Seminar: Unlock Your Ancestors' Military Records (thru Nov 8)

Various Bay Area libraries will be hosting a FREE seminar on the subject: Unlock Your Ancestors' Military Records.

Location/Date/Time

• Los Altos Library, 13 S. San Antonio Rd, Los Altos, Friday, July 10, 1 – 3 PM
• Saratoga Library, 13650 Saratoga Ave, Saratoga, Sunday, July 12, 2 – 4 PM
• Morgan Hill Library, 660 W Main Ave, Morgan Hill, Tuesday, July 14,  4 – 6 PM
• Cupertino Library, 10800 Torre Ave, Cupertino, Saturday, July 18, 11 AM – 1 PM
• Gilroy Library, 350 W. Sixth St, Gilroy, Monday, July 27, 2 – 4 PM
• Castro Valley Library, 3600 Norbridge Ave, Castro Valley, Sunday, November 8,  2 – 4 PM

What you will learn

• Access military records from major archives and databases
• Interpret DD-214s, draft cards, and service records
• Use census and muster rolls to trace service
• Create storytelling from veteran oral histories and personal accounts
• Create and share a meaningful memorial page

Session Abstract

Unlock Your Ancestors’ Military Records: Critical documents, resources, and techniques to create military service stories. Discover the hidden stories of veterans in your family. This seminar shows how U.S. military records can enrich genealogy research by revealing an ancestor’s life, service, and character. Learn step-by-step methods to access records from the National Archives, FamilySearch, fold3, and online resources. Explore how to interpret DD-214 forms, locate draft registrations, use census and muster records to trace service and deployments. Hear veteran oral histories that bring records to life with personal context. Participants will learn to create a lasting memorial page honoring service. 

About The Speaker: Ron Chan

Ron is a seasoned lecturer on family history documentation best practices, captivating audiences worldwide at genealogy workshops and libraries across the San Francisco Bay Area. As a published genealogy author, he has a passion for storytelling and teaches innovative technologies to bring ancestral tales to life. Ron is the Founder and Executive Director of the Bay Area Chinese Genealogy Group, dedicated to preserving ancestral stories. He is also a Co-Founder of the Chinese American GI Project, ensuring that veterans’ legacies are not lost, forgotten, or ignored. As a CHCP Advisory Board Member, Ron is a contributor to CHCP's Oral History Project. Ron shares with you how to capture and share family struggles of the past so future generations can embrace, remember, and learn from those who came before.