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For current information about the Florida Genealogical Society of Tampa, please visit our website at fgstampa.org.

2010 Fall Seminar - September 18, 2010

The Florida Genealogical Society of Tampa is extremely pleased to announce details about its 2010 Fall Seminar. The annual event will be held from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Saturday, September 18th, 2010, in Room 2708 of the Marshall Student Center on the campus of the University of South Florida in Tampa. Registration will begin at 8:15 AM. Our speaker will be Curt B. Witcher, the Senior Manager for Special Collections and the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is an internationally recognized genealogy expert, speaker, author, and researcher. Mr. Witcher's biographical information can be found below.

Mr. Witcher will present a series of four lectures: Using Military Records for Genealogical Research; Using Church Records in Your Genealogical Research; Doing Effective Genealogical Research in Libraries; and Mining the Mother Lode: Using Periodical Literature for Genealogical Research.

Registration for the seminar is $35 for FGS members and $40 for non-members. If you join FGS in conjunction with registering for the seminar, you will be entitled to the Member rate of $35.00 and your membership will include the remainder of 2010 and all of 2011! You may access and print the membership application form at our web site at fgstampa.org. Simply complete the application and return it with your check for the amount of the membership and the Member conference registration rate.

There is plenty of parking adjacent to the Marshall Student Center. Attendees can purchase an all-day parking permit for $5 (Visa or MasterCard only; no cash) from permit vending machines located within the parking facilities. You may want to consider car-pooling with friends. A map of the USF Campus can be found at the FGS website in the right hand column under 2010 Fall Conference Documents. Driving directions from all over the Tampa Bay area and parking information will be posted on the FGS website soon.

There are a number of very good dining facilities offering a variety of menu options inside the Marshall Student Center and in adjacent buildings. These include sit-down and take-out facilities. There are outdoor tables adjacent to the Marshall Student Center for your enjoyment if you so choose. Lunch is on your own.

Please take the time to read Curt's biographical profile below. He is one of the luminaries of genealogy in our time, and the Florida Genealogical Society of Tampa is very pleased and honored to have Curt B. Witcher as our speaker for this year's Fall Seminar.

We invite you to join us and bring all of your friends for what is guaranteed to be a superb day of genealogical presentations!

The registration form is available at http://tinyurl.com/FGS-Fall-Seminar. A map of the USF Campus is also available on our website, and detailed driving directions and parking instructions will be posted there soon.

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Curt B. Witcher is the Senior Manager for Special Collections at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, IN, where he manages The Genealogy Center. He serves as general curator for that institution’s Rare and Fine Book Collection as well as the institutional archives, and is the Supervisor for the new Lincoln National Foundation’s Lincoln Library Collection. He received his B.A. in history and English, and his MLS in Library and Information Science, from Indiana University and has worked the Allen County Public Library for more than thirty years.

Curt is a member of the Genealogy Committee of the American Library Association, a past chair of the association’s History Section, and a participant in other genealogical and historical committees of that organization. His is currently the Vice President of Development for the Federation of Genealogical Societies. He is a former president of both the Federation of Genealogical Societies and the National Genealogical Society. He is the founding president of the Indiana Genealogical Society and has memberships in a number of historical and genealogical organizations in the state and country.

Curt participated in the 1990s in Indiana University's Continuing Education Program as an adjunct professor, teaching courses on beginning genealogical research. He is the co-editor of the 1987 through 2010 editions of the Periodical Source Index (PERSI), the largest and most comprehensive subject index to historical and genealogical periodical literature, published by the Allen County Public Library Foundation and ProQuest, Inc. He has served on the Advisory Board for Ancestry.com as well as on the FamilySearch Advisory Council of the Genealogical Society of Utah. From 2002 through 2006, Curt served on the review committee for The BYU Family Historian. He was a research consultant for both seasons of the PBS Series, Ancestors. He is currently the co-chair of the Genealogy Publications Committee of the Indiana Historical Society and a member of Indiana’s State Historical Records Advisory Board.

