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!

FGS Meeting – Saturday, July 18, 2009 - Tampa Bay History Center Library

The Florida Genealogical Society (Tampa) is going on a field trip for our next meeting. Don’t worry! It’s not far! It's still in Tampa!

FGS will meet at 10:30 AM on Saturday, July 18, 2009, for a special private tour of the newly opened Currie B. and Lavinia Sparkman Witt Research Center at the Tampa Bay History Center (http://www.tampabayhistorycenter.org). The Tampa Bay History Center is located at 801 Old Water Street in the Channelside District of Tampa. (See driving directions below.) Parking is available for a flat rate of $5.00 at the lot diagonally across the street from the facility.
FGS has arranged the tour of the library, after which you can dine at eateries within a short walking distance, and then take an optional tour of the History Center exhibitions for an additional price.

10:30 AM to Noon:
Savor a private tour of the Witt Research Center that focuses on Florida history and features a diverse collection of books, maps, periodicals, microfilm, photographs, subject files, and family histories. It provides a comprehensive collection of regional and state subject resources including:

Historical census records, newspapers and periodicals featuring catalogs and indexes, private papers such as personal journals and manuscripts, biographical resources, Hillsborough County church and cemetery records, subject and family files directed towards regional interest and a collection of contemporary and rare books relating to Florida. Genealogical materials and books number at 1,000 contain the southern states and the original 13 colonies.

Manuscript collections include correspondence, diaries, journals, maps, photographs, and the organizational papers of business, fraternal, professional, religious and social organizations.

This Library is the result of a partnership between the Tampa Bay History Center and the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library system. The goal of the partnership is to add the collection of the Witt Research Center to the public library system's online catalog and to encourage visitation to the Center.

1:00 PM:
Enjoy a leisurely tour of the Tampa Bay History Center and its wide array of permanent and special exhibitions. A full list of the exhibitions and their descriptions can be found at http://www.tampabayhistorycenter.org/exhibits.html.

The FGS Board will convene for its monthly meeting after lunch at 1:00 PM onsite. Members are welcome to attend.

The Tampa Bay History Center is a tremendous new asset for this area! The permanent collections encompass hundreds of years of history and living in this area.

You do NOT want to miss this unique opportunity to see the assets of the Tampa Bay History Center and the genealogical and historical materials available there.

See you there!



DRIVING DIRECTIONS:

FROM I-275 NORTH OR SOUTH - Traveling north on I-275, take the Ashley Street/West Tampa Exit #44 to downtown. Traveling south on I-275, take the Downtown East-West Exit #45A to downtown. Turn left on Jackson Street. Turn right on Morgan Street. Turn left on Channelside Drive. Turn right on Old Water Street.

FROM GANDY BLVD. & SOUTH TAMPA - Take Gandy Blvd. to Bayshore Blvd.; turn left. Take Bayshore Blvd. to the Platt Street Bridge. Merge right onto the bridge. (Go underneath the Tampa Convention Center.) Platt Street turns into Channelside Drive. Turn right on Old Water Street.

FROM I-275 & CROSSTOWN EXPRESSWAY - Take the Crosstown Expressway Exit 8 (Downtown East). Turn right on Kennedy Blvd. Turn left on Morgan Street. Turn left on Channelside Drive. Turn right on Old Water Street.

A MAP and these DIRECTIONS are available at http://www.tampabayhistorycenter.org/visit.html.

FGS Meeting - Saturday, 6 June 2009

We begin our new schedule of meetings on the first Saturday of the month with the June meeting.

FGS will meet on Saturday, June 6th, at 10:30 AM in the Auditorium of the John F. Germany Library in downtown Tampa. This month's presentation will be delivered by Drew Smith and George G. Morgan, and it will be titled "RootsMagic 4: An Introduction to the RootsMagic Genealogy Database Program." Since its release recently, RootsMagic has received enthusiastic kudos from users. Its many enhancements and new features make maintaining your genealogy database easy. There's even a facility called "RootsMagic To-Go" that allows you to take your entire database anywhere on a small flash drive!

Join us for a great overview of this popular software package.

