2010 Membership Dues are Due!

Membership dues for the Florida Genealogical Society are due. The membership year runs from January 1st through December 31st, and dues must be received by February 15th. The dues are very reasonable: $20 for individuals and $25 for a family.

Please print a copy of the FGS Membership Application at http://www.rootsweb.com/~flfgs/FGS_Member_Appl%20-%20010109.pdf or at http://tinyurl.com/FGS-Membership and complete it so that we have your most current information. Please make your check payable to the Florida Genealogical Society and mail it and the application form to:

The Florida Genealogical Society, Inc.
P.O. Box 18624
Tampa, FL 33679-8624

Otherwise, you can bring these your check and application form to the January or February meeting.

Your dues pay for the extraordinary speakers and programs that FGS presents each month, including the Fall Seminar. We have some great new things planned for the society in 2010 and you don't want to miss out!

In addition, FGS also has a membership incentive program! If you bring in two new members during 2010, your 2011 membership will be free! Make sure the new member specifies on the membership application form that he or she was referred by you.

News from Other Societies - South Bay Genealogical Society

The South Bay Genealogical Society is holding a "Seminar by the Bay" on Thursday, January 28, 2010, from 8:30 AM to 3:45 PM at the Sun City Community Hall in Sun City, Florida. The speaker will be Hank Z (Hank) Jones, FASG. FGS Tampa members will remember Hank from our own 2005 Fall Seminar, and know what a great speaker he is. He will present four lectures:

• "When the Sources are Wrong!"
• "Tracing the Origins of 18th Century Palatines and Other Emigrants"
• "The Great Genealogists & What Made Them Great"
• "How 'Psychic Roots' Became an Unsolved Mystery!"

Registration is $45.00 ($40 for SBGS members) and includes morning coffee and muffins and a hot buffet luncheon. More details can be found at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry/~flsbgs and questions can be emailed to South-bay@juno.com.

FGS Meeting - Saturday, January 2, 2010

Start your New Year with the first of a great series of genealogy speakers and programs for 2010!

The Florida Genealogical Society will hold its January monthly meeting at 10:30 AM on Saturday, January 2nd, in the auditorium of the John F. Germany Public Library, 900 North Ashley Drive in Downtown Tampa. Our speaker will be Sharon Tate Moody, CG, certified genealogist, columnist for the Tampa Tribune, and former president of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG).

Sharon will present a program titled "Finding Missing Links in Land Records." Land records are among the most plentiful but least used records that contain genealogical information and clues. This presentation will help you learn how to locate them and glean new information for your research.

Join us for a great presentation to start the New Year 2010!

CG is a registered service mark of the Board for Certification of Genealogists.

News from Other Societies - Pasco County Genealogical Society

The Pasco County Genealogical Society will meet on Saturday, January 9, 2010. The speaker will be Ann Bergelt and she will present a program titled “German Research Suggestions”. If you are in need of pinning down where and how to find your ancestors before they came to America please attend this informative session by Ann Bergelt. It will be an opportunity for descendants of German immigrants to find new ways to determine the geographic location of the original ancestors and to gather hints on obtaining record copies and the possibility of meeting more distant generations. An added bonus is that many of her tips can help in other foreign research. Ann is an accomplished speaker and winner of multiple awards from the Florida State Genealogical Society.

For more information, you may send an email to Pcgslibrary@yahoo.com or visit their website at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~flpcg.

News from Other Societies - Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay

Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay Meeting
"SHOW AND TELL"
Members' Genealogical Research Success Stories
Sunday, December 13, 2009

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay will meet at Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, 14041 Icot Blvd., Clearwater, Florida on Sunday, December 13, 2009. Library access and a social with refreshments begin at 1:30 PM, and the program starts at 2:00 PM.

