Monthly Genealogy Workshops at St. Petersburg College

The Friends of the West Community Library at St. Petersburg College, St. Petersburg Gibbs campus will sponsor a Genealogy Workshop every second Saturday in the Community Room of the library. The event is free and open to all, and lasts one hour beginning at 10 A.M.. Presenters Susan Hickok and Charlie Grandmaison will discus many topics to help you discover your roots. For further information, please call 341-7174, 341-7172 or 341-4486, or visit the library at 6700 8^th Avenue North.

News from Other Societies

The South Bay Genealogical Society will hold its May meeting on the 15th of May. Society President Don Churchill will present a program about his recent experiences as part of an Elderhostel/St. Kitts Historical Society project of recording gravesites in St. Kitts. For more information, visit the SBGS web site at http://www.rootsweb.com/~flsbgs/ and click on the link for Meetings. You'll also find a link to a map to the meeting location there.

All About Our May Speaker: Melody K. Porter

FGS looks forward to welcoming "home" our friend, Melody K. Porter, who will present our program on Saturday, 19 May 2007.

Melody Porter’s background is as a computer software business analyst, but she has been researching her genealogy for over 15 years. Recently, she chose to pursue genealogy full time. Melody is proud to be a Native American (both Cherokee and Choctaw) and a member of the Western Cherokee Tribe in Oklahoma. She is the Secretary of the Florida State Genealogical Society (FSGS) and former Records Administrator for the FSGS Pioneer Certification Committee although still actively involved as a Pioneer Reviewer. Melody is the Southeast Director for the International Society for Family History Writers and Editors, a member of the Association for Professional Genealogists, the South Georgia Genealogical Society and the Seminar Chair for the Tallahassee Genealogical Society. She is a former Director of the Florida Genealogical Society of Tampa and now lives in Thomasville, GA. Melody specializes in Florida and South Georgia research.

Melody's program is titled, "Georgia Research Locations: Not Just for Georgia Researchers." She describes it in her workshop abstract as follows:

"Ever wonder about that little library you just drove by on your way home to Florida? Have you made the commitment to finding the missing piece of information on the family line at a brick wall?

"As a genealogist whose family lines did not run into Georgia or even close, I was less than ecstatic about my research opportunities when I moved to Georgia. However, I am now a believer in never overlooking a potential research site – no matter how small even if it is in Georgia. This lecture will give you information about research sites that will make you plan your next trip up north through every Georgia genealogy research location you can find!!"

We're looking forward to Melody's program and to getting caught up with her!

Volunteers Wanted!

FGS performs a valuable volunteer service to new and struggling genealogists through its "Ask a Genealogist" program at the John F. Germany Library on two Saturdays each month. We typically have a society volunteer on-site on the first Saturday of the month from 9:00 AM to Noon and on the third Saturday of the month from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. The service allows people to ask questions that most of us can answer, sometimes with the help of the genealogy librarians on duty at the time.

We need additional volunteers to help share the responsibility with other members. It is a very rewarding opportunity to help others and to learn about different types of research.

If you are willing to help with this important service, please contact Drew Smith at drewsmithtpa@gmail.com.

Mark Your Calendars! The FGS Fall Seminar is Set!

Mark your calendars now for our all-day Fall Seminar, which will be held on Saturday, 8 September 2007, at Hillsborough Community College’s Dale Mabry Campus!

Our special speaker is Amy Johnson Crow, CG, who will present the following topics:

• Researching Your Civil War Ancestors Online;
  

• Ten Years is a Long Time: Census Substitutes for the In-Between Years;
  

• Finding Ancestors before 1850; and
  

• Finding Female Ancestors. Watch for more details at our Web site and in future announcements.

Click this link -- FGS 2007 Conference Registration Form -- for a PDF file of the registration form! Cut-off is August 31st but don't wait!

FGS Program for 19 May2007

The Florida Genealogical Society will hold its monthly meeting on Saturday, 19 May 2007 at 10:00 AM n in the Auditorium at the John F. Germany Library at 900 North Ashley Drive in downtown Tampa. Our special guest speaker is Melody Porter, whom many of our members remember fondly as an active member of our society. Melody is traveling to us from her current home in Thomasville, Georgia, and will present a program titled "Genealogical Research in Georgia." A Southern Research Special Interest Group (SIG) will also meet at 1:00 PM in the History and Genealogy Department. Admission is free.

FGS Program for 21 April 2007

The Florida Genealogical Society will hold its monthly meeting on Saturday, 21 April 2007 , at 10:00 AM in the Auditorium of the John F. Germany Library at 900 North Ashley Drive in Downtown Tampa.

The guest speaker is Kelly Falconer-Miller of Cherish Bound. She will present a program titled, “How to Make Your Own Books,” that deals with preserving your family stories and photographs in book form. A Southern Research Special Interest Group (SIG) will also meet at 1:00 PM in the Genealogy & Local History Department. Admission is free.

News from Other Societies

We are pleased to announce events at our fellow societies in the surrounding area.

• 17 April 2007 - South Bay Genealogical Society will present a program presented by Damon Hostetter titled "Data Organization," a subject important to all genealogists. Contact the society at South-Bay@juno.com for additional information.
  
• 12 May 2007 - Pasco County Genealogical Society will present a program titled "Cold Mailings: Producing a Family Survey," presented by Pattie Schultz and Pam Treme. The program will be presented at 10:00 AM at the LDS Church at 9016 Fort King Road in Dade City, FL.
  
• 20 May 2007 - The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay will present a program titled "Researching in Your Local Family History Library and Preparing to Research in Salt Lake City from Your Home Computer," presented by Debbe Hagner, AG. The program begins a 2:00 PM at 14041 Icot Boulevard in Clearwater. preceded by a one-hour problem-solving discussion at 1:00 PM and refreshments at 1:30 PM.
  

Other societies in Hillsborough, Pasco, Citrus, Manatee, Sarasote, Polk, and other surounding areas wishing to share their events with us for posting in this blog may send them to George G. morgan at rabidgenealogist@hotmail.com.

Mel Brown Resigns as Treasurer of FGS

It is with deep regret that the FGS Board accepted the resignation on 7 April 2007 of Melvin O. "Mel" Brown as Treasurer of FGS. Mel has been a member of FGS for a number of years since he and his wife, Shirley, relocated from the Chicago area. Mel is the immediate past president of FGS. Since the passing of his wife in early December, Mel has had to make many changes in his life. He has decided that he cannot continue in the position of Treasurer at this time. The Board is discussing a replacement and will address the issue at the general meeting on 21 April 2007.

Welcome to the Florida Genealogical Society (Tampa) Blog!

Welcome to the Florida Genealogical Society (Tampa) Blog! The blog replaces the printed bi-monthly newsletter formerly published by the society. The FGS Board made the decision that a blog provides much more timely information about the society and its activities than the newsletter. Further, the cost of production, supplies, and postage has increased substantially over the last several years, making the newsletter a much less practical communication tool than using electronic communications.

We hold our monthly meetings at 10:00 AM on the third Saturday of each month in the Auditorium of the John F. Germany Library, located at 900 North Ashley Drive, in downtown Tampa, Florida. A Southern Special Interest Group (SIG) is held at 1:00 PM the same day in the Ceta Rodgers Armitage Room just in the history and genealogy collection, located on the Second Floor West. The library's collection is one of the largest and most impressive genealogical collections in the Southeastern U.S.

We hope you will join us for our meetings!