sculpture outside the Davis Senior Canter

Our group shares a love of genealogy and family history.
Our mission is to assist anyone in their research and to promote community interest in the study of genealogy through sponsorship of speakers, small discussion groups, and by maintaining a genealogy research library that is open to the public.

What exactly does DGC do?

  • We staff and manage a library which is open to the public several times a week. — (read more)
  • We offer public monthly programs featuring speakers from around the world. — (see events)
  • We have social events where club members gather to talk and share good food!
  • We hold Monday Discussion Groups — small sessions with no formal structure.  Drop in if you would like to share a success, ask a question, or help brainstorm solutions to problems presented by others.  Open only to members, this is a time and place to share progress or frustration about your current research, ask for help, and get some! Resources suggested are often listed in the President’s next Message to Members.
"Tree of Life" mosaic bench outside the Davis Senior Canter
  • The members-only “Topic Talks” are a creation of our club where small groups meet for leaderless discussions with no formal program — just an announced topic to focus on.
    • Some previous topics include: Irish, Pennsylvania, and German research; Adoption; Lutheran ancestry; and many more.
    • Members attending might discuss their approaches leading to successful — or not so successful — attempts at researching in the designated topic area.  Feel free to bring resources and references that can help others. And be sure to bring your questions!   — (join the club)
  • After having several programs and Topic Talks about DNA, we eventually created a special study group devoted entirely to the topic. In our monthly “DNA Study Group”, we delve deep into genetic genealogy! — (see upcoming DNA events)
  • Book Club – Davis Genealogy Club members are invited to read and discuss fiction and non-fiction books at in-person meetings in the Library. Here’s a list of what we have read and are thinking of reading. Your suggestions are welcome! Email to Suzanne.SPeterson at gmail.com.

We look forward to welcoming everyone at some future event or discussion.
While our future is bright, that is only because of the great foundation we have with over forty years of volunteers — working in the library, serving on boards and committees, showing up to learn and share, and supporting and promoting the Davis Genealogy Club and family history in general.

THANKS TO YOU ALL!

Membership is open to everyone.

Gatherings happen in person, via Zoom, and Merged (Hybrid).

Officers and committees and how to reach us …

Elected Officers -- email suffix is davisgenealogy.org
PresidentPatty Milich president@...
Vice President Jan Levenson vp@...
SecretarySusan Ford sec@...
TreasurerMary McGowan treasurer@...
Standing Committees -- email suffix is davisgenealogy.org
MembershipWendy Cohen, chair membership@...
ProgramJan Levenson, chairvp@...
PublicityLisa Henderson, chair, 530-753-8943publicity@...
LibraryVicki Klein, chairlibrary@...
Ad Hoc Committees -- email suffix is davisgenealogy.org
Website DesignLisa Henderson, chairwebsite@

join the club or renew
contact us
map to 646 A St


More about us … how we began …

Starting in 1979, a group of people in Davis, California, gathered to share their interest in genealogy and family history research. Coordinating with the people who were designing the then-new Davis Senior Center, they arranged for one room in the new building to be dedicated to storing books and they formed the “Davis Genealogical Club and Library”. Since then, our club’s members have shared with each other and provided meetings where special speakers could come and help us learn how to do genealogy better.

Our library has remained a center for many activities, but in 2006 we informally shortened our name to “Davis Genealogy Club”. That was also the year we created our first website. In 2021, with this newly revised website, we hope to welcome more people participating in our online programs — wherever they reside.

The Davis Genealogy Club has existed for over 40 years. To read more about our rich history, click here.

Club bylaws, click here.

This array was made from photos shared by members for one of our annual fall potluck programs — which usually includes individuals telling the story behind each photo or object. That year the theme was family pets. Another year it was recipes.
Our club is located in Davis, Yolo County, California, USA. Davis has long been a hybrid town — partly agricultural, partly academic, and now part bedroom community for Sacramento. We’re FLAT here on the valley floor, but looking to the west we see the “Blue Ridge” which is the beginning of our Coast Range. This is our horizon as seen from the tallest building in town — UCD’s Sproul Hall — and was drawn by Lois Richter in 1996.

The Davis Genealogy Club (DGC) is an all-volunteer, public benefit non-profit organization financed solely by membership dues and donations. It is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3). Gifts of any amount will help DGC provide quality resources and education to everyone interested in researching family histories.