Online Historical Directories

Thanks to Miriam J. Robbins for this listing of  online historical directories, and congratulations on it being selected as one of Family Tree Magazine's "101 Best Websites" for 2016.

Scroll down to the bottom of the landing page to click on your country of interest, then  follow the prompts to find digitized or transcribed directories.

Check it out at:  Online Historical Directories:

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PGS Events for the Week of 26 February to 4 March 2017

Monday, 27-Feb-2017 at 6:00 PM--Family Tree Maker 2014 Basics--Part 5. A detailed explanation and demonstration of the many features of this most popular genealogy database program. Hahn, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Tuesday, 28-Feb-2017 at 11:30 AM--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. Denise Manning, Jenkins A, Largo Library.

Tuesday, 28-Feb-2017 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. Manning, Jenkins A, Largo Library.

Thursday, 2-Mar-2017 at 1:00 PM--Swedish Genealogy Interest Group--The session will explore the many tools available and methods possible for locating and researching your ancestors who came from Sweden. Contributions of interest to the group as a whole are welcome and encouraged.    Charest, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Friday, 3-Mar-2017 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, 4-Mar-2017 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/Bryan, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Rutherford County, Tennessee Online Genealogy Collections

Any of you who have ancestors from the area of Rutherford County, Tennessee may be interested in this link to several record indexes. Each entry gives information that will aid you in requesting the original document if you desire.

Here are some of the indexes available:

1. Birth Records Index
2. Death Records Index (1881 – 1939)
3. Marriage Records (1804 – 1888)
4. Marriage Records (1889 – 1940)
5. Wills (1804 - 1899)
6. Wills (1905 – 1947)

Check it out at:  Rutherford County TN:

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The Shared cM Project - an Update

Blaine Bettinger, in his Blog The Genetic Genealogist, gives us a July 2016 update to the estimates of the extent of DNA shared by people of various relationships. This "Shared cM Project" originally released data in May 2015, and this is the first update since then.

You need to have some understanding of DNA testing and results interpretation for this to have any meaning. Scroll down a couple screens to see a nicely presented summary chart, and scroll to the end of the article for a link to a printable PDF document.


Update to the Shared cM Project – The Genetic Genealogist:

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Pinellas Genealogy Society Free Lecture Series Features Donna Moughty

The Pinellas Genealogy Society is pleased to announce another in its Lecture Series, this time featuring Donna Moughty giving two presentations: “Strategies for Finding Your Irish Ancestors.” And “Online Sources for Irish Research.”

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, 18 March 2017. 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.

Donna Moughty, a Professional Genealogist and former Regional Manager for Apple Computer, has been conducting family research for over 20 years. She teaches and lectures on a variety of subjects including Internet, Irish research, and computer topics locally and at national conferences and institutes. In addition, she provides consultations, research assistance, and training. Donna attended the National Institute for Genealogical Research at the National Archives, the Third and Fourth Irish Genealogical Congress in Ireland, the Salt Lake Institute – Irish Research, and the Institute for Genealogical and Historical Research at Samford University where she was an instructor for the Irish course in 2011. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists where she served as chair of the Professional Management Conference from 2005-2008, and the Genealogical Speakers Guild. Donna takes groups to Ireland each October to do research. Her weekly genealogy blog can be found at www.moughty.com.

Obituary Search at the St. Louis Public Library

The St. Louis Public Library offers us an obituary index from the St. Louis Post Dispatch   for the years 1880-1930, 1942-1945, 1960-1969, and 1992-2014. The obituaries themselves are not digitized, but your hit list from a name search will give you the date and page of the paper where the obit occurs.

St. Louis Public Library - Obituary search:

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PGS Events for the Week of 19-25 February 2017

Tuesday, 21-Feb-2017 at 10:00 AM--AmericanAncestors.org: Searching the Online Databases--American Ancestors, the website for the New England Historic Genealogical Society, provides more than 1 billion records in over 450 databases online. Although much of the collection focuses on New England, records from around the U.S. and even some from other countries are available. This presentation will provide a brief overview of the website, and will go through the basics of searching these extensive databases.    Fortin , Local History Room, Largo Library.

Wednesday, 22-Feb-2017 at 10:00 AM--Living Persons--suggested methods and tips for finding living people--kinfolks you never knew. Bryan, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Thursday, 23-Feb-2017 at 1:00 PM--England/Wales Genealogy Interest Group-a discussion of resources and techniques for researching your England/Wales ancestry. Liz Pearson is back with us for a one-time session for this group. Local History Room, Largo Library.

