Much to Find At the Warren County, Ohio Site

The Warren County Genealogical Society website has lots to offer, and if you have Ohio ancestors it is worth a visit.

Some of the online indexes available include burials, vital records, obituaries, military rosters, and more.

Check it out at:  WCGS Homepage

Jack Butler Featured at PGS Seminar on 8 February

Each year the Pinellas Genealogy Society and largo Public Library co-sponsor a day-long seminar that features a noted speaker in the world of genealogy. The  seminar is coming up on February 8, 2013. This event typically attracts about 150 people and space is limited, so registering now is highly recommended.

The featured speaker is Jack Butler, a professional genealogist, popular speaker, and past president of the state-level Florida State Genealogy Society. We are fortunate to have him with us. He will give four presentations including the topics of territorial records, land records, and wills and estates.

In addition to Jack's four talks, three other speakers will make presentations at break-out sessions on the subjects of heritage scrapbooking, preparing for a research trip, and using the Family Tree on Familysearch.org.

Along with a continental breakfast, lunch, book sale, door prizes, raffles, and a chance to compare notes with fellow researchers, the registration fee is a super deal. It is $40 for PGS members and $45 for non-members. After 1 February and at the door it is $50 for all.

You can find a registration form with schedule of events in the Genealogy Center at the library and online at http://www.flpgs.org/NMbrs/seminar/2014/Sem14.aspx . Scroll to the bottom of the page for a link to the form.

Williams County Public Library - Obituaries Database

Looking for an obit from Williams County, Ohio? Then you should try the obituary database presented by the Williams County Public Library.

The index lists the date and page location of an obituary from local newspapers.  Just remember that the database is a work in progress, and not all local newspapers are represented.

Try it at:  Williams County Public Library - Obituaries Database

Citrus County to Feature Dick Eastman at Seminar

Citrus County Genealogical Society is holding a seminar at 439 East Norvell Bryant highway, Hernando, Florida. It runs from 10 am to 2:30 pm, and Dick Eastman will make three one-hour presentations.

The cost is $12 (members) and $16 (non-members). Bring your own lunch. For more information see www.citrusgenealogy.com .

Largo Area Historical Society Monthly Meeting

Catch the monthly meeting of the Largo Area Historical Society on 10 February, 2014. The meeting starts with a covered dish supper at 6:30 pm followed by a business meeting and speaker.

This month the speaker will be Brad Finkbiner, Principal of Largo High School. He will speak on the building of the new campus for LHS.

Antiques Road Show at Lee County Genealogical Society, 20 February

Lee County Genealogical Society Antiques Roadshow will take place during its 20 February meeting at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church, 4141 DeLeon Street, Fort Myers. Members will show their heirlooms and an antique appraiser will lend her expertise. The doors will open at 12:30, and the meeting starts at 1 pm.

For more information see: www.LCGSFL.org or call Carolyn at 239-549-9625.

Harriet Thompkins Gives Presentation on African American Genealogy

Harriet Thompkins, PGS member and vice president, will give a presentation titled "Jump Start Your African American Genealogy Search at the Clearwater Campus Library on 13 February.

The event runs from 1-2 pm and will cover the fundamentals of starting a search, key tools for African American research, and top websites to use.

Delaware County, Ohio Cemeteries Online

If you have ancestors buried in any of the cemeteries located in Delaware County, Ohio, you will be interested in this site presented by the Delaware County Genealogical Society.

The site contains over 75,000 records of burials in all Delaware County cemeteries. Check it out at:  334 South Sandusky Street

PGS Events for the Week of 27 January 2014

Here's the schedule for the week of 27 Jan-1Feb:

Monday, 27-Jan-14 at 6:00 PM--RootsMagic--Part 1 of 4; Detailed demonstration of how to make the best use of the widely-used RootsMagic genealogy database program. Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library'

Tuesday, 28-Jan-14 at 6:00 PM--GENEALOGY PHOTOS: ORGANIZING, MANAGING AND ENHANCING -- This class will demonstrate how to organize and manage your digital genealogy photos so they can be easily found and how to enhance their appearance. This includes cropping, straightening, one-touch fix, removing blemishes, adding captions and text to the photo, making a collage, and much more. All this can be done using Picasa, the powerful free program from Google. Bryan, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Wednesday, 29-Jan-14 at 10:00 AM--Tracing Living Persons--suggested methods and tips for finding living people--kinfolks you never knew. Bryan, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Saturday, 1-Feb-14 at 10:00 AM--Family Tree Maker User Group--Questions& Answers and Demonstration of how to use the Family Tree Maker genealogical database software. Hosmer, Jenkins C, Largo Library.

