The 2008 FGS Fall Seminar with Paula Stuart-Warren

The Florida Genealogical Society is very pleased to announce its annual Fall Seminar, which will be held on Saturday, September 13, 2008, at the Dale Mabry campus of Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, FL, from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM

Our very special speaker is Paula Stuart-Warren, CG^SM, an internationally recognized genealogical expert, author, lecturer, and professional researcher who works full-time in the field of genealogy.

Paula is a graduate of the National Institute of Genealogical Research held at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). She is certified by the Board for Certification of Genealogists and is a firm believer in continuing education in genealogy. She is comfortable with her audiences and enjoys discussing genealogy with participants. Her seminar presentations have taken her to most states in the U.S. and to Canada. Since 1997 she has been a Course Coordinator for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy's American Genealogy Records and Resources intermediate course.

She is a columnist for Ancestry Weekly Journal and has written articles for many genealogical publications including NewEnglandAncestors.org, FGS Forum, the NGS NewsMagazine, and Ancestry Magazine. She co-authored the book, Your Guide to the Family History Library. Paula has been a national officer of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), a board member of the Minnesota Genealogical Society, and an active volunteer for the Federation of Genealogical Societies.

Her ancestors represent eight different countries. These ancestors, descendants, and the cousins resided in many Midwestern and Western states and in several Canadian provinces. She has researched her children’s paternal southern ancestors. Her other specialties include the U.S. National Archives, major repositories, American Indians, railroads, and the WPA.

Paula will present four lecture topics at this year's conference:

• 20th and 21st Century Research
• Railroad Records and Railroad History: Methods for Tracking
• Organizing Your Genealogical Materials: Methods to Keep it Current
• Untrod Ground: Sources You May Not Have Encountered

In conjunction with this year's Fall Seminar, FGS is celebrating its Gala 50th Anniversary. Our society is the oldest genealogical society in the State of Florida! To commemorate this occasion, FGS will host a gala banquet on Friday evening, September 12th, 2008, at the historic Valencia Garden Restaurant in Tampa. Paula will deliver what is guaranteed to be a warm, funny, and engaging banquet talk.

We are exceedingly pleased to have Paula Stuart-Warren with us to celebrate our golden anniversary and to present at our annual all-day seminar. You will not be disappointed!

A registration form for the seminar and a banquet reservation form are available on our FGS web site. Maps to the seminar site and to the Valencia Garden Restaurant will be added to the web site soon. Check back for more details!

News from Other Societies - BAGHS

The Brandon Area Historical and Genealogical Society (BAHGS) will hold its monthly meeting on Tuesday, May 13th,at 6:30 PM at the Bloomington Public Library. Speaker and genealogy expert Sally Miller will present a program titled. "Tombstone Inscriptions," in a fascinating and informative slide show. Refreshments will be served.

News from Other Societies - JGSTB

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay will meet on Sunday May 18, 2008 at 2:00 P.M. at Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, 14041 Icot Blvd., Clearwater, Florida. “The Anatomy of a Family Reunion” will be presented by Bill Israel, a founding member and the immediate past president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay. Bill had a key role in the planning and organizing of all fifteen of his Israel Family Reunions held over the past 28 years. He served as general chairman of two reunions and was program chairman and consultant for most of the others. He co-chaired and assisted his wife in establishing family reunions for her family as well. All totaled, Bill has participated in a total of 20 family reunions. He has documented his experiences with family reunions into a planning guide for use by his family in planning future reunions, which are held every two years with a rotation of chairmen and locations. These reunions typically average more than 100 in attendance and are weekend affairs with a program of planned activities running from Friday through Sunday designed to reconnect family members, tell the family story, and show everyone a good time.

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Are you stuck, or are you having trouble getting started in researching your family's history? Help is on the way! The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay will meet at 2:00 PM on Sunday, June 8th at Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, 14041 Icot Blvd., Clearwater, Fla. for a hands-on workshop for individual research using both Internet and our own extensive library resources. Several experienced JGS mentors will be available to provide guided assistance at this working session.

The workshop will begin with an overview of genealogical resources available in print and online. This will be followed by the actual use of these resources for your own individual research under the guiding hands of our experienced mentors. Several computers with Internet connection will be available. The JGSTB library holdings are listed at <http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~fljgstb/library.htm>. Attendees should bring with them all prior research about the families they are researching. This workshop is intended to help you to build upon what you know.

