Pull up a chair on one of our Front Porches! The Kentucky Genealogical Society offers members a unique way to share ideas and get help with their current genealogical research challenges in a small-group, virtual setting.
They’re called “Front Porch Talks” and are as casual and welcoming as the name implies. People meet once a month to chat about a specific area of family research. The meetings are hosted by GoTo, a video meeting provider used by the Kentucky Genealogical Society for webinars and meetings. In between Front Porch Talks, group members share information in a dedicated chat room on the Kentucky Genealogical Society website.
Any member of the Society can volunteer to start a Front Porch Talk. If enough people are interested, a Front Porch Talk is created.
Currently, there are four active groups, focusing on different topics:
- KY Pre-1850 Ancestors
- All Things DNA
- KY Celtic and British Roots
- KY German Ancestors, the newest group
Rebecca Page is the administrative assistant for the meetings. She emails reminders a couple of days before each meeting, ensures that the computer technology is operating properly, and records the meetings so those who can’t participate can still share all the information discussed. Rebecca’s role enables the group co-leaders to focus their attention on leading the meetings and facilitating discussion. “All Society members are welcome,” she said, “from newbies who just started family research to those who have been doing genealogy for 20+ years. People new to genealogy instantly have a group of resources to guide them, and experienced genealogists share their learning and resources gathered over the years.”
Ky Celtic and British Roots
Front Porch Talks were started in 2022 by Kathy Keyser, now Society Co-President. “I was leading an online special interest group for the Goff-Gough Family Association and thought the concept might work for the Kentucky Genealogical Society,” she said. Christopher Padgett, then the Society President, agreed, and the first one, focused on Kentucky Scots-Irish Ancestors, was formed. That group still meets, but the name has changed to KY Celtic & British Roots, with an expanded focus. Grace O’Flanagan and Brenda Boyd are the current co-leaders for that group.
KY Pre-1850 Ancestors
Greg Hile has been active in the KY Pre-1850 Ancestors group since its beginning. Currently, he and James Meyers are co-leaders. He estimates that there are 10 to 15 regular attendees. “I live in California,” he says, “and our Front Porch Talks members are from many states and even other countries! Our ancestors arrived in Kentucky in the late 1700s and early 1800s, and those records are hard to find. It really helps to have a group to share research ideas and experiences with.” Greg likes the Front Porch concept so much that he has started a similar group, called “Genealogy Café,” in Contra Costa County, California.
All Things DNA
The Front Porch Talks chat rooms contain a wealth of information, from new ways to use DNA to find ancestors to new members introducing themselves. At a recent meeting of the All Things DNA Front Porch Talks group, Barrett Holt discussed a step-by-step guide to use GEDmatch to compare DNA data with others who may have tested with a different company. His article is also posted in the All Things DNA chat room. “The group is a fantastic resource, and there’s such a wealth of knowledge and experiences from kindred spirits,” said Barrett. “I look forward to each one.” Jeri Steele and Weston Stewart are the current co-leaders of the All Things DNA Front Porch Talks group.
KY German Ancestors
The KY German Ancestors group, currently led by Paula Collins, is actively searching for a co-leader for the group. Having a co-leader allows meetings to take place as scheduled if one of the co-leaders is unable to attend, as well as helping run the meetings smoothly. Having ideas for meeting topics and/or being comfortable facilitating open discussion, and the ability and willingness to attend monthly meetings, are more important than background knowledge for this position. If anyone would be interested in (or has questions about) becoming a co-leader of this group (or knows someone who might be a good fit), please reach out to Society Co-President Kathy Keyser.
For More Information:
- Members can join a Front Porch Talk group by visiting kygs.org, logging in as a member on the top right, and navigating to Members/Participate/Join a Front Porch Talk Group.
- If you are not a Kentucky Genealogical Society member, or for more information about Front Porch Talks and their chat rooms, visit this page on kygs.org.