In addition to the more than five hundred record and methodology articles he has penned for local, state, and national genealogical periodicals, Curt authored in 2000 the book, African American Genealogy: A Bibliography and Guide to Sources. He served for eight years as the National Volunteer Data Input Coordinator for the “Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System,” building a free, online database that has basic information on the service records of 6.3 million Civil War soldiers that can be accessed at http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss. Curt has chaired eight national genealogical conferences—four in Fort Wayne, two in St. Louis, and one each in Baltimore, MD and Richmond, VA.

Curt was distinguished in 1995 as a fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association (FUGA) and received the Federation of Genealogical Societies' highest honor, the Rabbi Malcolm H. Stern Humanitarian Award, in 1997, and the Federation’s David Vogels Award in 1999. In 1997, he was one of the Kellogg Foundation's "Expert in Residence" scholars. He is the 2002 ALA-RUSA History Section Genealogical Publishing Company Award winner and in 2003 was honored by the Indiana Historical Society as that year’s Willard Heiss Memorial Lecturer. Curt was recognized in 2006 by being named the first fellow of the Indiana Genealogical Society. He was honored in May of 2007 with the National Genealogical Society’s P. William Filby Award for outstanding, lifetime contributions to genealogical librarianship.

News from Other Societies - Lee County Genealogical Society

I’m happy to announce the Lee County Genealogical Society is partnering with the Estero Island Chapter NSDAR in presenting Debbie Duay, Ph.D., Lineage Research Chairman for the Florida State Society DAR in a FREE genealogy workshop titled “Researching Your Revolutionary War Patriot Ancestor”. Please see the flyer at http://tinyurl.com/LCGS-Seminar for more information.

The workshop will be held on Saturday, October 23, 2010 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Lakes Regional Public Library in Fort Myers, FL.

Pre-registration is required. To register, contact Marlene Long at melongdar@comcast.net or send the attached registration form to the address shown.

This workshop will provide you with steps to begin or continue your ancestor search for your early colonial ancestors.

Don’t delay. Contact Marlene for a seat at the workshop and mark your calendar.

Hope to see you there!

Carol

Carol Rooksby Weidlich

President, Membership Chair and Webmaster

Lee County Genealogical Society, Inc.

www.LCGSFL.org

FGS Meeting - Saturday, July 3, 2010

The Florida Genealogical Society (Tampa) is pleased to announce its program for Saturday, July 3, 2010, at 10:30 AM in the Auditorium of the John F. Germany at 900 N. Ashley Drive in downtown Tampa.

Our speaker will be Karen Packard Rhodes who will present a program about "Reading Old Colonial Handwriting & Spanish Paleography." The lecture will discuss general considerations in reading old handwriting, including abbreviations, letter forms, condition of manuscripts, and the paper, ink, and pens used by creators of these documents. She will show show specific examples from documents in the General Archive of the Indies, the Library of Congress, and her personal genealogy files of the letter forms, punctuation (or, more specifically, the lack thereof), abbreviations, and other aspects of the old documents, dating from 1563 to the early 1800s, beginning with Spanish documents and ending with documents in English.

Ms. Rhodes is currently a post-baccalaureate student in history and Spanish at the University of North Florida, specializing in Spanish colonial Florida. In connection with her studies in Spanish Paleography under Dr. J. Michael Francis of the Department of History at UNF, Karen spent the month of May 2008 conducting original research at the General Archive of the Indies in Seville, Spain. Karen completed the 40-course program of study from the National Institute of Genealogical Studies of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, "with distinction," with a specialty in American Records. Karen has received a grant from the University of North Florida to conduct research into the family lines of St. Augustine, Florida, during the Second Spanish Period (1783-1821) to correlate family relationships to the historical events of the period. Karen is the author of the book Non-Federal Censuses of Florida, 1784-1821: A Guide to Sources (McFarland, 2010).

FGS Meeting - Saturday, June 5, 2010

The Florida Genealogical Society (Tampa) is pleased to announce its program for Saturday, June 5, 2010, at 10:30 AM in the auditorium of the John F. Germany Library at 900 N. Ashley Drive, Tampa, Florida.

Our speakers will be Pam Treme and Pattie Schultz presenting a program titled "Taming Templates." You've heard the advice many times." Just use a template in your word processor or spreadsheet program to do this, that, or the other task." But when you try, you're lost. And it's a shame because so many routine tasks that genealogists perform can be made simpler by using a template. At our 5 June meeting, Pam and Pattie will show you templates. They will be explaining what templates are, how to find or create them, and how to use them. They'll demonstrate templates so that you can see how they work. You'll see what Microsoft and other sites offer for free. Pattie and Pam put special emphasis on the templates you can use to present your family history.

