Special Interest Groups

A Special Interest Group (SIG) is a small, informal gathering of members who share a common interest. Groups meet monthly at the West Waco Library & Genealogy Center for discussion and and assistance with their research efforts. Join us at the next meeting or contact the group leader for more information. If you are interested in the creation of a NEW special interest group, let us know.

AI for Genealogy - NEW!

Discover how artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity can make your genealogy research easier, faster, and more creative. This hands-on, beginner-friendly group explores practical and ethical ways to use AI for analyzing documents, breaking through brick walls, and organizing research. Each session includes guided exercises with sample prompts you can try. Members work collaboratively in an informal, supportive setting to build community connections around AI and genealogy. No AI experience required—just bring your curiosity and research challenges! We explore both free and paid tools. This group meets the 4th Thursday from 6:00-7:00 p.m. in the meeting room. Laptops or tablets are helpful but not required. Free and open to members and non-members. For information, contact Sherri Ahmadzadeh. Live streaming coming in the future.

Cemetery Interest Group - The cemetery interest group is led by William D. "Bill" Buckner, Library & Research Services Manager, Library & Cultural Enrichment, Waco-McLennan County Library. The group's mission is maintaining an inventory of all McLennan County cemeteries using proper techniques and utilizing the latest technology. Group members are active in the research of the cemeteries and searching for those that have not been documented. The group meets the 2nd Monday at 3:00 p.m. in the Genealogy Center conference room. Contact Bill Buckner for more information.

DNA Research - The complexity of this field can be confusing. Join this group to learn who to test, how to test, and what to do with the results when they are received. Group members share the knowledge they have acquired by assisting others one-on-one. This group meets the 2nd Thursday at 4:00 p.m. in the large conference room. For information, contact John Pfost.

German Research - Central Texas is home to many German researchers. Members help each other identify sources of information to learn about their German ancestors including finding where they lived in Germany, when and where they immigrated, and learning about their lives in America. Tips on intrepreting German handwritten records are very helpful. Members enjoy celebrating each others successes and sharing the family stories learned from research. This group meets the 1st Monday of each month at 10:00 a.m. in the large conference room. For information, contact L inda Jordan.

Southeastern US Research - Time to bust through brick walls and find new ancestors! This will be our America 250 project!

Please mark your calendars for Monday Feb 23 at 4:00 at the West Waco library. (Glassed conference room adjacent to genealogy help desk) I have a project for you:

Please bring me at least one county name & state in which you can confirm that you had an ancestor living there during some part of the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). We will need to know surname. We will be working on a project with that surname. Next month bring me another surname until you run out.

* If you can’t get back to an ancestor living during American Revolutionary War, please bring the surname that takes you closest to the time period 1775-1783 and any facts you have about that surname. A pedigree chart would be helpful.

We are here as a group to help you breakdown a brick wall in your research, give you ideas where to search and techniques on how to search. We are also here to assist if you are working on heritage applications such as DAR or SAR.

And please invite anyone you know that might benefit from our group to join us too.
See you in February! For information, contact Gina Andre. See y'all there!