Anyone interested in learning how to do Jewish genealogical research is invited to attend either of these upcoming meetings. 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.

News from Other Societies - Pinellas Genealogy Society

The Pinellas Genealogy Society will present an interesting program on 17 May by Lette Pascoe, the park naturalist for Boca Ciega Millennium Park, entitled "Who or What was Here Before the McMullen's and the Booths." The program is open to the public and will be held at 11:00 AM in the Jenkins Auditorium of the Largo Public Library, 120 Central Park Drive, Largo, FL.

FGS Program for 17 May 2008

The Florida Genealogical Society will hold its monthly meeting on Saturday, May 17, 2008, at 10:30 AM in the Auditorium of the John F. Germany Library at 900 North Ashley Drive in Downtown Tampa.

We are pleased to present well-known genealogist and author Drew Smith in a program titled, “The Family History in Your Genes: Using DNA for Genealogical Research.” This presentation will provide an easy-to-understand overview of how DNA relates to genealogy, what kind of DNA tests are available, and how researchers can easily share test results with each other.

Memorial Service for Melvin O. Brown

A memorial service will be held for Melvin O. Brown on Saturday, May 17th, 2008, at 2:00 P.M. in the Recital Hall of the Fine Arts Building (Room FAH 101) on the campus of the University of South Florida in Tampa. Mel was the immediate past president of the Florida Genealogical Society and a participant in the Clarion Society, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) Learning in Retirement (LIR), SeniorNet, and Seniors Networking Users Group (SNUG), as well as other community activities.

Parking is available just west of the Fine Arts Building in Parking Lot 9A. The parking lot is accessible as follows:

□ From Bruce B. Downs Boulevard on the west side of campus, turn east onto USF Holly Drive and drive to USF Laurel Drive. Turn right and proceed south. Parking Lot 9A is on your left after you pass the Psychology & Communications Disorders (PCD) Building.

□ From Fletcher Avenue on the north side of campus and east of Bruce B. Downs, turn south onto USF Magnolia Drive and proceed past the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center to USF Laurel Drive. Turn left (east) and Laurel will curve north. Parking Lot 9A is the first lot on your right.

Please join us for the memorial service. A social gathering with light refreshments will be held immediately afterward in the adjacent courtyard. For additional information, please contact George G. Morgan at (813) 920-0619.

Guest Book for Mel Brown

A guest book has been created for Mel Brown at the Blount & Curry web site. You can access it and add your own entry at http://bccarrollwood.createatribute.com/registryGuestbookSign.php?i_memorialid=1208374316.

"The Genealogy Guys" on RootsTelevision.com

In case you haven't watched RootsTelevision.com in the past at http://www.rootstelevision.com, it is chock full of instructional videos, lectures, news, and videos by our own George G. Morgan and Drew Smith, otherwise known as The Genealogy Guys. The Guys have been doing a weekly genealogy broadcast (podcast) since September of 2005. It is the longest running, continuing genealogy podcast on the Internet with literally thousands of listeners around the world! You can listen to the current episode or all of them at http://www.genealogyguys.com.

However, the Genealogy Guys also have recorded three (3) episodes of Down Under: Florida. These are recorded broadcast videos, ala History Detectives, of stories concerning interesting cemetery markers in the Tampa area and the real-life stories about the people interred in the graves. The first episode focused on the gravesite of William and Nancy Ashley, and the second (and current) episode tells about the famous Ringling Brothers circus act, the Flying Zacchinis. These families are interred in local cemeteries and have increased interest in Florida and the Tampa area cemeteries. A third episode is in the editing stage.

You definitely want to look at these great videos at http://rootstelevision.com/players/player_dearlydeparted.php?bctid=1493265270. Let George and Drew know what you think! And be sure to thank our great genealogy librarian, Melinda Phillips, of the John F. Germany Library in Tampa for her wonderful support in providing excellent images for the Zacchini story!

We're famous!

Death of Melvin O. Brown

It is with great sadness that I have to report that our friend and the immediate past president of FGS, Mel Brown, passed away this morning, 6 April 2008. He had recently been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Mel was a longtime employee of Sears, Roebuck & Co. and Sears Communications Company in Chicago. He transitioned to Advantis, a joint venture of IBM and Sears, and relocated to Tampa, and he retired from that organization.

Arrangements are pending.