FGS Meeting - Saturday, May 16, 2009

FGS will meet on Saturday, May 16th, at 10:30 AM in the Auditorium of the John F. Germany Library in downtown Tampa. This month's speaker is Debra S. Fleming who will present a program titled, "Google for Genealogists." Debra describes the program as follows: "Google is one of the biggest tools genealogists can use for finding that ellusive ancestor. Using specific tools within Google and the audience’s search perimeters, we will search the World Wide Web and use “not so secret” skills for filtering results. In this lecture, we will cover the main uses for Google by genealogists: Book, Blog, Image, Maps, Scholar and Patent Searching. This presentation encourages and, in fact, requires in depth audience participation!

Join us for a great skill-building session, and then visit the library's excellent genealogy collection.

News from Other Societies

The Manasota Genealogical Society will meet on May 5th at the Manatee Central Library, 1301 Barcarrota Blvd., West Bradenton, Florida, from 9:30 AM to noon. The speaker will be Anne Young whose program is titled "Photographs and Souvenirs."

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The South Bay Genealogical Society will hold its meeting at noon on May 19th, 2009, at the SouthShore Library. Fran Carter Walker will present a program called "Searcing for Land and Deed Records.

News from Other Societies - Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay will meet at 2:00 PM Sunday May 17, 2009 at Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, 14041 Icot Blvd., Clearwater, Florida for a genealogy problem solving session –"ASK THE MAVENS”. A social with refreshments and library access begins at 1:30 PM, and the featured program starts at 2:00 PM.

In this working session a panel of experienced resident genealogists will assist those who have come up against a dead end in their family research and don't know what to do next. The solutions presented should be of value to anyone doing family research.

The problem-solving panel will include Emil Isaacson, Clint Elbow, and Bill Israel - our resident experts. Dr. Isaacson has 26 years experience in Jewish genealogy and has researched his ancestral roots back seven generations to the late 1700’s in Europe. He has conducted several educational seminars in Jewish Genealogy for the JGSTB. Clint Elbow is a Business Systems Analyst working in information technology in the healthcare field. He has been researching his family roots for seven years focusing on his patronymic roots back to Germany. Bill Israel, a Director of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS), has spent more than 28 years researching his Jewish roots. He has traced nine generations of his family lines going back more than 200 years, and he has documented more than 1,600 related individuals.

Those who present problems to "ASK THE MAVENS” by E-mail to prior to the meeting will be given priority by the panel.

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay’s library and research resources are available to all meeting attendees and can be loaned out to members. Anyone interested in learning how to do Jewish genealogy research is invited to participate. Beginners as well as experienced researchers are welcome.

For information on the organization or directions to the meeting call Sally Israel at 727-343-1652 or Rita Shapiro at 446-9311.

FGS Meeting - Saturday, 18 April 2009

The Florida Genealogical Society will hold its monthly meeting at 10:30 A.M. on Saturday, April 18, 2009, at the John F. Germany Public Library at 900 N. Ashley Drive in downtown Tampa. The speaker will be David W. Dellinger, Ph.D., author of the book, The Peasant Kings. His presentation is titled, "Weaving Fiction from Fact: What a Novel Idea!" The talk will focus on researching and writing a family history. Join us for a fascinating look at the background of one novelist's adventures in writing his family's history.

News from Other Societies - Pinellas Genealogy Society

The Pinellas Genealogy Society will meet on 18 April, 2009, beginning at 11:00 am at the Largo Library, 120 Central Park Drive in Largo, FL. All are welcome to attend this free program.

The speaker will be Drew Smith, a well-known writer, genealogist and librarian from the University of South Florida. He is co-host of The Genealogy Guys Podcast and had been a featured speaker at many statewide and national conferences. He is a specialist in digital technology in genealogy.

The program topic is "Options for Family Websites" where Drew will demonstrate how to create a family website using a blog, a wiki and a genealogy software package (Roots Magic). This will be an interesting program even if you don't know a blog from a wiki.

The program is preceded by an informal Q&A session on "Computers in Genealogy" beginning at 9:45 am.

Light refreshments will be served after the presentation and there will be opportunity to talk with the speaker and PGS members.