The program will include a celebration of the 10th year of the Society's existence and will include lighting of the candles to celebrate the third night of Hanukkah. Refreshments will be served appropriate to the Hanukkah holiday and will be followed by a "SHOW and TELL" segment by members Lynn Arroya, Carol Jaffe, Deborah Radstrom, Barbara Smith and Linda Zolinsky, all of whom have experienced a breakthrough or an amusing incident in their personal research. Each will relate the circumstances of their experience and the success or failure of their effort. These "show and tells" will provide insight and give encouragement to others on how they too can achieve success in their family research. Bring a success or interesting research 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 Sally Israel at 727-343-1652.

News from Other Societies - Manasota Genealogical Society

The next meeting of the Manasota Genealogical Society will be held on Tuesday, January 5, 2010 from 9:30 am-12:00 noon at the Central Public Library. Our guest speaker will be Donna Moughty, whose talk is entitled: “Putting Your Family Tree On-Line”.

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/.

FGS Donates to the Malcolm H. Stern-NARA Gift Fund

Our society has renewed its annual membership in the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) for 2010. That organization is involved in many activities that help societies grow and prosper. One of those is their annual conference, which will be held in Knoxville, Tennessee, on August 18-21, 2010.

FGS is actively involved with a number of projects that focus on records preservation. One of the things that FGS's promotes and publicizes is support for the Malcolm H. Stern-NARA Gift Fund. Established in 1983, the Stern-NARA Gift Fund is a nationally supported program to finance the creation of finding aids and the microfilming of valuable research materials now preserved in the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C. FGS is the administrator of this philanthropic organization.

The Stern-NARA Fund makes possible the creation of finding aids and the microfilming of valuable research materials now preserved in the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Washington, D.C. It helps to finance the creation of finding aids and the microfilming of materials now preserved at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Washington, D.C. These microfilm copies, produced without government funding, are then distributed to the 13 National Archives Regional Archives branches for use by researchers. They can also be accessed through any LDS Family History Center in the world. You can view a partial list of microfilmed materials that the fund has facilitated at http://fgs.org/projects/sternnara.php.

Our Board has just authorized a donation of $125 to the Stern-NARA Fund for 2010. This equates to about $1 per member of our society. This is an extremely important way for our society to contribute to the worldwide genealogical community. Private donations are also accepted, and you can learn more about that at http://fgs.org/projects/sternnara.php.

News from Other Societies - Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay

Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay Meeting
"THE HISTORY OF JEWISH SURNAMES"
Sunday, January 17, 2010

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay will meet at Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, 14041 Icot Blvd., Clearwater, Florida on Sunday, January 17, 2010. The group generally meets the 2nd Sunday of the month but because of a scheduling conflict is meeting the 3rd Sunday for January only. The program topic will be “The History Of Jewish Surnames”. A social with refreshments begins at 1:30 PM, and the program starts at 2:00 PM.

This program will be an exact replication (audio recording & PowerPoint) of the Jewish surname program that was presented by Warren Blatt at the 29th International Conference on Jewish Genealogy in Philadelphia in August 2009. While Warren Blatt will not be with us in person, you will hear his recorded voice and see his complete PowerPoint presentation on “Jewish Surnames.” Warren Blatt is an internationally known Jewish genealogist who is the managing director of JewishGen, an affiliate of the Museum of Jewish Heritage. He is the author of Resources for Jewish Genealogy in the Boston area and co-author of “Getting Started in Jewish Genealogy.”

The history of Jewish surnames is complex. This presentation explains their origins, types and etymologies. You will learn how they were developed and their transformation upon immigration. Discover which Jewish surnames are the most common in the U.S., Eastern Europe and Israel. Myths about Jewish names will be dispelled, and sources for learning more about your surname will be presented.

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.

News from Other Societies - Genealogical Society of Sarasota

The Genealogical Society of Sarasota will hold its January meeting on Saturday, January 16, 2010.

10:00 a.m. Networking
10:30 a.m. Program

George G. Morgan, Speaker (Author of "How to Do Everything: Genealogy” and “The Official Guide to Ancestry.com”)
Topic: Bring 'Em Back to Life: Creating an Ancestor Profile

Selby Library, Geldbart Auditorium


For more information, please visit their website at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~flgss/.