Drew Smith
President

News from Other Societies - BAGHS & JGSTB

The Brandon Area Genealogical and Historical Society (BAGHS) will meet on Tuesday, April 8th, at the Bloomingdale Library at 6:30 P.M. This month's program will be presented by Pam Treme and Pattie Schultz, and will be titled "Connecting through Family Newsletters."

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The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay will meet on Sunday May 18, 2008 at 2:00 P.M. at Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, 14041 Icot Blvd., Clearwater, Florida. “The Anatomy of a Family Reunion” will be presented by Bill Israel, a founding member and the immediate past president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay. Bill had a key role in the planning and organizing of all fifteen of his Israel Family Reunions held over the past 28 years. He served as general chairman of two reunions and was program chairman and consultant for most of the others. He co-chaired and assisted his wife in establishing family reunions for her family as well. All totaled, Bill has participated in a total of 20 family reunions. He has documented his experiences with family reunions into a planning guide for use by his family in planning future reunions, which are held every two years with a rotation of chairmen and locations. These reunions typically average more than 100 in attendance and are weekend affairs with a program of planned activities running from Friday through Sunday designed to reconnect family members, tell the family story, and show everyone a good time.

Bill will review the key points of planning and organizing successful family reunions based on his personal experiences with twenty of them, plus a reunion currently being planned for next year. Handouts summarizing his presentation will be provided.

FGS Programs: Coming Attractions

FGS Vice President, Jim Weiss, has been hard at work arranging programs for the coming months. Here's a sneak preview of coming attractions he has arranged.

• April: Author Raff Ellis presents "Kisses from a Distance"
• May: Drew Smith presents a program about DNA and genealogy
• June: Rodney Kite-Powell presents a program about the Tampa History Center
• July: Ann Bergelt presents"Vital Records and Other Record Documentation"
• August: TBA
• September: The FGS Annual Fall Seminar with special guest speaker Paula Stuart-Warren and a Gala 50th Anniversary Celebration for FGS
  

These are some of the great programs that your dues help provide for you. We have a diverse selection of topics presented by top-notch speakers. Make sure you don't miss a single meeting!

Get Your FREE Annual FGS Membership!

Yes, you read the heading correctly. You can get your annual membership to FGS for free. Your board passed a motion at its meeting on 29 March 2008 aimed at increasing our society's membership. Here is the deal.

As an existing, paid-in-full member of FGS, all you have to do is bring in three new members to the society. The membership form is being changed to allow a new member to indicate the name of the existing member who invited them to join. (In the meantime, until the new form is online here at our web site, that information can be written in on the old form, currently available at http://www.rootsweb.com/~flfgs/FGS_member_appl_June_2007.pdf.) The FGS Board's Membership Chair and Treasurer will keep track of the new members who join as a result of your invitation. When you have reached the magic number of 3 new members, your membership for the following calendar year will be credited as paid in full. The number is set to zero again and the count begins again. If you bring in an additional three members, another calendar year's membership will be credited to you.

You already know that FGS has a wonderful group of people, a great calendar of top-notch programs, a terrific annual Fall Seminar with nationally-recognized genealogical experts as speakers, worthwhile and fun projects, and access to one of the finest genealogical library collections in the United States. A new membership directory is coming later this year and the board is working hard on new ideas for our second fifty years!

Talk up FGS with your friends, neighbors, and family members. Get them to join and we ALL benefit!

Parking Rate Changes at Poe Garage in Downtown Tampa

The parking fees at the Poe Garage adjacent to the John F. Germany Public Library in downtown Tampa have recently increased. The garage is a city-owned and -operated facility and the library is a county facility. The city has installed machines to collect parking fees before you can leave the garage. The current fee is $1.40 per hour or whatever the "event parking" rate is that is in effect when you arrive. Apparently the old "library parking" fee of $1.00 no longer exists. However, neither the library nor FGS have been able to get a definitive answer to the rate structure. We're both working on obtaining that information and will communicate it to you as soon as we have it.

The HCPLC's pamphlet, Downtown Parking, on their website at http://www.hcplc.org/hcplc/ig/userguides/ayl/parking.pdf provides a map of alternate parking locations and, with the exception of perhaps the Poe Garage (#1 on the map) and library hours, other information is believed to be current. Metered parking is also available in the area and meters are not monitored on Saturday and Sunday.