Join us for a program that will help you streamline your genealogy work!

News from Other Societies - Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay will meet at Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, 14041 Icot Blvd., Clearwater, Florida on Sunday, June 13, 2010. A pre-program social with light refreshments and library access begins at 1:30 PM, The program starts at 2:00 PM.

This program will be an information sharing session where individual researchers will report on significant discoveries they made in their family research and how they were able to achieve these successes. These successes will provide insight and give encouragement to others on how they too can achieve success in their family research. Bring a success story with you, and tell us about it.

The Jewish Genealogical Society’s library and research resources including printed materials and Internet access, along with guided assistance and information exchange from experienced researchers will be available to participants at the meeting. Members may check out library materials to take home.

The purpose of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay is to assist interested individuals in learning about Jewish genealogy and how to research and document their own family histories. The Society does this by facilitating the exchange of research information, encouraging and facilitating research activities, educating members to help themselves and others, making available research resources and materials, arranging genealogical research tours and presenting monthly programs of interest to Jewish genealogical researchers.
Anyone interested in learning how to do Jewish genealogical research is invited to attend. Beginners as well as experienced researchers are welcome. For further information on the Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay or directions to the meeting call Clint Elbow at 727-786-5518.

The Federation of Genealogical Societies to Digitize the War of 1812 Pension Files

Press Release: Salt Lake City, UT [April 27, 2010]

With the approaching bicentennial of the War of 1812, the Federation of Genealogical Societies, a non-profit genealogical organization headquartered in Austin, Texas, is pleased to announce a national fund-raising initiative to raise $3.7 million to digitize of the War of 1812 pension files. The digitization process will enable online access by historians and family researchers to the memories and biographies of those who fought to protect our nation’s independence. This announcement is being made at the start of the National Genealogical Society’s 2010 conference, an event that will draw more than two thousand genealogists to Salt Lake City, Utah.

The War of 1812, often referred to as America’s second war for independence, significantly shaped this country’s identity both internationally and domestically. Many remember the War of 1812 as the war that give us the “Star-Spangled Banner” and the burning of the White House. Some of the great leaders of our country, including three presidents, took part in this conflict. Nearly 300,000 men served, including members of at least eighteen Native American tribes. The pension records for the War of 1812 consist of more than 7.2 million documents in 180,000 files. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) receives more than three thousand requests per year for War of 1812 pensions, placing them among the most requested sets of records. Digitizing these valuable records will preserve the originals by removing them from continued heavy use. It will also make the images of the records much more widely available. NARA reports these important historical records already have been conserved and readied for digitization, so scanning could start as soon as funds are received. With the cost for digitizing and saving a single page from a pension file being fifty cents, supporters will see progress from the earliest days of the fund-raising initiative.

Genealogists, historians, and scholars of military history have long appreciated the value of pension files. A typical pension file may contain documents that describe a veteran’s service as well as why he, his widow, or his dependents qualify for a pension. In the cases of widows’ and dependents’ filings, there are typically a number of documents proving the claimant is related to the veteran. The testimony of a veteran’s comrades can provide unique and valuable data on what military life entailed, the rigors of everyday camp life, and details of particular skirmishes and battles. One may discover numerous details of an ancestor’s life in these pension files, some of which may be many dozens of pages long.

The Federation of Genealogical Societies is committed to projects that link the genealogical community and advance the cause of preserving records and making them more accessible. The Federation will be working with the genealogical and historical societies nation-wide, particularly in states where War of 1812 activities took place, as well as the many War of 1812 societies and bicentennial commissions, to raise awareness about this vital preservation and access project and to raise the funds necessary to complete the project.

Those interested in contributing to the Preserve the Pensions! Project or wanting additional information should contact the Federation of Genealogical Societies via their website at www.fgs.org/1812, or contact Curt Witcher at 260-421-1226 or 1812@FGS.org.