News from Other Societies - Genealogical Society of Sarasota

The Genealogical Society of Sarasota will hold its December meeting on Saturday, December 12, 2009.

10:00 a.m. Networking
10:30 a.m. Program

Larry Berry, Speaker
Topic: Genealogy Research in England and Wales

Selby Library, Geldbart Auditorium

For more information, please visit their website at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~flgss/.

News from Other Societies - South Bay Genealogical Society

The South Bay Genealogical Society will hold its december meeting on November 15th at noon at the SouthShore Regional Library. Ann Bergelt will present a program titled "Your Research Plan."

For more information, visit http://www.rootsweb.com/~flsbgs.

FGS Holiday Party

FGS is having its annual Holiday Party on Saturday, December 19th, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM, in the Heritage Room, North Pebble Beach, at Sun City Center. As always, this is an opportunity to enjoy the camaraderie of the society and get to know one another better. Please bring a dish to share with others.

Please RSVP to Noreta Wells at (813) 684-0843 by December 10th.

DIRECTIONS:
Take I-75 south until you see the exit for Sun City Center (Exit 240) and turn east at the bottom of the ramp. You will be on Rt. 674 East. Stay in the left lane as you approach the 5th traffic light.. (Walgreens will be your landmark.) Turn left on N. Pebble Beach and then make a right on Cherry Hill Rd. You will come upon some buildings on your left with Enter and Exit signs. Enter here, and you will come to the back parking lot. Park here, and on your left will be a sign that reads "Heritage Room." (This sign will be under an awning.) Various rooms have different names.

If you get lost, please call Linda Anderson's cell phone at (813) 285-3181, and she will help guide you.

Please join us for this festive get-together!

News from Other Societies - Charlotte County Genealogical Society

The Charlotte County Genealogical Society will be holding its 2010 Spring Seminar “Updating Your Genealogy Toolbox” with Dick Eastman on Friday, February 12, 2010, at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 2565 Tamiami Trail, in Port Charlotte.

The seminar topics include: Genealogy Searches on Google; The Organized Genealogist; The Latest Technology for Genealogists; and Where is Genealogy Software Headed. Full information is available at the Charlotte County Genealogical Society website at www.ccgsi.org.

News from Other Societies - Manasota Genealogical Society

The next meeting of the Manasota Genealogical Society will be held on Tuesday, December 1, 2009 from 9:30 am-12:00 noon at the Central Public Library.  Our guest speaker will be Sharon Tate Moody, C.G., whose talk is entitled: “Child of No One:  The Law and Your Illegitimate Ancestor". 

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. 

News from Other Societies - Pinellas Genealogy Society

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

The speakers will be Jim and Terry Willard, Professional Genealogists and writer. The program is entitled, "Attacking Your Dead-ends." 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 speakers and PGS members.

News from Other Societies - Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay

Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay Meeting
"SHOW AND TELL"
Members' Genealogical Research Success Stories
Sunday, December 13, 2009

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay will meet at Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, 14041 Icot Blvd., Clearwater, Florida on Sunday, December 13, 2009. Library access and a social with refreshments begin at 1:30 PM, and the program starts at 2:00 PM.

The program will include a celebration of the 10th year of the Society's existence and will include lighting of the candles to celebrate the third night of Hanukkah. Refreshments will be served appropriate to the Hanukkah holiday and will be followed by a "SHOW and TELL" segment by members Lynn Arroya, Carol Jaffe, Deborah Radstrom, Barbara Smith and Linda Zolinsky, all of whom have experienced a breakthrough or an amusing incident in their personal research. Each will relate the circumstances of their experience and the success or failure of their effort. These "show and tells" will provide insight and give encouragement to others on how they too can achieve success in their family research. Bring a success or interesting research 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 Sally Israel at 727-343-1652.

News from Other Societies - South Bay Genealogical Society

The South Bay Genealogical Society will hold its November meeting on November 17th at noon at the SouthShore Regional Library. Pattie Schultz and Pam Treme will present a program titled "Internet Research."