FGS Program for 19 April 2008

FGS is pleased to present Lebanese-American author Raff Ellis in a program titled Kisses from a Distance on Saturday, 19 April 2008, at 10:30 a.m. in the Auditorium of the John F. Germany Public Library at 900 N. Ashley Boulevard in downtown Tampa. The program title is taken from his exhaustively researched book of the same name. It is a story that began with 200 of his mother's letters, written between 1925 and 1990, and traced the family's stories and heritage. It is the quintessential tale of emigrant families who left their homes in the Middle East near the turn of the 20th century, their struggles for acceptance, fighting discrimination, and building a new life in America. It is a beautifully written book that is relevant to all of us, regardless of our origins, and proves the power of research and discovery in producing a truly fine family history. Mr. Ellis' book will be available at the meeting. Join us for this great presentation!

News from Other Societies - Pasco County Gen. Soc. and JGSTB

The Pasco County Genealogical Society (PCGS) will conduct their monthly meeting on Saturday April 12^th 2008 at 10:00 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at 9016 Fort King Road, Dade City, FL. Member Virginia Britten will present “Missed Opportunities to Break Down Those Brick Walls,” a program about answers in your research which may be as close as the books and periodicals in the collections of your genealogical society, library, or Family History Center. Visit their web site at http://www.rootsweb.com/~flpcgs for more information.

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay is seeking volunteers to participate at the Jewish Federation of Pinellas/Pasco County’s 2008 Annual Meeting the evening of 6 May 2008 at the Largo Cultural Center. Help celebrate community volunteers and the 60th birthday of Israel. Please volunteer by 1 April 2008 to help man a JGSTB table at the event. More information is available at http://www.walktheland.org.

Florida State Genealogical Society Newsletter

You can read the Florida State Genealogical Society's latest issue of Florida Lines by clicking on the link.

Donna Moughty Presents FGS Program on 15 March 2008

Nationally-recognized genealogy expert and lecturer Donna Moughty will present her excellent program, Getting the Most out of FamilySearch.com. FamilySearch.com is the Website maintained by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is at the center of genealogical information, databases, the Family History Library, finding aids, research guides and more in Salt Lake City. It's online catalog also allows us to order microfilm to the local LDS Family History Centers (FHCs) in order to access these invaluable research resources.

Donna is an expert researcher and lecturer whose presentation is sure to provide you with in-depth insights into how to use the FamilySearch Website more efficiently to accelerate your research!

Learn from an expert this Saturday! Donna is terrific!!!

Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay - April Meeting

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay will meet at 1:30 PM on Sunday, 13 April 2008at the John F. Germany Library, 900 N. Ashley Drive, Tampa, Florida for a hands-on workshop for individual research. This library has one of the best and most complete set of genealogical holdings of any library in the Tampa Bay region. The library will have an expert in genealogy and the library resources to give us an overview of the resources, give us a private tour, and to help us with research. Several experienced JGS mentors will be available to provide guided assistance at this working session.

The workshop will begin with an overview of the extensive genealogical resources - in print, on microfilm, and online - most of which are only available at Tampa's main downtown library. The overview will be followed by the actual use of these resources for your own individual research under the guiding hands of our experienced mentors. The John F. Germany library has a large microfilm collection of immigration records as well as computer access to Ancestry Plus, Heritage Quest and other databases among its considerable genealogical resources. A listing of the library's premium databases can be seen online at . Attendees should bring their own materials and information to do their research at the library.

The overview session of the library's holdings will begin at 1:30 PM, and will be followed by individual research using the library's microfilm readers and computer facilities with guided assistance if needed until the library closes at 5:00 PM. 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 Linda Zolinsky at 727-372-0646.

News from Other Societies - BAGHS & JGSTB

The Brandon Are Genealogical and Historical Society (BAGHS) will hold its monthly meeting on Tuesday, 11 March 2008, at the Bloomingdale Regional Public Library, located at 1906 Bloomingdale Avenue in Bloomingdale, Florida. Andy Anderson will present a program about DNA and genealogical research. Refreshments will be served.

FGS Meeting - 15 March 2008

The Florida Genealogical Society will hold its monthly meeting on Saturday, March 15, 2008, at 10:30 AM in the Auditorium of the John F. Germany Library at 900 North Ashley Drive in Downtown Tampa.

The presenter is well-known speaker Donna Moughty, who will present a program titled “Getting the Most out of FamilySearch.org,” the LDS’ massive online Website. This program will provide a detailed insight into how to navigate the site, use the Family History Library catalog to order microfilm to your local FHC, and more.

