Have the FGS News Appear on YOUR Copy of Google

We're all busy and sometimes forget to go looking for notices of meeting programs and events, announcements, news, and other information. However, if you're like the majority of Internet users, you probably use the Google search engine. And Google has many powerful facilities and they're very easy to use.

One of the is the ability to customize how your screen Google Web search screen looks. Instead of the plain old, mostly-blank, white screen, you can make Google use that dead white space to display some important information! That includes Weblogs (or "blogs") such as the one that we are now using for our FGS (Tampa) Web site here at http://fgstampa.org, and your favorite podcasts. All it takes is a few minutes to create a free account at Google and set to customize your Google Web search page to be a personalized one, accessible by using a Login ID and Password (which you also can save on your computer).

In order to make this process easy, we've prepared some step-by-step instructions for everyone. You'll find them in a PDF file titled iGoogle Set-up Instructions in the list on the right side of this screen in the "How-to Instructions" list. Simply click on the link, open the document in the Adobe Reader, print the document, and follow the instructions. (If you don't yet have the Adobe Reader installed on your computer, it is a FREE DOWNLOAD from the Adobe Web site at http://www.adobe.com.)

If you have any problems with the instructions, please send an e-mail (with your name and telephone number) to George Morgan at our e-mailbox at fgstampa@hotmail.com and he'll get in touch and help you get set up.

Don't miss any of the FGS news and information! Get yourself set up soon!

Mrs. Jean Evelyn Jones, Former FGS President, Dies

Jean Evelyn Jones, 80, of Tampa, FL, passed away Monday, May 21, 2007. Born on April 17, 1927 in Boston, MA, to the late Jessie Grindell and William McCollough, she moved to Tampa in 1947 and remained there for the duration of her life. In August of 1948 she married Truby Jones, and they enjoyed a happy and fulfilling relationship spanning 59 years. She was tremendously active in her community, embracing activities in the Eastern Star, the Daughters of the Nile (and their supporting work for Shriners Hospitals for Children), the Florida Alpha Parliamentarian Group where she became adept at parliamentary procedures, Sunset Park Garden Club for 40 years, and acting as President of the Florida Genealogical Society.

A visitation will take place from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Thursday, May 24, 2007 at Blount & Curry Funeral Home, 605 S. MacDill Ave. Funeral services will be held in the funeral home chapel on Friday, May 25, 2007 at 1:00 p.m. with interment following at Hillsboro Memorial Gardens, Brandon. Jean requests that your support and donations be made directly to the Tampa Shriners Hospitals for Children, 12502 N. Pine Dr., Tampa, FL. 33612-9499.

Donations will be accepted, too, by the Florida Genealogical Society (Tampa) to place memorial books in the John F. Germany Library's genealogical collection. You may contact fgstampa.org to discuss a memorial donation.

FGS's Fall Seminar Registration Form Is Online!

We're gearing up for our 2007 Fall Seminar with special guest speaker Amy Johnson Crow, CG. The registration form is available for review, download, and printing here at our FGS Web site! Scroll down the page and, on the right side of the screen, you will see an area titled "Important FGS Documents." The registration form is right there as a PDF file! The Adobe PDF Reader is a free download at the Adobe Web site at http://www.adobe.com.

Your FGS Board is working hard already to make this the best annual seminar yet! Don't miss your opportunity to be there and hear Amy Johnson Crow's great presentations, the vendors, the door prizes, and more! Mark your calendar now for Saturday, September 8th, 2007, at the Dale Mabry Campus of Hillsborough Community College!

Reminder of the FGS Program for Saturday, May 19th!

Just a reminder that Melody Porter will be presenting a program on May 19th 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!!"

To see the main announcement for this program, go to the April 15th posting by clicking on the link earlier in this sentence.

We hope to see you there!

A Thank You to Our Telephone Committee!

The FGS Board at our April 17th regular meeting recognized and thanked our dedicated Telephone Committee. This group calls all of our members each month to remind them of the date, time, speaker and topic for the upcoming regular meetings. The committee members are:

• Loraine Rose, Committee Chairperson
• Muriel Bradley
• Ruth Eleson
  
• Dick and Nancy Evers
• Mildred Hawk
• Alice Merlin
• Angie Morner

We sincerely appreciate the time and effort that goes into the telephone committee's work. As a token of appreciation, those committee members who were present at the meeting were awarded a Volunteer Pin. (Anyone who missed the meeting may contact Drew Smith to get their pin.)

