Welcome to the website of CGS (a 501c3 non-profit group) !
GENERAL MEETINGS AND CLASSES:
WE BEGAN MEETING IN PERSON AGAIN IN FEBRUARY 2021, BUT WE ARE STILL CAUTIOUS AND PREPARED TO BACK-PEDAL, AS NEEDED. WE CANNOT PREDICT AT THIS TIME (OR EVER) WHAT TOMORROW WILL BRING, LET ALONE WHAT THE SITUATION WILL BE NEXT MONTH OR EVEN NEXT WEEK. THE MOST UPDATED INFO WILL BE PROVIDED HERE AND ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE.
FOR INFORMATION ON OUR TUESDAY AFTERNOON CLASSES, PLEASE CHECK THAT PAGE ON THIS WEBSITE. SOME EXCITING NEW CLASSES AND FREE GENEALOGY INSTRUCTION ARE ON THE SCHEDULE. COME TO FIND OUT WHAT WE ARE SHARING IN 2026!
NEXT IN-PERSON GENERAL MEETING: 2 November 2026
“Brick Walls with Barbed Wire: Finding Ancestors in Institutions”
Even before the first “state prisons,” settlers found methods of handling scofflaws, on the local level. Folks unable to function in society, either because of their own issues or problems with their family situations, would be housed in “appropriate” locations, away from the respectable citizens of the community. Ancestors might be found in mental institutions, orphanages, poor houses, asylums, sanitoriums, sanitariums, boarding schools, veterans’ homes, and any place where they, and/or the public, would be safe. Here we look at how/where forebears might be found in various US locations.
OUR SPEAKER: Jean Wilcox Hibben; PhD, MA
Jean Wilcox Hibben; PhD, MA, former So. Cal. college speech professor (MA – Speech Communication; PhD – Folklore), is a national speaker and author. She is the former director and current family history consultant for the Corona, CA FamilySearch Center, has worked on background research for two genealogy television programs, and was a host for podcasts on social history. A former Board-Certified genealogist with over 45 years of research experience, she is a former board member of APG and past president of its So. Cal. Chapter; 1st Vice-president of the Corona Genealogical Society, as well as webmaster for that same organization; and participant on a number of other society boards. Jean writes the “Aunty Jeff” column for the Informer, the newsletter of the Jefferson County NY Genealogical Society. Her website: circlemending.org.
This program will be presented in a hybrid format; members can listen where convenient on an Internet connection (link will be provided the week before, to members only . . . not a member? Join up!). In person visitors, always free.
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We meet either in the Martinez room, off the lobby of the library; or the High-Desert room, in the children’s section. Verify when you arrive for our evening’s meeting location.
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During in-person gatherings, basic protocol (as dictated by the library, county, state, and US government) will be followed for the health and safety of all.
Board meetings will continue to be held virtually via Zoom with no plans to change that arrangement.
Return here or check our Facebook page for the latest. Questions? Concerns? Email webmaster to contact any of the officers.
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Your board continues to meet and plan for the continued genealogical education of its members. Meetings, via Zoom, take place the third Monday of every month. Open to all members. To join us or ask us to add something to the agenda, contact webmaster Jean Hibben, she will forward the email to the proper officer.
The CGS website is in compliance with the 2018 GDPR requirements, click here to view our Privacy Policy.
In-person meetings are held the first Monday of every month* from 6:15 – 7:45pm (with networking, socializing, and program set-up at 6:00pm). In the event that the first Monday is a holiday, meetings will be shifted to the second Monday (see meeting schedule for clarification).
CORONA PUBLIC LIBRARY
650 S. Main St. (at 6th), Corona, CA 92882
To find out which meeting room is to be used, please refer to the information above or the Meetings page.
To network, get to know each other, or receive/give genealogical research assistance, “early birds” are welcome to gather at 6:00pm. ——————-
The society is open to anyone who wishes to research his/her family history. Monthly programs are offered to assist us in successfully identifying our ancestors of all backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, religions, etc. Members are also encouraged to assist others by presenting a topic that will be of interest to the rest of the group and/or participating in the various projects the society hosts.
MISSION STATEMENT: To promote interest and education in genealogy.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS, as of April 2025 :
Pamela Coleman – President
Jean Wilcox Hibben – 1st Vice-President (programs) & Webmaster
Dottie Laird – 2nd Vice-President (membership) & Facebook Admin Co-Chair
OPEN – Secretary & Facebook Administration Chair
Kay Anders – Treasurer
Carolyn Hughes – Correspondence Secretary
Len Enlow – Newsletter Editor & Education
Donna Polentz – Publicity & Facebook Co-Administrator
Maggie Rawlins – Historian
Lyle Rawlins – Member at Large
Mary Anne Vincent – Member at Large
Helen Woods – Member at Large
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VISIT WITH US ON 
To access our members-only page, click on the instructions below: 
You must be a Facebook member to join the group (click here or the image above). When you click on the request to join, that will be sent to Donna Polentz, Susan Tseko, or Dottie Laird, our Facebook co-Coordinators, who will get back to you. Once verified, you will then receive notification that you are “in” and you can start posting or responding to other members right away. Please be respectful of each other (no spamming or other inappropriate messaging – violators will be removed from the list). Use this to communicate about genealogy events you have become aware of, ask for help or suggestions in your research, invite society members to “friend” you, etc. This is a great way to maintain contact with each other between meetings, so consider checking this group periodically. (Note: no sales or commercial use permitted)
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For dues information and to join the society, attend the next meeting we hold in person and fill out an application or see the Membership page on this website. For questions, contact Jean Hibben, CGS webmaster CoronaGeneaSoc@gmail.com ——————- To see the schedule of our upcoming meetings, check the MEETING CALENDAR page.