A Special Interest Group (SIG) will also meet at 1:00 PM in the Genealogy & Local History Department. Admission is free.

News from Other Societies - BAGHS & JGSTB

The Brandon Area Genealogical and Historical Society will hold its monthly meeting on Tuesday, 12 February 2008, at the Bloomfield Regional Public Library. Pam Treme’& Pattie Schultz from the Pasco Genealogy Society will present "Connecting through Family Newsletters." This is a two part program on how to compile your newsletter using Microsoft Word, and then use the mail merge tool to send to several people. You will learn things about your Microsoft Word you didn't even know were there!

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The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay is offering a two-part educational seminar designed to enable you to discover your family’s immigration records. This seminar will enable you to discover your family’s immigration records. The presentations will concentrate on both traditional and recently available Internet resources that will be of interest to the beginning genealogist as well as those with more experience. The past few years have seen substantial changes in the methods and sources of genealogical research, so the course will place special emphasis on recently developed Internet resources, which are invaluable to researchers of any level of experience. The course will focus on the proper techniques, methods, and short cuts (emphasizing local in addition to Internet resources) that will connect you with your ancestors in the old country – including your grandma!

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.

There will be no charge for members of the JGSTB. Non-members will be charged $25 to attend, but that charge will include a one-year membership in the JGSTB. Annual membership dues for the JGSTB are $25 per individual or family. There will be an additional charge of $10 per seminar booklet. Couples may wish to share one booklet between them.

Member News: A Blessed Event!

Marc and Alicia Cole Truitt's baby girl was born in January. Her name is Kiran Renee Truitt and she is already being spoiled by Marc and Alicia. Congratulations on the addition of a new branch on your family tree!

News from Other Societies - South Bay & Charlotte County Genealogical Societies

The South Bay Genealogical Society will hold its monthly meeting on 19 February 2008 with a program presented by Donna Moughty. Her topic is Getting the Most from Ancestry.com. The meeting will be held at the Little Harbor Restaurant at Noon and luncheon reservations are required. For more information, visit their website at http://www.rootsweb.com/~flsbgs.

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The Charlotte County Genealogical Society will hold its all-day "Spring Symposium" on Saturday, 23 February 23 2008, at the St. James Episcopal Church in Port Charlotte. The program of 4 topics will be presented by Curt Witcher, Manager of the Genealogy & History Department at the Allen County Public Library in Ft. Wayne, IN. Reservations include a box lunch, and are due by February 19th. Registration begins at 8:00 AM and the seminar takes place from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. For more information and the registration form, visit http://www.rootsweb.com/~flccgs/Witcher_Flyer.pdf.

FGS Meeting - 16 February 2008

The February 16th program for FGS will be a hands-on workshop about using HeritageQuest Online, one of the databases provided by the Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library Cooperative. The presenter will be member George G. Morgan, who also teaches this workshop to librarians serving genealogists and has written articles about this database.

This program will be held in the Auditorium of the John F. Germany Library in downtown Tampa. (Previous information was that it would be held in the computer lab.) It will begin promptly at 10:30 AM and last for one hour, after which you can use the computers in the library's History & Genealogy Department to work with the database. (HeritageQuest Online is can also be accessed remotely from your home computer anytime, through the library's website, if you have a valid THPLC library card.)

There are limited spaces for this computer lab workshop and a total of only 30 spaces are available. The library will provide 10 computers and attendees will have to share a computer. If you have a laptop computer, please bring it along with a fully charged battery. This will provide a computer for yourself and you won't necessarily have to share.

You must pre-register to reserve a space for yourself by sending an e-mail to fgstampa@hotmail.com or to rabidgenealogist@hotmail.com. The program is free but you must have a registration. As of Feb 1st, there were still 17 spaces available. (If we have great demand for the workshop, we will have a waiting list and will repeat it on another date later in the year that won't conflict with our regular meeting.)

Don't delay! Reserve your spot today!

FGS Dues are Due!

Your FGS dues are now due! Don't let your membership lapse in this great 50th Anniversary Year!

We have lots of great plans for programs and events for 2008 and you won't want to miss anything.

Dues are $20.00 for an individual and $25.00 for a family (all members of the same household). Please download the Membership Application and return it with your check by February 15th. A link to the application in PDF file format is in the right-hand column of this website. Your newly completed application will guarantee that we have your latest information on file. (Attendees for the reservations-only workshop on February 16th can pay their dues on that day.)