For more information, visit http://www.rootsweb.com/~flsbgs.

FGS Meeting, Saturday, November 7, 2009

The Florida Genealogical Society will hold its monthly meeting at 10:30 AM on Saturday, November 7th, in the auditorium of the John F. Germany Public Library, 900 North Ashley Drive in Downtown Tampa. The program is titled “Ancestor Show and Tell,” and attendees are encouraged to bring documents and artifacts to display and describe to the group. This popular annual program provides education and discussion of things that can expand your family history research.

News from Other Societies - Manasota Genealogical Society

The next meeting of the Manasota Genealogical Society will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 from 9:30 am-12:00 noon at the Central Public Library. Our guest speaker will be Jim McHugh (President of the MGS), whose talk is entitled: “The Mysteries and Jewels of City Directories"

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/

Candidates for FGS Tampa Board Election

The slate of candidates for of officers and board members for the Florida Genealogical Society were presented, in accordance with the Bylaws, at the October meeting on October 3rd. The election will be held at the November meeting on November 7th. The candidates are:

• Andrew Martin "Drew" Smith - President
• Tammy Patascher - Vice President
• Trevetta Hartline Wunderlin - Recording Secretary
• Loraine Jacobs Rose - Corresponding Secretary
• Mary Lyons Rivers - Treasurer
• Shirley J. Evans Besch - Director (3 year term)

Nominations will be accepted from the floor on the day of the election.

News from Other Societies - Brandon Area Genealogical and Historical Society

The Brandon Area Genealogical and Historical Society announces a change in its program for next week on October 13, 2009.

The Census Bureau canceled the originally announced program, stating they did not have anyone available to present a program. Mary and Merton Gates have stepped up and volunteered to present a slide show program on their last trip to England. A big "Thank You" to Mary and Merton for stepping up for us.

If you are planning to take the day trip November 14th to Ybor City with our society, have lunch, and tour the Centro Asturiano building, and then continue to the cemetery, please let Scott Peeler know at the October meeting. This is an exciting event, and it provides a tremendous historical perspective into Tampa and the wonderful historical in which we live.

We encourage everyone in this geographical area to join us for the exceptionally important and informative cultural event!

News from Other Societies - Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay

Drew Smith To Speak On
GENEALOGY AND DNA
Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay Meeting
Sunday, October 11, 2009

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay will meet at Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, 14041 Icot Blvd., Clearwater, Florida on Sunday October 11, 2009 with Drew Smith speaking on DNA and Genealogy. A social with refreshments and library access begins at 1:30 PM, and the featured program starts at 2:00 PM.

Are you afraid to try DNA as a research tool because the science seems too intimidating? This overview will explain how DNA relates to genealogy, what kinds of DNA tests are available, and how researchers can share test results with each other as a basis for determining a relationship.

Drew Smith, a nationally known genealogist, is an instructor for the School of Library and Information Science at USF. He has more than 30 years experience in the field of computing, and he has extensive experience as a genealogist. His genealogical credentials include: co-host of the weekly "Genealogy Guys Podcast," columnist for 2 computer magazines, and leadership roles in many local, national and international genealogy organizations too numerous to list. Drew is an expert in digital genealogy, and his latest book “Social Networking for Genealogists” was recently published.

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 - Pasco County Genealogical Society

All of us have heard the family story about one ancestor or another that fought the Indians or saved the village from disaster. The trick is finding the proof behind the family folklore. The October speaker for the Pasco County Genealogical Society is Paul L. Enchelmayer, and he will walk attendees through a case study of how much proof is enough.

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. He 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's Speakers Bureau, a member of the National Genealogical Society, and a member of the the Hamilton County Genealogical Society in Cincinnati.

For more information, please visit the Pasco County Genealogical Society's website at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~flpcgs.

