Lee County Genealogical Society to Feature Debra Fleming

The Lee County Genealogical Society meeting on 17 Nov 2016 will feature Debra S. Fleming, The Ancestry Detective, speaking on "The Genealogy Proof Standard."

Family researchers know that direct evidence records can be found
only for so long. When they reach a stage in their research that little
bits of indirect information is all they have, they need to turn to the
Genealogy Proof Standard. This is a process used by family
researchers to determine what we know, what we want to know, and
how we get there. Debra will explain what these standards are and how to use them.

Doors open at 9:30 at Cypress Lakes Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 8260 Cypress Lake Drive, Fort Myers, FL. For more information visit www.LCGSFL.org.

PGS Events for the Week of 30 October to 5 November 2016

Tuesday, 1-Nov-2016 at 6:00 PM--BACKUP & COMPUTER DATA PROTECTION--How to assure your genealogy (and other) computer data is safe from natural disasters, computer failure, viruses, spyware, etc. We will discuss what data you need to backup and specific means to safely backup that data. We will show how to protect your computer from viruses and spyware. Bryan, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Wednesday, 2-Nov-2016 at 10:00 AM--Fold3 is an online database focused on digitized military records. It is a fee site that is free if accessed at or through the Largo Library. This presentation explains how to get the most out of using it. Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Friday, 4-Nov-2016 at 10:15 AM--Franco-American Discussion Group. Geographic areas include: Europe (primarily France, but not limited to France)-Eastern Canada (primarily Quebec, some Ontario, but including the Acadians of the Maritime Provinces)-USA (Central North America and New England, also Louisiana and the surrounding Southern states) Grandmaison, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Saturday, 5-Nov-2016 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, Local History Room, Largo Library.

The Wethersfield, Connecticut Ancient Burying Ground and Village Cemetery

The Wethersfield Historical Society has provided us with an online history of the ancient burying ground and village cemetery, along with and interactive map of the cemetery and an index of burials. About half way down the landing page you will find four links to the items just mentioned. The second link is to the "Interactive Map and Index of Burials."

The burial index will give you the deceased's name, date of death, tombstone inscription, and any special notes. Associated with each burial is the capability to place it on the map of the cemetery that accompanies the database. The cemetery contains close to 7,000 burials.

Burying Ground | Wethersfield Historical Society:

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The Unger Memorial Library (Plainview, Texas) Online Databases

For those with Texas in their family history, the Unger Memorial Library of Plainview, Texas may offer some great information.

At the top of the landing page you can follow links to Hale County newspaper archives, Hale County Cemetery Records, and other links to maps and historic items of interest. The cemetery database will give you name; dates of birth, death, and marriage; wife's and parent's names; cemetery name and grave location; and funeral home.

About half way down the landing page is a lick titled "Genealogy" that will lead to several digitized books on the history of Hale County as well as other records.

Check it out at:  The Unger Memorial Library (Plainview, Texas):

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Union Cemetery of Newton Iowa

Those with ancestors from Iowa may find this website of value. It was established about 150 years ago and has grown to almost 60 acres.

From the landing page, click on "Interment Listing" at the left of the page. Then click of the letter of the surname of interest and scroll down the alphabetic listing. The database contains name, age, death of death, location of burial in the cemetery, and comments (often giving date of birth, relationship, etc.).

Check it out at:  Newton, IA - Official Website - History of the Cemetery:

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PGS Events for the Week of 23 - 29 October 2016

Monday, 24-Oct-2016 at 6:00 PM--Ancestry.com--search techniques for getting the most from this huge collection of databases.     Bryan, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Tuesday, 25-Oct-2016 at 11:30 A--DNA Basics—an introduction to DNA that may be help attendees better understand the discussion in the DNA Interest Group following at 1:00 PM. Summers, Jenkins C, Largo Library. NOTE THE NEW MEETING PLACE!