French-Canadian researchers will be interested in a series of podcasts at http://maplestarsandstripes.com/. Read the story at Eastmans blog http://goo.gl/izCeBt.

2014 PGS Dues--If you haven't renewed your annual membership to PGS, don't make us beg! See http://goo.gl/3GtWkh for information.PGS Seminar on 8 Feb 2014--Be sure to register for this annual event coming soon! See registration form and information at http://goo.gl/wvvULx.

Last Name Meanings and Origins

Here is a place to do some fun research on your family name. It is a page on Ancestry.com, and it is free.

Just enter the surname of interest and discover all sort of interesting information such as":

Meaning and History
Where they lived in the US and UK
Average life expectancy
Immigration
Common occupations
Service in the Civil War

Check it out at:  Last Name Meanings and Origins | Search Surnames at Ancestry.com

PGS Seminar on 8 February Features Professional Genealogist Jack Butler

Each year the Pinellas Genealogy Society and largo Public Library co-sponsor a day-long seminar that features a noted speaker in the world of genealogy. The  seminar is coming up on February 8, 2013. This event typically attracts about 150 people and space is limited, so registering now is highly recommended.

The featured speaker is Jack Butler, a professional genealogist, popular speaker, and past president of the state-level Florida State Genealogy Society. We are fortunate to have him with us. He will give four presentations including the topics of territorial records, land records, and wills and estates.

In addition to Jack's four talks, three other speakers will make presentations at break-out sessions on the subjects of heritage scrapbooking, preparing for a research trip, and using the Family Tree on Familysearch.org.

Along with a continental breakfast, lunch, book sale, door prizes, raffles, and a chance to compare notes with fellow researchers, the registration fee is a super deal. It is $40 for PGS members and $45 for non-members. After 1 February and at the door it is $50 for all. You can find a registration form with schedule of events in the Genealogy Center at the library and online at http://www.flpgs.org/NMbrs/seminar/2014/Sem14.aspx . Scroll to the bottom of the page for a link to the form.

Largo Area Historical Society Open House

The Largo Area Historical Society will hold an open house at the Historic Feed Store in Largo Central Park from 10 am to 2 pm on February 1, 2014. Drop by and see the exhibits of artifacts from Largo’s past. Society members will be on hand to give explanations and answer questions.

Historical AP Archives Now Online Thru Ancestry.com

This release announcing a new database is provided by Ancestry.com:

 

     "(Provo, Utah) – November 18, 2013 – Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online family history resource, is proud to announce a collaboration with the Associated Press that makes fifty years of news stories–in their original wire copy format–available online today.

     “'We are thrilled to announce this collaboration with the Associated Press to bring its name and subject catalog online,” said Quinton Atkinson, Director of Content Acquisition for Ancestry.com. “It represents a fantastic set of material for our family historians who are researching the news of an era, and gives incredible historical context for the world their ancestors lived in'

     "A vailable at Ancestry.com/AP, the voluminous card catalog of names and subjects links to more than two million records and more than one million AP stories spanning 1937 to 1985, a resource which took Ancestry.com several years to prepare and digitize.

     "For Ancestry.com subscribers, the collection of AP stories adds a whole new dimension to the family history experience. Stories complement family trees and genealogical records on Ancestry.com with period news coverage that provides historical context to the times, places and people Ancestry members are researching. Ancestry.com members will be able to search for stories by name, and then click through to view a digitized copy of the full AP story. Stories can also be searched by subject and by date.

     "The digitization of the AP stories will simplify the research process not only for Ancestry.com members, but also for AP journalists. Reporters and news researchers can now bypass the legacy card catalog and accompanying microfilm for a searchable set of online databases that can be accessed anywhere in the world. In addition, the project has made available a set of internal AP publications dating back to 1904, including the staff magazine AP World, which began publication in 1943.

     “'The collaboration with Ancestry.com has enabled us to bring AP’s historical news microfilm and its card index not only to the family history community but also to AP journalists, who value their organization’s rich archival record,” said Valerie Komor, Director of the AP Corporate Archives. “And AP World offers a rare view into the workings of this 167-year-old news cooperative. '

     "For those wishing to search the AP archives on Ancestry.com, they may do so by visiting Ancestry.com/AP. "

If you want to find the database on your own, from the Ancestry home page click on the "search" tab and then select "card catalog" from the dropdown menu. Enter "AP" in the title box and you should get it. Also, this database is available whether you have a personal subscription to Ancestry.com or whether you are using the Library Edition.