Florida Genealogial Society - October's SPECIAL Meeting - Research-a Rama

The Florida Genealogical Society (Tampa) will host a special monthly meeting on Saturday, October 3, 2009, at the John F. Germany Library in downtown Tampa. The event is called Research-a-Rama and its intent is to provide members of the society and the public with a day of high quality presentations and insights into using the excellent Genealogy and Local History collection of the library.

Research-a-Rama will take place between 10:30 AM and 4:30 PM in both the auditorium and the Genealogy and Local History collection located on 2-W with concurrent activities in both areas.

The event will begin with a very short FGS business meeting at which the slate of candidates for the FGS 2010 Board will be announced. Nominations will be accepted from the floor from FGS members. (Voting will take place at the November meeting on Saturday, 7 November 2009.)

There will be four presentations given in the auditorium during the day, given by Drew Smith and George G. Morgan. The presentations will include:

§ “Finding the Books You Want” – An introduction to using the online library catalog and WorldCat (Drew Smith)

§ “Using Ancestry Library Edition (Part 1)” – An overview of the content of the Ancestry.com site and its organization (George G. Morgan)

§ “Using Ancestry Library Edition (Part 2)” – Search strategies for searching databases (George G. Morgan)

§ “Online Newspaper Research” – An introduction to the newspaper databases at the THPLC and how to search them, with a mention of TRAILS and the obituary database content and microfilm search process. (Drew Smith)


The library auditorium will be set up classroom style with tables and chairs, and the John F. Germany Library will provide the use of laptop computers from its computer labs for use during the sessions. In addition, you can bring your own laptop. The auditorium will have plenty of electrical cords for you and there is Wi-Fi connectivity for you.

Concurrent with the presentations in the auditorium, there will be several activities taking place in the Genealogy and Local History Department on 2-W in the library. The FGS Board members and society volunteers will provide two one-hour periods during the day when they will staff two tables. One session will be held in the morning and another in the afternoon as follows:



§ One table will be for “How to Get Started” with genealogical research. This will be similar to the “Ask a Genealogist” program that the society provides at the library each month. We will provide guidance to get started with research, supplemented by assistance from library staff.

§ One table will be for “Brick Wall Suggestions.” Board members and society members will provide more specific suggestions for seeking alternative records and research methods for overcoming brick wall problems. Again, supplemental assistance from staff members will be helpful.

The other activity will be two iterations of a guided tour of the collection and resources in the excellent Genealogy and Local History Department. Please note that the John F. Germany Public Library's genealogy collection has added millions of dollars worth of genealogical materials over the last four years!

Drew Smith and a member of the library staff will lead these tours. (These tours will be a direct follow-up to the first session in the auditorium in the morning.) The tour will focus on: the organization of the physical print collection and its modified Dewey Decimal Classification numbering; location and organization of the periodicals and city directories; contents of the microfilm and microfiche materials; the maps and gazetteers; vertical surname files; vertical clipping files; circulating collection; microfilm readers and printers, with focus on the ST-200 units; and other little known or used resources in the collection. (If there are any people who missed an earlier collection tour, another make-up tour can be conducted at 3:30 PM.)

This very special event will be advertised by the library, by FGS, and in the media. It is open to the public and is certain to be a very popular event. Make sure that you arrive in the auditorium early for the event. Bring your laptop and research materials!

Yes, this is just one week after the FGS Fall Seminar with Elizabeth Shown Mills, but we'll all be energized by Elizabeth's presentations. In addition, everyone will learn how to hone his or her research better than ever.

In addition, the Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library Cooperative has a very special announcement to make that day about a new online resource for all the county library card holders. You'll be thrilled too!

Make sure you plan to attend this very special education opportunity! The Florida Genealogical Society of Tampa is a leader in genealogical education, and you do not want to miss this unparalleled day of research-honing sessions!

News from Other Societies - South Bay Genealogical Society

The South Bay Genealogical Society will hold its October meeting on October 20th at noon at the SouthShore Regional Library. Debra Fleming will present a program titled "Census Analysis" and will discuss how to get the most from examination of pre-1850 U.S. federal census records.

For more information, visit http://www.rootsweb.com/~flsbgs.