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Enjoy a day filled with genealogy presentations.
Celebrate America’s 250 with Genealogy
Join us for a day of Genealogy programming watching presentations from the Waco, Texas Annual Genealogy Lock-in program and presentations the Beech Grove Historical Society and Kim Midkiff-Shepherd, co-owner of The Bizy Genies and a representative of the Samual Bryan Chapter of the NSDAR.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2026
Beech Grove Branch Library
Bring a sack lunch, a drink, and your laptop.
10:15 am Welcome
10:20 am Beech Grove Historical Society President Dick Templin will share information on the Society’s collection in the Local History Room at the library branch.
10:45 am Unlocking Your Roots: Starting Your Genealogy Journey Difficulty: Beginner
Barbara Coakley, Genealogy Researcher, Speaker, Author
Learn how to start your genealogy journey or update your skills using a repeatable research process. Begin with what you already know, frame your research question, explore essential records, and organize your discoveries.
12:15 pm Lunch Bring your own
12:50pm Beyond the Family Tree: An Introduction to Oral History for Genealogy
Difficulty: Beginner
Adrienne Cain Darough, MLS, CA Assistant Director and Clinical Associate Professor, Institute for Oral History
Genealogy often begins with documents, but it becomes powerful through storytelling. This presentation explores the fundamentals of oral history and how intentional interviewing can uncover context, culture, and connections that traditional records may miss. Learn how to plan, conduct, and preserve meaningful family interviews.
2:00 pm Researching Your Revolutionary War Soldier: A Case Study
Difficulty: Intermediate
Craig R. Scott, CG, FUGA, President and CEO of Heritage Books, Inc.
A Revolutionary War ancestor can be a goldmine of information if you know where to look. This lecture aims to examine types of service, compiled military service records, pension applications, settled accounts, and where other documents can be found using a step-by-step methodology in a case study.
3:00 pm Research Help with Kim Midkiff Shepherd
Getting other generations (Gen Z, Gen X, Gen Alpha) interested in Genealogy, Ways to get around Road Blocks, and other questions answered.
4:45 pm Building Your Digital Family History Archive Difficulty: Intermediate
EvaAnne Johnson, Genealogy & Local History Librarian at Wilmette Public Library
While we are researching our family tree, we often collect a lot of digital files - from downloaded records and emailed documents to scanned photographs and mobile screenshots. What should we do with all these digital files, and how can we keep them organized? This presentation will cover the basics of digital preservation and outline practical steps for creating a well-structured Digital Family History Archive to safeguard your genealogy work.
5:45 pm Thank You and Goodbye!
The programs are provided by the Genealogy Education Network (GEN), a multi-state initiative to connect libraries/genealogical societies and provide educational and research opportunities that is spearheaded by the Genealogy Center of the Waco-McLennan County Library. Co-sponsors include the Central Texas Genealogical Society and the Texas State Genealogical Society.
The Beech Grove Public Library has served the City of Beech Grove since 1951 when it opened at a storefront location. Its current building, dating back to 1953, has undergone four renovations and additions, the most recent in 2019. In 2016, the library merged with The Indianapolis Public Library to become the Beech Grove Branch, IndyPL’s 23rd branch location.