News from Other Societies - Brandon Area Genealogical and Historical Society

I wanted to let you know about our special program this month which will cover "Italian Genealogical Research." Vince Pardo, Kenneth Ferlita and Vienna LoCicero Santisteban will present the program. Please make every effort to attend and encourage your friends to attend this program which will cover Italian and Sicilian family research from this distinguished panel of experts. We want to have an excellent attendance to support this presentation by the group coming from Tampa to be with us that evening. Even if you do not have any Italian families in your background, you will find this pesentation exciting and filled with good research tips. We will be meeting at our usual time and place - 6:30 pm at the Bloomingdale library on Tuesday, April 14th. Special Italian refreshments will be served.

Scott L. Peeler, Jr., President
Brandon Area Genealogical and Historical Society

News from Other Societies - Pinellas Genealogy Society

The Pinellas Genealogy Society will meet on 21 March, 2009 beginning at 11:00 am at the Largo Library, 120 Central Park Drive in Largo, FL. All are welcome to attend this free program.

The speaker will be Brett Rinehart, Senior Adjudications Officer with the Tampa Field Office of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. His topic will be "Immigration--Current Laws and a Historic Overview." This presentation should be very useful in helping you find your immigrant ancestors.

The program is preceded by an informal Q&A session on "Computers in Genealogy" beginning at 9:45 am.

Light refreshments will be served after the presentation and there will be opportunity to talk with the speaker and PGS members.

FGS Meeting - Saturday, March 21, 2009

The Florida Genealogical Society is pleased to present a very special program on Saturday, 21 March 2009, at the John F. Germany Public Library in downtown Tampa.

This month's program features Dr. Vernard Adams, the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner, and FGS President Drew Smith presenting a program about "Unclaimed Persons." There is an epidemic in the United States of persons who die whose remains are unclaimed. County officials do not have the means or funding to locate family members, but genealogists have stepped up to help. A large group of more than 500 genealogical researchers on Facebook (at www.facebook.com) have stepped up to use their skills to help identify and locate surviving family members, many of whom have lost touch with their relatives, to help identify and find final resting places for their family members.

Tampa/Hillsborough County has benefited from the "Unclaimed Persons" initiative, and Dr. Adams and Drew Smith will talk about the problem, the progress that "Unclaimed Persons" has made, and other topics.

Dr. Vernard Adams, a native of Maine, has been Chief Medical Examiner for Hillsborough County since 1991. He graduated from the University of Maine at Orono with a B.A. in Chemistry and from Tufts University College of Medicine with a M.D. Degree. His post-graduate pathology training was at the New England Medical Center Hospital, the Mayo Clinic, and the Dade County (Florida) Medical Examiner Department. He is board-certified in anatomical, clinical and forensic pathology, and holds a faculty appointment as Associate Professor of Pathology at the University of South Florida College of Medicine.

Dr. Adams has written numerous scientific publications in the field of forensic pathology and has lectured at several medical conferences. In addition, he is an Associate Professor at the University of South Florida since 1991. Current professional associations include: American Academy of Forensic Sciences, American Medical Association, College of American Pathologists, Florida Association of Medical Examiners (President 1997-98), Florida Medical Association, Hillsborough County Medical Association, and National Association of Medical Examiners.

You do NOT want to miss this important and exciting program! The meeting will be held at 10:30 AM in the auditorium of the John F. Germany Public Library. Afterwards, please visit the genealogy collection on 2-West, one of the finest genealogical collections in the Southeastern United States.

News from Other Societies - Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay will meet at the LDS (Mormon) Family History Center, 9000 106th Ave N., Largo, Florida, on Sunday March 8, 2009, at 1:45 PM.

Ann Peterson, staff member of the Family History Center in Largo, will present "An Introduction to the Family History Center Archives" and will provide guidance on how to do genealogical research using the archives of the LDS (Mormon) Church's Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Branch Family History Centers – more than 3,500 of them around the world – provide access to most of the microfilms and microfiche at the main Library in Salt Lake City to help patrons identify their ancestors. Everyone is welcome to come to the centers and use their resources. The Family History Library in Salt Lake City is the main repository for most of the genealogical information the LDS Church has collected – more than a billion records – the world's largest genealogical collection.

