18 July 2009

FGS Meeting - Saturday, 1 August 2009

The Florida Genealogical Society will hold its monthly meeting at 10:30 AM on Saturday, August 1st, 2009, in the auditorium of the John F. Germany Library. This month's program is "Not Just a Clockmaker: Exploring Your Ancestor's Occupations," presented by Ann Mohr Osisek. Ann describes the lecture as follows:


"What was your ancestor’s true occupation and how did it affect his life and that of his family? Organization of family groups is used to closely study occupations through several generations and the importance of creating a census timeline for an ancestor to study listed occupations throughout his or her lifetime. Using the clues of an ancestor’s ethnic background and immigration to determine whether he or she was an indentured servant. Determine if history and migration patterns played a part in their occupation with the use of city directories and other reference works as tools in your research."

A native of West Virginia, Ann has been a Central Florida resident for the past thirty-three years and has served as Managing Instructor for the Genealogy Programs at the Disney Institute in Orlando, FL. She has taught genealogy classes for the Orange County, FL, Adult Education Program for the past seventeen years and has been a computer lab genealogy instructor at the Seminole County, FL, Community College. She has been a long-time genealogical instructor in the Elderhostel Program in central Florida and teaches a weeklong genealogy class at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. Ann is President of the Florida State Genealogical Society, a Past President of the Central Florida Genealogical Society, and their long-standing Education Chair. She is a member of the National Genealogical Society and the Association of Professional Genealogists. Ann has completed courses at Samford University’s Institute of Genealogy & Historical Research in Birmingham, AL, and was a 1997 recipient of The Florida State Genealogical Society’s Outstanding Achievement Award in recognition of her contributions to the field of genealogical education. She has been published in the FGS Forum and numerous genealogical and historical society journals.


The John F. Germany Library is located at 900 N. Ashley Drive in downtown Tampa. Following the meeting, make sure to visit the History and Genealogy Department on 2-West. Make sure you sign the guest book there, and then enjoy researching in one of the very finest genealogy collections in the Southeast.

Pictures from the Tampa Bay History Center


We had a wonderful time at the new Tampa Bay History Center on Saturday, August 18th. We had an excellent tour of the Witt Research Center and a behind-the-scenes tour of the library's stacks.

We learned that the Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library System and the Tampa Bay History Center (TBHC) have a terrific partnership. All of the TBHC materials will be cataloged in the coming months and included in the library system's catalog, making it easy to see what is available in all the library branches and the TBHC. We had a great introduction by Jenn Dietz.


















Thanks to Del Core for taking these great photos, adding captions, and sending those in for everyone to enjoy!