PGS Events for the week of 19 January

Here's the schedule for the upcoming week:

Tuesday,21-Jan-14 at 6:00 PM--Personal Journaling for Genealogy, Burhans, Local History Room, Largo Library

Wednesday, 22-Jan-14 at 6:00 PM--Newspapers in Genealogy--How to use newspapers to discover facts and human interest stories about your ancestors...obituaries, weddings, court cases, etc. We will discuss where to find the newspapers and how to look for genealogy data in them. If you have taken this class in the past, come to this one for a different perspective. Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library

Thursday, 23-Jan-14 at 10:15 AM--Canadian Genealogy Interest Group, Grandmaison & Charest. Local History Room, Largo Library

The library is closed on Saturday, 25 January, so the Roots Magic Users Group will not meet. Join us the 4th Saturday in February for the next meeting. If you are interested in the basics of Roots Magic, we have a 4-part class starting at the Largo Library at 6 pm on Monday, 27 January.

PGS Seminar on 8 February Features Professional Genealogist Jack Butler

Each year the Pinellas Genealogy Society and largo Public Library co-sponsor a day-long seminar that features a noted speaker in the world of genealogy. The  seminar is coming up on February 8, 2013. This event typically attracts about 150 people and space is limited, so registering now is highly recommended.

The featured speaker is Jack Butler, a professional genealogist, popular speaker, and past president of the state-level Florida State Genealogy Society. We are fortunate to have him with us. He will give four presentations including the topics of territorial records, land records, and wills and estates.

In addition to Jack's four talks, three other speakers will make presentations at break-out sessions on the subjects of heritage scrapbooking, preparing for a research trip, and using the Family Tree on Familysearch.org.

Along with a continental breakfast, lunch, book sale, door prizes, raffles, and a chance to compare notes with fellow researchers, the registration fee is a super deal. It is $40 for PGS members and $45 for non-members. After 1 February and at the door it is $50 for all. You can find a registration form with schedule of events in the Genealogy Center at the library and online at http://www.flpgs.org/NMbrs/seminar/2014/Sem14.aspx . Scroll to the bottom of the page for a link to the form.

Ann Palmer to Speak at Florida Genealogical Society

The 1 February meeting of the Florida Genealogical Society will feature All Palmer speaking on "The ABCs of Early American Handwriting."

The meeting will be held at the John F. Germany Public Library, 900 N. Ashley Drive, Tampa at 11 am.

How Do You Learn Best?

We all learn differently, and figuring out how we learn best can help in our research and study in genealogy.

Shannon Combs-Bennett, writing in the National Genealogical Society blog Upfront With NG, gives us tips about different approaches to studying, as well as examples. So if you have been slogging through a book on genealogy techniques and nothing seem to be sticking, this may be a helpful article for you.

UpFront with NGS: Reading the book is just the beginning – Do you know how you learn best? Using Mastering Genealogical Proof as an example ... guest post by Shannon Combs-Bennett

Genealogy Hound Features Free Biographies

The website Genealogy Hound features free access to hundreds of biographies. The coverage is not total,of course, but you never can tell when you will find something dealing with your ancestors.

The state included are AR, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MO, OH. PA, and TN. You can browse by state/county, or by surname.

The site includes other helpful things also, including county maps.

Check it out at:  My Genealogy Hound Home Page

USCIS Provides Genealogy Service

For those of you who have not attended out PGS class on naturalization records and so may have not been exposed to the services provided the US Citizenship and Immigration Service, check this out.

Dick Eastman in his Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter gives a good summary of the services offered and links to the USCIS site.

And while you’re at it, check out our list of upcoming classes for the one on naturalization. It may not be on the list now, but keep checking, the list is updated every couple months or so.

Here is the link to Dick’s article: A Little-Known Government Genealogy Service - Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Here is the link to our class list:  http://www.flpgs.org/classes.aspx

Annual PGS Seminar on 8 February

Don't miss the Pinellas Genealogy Society, Inc. Annual Seminar on Saturday, February 8, 2014 – The Pinellas Genealogy Society will present its annual all-day educational seminar and book sale at the Largo Library, Largo, Florida.
Jack Butler, former President of the Florida State Genealogy Society, will be the guest speaker.  He is also a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, lecturer and author.
By going to our website you will find information on topics, agenda, map details and reservations forms at  www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~flpgs. Click on special events, then 2014 Seminar for details and finally click on the registration form near the top of the page.  Register soon, because the registration fee goes up starting 1 February.