Ann Peterson was the director of the Largo Family History Center for eight years from 1994 to 2002, and for the past seven years has been a staff member providing assistance to genealogical researchers. The Center is located at 9000 106th Ave N., Largo a block west of Starkey, on the south side of 106th Ave. It is just south of Bryan Dairy Road.

Anyone interested in learning how to do Jewish genealogical research is invited to attend. Beginners as well as experienced researchers are welcome. For information on the organization or directions to the meeting call Sally Israel at 727-343-1652 or Rita Shapiro at 446-9311.

Discover the USF Library's Special Collections (Tampa)

Did you know ...?

The University of South Florida Library has many important materials of genealogical and historical value in its Special Collections Department. Among them are:

• Hillsborough County Marriage Records (1846-1988). These include marriage licenses, record books, and indices on deposit from the Clerk of the Hillsborough County Circuit Court.
• Funeral Home Records: F.T. Blount Funeral Home Records: March 1924 - October 1991; A.P. Boza Funeral Home Records: January 1929 - October 1991; Lord & Fernandez Funeral Home Records (May 1947 - May 1951 and January 1959 - March 1976); and Garden of Memories Records: February 1984 - January 1989.
• Photographic Records: Aerial Photographs; Burgert Brothers (compliments the huge collection at the John F. Germany library in downtown Tampa); and Robertson and Fresh Photographs.
• Ybor City and West Tampa Collections
• Many family papers collections
• Numerous ethnic social and mutual aid societies' collections
• The Spanish Civil War Oral History Project
• Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla Records

These are just a few of the wonderful materials held by the USF Library's Special Collections Department. Check the webpage for the Special Collections Department, and then plan a visit to this wonderful collection!

News from Other Societies

The Manasota Genealogical Society will meet at 9:30 AM on Tuesday, March 3, 2009, at the Manatee Central Library, 1301 Barcarrota Boulevard, in Bradonton. The speaker is Tom Kemp, and he will present a program titled "Core Online Resources: The Ones You Actully Rely On." More information is available at http://www.rootsweb.com/~flmgs.

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The Pasco County Genealogical Society has announced their programs for March and April 2009.

• March 14 - Debra Sandstrom Fleming will present a program about the pre-1850 U.S. federal censuses and how to effectively use these early records.
• April 11 - David Boyette of the Brandon Area Genealogical and Historical Society will be conducting a program entitled "Genetic Genealogy: Understanding Your DNA."

Meetings are held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at 9016 Fort King Road (State Road 41) in Dade City. For more information, visit their website for at
http://www.rootsweb.com/~FLPCGS/.

Florida Conversations Lecture Series‏

The first of the Spring Series of the Florida Conversations Lecture Series‏ will be held on Sunday, February 15th at the Tampa Bay History Center, 3:00-4:30 p.m. Susan M. Taylor of the University of Tampa will present "The Survival of Tampa's Sicilian Dialect."

Other lectures are on March 15th, April 19th, May 17th, and June 21st.

For additional information on the lectures visit www.lib.usf.edu/index.cfm?pm=upcoming events1.

Future Meetings at FGS (Tampa)

We have another wonderful schedule of presentations shaping up for 2009! Some of the upcoming presentations include:

• March 21st - Dr. Vernard Adams, the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner, will present a program about "Unclaimed Persons" and how next of kin have been located.
  
• April 18th - Author David Dellinger will share information about his book, The Peasant Kings, and the genealogical research involved in developing the story.
  
• Ann Mohr Osisek, whose program in January had to be canceled due family circumstances, is being rescheduled.
  

In addition, the Board is in negotiations with a truly top-notch speaker for this year's Fall Seminar, to be held on Saturday, 26 September 2009. Look for more information here at at the monthly meetings, in your membership email, and in the press. You definitely want to mark your calendar NOW for this year's exciting event!

FGS Tampa Meeting & Program - February 21, 2009

The Florida Genealogical Society will hold its monthly meeting at 10:30 AM on Saturday, February 21, 2009, in the auditorium of the John F. Germany Library. This month's program is "Italian Genealogy," and will be presented by Vince J. Pardo, Vienna LoCicero Santisteban, and Kenneth Ferlita. This exciting program was presented last September to the Italian Club of Tampa to rave reviews, and was sponsored by the Ybor City Museum Society, in partnership with the L'Unione Italiana. The speakers will share programs and resources used to document, store, and display genealogical information.