Saturday, 25-Feb-2017 at 8:30-4:00--Annual Seminar, with Lisa Louise Cooke, plus breakout speakers. This will be one of our best seminars ever with a lot of good genealogy information plus complimentary breakfast, door prizes, raffles, book sales and more. Jenkins A, B, C, Largo Library.

Ten Effective Strategies on How to Build a Family Tree

The GenealogyInTime Magazine gives us an article titled "Ten Effective Strategies on How to Build a Family Tree." It contains tips and pointers to help not only doe research but to manage your expectations as you do your searching.

The article is probably most valuable to researchers just starting out, but even those of you with more experience may benefit from a review.

Ten Effective Strategies on How to Build a Family Tree:

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Oak Lawn Cemetery at Fairfield, Connecticut

Here is your chance to search by name for your ancestors among the more than 23,000 people buried at the Oak Lawn Cemetery at Fairfield, CT. For each burial you will get the dates of birth, death, and burial. If you are lucky, additional information may be available, such as obituary, Life history, military service, and pictures. Those are the exception, but worth checking for.

Oak Lawn Cemetery | Fairfield, CT | Find a Loved One:

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FAMILY HISTORY ASSISTANCE DAY GROWS YOUR FAMILY TREE

The semi-annual Family History Assistance Day, co-sponsored by the Largo Public Library and the Pinellas Genealogy Society is returning on March 11, 2017. This is an event that offers personal, one-on-one, family research assistance.

Bring your family history notes as a starting point and USB drive to record new discoveries. You and a volunteer researcher will hunt for data online to get started on your genealogy or to extend your family finds by breaking through a brick wall in your research. This is an especially helpful event if you are just getting started in genealogy. You can learn research techniques as well as find family information.

The event begins at 12pm in the Local History Room and Reading Room on the second floor of the Largo Public Library and runs until 4pm. Volunteer researchers will assist attendees on a first-come, first-served basis. Volunteers will also be available in the Genealogy Center to introduce visitors to the print collection through tours and will assist on the use of materials.

Genealogy research is most successful when shared. This event provides that opportunity. If you can’t make it, tell your friends, especially those who are new to family history research.

PGS Events for the Week of 12 to 18 February 2017

Monday, 13-Feb-2017 at 6:00 PM--Family Tree Maker 2014 Basics--Part 4. A detailed explanation and demonstration of the many features of this most popular genealogy database program. Hahn, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Tuesday, 14-Feb-2017 at 10:00 AM--Newspapers.com--this class will demonstrate how to use this valuable subscription database of scanned online newspapers now available at Largo Library for free. Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Wednesday, 15-Feb-2017 at 10:00 AM--INTRODUCTION TO GENEALOGY (Beginner) -- Basics of how to get started in researching your family history—what to do first, where to look & how to do it. Bryan, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Thursday, 16-Feb-2017 at 1:00 PM --Irish Genealogy Interest Group--a discussion group regarding techniques to find your Irish ancestry. Padgett-Focareta, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Friday, 17-Feb-2017 at 10:30 AM--German Genealogy Interest Group--special presentation  on the Palatines: "An Early Example of Palatine Germans Finding Their Way to New Jersey (How Determination and Perseverance Overcame Misfortune)." Presenter: Dennis J Carroll, Amateur genealogist, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Chapter of Palatines to America and Retired pastor (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America – ELCA). Dietz--Local History Room, Largo Library.

Saturday, 18-Feb-2017 at 10:00 AM--Computers in Genealogy Q & A—Summers, Jenkins B, Largo Library.

Saturday, 18 Feb 2017 at 11:00 AM—Annual Business Meeting—Come see what our society has been doing this past year and what’s in store for the future, Jenkins B, Largo Library.

Missouri Death Certificates, 1910 - 1965

The website of the Secretary of State of Missouri, "Missouri Digital Heritage," offers Missouri death certificates from 1910 to 1965. You can search the database by first, middle and last name, relationship, date range, and county.

The hit list from your search will include the death certificate number and a link to the digitized document itself.


Missouri Death Certificates, 1910 - 1965:

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Sites to Help Track Down Black Sheep Ancestors

Here is a collection of websites that may be useful in tracking down black sheep ancestors. I have not check all the links (there are a lot of them), but the ones I tried were active and free of charge.