Tuesday, 25-Oct-2016 at 1:00 PM--DNA Interest Group--Share your DNA knowledge and discuss your results with others interested in making DNA Connections.  This is a group for DNA novices to learn together, Luce, Jenkins C, Largo Library. NOTE THE NEW MEETING PLACE!

Tuesday, 25-Oct-2016 at 2:30 PM--Facebook for Genealogy, Summers, Aging Well Center, Clearwater.

Wednesday, 26-Oct-2016 at 10:00 AM--WAR OF 1812-- This class seeks to provide an understanding of the historical significance of the War of 1812: it looks at the causes of the war, how it was fought, and its consequences. It then explores the genealogically relevant records generated in relation to the war: what they are, and where to find them. Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Western States Marriages Index Onine

This index comes courtesy of Brigham Young University-Idaho. It contains over 900,000 marriage records, and it is constantly being updated.

Is the search form is a field for "State," and a drop down list is provided that will reveal all of the states represented in the database. You can search all states at once or choose and individual state to focus on. If you choose an individual states, the next field will list the represented counties within that state. Again, you can search all of the counties at one time, or focus in on only one.

Check it out at:  Western States Marriages Search Form:

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Check out SWilson.info for Irish Information

This site is worth checking out if you have Irish Ancestry. Little explanation of the site is given, but there is an amazing array of links to digitized material. You will find historic maps, directories, and more.

To the left of the page is an index of the site contents. Major headings are in dark gray. Simply click on a heading to reveal it links.

SWilson Info Homepage:

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Free Genealogy Search Engine

I have alerted readers to the GenealogyInTime search engine before, but it is worth mentioning again…and again.

The genealogy search engine has been enhanced recently. Here are some of the things the GenealogInTime Newsletter has to say about it:

>>We have completed the process of adding another 100 million ancestral records to the free Genealogy Search Engine.  This brings the total to 3.2 billion searchable records.

>>A substantial portion of the records covered by the Genealogy Search Engine are unique and cannot be found on subscription websites.  This is because our records come from different sources (often local, state and national archives).
>>We also cover entire classes of records not found on the pay websites (such as the massive Google Newspaper Archive, historic photo archives, biographies, recent obituaries, letters, family papers, etc etc.) in addition to the usual birth, marriage, death records

>>We index every word in a document.  This makes our search engine easier to use, more flexible and more powerful.

Check it out at:  Free Genealogy Search Engine

Greensboro, North Carolina and Guilford County Ancestry

This link takes you to the Greensboro, North Carolina Library and several online databases and indexes of city and county records. You will find such treasures as Guilford County Marriage and Death Records (1771-1899), Greensboro City Directories (1884-1963), Union (African American) Cemetery, and more.

Check it out at:
City of Greensboro, NC : Search for Greensboro & Guilford Ancestry:

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PGS Event for the Week of 16-22 October 2016

Monday, 17-Oct-2016 at 1:00 PM--Italian Genealogy Interest Group will resume meeting to help you discover your Italian ancestors. Larry Bedore will do a review of the basics of Italian history and records during this meeting along with Q & A. Bedore, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Tuesday, 18-Oct-2016 at 6:00 PM--MAPS IN GENEALOGY RESEARCH (Part I) -- Maps can reveal much about the lives our ancestors led and the conditions under which they lived. They can also reveal hints on where to look for other important documents. There are many different types of maps available to the researcher, and this class deals with road, city, political, insurance, and migration maps. Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Thursday, 20-Oct-2016 at 1:00 PM--Irish Genealogy Interest Group, Padgett-Focareta, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Friday, 21-Oct-2016 at 10:30 AM--German Genealogy Interest Group will have a special guest speaker, Tim Wahl. He has published a book on his research of his German and Polish ancestors. This should be interesting so don't miss it! Dietz, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Saturday, 22-Oct-2016 at 10:00 AM--RootsMagic User Group Meeting, Bryan, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Ontario, Canada Digital Newspapers Online

If you have ancestors from Ontario, Canada, this site may be of interest to you. But beware. Once you get into it, you will be occupied for hours because of all the valuable links it has.