Thank you all again!

All about Our June Speaker: Jill Noblit MacGregor

Jill Noblit MacGregor is a native Floridian and third generation native of Tarpon Springs the great grand-daughter of Tarpon Springs Pioneer Granville Edwin (G.E.) Noblit, Sr., originally of Brockwayville, PA. Born and raised in the bayou city of Tarpon Springs, MacGregor's love of history and her local heritage runs deep. Primarily a published author of poetry, featured in store gift books and magazines, Jill has written and performed local plays/musicals and performs The National Anthem for featured Bay area sports events. Her recent book publication of, Once Upon A Bayou, is a historical biography featuring the life and legacy of her great-grandfather, Noblit, Sr. during the formative years of Tarpon Springs history and the birth of Pinellas County, of which, Noblit Sr., dubbed the "Daddy of Pinellas," played a key role in their beginnings. Jill is currently working on another historical biography featuring the inspiration account of a local survivor of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis in 1945. MacGregor considers herself blessed to have grown up in an area so rich in history and diversity, an area that is a constant source of inspiration for her music and writing.

Ms. MacGregor will present a program at out June 16th meeting about her Noblit ancestors of Tarpon Springs, Florida -- a real insight into this area of Florida, her ancestors, and the writing of this great new book. You won't want to miss this presentation!

Amy Johnson Crow: Our Great Speaker for the 2007 Fall Seminar!

Amy Johnson Crow will be our special guest speaker for the FGS Fall Conference on Saturday, September 8, 2007, at Hillsborough Community College's Dale Mabry Campus, across from the Tampa Buccaneers' Stadium!

Amy is among the best-know genealogists and speakers in the United States. She is a Certified Genealogist and works as a researcher, author, editor, and lecturer. Amy is the co-author with Pam Porter of the best-selling book, Online Roots: How to Discover Your Family's History and Heritage with the Power of the Internet. She also has served as editor for the NGS Guides series, writes for magazines and journals, and is an active member of the Ohio Genealogical Society.

Amy is extensively published, having had articles published in AncestryMagazine, Genealogical Computing, Heritage Quest Magazine, Indiana Genealogist, The Hoosier Genealogist and the NGS NewsMagazine. She is a winner of the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors’ Excellence-in-Writing contest for published articles. She is a past editor of Ohio Civil War Genealogy Journal.

Amy is the current President of the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors (ISFHWE), serves as Third Vice President of The Ohio Genealogical Society, and is also the OGS Webmaster. She is the developer of DeafBiographies.com, a phenomenal Web site devoted to biographical information about Deaf Americans at http://www.deafbiographies.com. She serves as and is a member of numerous state and county genealogical societies.

We are very fortunate, indeed, to have Amy Johnson Crow as our speaker for the FGS Fall Conference. You will not want to want to miss any of Amy's great presentations!

Look for more information and a seminar registration form online here very soon!

News from Other Societies

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay will meet at 2:00 PM Sunday June 20, 2007 at Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, 14041 Icot Blvd., Clearwater, Florida for a genealogy problem solving session –"ASK THE EXPERTS”. 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 Debbe Hagner & Emil Isaacson, our resident experts. Ms. Hagner is a professionally accredited genealogist who has a Certificate in Family History Research from Brigham Young University and who been researching her own family’s genealogy for more than 30 years. Dr. Isaacson has 24 years experience in Jewish genealogy and has researched his ancestral roots back seven generations to the late 1700’s in Europe. He conducts an annual 2-day seminar in Jewish Genealogy for the JGSTB. Other experienced genealogists will be available to assist as needed.

Those who present problems to "ASK THE EXPERTS” by E-mail to prior to the meeting will be given priority by the panel. Time permitting; problems presented from the floor will also be addressed.

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.

News from Other Societies

The Brandon Area Historic and Genealogical Society will meet on Tuesday, 8 May 2007, at the Bloomingdale Library. BAHGS member Boob Rooke will present a program about using computer software in genealogical research. Time permitting, he will also share a number of Internet Web sites. Refreshments will be served.