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The Florida Genealogical Society of Tampa, as a member of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, will want to actively support this very important project. Please visit the FGS website to donate to the Preserve the Pensions Project. You have a number of donation options:

• Donate to the General War of 1812 Pension Project
• Make an anonymous donation to the War of 1812 Pension Project
• Make a donation to honor as a Tribute to a living person, perhaps someone who is a student of history
• Make an Memorial donation to a deceased individual in honor of the War of 1812 Pension Project
• Make an Memorial donation in honor of one of your own War of 1812 ancestors
• Make a donation in honor of notable genealogist Marsha Hoffman Rising

We hope that our members will donate to this exceptionally important digitization, indexing, and preservation project. We will look forward to providing a society donation to the project and hope that our members will also support the project by contributing at the website at http://fgs.org/1812. For more information about how to donate by mail, please contact the FGS Office:

• by mail at P.O. Box 200940, Austin, TX 78720-0940
• by telephone at 1-888-FGS-1500
• by fax at 1-866-FGS-1350
• by email at office@fgs.org

Thank you for your help in bringing these important records to the genealogical community!

News from Other Societies - South Bay Genealogical Society

The South Bay Genealogical Society will hold its May meeting on May 18, 2010, at the SouthShore Regional Library at 15816 Beth Shields Way, Sun City Center, Florida. The speaker will be Don Churchill presenting a program about Elderhostel programs relating to genealogy, and the service he has been doing - a week of "Cemetery Surfing" in St. Kitts. His program is titled "Death and Genealogy should not be avoided."

The program will be preceded with a luncheon. For information call (941) 722-5156 or visit their website at http://www.rootsweb.com/~flmgs.

News from Other Societies - Pinellas Genealogy Society

Nationally known genealogist and speaker, George G. Morgan will present a program entitled "Push-Pull: The Reasons for Migration" on Saturday, May 15th, at 10:30 AM at the Largo Public Library.

"The earliest humans, from earliest times, have migrated from place to place seeking survival and sustenance. Our more recent ancestors also moved around for the same and other purposes. What made your ancestors leave their homes and move hundreds or thousands of miles? What drew them to a specific place to settle? This session examines some of the reasons why it is important to become a student of history, geography, and sociology in order to understand and trace your ancestors’ movements."

George is the author of eight books, hundreds of print and online genealogy columns, the co-host of "The Genealogy Guys Podcast" (at http://genealogyguys.com), and the owner of Aha! Seminars. Don't miss this one!

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, May 1, 2010

The Florida Genealogical Society (Tampa) is pleased to announce a special program for Saturday, May 1, 2010, at 10:30 AM. Society members will be given a special, behind-the-scenes tour of the Special Collections at the USF Library. This meeting has been specially arranged and is only open to members of the Florida Genealogical Society, Inc. (Tampa) due to space constraints.

Members should meet at 10:30 AM in the Grace Allen Room on the 4th floor of the University of South Florida Library. An introduction to the contents of the Special Collections will be presented, with special attention to the materials of genealogical significance. These include: the Floridiana Collection; Hillsborough County Marriage Indexes and Certificates; Naturalization Records; funeral home records from Boza, Blount & Curry, and other funeral homes; records of Ybor City immigrant mutual aid societies and clubs in the Tampa area; records and artwork from the Tampa cigar industry; access to the Shoah Foundation Collection and to other materials in the USF Libraries Holocaust & Genocide Studies Center materials; and more.

The Special Collection is also the holder of an important American children's book collection, especially rich in 19th-century literature, 20th-century series books, dime novels, "toy" and chapbooks and early schoolbooks. A colorful and charming group of McLoughlin Bros. chromo-lithographed picture books forms a high point.

The USF Libraries' archival holdings comprise USF, political, literary and historical papers from individuals and organizations. Highlights are the papers of Florida governor LeRoy Collins, civil rights leader Robert W. Saunders, Jr., science fiction writers Piers Anthony, Harry Harrison and Mike Resnick, and Ybor City mutual aid societies, as well as two important Second Seminole War diaries. A new collection of Latin American science fiction books is being organized, as are a collection of unique handmade books from Cuba.

You never know what is in your own backyard until you go and look. Join us for the special tour of a treasure trove here in Tampa!