PGS Events for the Week of 12 January

Here is what's happening this week at Pinellas Genealogy Society:

Monday, 13-Jan-2014 at 6:00 PM--City Directories in Genealogy Research--City directories are a valuable genealogy resource. They can give information on household composition, residence and business location, and insights into the lives our ancestors led. They can also be used as a substitute for the US Federal Census, or used in conjunction with the census to locate hard-to-find ancestors. This class explores the history of this resource, the research value of the information they provide, and where to find the records. Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library

Tuesday, 14-Jan-2014 at 6:00 PM--Searching the internet for online scanned books (google books, heritage quest, ancestry.com, et al). Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library

Saturday, 18-Jan-2014 at 10:00 AM--Computers in Genealogy--Question and answer session on the use of computers in genealogy research and record keeping. Bryan, Jenkins B, Largo Library.

Saturday, 18-Jan-2014 at 11:00 AM--Program Meeting- “I Couldn’t Put it Down! Create a NextGen Family History Book, ” Marlis Humphrey, Jenkins B, Largo Library.

Saturday, 18-Jan-2014 at 1:00 PM--Workshop tour of the Genealogy Center showing the many genealogical research resources there. Stokes, Genealogy Center, Largo Library

"Find Your Family Day" on 18 January

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 9001 106th Ave in Largo, Florida will had a "Find Your Family Day" on 18 January from 9am to 4pm.

You can tour the Family History Center and explore the resources available. Several classes will be offered touching on topics such as an introduction to family history, writing a personal history, and African American, British, and Prussian research.

RSVP to Mark Jones at findyourfamily2014@yahoo.com

The Online Death Indexes Website–10 Years Old

In this blog I have often referred readers to the great offerings of Joe Beine. Joe has given us lists of online records to include the topics of ships passenger lists, naturalization records, military records, and more.

His Online Death Indexes website has recently turned ten years old. In his Genealogy Roots Blog, Joe gives an accounting of the life of that index. Check it out at the link below…and make use of the link he provides to the index.

Genealogy Roots Blog: Celebrating 10 Years of the Online Death Indexes Website

Suncoast Genealogy Society Meeting on 25 January 2014

The Suncoast Genealogy Society will hold their monthly meeting on 25 Jan 2014 at the Palm Harbor Public Library (2330 Nebraska Ave, Palm Harbor, FL).

The meeting, featuring a "DNA Roundtable" at 2 pm will be preceded at 1 pm with  their Roots Magic Users Group.

Using NEHGS Online Databases

Did you know that you can use several New England Historic Genealogical Society database…for free?

Simply go to the American Ancestors webpage (http://www.americanancestors.org/home.html) and log in with a guest account. You may need a little help in understanding exactly what databases you have access to and how to use them. NEHGS as produced a You Tube video to assist you with that. Follow the link below to start the video.

There is a lot of good information available here. Take the time to check it out.

Expand Your Research Using NEHGS Online Databases - YouTube

Advanced Genealogy with George Morgan and Drew Smith

Use the link below to hear an interview with George and Drew about their new book Advanced Genealogy Research Techniques.

During the interview you will explore subjects such as using DNA, crowd sourcing, when to solicit help from a professional genealogist, and more.

Listen to the interview at:  Fieldstone Common | Sharing the Passion for Northeastern HistoryFieldstone Common | Sharing the Passion for Northeastern History

Pinellas Folk Festival on 25 January 2014

The annual Pinellas folk Festival will be held at Heritage Village on Saturday, January 25, 2014 from 10 am to 4 pm.

Drop in and join in the fun. There are vendors, exhibits, food, music and more.

Orphan Train Research

If you have ancestors who were orphans, they may have been associated with the orphan train movement which took place from the 1850’s to the 1920’s. It affected about one quarter of a million orphaned, homeless, or abandoned children in this country.

The website of the New York Public Library recently had an article about doing research on orphans. It gives a good background on orphan trains, as well as several links to websites that may be of assistance.

Check it out at:  Researching Orphans in Genealogy | The New York Public Library

Julian Calendars and Gregorian Calendars

Having trouble understanding the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars and how that difference impacts genealogy research? The link below will take you to an article that does a good job of explaining all that. It is from GenealogyInTime Magazine.

Understanding Julian Calendars and Gregorian Calendars in Genealogy