At any rate, they can be fun to browse and interesting to read.

BlackSheepAncestors.com:

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Second Cousins That Don’t Share DNA? – Not a Good Bet to Take

Blaine Bettinger, writing in his Blog The Genetic Genealogist, asks the question whether second cousins (or closer) might NOT share any DNA. He takes us through the logic of how unlikely that event would be, and the conditions that have to be met for it to be proven true.

This is a good article to read to sharpen you DNA analytical skills.

Second Cousins (Or Closer) That Don’t Share DNA? – The Genetic Genealogist:

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PGS Events for the Week of 5-11 February.

Monday, 6-Feb-2017 at 6:00 PM--Family Tree Maker 2014 Basics--Part 3 of 6. A detailed explanation and demonstration of the many features of this most popular genealogy database program. Hahn, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Tuesday, 7-Feb-2017 at 6:00 PM--RootsMagic-5, part 5 of 5. This class explores the use of this popular genealogy software program. It consists of five classes, each 1 ½ hours long, held for five consecutive weeks. The intent is to take the student from the basics of initial entry of family information to the more detailed topics of incorporating images in your family history, citing sources, and generating various reports. Summers      , Local History Room, Largo Library.

Wednesday, 8-Feb-2017 at 6:00 PM at Google Earth Tours – Google Earth tours can be a fun way to share your genealogical research with relatives. This class will show you the basics of how to create, save, and share a tour that can visually illustrate the life and travels of your ancestors using the Google Earth free program.   Fortin, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Thursday, 9-Feb-2017 at 10:30 AM--Eastern European Research -for ancestors who came from Galicia/Halychyna, Bukovina, Poland, Ukraine, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Germans from Russia, Rusyns, Boykos. Help on how to start - with information obtained in the New World. van Heerden, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Lee County Society Meeting on 16 Feb 2017 Features Marsha Kreucher Speaking on Adoption Records

Jewish Genealogy Society of Tampa Bay Holds 2-Part Seminar on February 12 and March 12

This notice was received from the Jewish Genealogy Society of Tampa Bay:

    This is to remind you that Part 1 of the JGSTB’s annual Jewish Genealogy Seminar will be held on Sunday, February 12, 2017.  Part 2 of this seminar will be on March 12, 2017.  Both sessions will be held at Gulf Coast Jewish Family & Community Services, 14041 Icot Blvd., Clearwater, Florida.  Registration will be at 1:30 PM, and the seminar begins at 2:00 PM on both dates.

     This year’s seminar is entitled “The JGSTB 2017 Guide to Jewish Genealogy Research: A Foundation for Beginners and an Update for Experienced Researchers”.

     This seminar focuses on developing proper approaches and in applying the necessary tools, techniques and short cuts to most effectively connect you with your ancestors in the old country.  Internet resources as well as local resources will be emphasized to enable the beginner to discover his or her family history and to facilitate experienced researchers in resolving “brick wall” problems.  The past year has seen numerous additions, revisions and deletions of Internet sources, especially at Familysearch.com and Ancestry.com.  New and updated genealogical resources and databases will be demonstrated, and updated internet links and site references are provided in the seminar booklet.

     Dr. Emil H. Isaacson, who will lead the seminar, has over 30 years of experience in genealogy. He has researched his ancestral roots back seven generations to the late 1700’s in Europe.  He will share his successful and sometimes unsuccessful research sources and experiences (do’s and don’ts). 

     The seminar is free to members.  Nonmembers will be charged $25 for individuals or $35 for a family, and that charge will include an annual membership in the JGSTB.  The seminar booklet will be available for $10, and it is strongly recommended that you reserve a copy, as it contains valuable reference material.  Only one booklet is needed for a family, and it is available only to seminar attendees.

     Early registration is strongly recommended to ensure that sufficient copies of printed materials are available.  Call Bruce Hadburg at 727-796-7981 to pre-register for the seminar, or you can email to Bruce at bhadburg@tampabay.rr.com.  Walk-in registrations will be welcomed, but if there is a shortage of printed materials, those who pre-register will have first priority on the available supply.

     Anyone interested in learning how to do Jewish genealogical research is invited to attend.  For further information on the Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay or for directions to the meeting place, call Bruce Hadburg at 727-796-7981, or email to him at bhadburg@tampabay.rr.com.