Please see the map and driving directions at http://guides.lib.usf.edu/mapdirections. Additional details concerning parking will be emailed to every current member before the event.

Don't miss this exciting tour!

News from Other Societies - Manasota Genealogical Society

The next Manasota Genealogical Society Meeting will be Tuesday, May 4th, 2010 from 9:30 am-12:00 noon at the Central Public Library. The meeting will feature a panel of experts in genealogical research addressing and answering questions from the audience. Following the panel discussion, the computer special interest group will feature a short presentation on Navigating the MGS Website.
For more information, call Jean Morris at (941) 722-5156 or visit the society's website at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~flmgs

News from Other Societies - South Bay Genealogical Society

South Bay Genealogical Society will hold its April meeting on April 20, 2010, at the SouthShore Regional Library at 15816 Beth Shields Way, Sun City Center, Florida. The speaker will be Ann Mohr Osisek presenting a program titled "Once upon a Desk: Organization is not a Fairy Tale."

The program will be preceded with a luncheon. For information call (941) 722-5156 or visit their website at http://www.rootsweb.com/~flmgs.

FGS Meeting - Saturday, April 3, 2010

The Florida Genealogical Society (Tampa) is pleased to announce its program for Saturday, April 3, 2010, at 10:30 AM in the auditorium of the John F. Germany Library at 900 N. Ashley Drive, Tampa, Florida.

Terry and Jim Willard will present a program titled “Beginner's Genealogy” that serves as a great introduction to tracing your family tree and is a terrific refresher for those who have been working on their family history for some time.

Terry and Jim have pursued active careers in education, teaching since 1969 and teaching students from the ages of 5 to 95. Terry holds a B.A., M.A., and C.A.S. in French from the University of Maine. Jim has a B.S. In History, M.Ed., and C.A.S. in Secondary Counseling from the University of Maine. Terry taught French language and culture classes at the high school level (26 years) and to adults (since 1995) at the Sarasota County Adult and Community Education Program. Jim has 26 years of service at the middle and high school level and since 1995 at the Sarasota County Adult and Community Education Program. In Sarasota, Terry taught French language and culture classes as well as team-taught with Jim various genealogy, computer, and eBay classes. Jim taught many levels of computer literacy classes, digital camera classes, and scanner classes. They continue to do workshops for Adult Education in Sarasota. Since 2004 they have also been teaching the same variety of classes for The Villages Lifelong Learning College in The Villages, Florida.

From 1995-2000, Terry and Jim served as co-hosts for the popular PBS Television series Ancestors, traveling around the country conducting workshops and promoting the series from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco, CA, and from Dallas, TX, to Portland, ME. They co-authored (along with Jane Wilson) the book, ANCESTORS: A Beginner’s Guide to Family History and Genealogy, which accompanied the series. They also wrote the teacher’s guide that helped teachers and students benefit from viewing the series.

Since then they have conducted workshops and spoken at genealogy conferences throughout Florida, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Texas, California, and each of the New England states. They have published over 40 articles in Ancestry Magazine, are beta testers for Family Tree Maker, write reviews of the recent publications at Ancestry.com, and write a monthly genealogy column for The Villages Daily Sun. They accompany a group of adult students to Salt Lake City for a research trip annually.

Yetive Brooks Olson Passes Away

The Florida Genealogical Society extends its sincere condolences on the passing of Yetive Brooks Olson, a former member of our society. She passed away on March 12th after a brief illness. You may read her obituary at http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/tbo/obituary.aspx?n=yetive-brooks-olson&pid=140689952.

State Funding Aid to Libraries Is Threatened - Action Needed Before Friday, March 19th

The Florida Legislature is once again threatening to eliminate state funding to our state’s libraries. The attached press release from the Florida Library Association summarizes the crisis at hand.

We have seen in the past two years how funding cuts have severely damaged our public libraries and the services they provide to communities. Staff have been fired or not replaced. Branches have been closed. Hours of operation have been cut back. Collection development dollars have been slashed. That was only Round One! If this latest attempt to eliminate all of the $21.2 million of state aid to libraries is successful, our libraries will be decimated.

