PGS Events for the Week of 1-6 January 2018

Wednesday, 3-Jan-2018 at 10:00 AM--Brick Walls—You will eventually reach a point where you seemingly can’t go back further on a particular line. This class will offer some ideas and suggestions for overcoming dead ends in your family history research. Bryan, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Friday, 5-Jan-2018 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). Charest, LeFebvre, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Saturday, 6-Jan-2018 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.

Jordan Cemetery in West Des Moines, Iowa

Jordan Cemetery and West Des Moines, Iowa are in Polk County, and had burials dating back to 1855.
You can search the database by following the link near the bottom of the landing page. You will be taken to an aerial view of the cemetery (give it a minute to load), and then you can use the search box at the top right of the screen. Search instructions are in the left panel.

Jordan Cemetery | West Des Moines, IA:

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PGS Annual Seminar Scheduled for 24 February 2018 -- Register Now

The Annual Pinellas Genealogy Society Seminar, co-sponsored by the Largo Public Library, is scheduled for 24 February 2018 at the Largo Public Library from 8 am to 4 pm. The library is located at 120 Central Park Drive, Largo, FL.

This all-day event features Judy Russell (JD, CG®, CGL℠), The Legal Genealogist, as the primary speaker, as well as two breakout speakers, George G. Morgan and Drew Smith, “The Genealogy Guys.” Judy's four presentations are titled (1) “That First Trip to the Courthouse,” (2) “No Vitals? No Problem --Building a Family Through Circumstantial Evidence,” (3) “Where There Is--or Isn't a Will,” and (4) “DNA and the Golden Rule.” Judy is a nationally known speaker, author, educator, and genealogy blogger.

The topics of the breakout sessions will be: (1) “Principles of Effective Evidence Analysis” by George G. Morgan, and (2) “Organizing Your DNA Testing” by Drew Smith. George and Drew are also highly regarded authors and speakers. They are also renowned for their “Genealogy Guys” podcast.

In addition to the speakers, this event boasts a continental breakfast, box lunch, raffles, door prizes, book sale, and plenty of time to network with other researchers and guest organizations. The registration fee is $40 for PGS members and $45 for non-members. After 15 February, the cost is $50, so register early.

We at PGS are proud of this annual, day-long event; and proud of the lineup of speakers and topics we have scheduled. There is something for everybody—novice researcher or experienced. Join us.

For detailed information about the seminar, see http://www.flpgs.org/NMbrs/seminar/2018/Sem18.aspx . A link to a registration form is at the top and bottom of that page. In Addition, a direct link to a registration form is found at http://www.flpgs.org/NMbrs/seminar/2018/SeminarRegForm2018.pdf or can be requested at  pgsfla@yahoo.com .

Swedish American Newspapers Online

This introduction comes from the site: Hundreds of Swedish-language newspapers were published in the United States from 1850 onward, catering to America's Swedish immigrant communities. Use this online portal to learn more about these newspapers, and to search over 300,000 digitized newspaper pages from 28 different Swedish American newspaper titles published across the United States between 1859 and 2007. 

Click the "Search the Newspapers" link on the landing page. You will get an alphabetic listing of the newspapers with several filters available to narrow your browse. There is a search tab at the top of the screen that allows you to do a key word search.

Swedish American Newspapers | Minnesota Historical Society:

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Des Moines, Iowa Municipal Cemetery Interment Search

The city of Des Moines, Iowa provides a cemetery interment search for the following cemeteries: Glendale, Woodland and St. Ambrose, Laurel Hill, Oak Grove, Sims, and Elm Grove. Clicking on a name in the hit list will open an individual record with a link to the map of the cemetery.

Check it out at:
Cemetery Inquiry System - City of Des Moines, Iowa:

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Kentucky: Revolutionary War Land Warrants Online

The Kentucky Secretary of State Website offers us a digitized database of Revolutionary War land warrants. You can search by veteran name, warrant number, or assignee name (name of person the veteran sold the warrant to).

One you do a search, you get a hit list of warrant numbers and veteran names. Click on a name to see the record information as well as an image of the warrant itself.

Also available on the site is a database of patents in an area west of the Tennessee River, called the Jackson Purchase.

Kentucky: Secretary of State - Land Office - RW Warrants:

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Pennsylvania State Archives Offers Several Digital Record Sets

The Pennsylvania State Archives offers us several digital records sets. The landing page provides links to card files relating to Civil War veterans, Mexican Border Campaign veterans, WWI service medals, Spanish American War veterans, and much more.

Remember, these records are of Pennsylvania residents.

Welcome to the Archives Records Information Access System (ARIAS):

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PGS Events for the Week of 17-23 December 2017

Tuesday, 19-Dec-2017 at 10:00 AM--ANCESTRY FAMILY TREES – Part 2. Publishing your tree on Ancestry.com can be a great way to share your research with others, as well as to provide a backup for your work. This presentation covers how to start a family tree on Ancestry.com, and how to maintain it. That includes working with people, events, images, and sources. Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Saturday, 23-Dec-2017 at 10:00 AM--RootsMagic User Group--Questions and answers and demonstrations of how to use the RootsMagic genealogy database software program. Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Office of Coast Survey Maps and Charts

Coastal Survey maps are certainly a specialized record set. But if you had ancestors who lived or worked around the water, they may yield important information for you. This collection for the Office of Coast Survey offers maps for sale, but you can search for them and see the results without fee.