From the landing page you have options to explore newspapers by community or by title, You also have the option to do a search using a tab in the upper right of the page. To the right of the page is a link to additional Ontario papers as well.

Check it out at:  OurOntario.ca: Newspaper Indexes:

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PINELLAS GENEALOGY SOCIETY FREE LECTURE SERIES FEATURES DICK EASTMAN

The Pinellas Genealogy Society is pleased to announce another in its Lecture Series, this time featuring Dick Eastman giving two presentations: “Privacy Concerns for Genealogists,” and “Cloudy with a Chance for Genealogy (Genealogy in the Cloud).”

This event is free and open to the public and runs from 11am to 3pm at the Largo Public Library (120 Central Park Drive, Largo, FL) on Saturday, 19 November 2016. There will be a short break for lunch after the first presentation. Plan to bring a brown bag lunch or make use of the Bookmark Café in the library.

Dick Eastman has been involved in genealogy for more than 30 years, and he has worked in the computer industry for more than 40 years in hardware, software, and managerial positions. By the early 1970's, Dick was already using a mainframe computer to enter his family data on punch cards, and he built his first home computer in 1980. He brings together his genealogy and technology interests to our benefit. His lectures are not only interesting and informative, but presented in entertaining and understandable terms.

Dick also authors his very popular “Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter” which can be found at https://blog.eogn.com/author/eogn/ .

Waldo County, Maine Town Reports Indexed at the Belfast Free Library

Waldo County, Maine was formed in 1827 and contains 25 towns in addition to Belfast. Each of the towns published an annual town report which often included listings of births, marriages, and deaths. Information from those lists has been transcribed and offered in this database.

Scroll down the page to search the lists by surname or browse by town name.

Check it out at:
Waldo County Town Reports – Belfast Free Library:

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PGS Events for the Week of 9-15 October 2016

Tuesday, 11-Oct-2016 at 6:00 PM--Library Catalog Searching for Genealogists – Libraries are a great place for finding genealogy resources. This class will show you how to find libraries and archives that can help you in your search, how to get the most from catalog searches, and discover other helpful resources available through online catalogs. Fortin, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Wednesday, 12-Oct-2016 at 10:00 AM--Genealogical Numbering Systems - explore different ways of showing relationships in family histories, and understanding ancestor and descendant reports in your genealogy program. Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Thursday, 13-Oct-2016 at 10:30 AM--Walking in their footsteps-One of the fun things about genealogy is getting to know our ancestors as people, not just as names and dates on a chart. This presentation will help you to identify sources that can assist you in locating the precise locations where your ancestors lived and worked. Fortin, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Saturday, 15-Oct-2016 at 10:00 AM--Computers in Genealogy--Question and answer session on the use of computers in genealogy research and record keeping. Summers, Jenkins B, Largo Library

Saturday, 125 Oct 2016 at 11:00 AM—Program Meeting, Your Journey Story—Writing Your Family History, presented by Patricia Charpentier, Jenkins B, Largo Library.

Westport, Massachusetts Historic Private and Public Cemeteries

A community based volunteer group formed in 2005 under the guidance of the Westport, Massachusetts Historical Commission yields this impressive online database of Westport cemeteries and interments. Over one hundred cemeteries and nearly 12,000 burials are represented.

The landing page provides information about the site. Tabs at the top of the page lead to cemeteries or the interred.

Check it out at:  Westport Historic Private and Public Cemeteries:

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Eastern European Maps and Research Guidance

Want links that will help you in your Polish research? How about a map of 1883 Moravia? The website of the Foundation for East European Family History Studies offers you that and much, much more.

The link below takes you to the site home page that is worth taking time to explore, but there are three pages in particular you may find helpful: they are found by click on the "Map Library," Resource directory," and "Selected websites" tabs at the top of the page.

FEEFHS - Eastern European Genealogy - FEEFHS:

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