You can help stop or significantly reduce the funding cuts. Please visit the Florida Library Association’s Advocacy Action Alert site at the web address below.

http://capwiz.com/ala/fl/issues/alert/?alertid=14792616

Here you can compose an email message to the leaders in Tallahassee. However, action is needed before Friday, March 19th. The committees are nearing the end of their work to report their bills out of committee and introduce action on the floors of the legislative chambers.

If you value our libraries and the work they do for our communities, it is essential that you participate in this communications action. If your genealogical research benefits from our libraries’ genealogy collections, databases, meeting room space, and knowledgeable staff members, you have to help protect them. Their existence and continued operations depends on each and every one of us.

Please visit the website now, complete the online form to generate emails, and pass the word to every single person you know who uses libraries for any purpose here in Florida.

This is a huge crisis, and YOU can really help!

Sincerely yours,

George G. Morgan

President, Aha! Seminars, Inc.

Director, Florida Genealogical Society, Inc.

VP of Membership Services, Federation of Genealogical Societies

Very concerned citizen

News from Other Societies - Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay presents:
“Graveyards Tell Genealogical Stories”
Sunday, April 18, 2010


The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay (JGSTB) will meet at Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, 14041 Icot Blvd., Clearwater, Florida on Sunday April 18, 2010, where a team of veteran genealogists of the JGSTB will speak on genealogical clues that can be found on tombstones. A social with refreshments and library access at 1:30 PM will precede the featured program that starts at 2:00 PM.

Graveyards are not just a resting place for the dead. They have stories to tell. Tombstone inscriptions quite often provide valuable information about the deceased that is not available from other sources. Rita Shapiro and Vicki Adelson, assisted by a team of JGSTB members with experience in cemetery research, will tell how to locate the cemeteries where your ancestors are buried, and they will discuss the types of genealogical clues that can be found on tombstones. Internet resources such as the “JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Register” (JOWBR) will be demonstrated, showing how to locate the cemetery where your ancestor is buried, the location within a cemetery of his or her gravesite, and in some cases how to see an actual photograph of the tombstone of the deceased. Inscriptions on tombstones often identity the name of a parent of the deceased, and that can take your research back another generation. The presenters will give examples of their successful research in cemeteries to show you how graveyards can tell genealogical stories about your own ancestors.

The mission of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay is to assist interested individuals in learning about Jewish genealogy and learning how to research, document and preserve their own family histories. The Society does this by facilitating the exchange of research information, encouraging and facilitating research activities, educating members to help themselves and others, making available research resources and materials, and presenting monthly programs of interest to Jewish genealogical researchers. The Society’s library and research resources include both printed materials and Internet access as well as guided assistance from experienced researchers. Special emphasis is given to helping beginners.

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.

News from Other Societies - Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay

“The JGSTB 2010 Guide to Jewish Genealogical Research:
A Foundation for Beginners and an Update for Experienced Researchers”
A two-part Jewish Genealogy Seminar will be presented by
The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay (JGSTB)

Part 2 - March 14, 2010

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay will offer the second of the two part seminar entitled: “The JGSTB 2010 Guide to Jewish Genealogy Research: A Foundation for Beginners and an Update for Experienced Researchers” March 14, 2010 (Part 2) at 2:00 PM at Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, 14041 Icot Blvd., Clearwater, Florida. Registration will be held at 1:30 PM on Sunday March 14, 2010. A seminar booklet summarizing all the material to be presented will be provided and will be essential for those able to attend only one of the two sessions.

This seminar will focus on developing the proper approaches and applying the necessary tools, techniques and short cuts to most effectively connect you with your ancestors in the old country. Recently developed Internet resources as well as local non-internet resources will be emphasized to enable the beginner to discover his or her family history as well as facilitate the experienced researcher in resolving “brick wall” problems.

Dr. Emil H. Isaacson will lead the seminar. Dr. Isaacson has 25 years experience in genealogy and has researched his ancestral roots back seven generations to the late 1700’s in Europe. He will share his successful and sometimes unsuccessful techniques.

The course is free to current paid-up members of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay. A one-year family membership will be included in the $25 course fee for non-members. An additional $10.00 fee will be charged for seminar materials to defray printing costs, but only one booklet will be needed per couple or family. Annual membership in the Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay is $25 per individual or family.