You don't have to be of Italian descent to enjoy and learn techniques for overseas research. Join us for this great program!

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.

News from Other Societies

We love to share announcements from other genealogical societies, and that is because we know that they, too, present great programs from which our members can benefit. Here are several additional programs in which you may be interested.

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The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay will hold its monthly meeting on Sunday, 8 February 2009, at the Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, 14041 Icot Blvd., Clearwater, Florida. Bill Israel will present a program, "Finding Your Jewish Roots; Bringing Your Past Alive." A social with refreshments and library access begins at 1:30 PM, and the featured program starts at 2:00 PM.

Anyone interested in learning how to do Jewish genealogical research is invited to attend. Beginners as well as experienced researchers are welcome. For information on the organization or directions to the meeting call Sally Israel at 727-343-1652 or Rita Shapiro at (727) 446-9311.

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The Charlotte County Genealogical Society will present a special program on Saturday, 14 February 2009, with speaker Stephen P. Morse, creator of the One-Step Website for which he received a Lifetime Achievement Award and the Outstanding Contribution Award from IAJGS. The conference will be held at the Lutheran Church of the Cross at 2300 Luther Road in Port Charlotte, FL, from 9:00AM to 4:00PM. Doors open at 8:30 AM. Morse has developed streamlined search facilities to search all of the New York immigration lists, and he is an expert instructor for how to get the most from your immigrant research. This is a must-attend presentation in Florida!

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The Pinellas Genealogy Society presents its annual signature genealogical presentation on Saturday, 14 February 2009, with nationally recognized genealogical expert Hank Jones. Jones is an expert research and author about Palatine ancestry, and is the author of books concerning genealogical serendipity. He is an informative and entertaining speaker. A registration form is available at www.rootsweb.com/~flpgs.

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The Englewood Genealogical Society presents a program on Wednesday, 25 February 2009, with nationally-recognized genealogical expert and speaker Donna M. Moughty. Donna will present a program titled "Jumping the Pond." The program will be held at the Englewood Sports Complex at 1300 Englewood Road, Englewood, FL. Registration begins at 12:30 PM and the program begins at 1:00 PM. Registration is a modest $5.00 per person. For information, details, and directions, please contact Sally Thomas at s252thomas@comcast.net.

Ann Mohr Osisek Must Cancel 17 January Presentation

Dear Friends,

Ann Mohr Osisek has had to cancel her presentation to FGS this coming Saturday, 17 January 2009. I'm very sorry to have to report that Ann Osisek's mother has died. It was very sudden; she was diagnosed with early onset leukemia. She was admitted to hospital on 7 January 2009 and died on the 11th. The following is the obituary from the Orlando Sentinel website:

MOHR, MARY ELIZABETH of Casselberry, FL passed away Sunday, January 11, 2009 following a brief illness. Mrs. Mohr was born May 10, 1918 in Parkersburg, WV to the late James David and Elizabeth Thompson Bowers. She moved with her late husband Arthur R. Mohr to Casselberry, FL from Pottstown, PA in 1999 where they had resided since 1950. Mary was a graduate of Parkersburg(WV) High School, class of 1936 and had been a member of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Parkersburg. She was a telephone operator with Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone of WV in Parkersburg. While residing in Pottstown she was a member of St. Aloysius Catholic Church, their Senior Citizens organization and the Knights of Columbus Ladies Auxiliary. She served as a volunteer in many organizations in Pottstown including Girl Scouts of America. She had been a member of St. Augustine's Catholic Church in Casselberry, FL since 1999. She was predeceased by her husband Arthur Randolph Mohr in October of 2007. She is survived by her son James Michael Mohr of Orlando; daughter Ann Mohr Osisek and husband; Joseph A of Maitland; and grandchildren Theresa Osisek Bledsoe and husband Mac of Maitland; Joseph M. Osisek, wife Christina and great-granddaughter Chloe J. Osisek of Hermitage, TN. Also surviving is a sister Glenda Bowers McGivern (William) of Parkersburg, WV; brother James D. Bowers of Oak Ridge, TN; sister-in-law Brenda Smith Bowers of Fairborn, OH and sister-in-law Jeanne Mohr Cook of Lansdale, PA. Services will be held at St. Augustine's Catholic Church in Casselberry on Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 10:30AM with burial following at Glen Haven Memorial Park in Winter Park. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Augustine's Catholic Church, Casselberry, FL, or the Leukemia Society. We share our deep sympathy Ann and her family in the loss of her sweet mother. We also look forward to her presentation to us later in the year. As a result, I've volunteered to substitute for her presentation. I'll be presenting a program called, "Bits about Obits: Reading between the Lines." While I realize it isn't the same content as Ann's program, I hope you'll still attend and learn from the methodology presented in the session. Our deepest sympathy goes to Ann, her husband, Joe, her brother, and other family members. Yours, George