The landing page gives you a search box where you can search by title, type of map, state, year, or chart. The most interesting and fun search, however, is using the link to a map-based search page. That link is just above the search box. It gives you a map of the US (you can pan to any place in the world) that you can zoom in on by double clicking. When you find a place of interest, you can select a point on the map to get a list of applicable maps to review.

Although we are dealing with coastal survey maps, click on any plane on the maps and you will be offered a list of maps. That is because the survey deals with both fresh and salt water areas.

Office of Coast Survey Historical Map & Chart Image Catalog:

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20 Jan 2018 Program Features Donna Moughty, Focusing on Women in Your Tree

Do you have a pedigree with your female ancestors listed as Mary, Rachel and Phebe…no last names or perhaps one of your male ancestors listed with a wife UNKNOWN? Your pedigree stops

there and you now have a brick wall.

Prior to the 20th century, many women didn’t have an identity of their own…they were tangled with father or husband and in some places, were not allowed to own real estate in their own names or to sign legal documents. When they married their name changed … sometimes multiple times making them harder to find and so they get listed in genealogies by their given name and typically with an approximate date of birth and death. They have been referred to as our “invisible

ancestors.”

The event is free and open to the public.

Death record Research

Still looking for that ancestor's elusive death record? This article by Allison Dolan in Family Tree Magazine may contain the tip you need. Titled "Nine Kinds of Ancestor Death Records You Should Look For," the piece gives explanations of each of the types of records discussed along with images.

Nine Kinds of Ancestor Death Records You Should Look For - Family Tree:

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PGS Events for the Week of 10-16 December 2017

Tuesday, 12-Dec-2017 at 10:00 AM--ANCESTRY FAMILY TREES – Part 1. Publishing your tree on Ancestry.com can be a great way to share your research with others, as well as to provide a backup for your work. This presentation covers how to start a family tree on Ancestry.com, and how to maintain it. That includes working with people, events, images, and sources. Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Thursday, 14-Dec-2017 at 1:00 PM--Irish Genealogy Interest Group--a discussion group regarding techniques to find your Irish ancestry. Padgett, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Friday, 15-Dec-2017 at 10:30 AM--German Genealogy Interest Group-a discussion group regarding techniques to find your German ancestry. Dietz, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Saturday, 16-Dec-2017 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, 16 Dec 2017 at 11:00 AM—Holiday Party. Please remember to bring finger foods and holiday treats along with your "show and tell." Preceded by a brief business meeting and election of officers. Jenkins B, Largo Library.

Looking for Those Black Sheep Ancestors

Gena P. Ortega gives us this article on researching black sheep ancestors. It comes to us via the archives.com website. You may have been on the hunt for black sheep already, but it never hurts to get a refresher on sources and techniques.

Check it out at:  Researching Black Sheep Ancestors:

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The FBI Vault Online

This is the FBI Freedom of Information Act Library. It contains 6,700 documents and other media. You may not have an ancestor with a record in this collection, but  it makes for fascinating reading nonetheless.

The landing page give you a run-down of the content of the Vault, and in the right pane are links to search, browse the index, and more.

Enjoy to diversion at:  FBI — The Vault:

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PGS Events for the Week of 4-9 December 2017

Tuesday, 5-Dec-2017 at 6:00 PM--Ancestry.com--basic search techniques for getting the most from this huge collection of databases. Bryan, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Wednesday, 6-Dec-2017 at 10:00 AM--Bounty Lands in genealogy research-- Bounty Lands were used from before the Revolutionary War up until 1858 to reward military service and stimulate enlistment. Those records can confirm military service and even locate ancestors during and after hostilities. This class gives the history of the subject, what records are available, and where to find them.  Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Thursday, 7-Dec-2017 at 10:30 AM--Documentation-An introduction on the content of proper source citations. Using modern genealogy programs to enter citations will also be covered (Roots Magic, and Family Tree Maker will be addressed). Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Friday, 8-Dec-2017 at 1:00 PM--Introduction to Irish Genealogy & History-Part 2. Padgett, Local History Room, Largo Library.

COMING ATTRACTION--Holiday party at the monthly meeting on 16 December. Please remember to bring finger foods and holiday treats along with your "show and tell."

Irish Catholic qualification and convert rolls 1701-1845 on FindMyPast.com

Although FindMyPast.com is a fee site, this database is free to search. It consists of about 50,000 records of Irish Catholics who either converted from Catholicism to Protestantism or who swore loyalty to to the British Crown from 1701 to 1845. The data base was provided in cooperation with the National Archives of Ireland.

Ireland, Catholic qualification and convert rolls 1701-1845 | findmypast.com:

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