Anyone interested in learning how to do Jewish genealogical research is invited to attend. Early registration is recommended so that sufficient copies of the printed booklet and handouts will be available.

To pre-register for the class, for further information on the organization, or for directions to the meeting, call Sally Israel at 727-343-1652.

The purpose of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay is to assist interested individuals in learning about Jewish genealogy and how to research and document their own family histories. The Society does this by facilitating the exchange of research information, encouraging and facilitating research activities, educating members to help themselves and others, making available research resources and materials, arranging genealogical research tours and presenting monthly programs of interest to Jewish genealogical researchers.

Anyone interested in learning how to do Jewish genealogical research is invited to attend. Beginners as well as experienced researchers are welcome. For further information on the Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay or directions to the meeting call Sally Israel at 727-343-1652.
For those who need directions, here is how to find our meeting place:

We meet at Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, 14041 Icot Blvd., Clearwater, Florida. (the red star on the map below) This is just across the bay from Tampa and just off of Ulmerton Road (SR 688) that exits from I-275. Icot Blvd. intersects with the north side of Ulmerton Road (SR 688) between U.S. 19 and 49th Street. From Ulmerton Road, turn north into the Icot Center entranceway (there is a large Autoway Nissan Dealership on the corner). You will find a left-turn lane on Ulmerton at the Icot entrance if you are coming from the West. If you are coming from the East, just make a right turn into Icot Blvd.

There are "Icot Center" gateposts marking the entranceway onto Icot Blvd. from Ulmerton Road. You will see a Holiday Inn Express Hotel on your right and a Nissan Autoway dealership on your left as you enter Icot Blvd. Proceed about a quarter of a mile on Icot Blvd, and your will see the Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services building on your right. It is identified with a large masonry sign at the entranceway into the parking lot.

Click HERE <http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Clearwater&state=FL&address=14041+Icot+Blvd> for a "MapQuest" link to the map show below. You can use this link to get specific driving directions from wherever you are.

Doris H. Coles Passes Away

The Florida Genealogical Society extends its sincere condolences on the passing of Doris H. Coles, a member of our society. She passed away on February 18th after a brief illness. You may read her obituary at http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sptimes/obituary.aspx?n=doris-coles&pid=139982094.

FGS Meeting - Saturday, March 6, 2010

The Florida Genealogical Society (Tampa) is pleased to announce its program for Saturday, March 6th, 2010, at 10:30 AM in the auditorium of the John F. Germany Library at 900 N. Ashley Drive, Tampa, Florida.

Paul L. Enchelmayer will present a program titled, "Deceptive Ancestor."

Paul is well-traveled in Florida, speaking at nearly two dozen societies and clubs, presenting programs to help others learn how technology can aid in family history projects. Besides being a member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild, Paul is Chairman of the Genealogy Group of the University Club of Winter Park, Past-President (and current webmaster) of the Central Florida Genealogical Society in Orange County, a member (and webmaster) of the Florida State Genealogical Society, a member of the National Genealogical Society, and a member of the Hamilton County Genealogical Society in Cincinnati, Ohio.

His key research areas have included Stuttgart, Germany; Chicago, and Cincinnati. Several trips to Germany have yielded many new-found cousins, family stories, and reams of data. Through the Internet he has found even more relatives and resources from Austria to Australia.

Paul recently retired as Manager of Information Systems Development for the City of Orlando's Information Technology Department. He is also retired from the U. S. Navy Reserve. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from University of Miami and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Broadcast Media from Southern Illinois University. He has two sons and two grandchildren.

News from Other Societies - South Bay Genealogical Society

South Bay Genealogical Society will hold its March meeting on March 16, 2010, at the SouthShore Regional Library at 15816 Beth Shields Way, Sun City Center, Florida. The speaker will be George G. Morgan, internationally recognized genealogy expert and prolific author, presenting a program titled "Bring 'Em Back to Life: Developing an Ancestor Profile."

The program will be preceded with a luncheon. For information call (941) 722-5156 or visit their website at http://www.rootsweb.com/~flmgs.

News from Other Societies - Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay

“The JGSTB 2010 Guide to Jewish Genealogical Research:

A Foundation for Beginners and an Update for Experienced Researchers”

Part two of the two-part Seminar
presented by
The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay (JGSTB)
2:00 PM - Sunday March 14, 2010

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay concludes the two-session seminar entitled: “The JGSTB 2010 Guide to Jewish Genealogy Research: A Foundation for Beginners and an Update for Experienced Researchers” on March 14, 2010 at 2:00 PM at Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, 14041 Icot Blvd., Clearwater, Florida. Registration will be at 1:30 PM. A seminar booklet summarizing all the material to be presented will be provided.

This seminar focuses on developing the proper approaches and applying the necessary tools, techniques and short cuts to most effectively connect you with your ancestors in the old country. Recently developed Internet resources as well as local non-internet resources will be emphasized to enable the beginner to discover his or her family history as well as facilitate the experienced researcher in resolving “brick wall” problems.

Dr. Emil H. Isaacson is the seminar leader. Dr. Isaacson has 25 years experience in genealogy and has researched his ancestral roots back seven generations to the late 1700’s in Europe. He will share his successful and sometimes unsuccessful techniques.

The course is free to current paid-up members of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay. A one-year family membership will be included in the $25 course fee for non-members. An additional $10.00 fee will be charged for seminar materials to defray printing costs, but only one booklet will be needed per couple or family. Annual membership in the Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay is $25 per individual or family.

Anyone interested in learning how to do Jewish genealogical research is invited to attend. Early registration is recommended so that sufficient copies of the printed booklet and handouts will be available.

To pre-register for the class, for further information on the organization, or for directions to the meeting, call Sally Israel at 727-343-1652.

2010 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference Registration is Open

The 2010 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference will be held on August 18-21, 2010, in Knoxville, Tennessee. Registration is now open at the FGS website, and you will find full details about speakers, presentation topics, luncheons and banquets, exhibits, and other special events there. Visit the registration site at http://fgs.org/2010conference. The conference is for everyone, from beginners to professionals, and there is literally something for everyone!

See you in Knoxville!

News from Other Societies - Manasota Genealogical Society

The next meeting of the Manasota Genealogical Society will be held on Tuesday, March 2, 2010 from 9:30 am-12:00 noon at the Central Public Library. Our guest speaker will be Thomas J. Kemp, M.L.S., Director of Genealogy Products at NewsBank.com. His talk is entitled: 21st Century Online Resources for Genealogists.

Following the guest speaker, our Computer Special Interest Group will meet and is open to all who are interested in learning what's new in genealogy on the Internet.

For more information, please call Jean Morris at (941) 722-5156 or visit us on the web at: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~flmgs.

News from Other Societies - Lee County Genealogical Society

You are invited to register for our Spring Half-Day Seminar featuring Pamela J. Cooper, Supervisor of the Archive Center and Genealogy Department of the Indian River County Public Library in Vero Beach, on Saturday, April 10, 2010.

The seminar’s theme of “CENSUS – CENSUS – CENSUS” will focus on the sometimes unlooked at information in the U.S. Federal Census. Pam’s two programs are:

1790-1840 Censuses – The Surveys of Chickens, Ducks, and Geese

and

The United States Population Schedules 1850-1930

The Seminar Fee is $5.00 which includes all topic related materials and refreshments. Attendees must pre-register no later than Wednesday, March 31, 2010. No walk-ins will be permitted.

Download the registration form at http://lcgsfl.org/mbr_ul/events/PamCooperregistrationform02212010.pdf mail it to my attention. Email confirmation will be returned upon receipt of your registration fee.

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Carol

Carol Rooksby Weidlich

President, Membership Chair and Webmaster

Lee County Genealogical Society, Inc.

www.LCGSFL.org

FGS Meeting - Saturday, 6 February 2010

The Florida Genealogical Society will hold its February monthly meeting at 10:30 AM on Saturday, February 6th, 2010, in the auditorium of the John F. Germany Public Library, 900 North Ashley Drive in Downtown Tampa. Our speaker will be Donna M. Moughty, professional genealogist and lecturer.

Donna's presentation is titled "Sources for Irish Records." Learn to use U.S. resources to focus on finding the right place and time in Ireland to pursue your Irish ancestors.

Join us for another of our great educational and then spend some time in the library's excellent genealogy department on the second floor west.

UPDATE: Donna's complete handout can be found here.