George G. Morgan
President Aha! Seminars, Inc.
15611 Jericho Drive Odessa, FL 33556-3016
(813) 205-3032
http://ahaseminars.com

FGS Tampa Meeting - January 17, 2009

The Florida Genealogical Society (Tampa) will kick off a new year of outstanding monthly programs with George G. Morgan on Saturday, January 17th, at 10:30 AM in the Auditorium of the John F. Germany Library. Ann will present a program titled, "Bits About Obits: Reading between the Lines.” The presentation will analyze the information and clues that can be derived from obituaries, and several examples will be examined.

George is an internationally recognized genealogy expert, and is the president of Aha! Seminars, Inc. He is the prolific author of 8 genealogy books and literally hundreds of articles for magazines, journals, and online venues. He is a frequent presenter to genealogical societies and librarians across the U.S. and internationally, and on genealogy cruises. He is the co-host of The Genealogy Guys Podcast each week at http://genealogyguys.com.

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.

News from Other Societies - Manasota Genealogical Society

The Manasota Genealogical Society will hold its monthly meeting at 9:30 AM on Tuesday, February 3, 2009, at the Manatee Central Library, 1301 Barcarrota Blvd. in Bradenton. The speaker will be well-known genealogist and author George G. Morgan. He will present a program titled, "The Definitive Guide to Ancestry.com."

For additional information, please contact Jean Morris at morrisjean@verizon.net.

News from Other Societies - Suncoast Genealogy Society

The Suncoast Genealogy Society will hold its 2009 Mini Seminar on January 24, 2009, and the speaker will be Debra Fleming. She will present two topics: The Three D's: Deeds, Death, and Divorce and Google for Genealogists.

The event will be held from 1:00 to 4:00 PM at the Oldsmar Library Community Room at 400 St. Petersburg Drive in Oldsmar. The cost is $15.00 for SGS members and $20.00 for non-members, both if received by January 17th. Cost is $20.00 at the door if space allows.

Contact Ann James at (727) 791-1983 or jamesamsj@aol.com for more information.

News from Other Societies - Tallahassee Genealogical Society

The Tallahassee Genealogical Society will host it annual Spring Seminar on Saturday, February 21, 2009, at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Tallahassee. The speaker will be Dick Eastman, the internationally known genealogist and publisher of Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter.

For more information and to print a registration form, visit the society's website at http://www.talgen.org/.

News from Other Societies

The South Bay Genealogy Society will hold its January 20th meeting with a return of popular national speaker, Donna Moughty, presenting a lecture, "Saving a Life: Your family's health history." The session will be held on Tuesday, 20 January 2009, at Noon at the SouthShore Regional Library. More information is available at the website at http://www.rootsweb.com/~flsbgs.

Southwest Florida Germanic Genealogy Society

The Southwest Florida Germanic Genealogy Society was organized just a couple of years ago. They are, however, already a major, growing organization here in Florida. The organization is hosting an impressive all-day seminar on Saturday, 28 February 2009, in Port Charlotte, Florida, that is already drawing a great deal of attention!

Baerbel Johnson, a professional genealogist and an International Reference Consultant at the Family History Library in Salt lake City, Utah, will present an all-day program, "Putting the Flesh on the Genealogical Skeleton." Ms. Johnson is one of the most respected genealogists at the Family History Library, and this is her first speaking appearance in Florida.

This is an exciting opportunity for anyone with German ancestors! More information and registration details are available at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~flggrg/.