Speaker
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Sara CochranProprietorSara is a full-time professional genealogist with over twenty-five years of research experience. Her research has taken her into nearly every State in the USA and Ireland, Italy, Austria, and Britain. She holds a Boston University Genealogical Research Certificate, a Bachelor’s Degree in Library Science, and is an alumnus of the ProGen Study Group. She especially enjoys breaking down brick walls for her clients, discovering the stories of black sheep ancestors, and helping individuals preserve their photographic legacy. She is currently the Registrar for the Aurantia [Riverside] Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and volunteers at the National Archives, Riverside office.
Upcoming Events
What the Law Put Asunder: Divorce in America
Meet Your New Research Assistant: AI for Genealogists
Orange County California Genealogical Society BASH
Suddenly Scotland! An Introduction to Scottish Research
Orange County California Genealogical Society BASH
Register here for the 12th Annual OCCGS Genealogy BASH & Book Faire, a full day of learning, research, and discovery with the Orange County California Genealogical Society.
Meet fellow researchers, explore specialized books and resources, and deepen your skills through practical, research-focused sessions led by experienced genealogists. Your registration helps support OCCGS’s mission to preserve and share family history records and education for our community.
a Hybrid Event
Spit, Search & Solve: A Hands-on DNA Genealogy Day
In person with Sara Cochran, The Skeleton Whisperer
Session 1: To Spit or Not to Spit? Is DNA Testing Right for Your Research?
Covering the basics of Genetic Genealogy, we will review the DNA tests available; list the companies that offer them; determine how to choose which is best for your research, and which family members to test–if any! Then, we’ll lay the foundation for working with your matches.
Session 2: Roll Up Your Sleeves: Putting Your Match List to Work
It’s time to dig in! This hands-on session puts the concepts from “To Spit or Not to Spit” directly into practice on your family and your match list. We’ll work through targeted testing strategies based on your own research question, then tackle match grouping and sorting so you can start making sense of all those names and numbers.
Session 3: Digging Deeper into Your DNA: Tools for the Intermediate Genetic Genealogist
You’ve got matches—now what? This session takes you beyond the basics with a virtual tour of the Big Four testing companies, exploring what their tools have in common and what makes each one unique. We’ll then dive into powerful third party platforms DNA Painter and GEDmatch, where you’ll discover tools that can transform a confusing match list into real answers.
Session 4: Dig Deeper, Find More: Applying Your Intermediate Toolkit
Time to put those new tools to work! In this hands on session, you’ll apply what you learned in “Digging Deeper” using your family and your match list. Whether you’re experimenting with hypotheses in DNA Painter, running an analysis in GEDmatch, or exploring the unique features of your testing company, you’ll leave with meaningful progress on your research question and a plan to keep making progress at home!
Registrants will receive a detailed welcome letter containing the schedule and necessary details.
OCCGS maintains the 23,000+ book genealogy collection at the Huntington Beach Central Library. We receive many donations often containing duplicates that we sell at bargain prices once a year during the BASH & Book Faire.
Come and build your personal library at the Book Faire. There will be over 1,000 books and periodicals on sale.
Lunch options are available for pre-purchase for in-person attendees:
