PGS Events for the Week of 1-7 April 2018

Tuesday, 3-Apr-18 at 6:00 PM--Facebook for Genealogy-How to use this very popular social networking site for genealogy. Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library.

CANCELLED—The class scheduled for Thursday, 5-Apr-18 at 1:00 PM--Gathering German Genealogy Part I has been cancelled.

Saturday, 7-Apr-18--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.

Karen Fortin to Speak at Tarpon Springs Public Library on 2 April 2018

Karen Fortin, Past President of the Pinellas Genealogy Society and current PGS Projects Director, will speak at the Tarpon Springs Public Library on "Writing Brief Narrative Sketches.

The event, on 2 April at 6:30 pm, is free and open to the public.

Lee County Genealogical Society Features Vickie Greenlee at 19 April Meeting

Vickie Greenlee will speak on "Start Writing Your Family History Now!!" on 19 April at 10 am.

The event will be held at Cypress Lakes Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall at 8260 Cypress Lake Drive, Fort Myers, Florida.

For more information
visit  https://lcgsfl.org/ .

Internationaler Suchdienst - International Tracing Serive

This explanation comes form the website:
"The International Tracing Service (ITS) is a center for the documentation of National Socialist persecution and the liberated survivors. It was founded as a tracing service immediately after World War II to help reunite survivors with their families and clarify the fates of those murdered and those missing. Today, the ITS is also an archive and open for research. In the future, parts of its archived collections will be made accessible to the interested public on this portal, thereby broadening the knowledge of these unique documents and the research potential associated with them. At the same time, by way of the comment function, we would like to encourage exchange about the collections – not only among users, but also between users and the ITS archive."

The site is in German, and takes a bit of getting used to, but the results can be as valuable as they are sobering.

Check it out at:  Internationaler Suchdienst:

'via Blog this'

Bloodmobile at Largo Library on April 11th from 10am to 12:30pm

The library will be hosting a OneBlood bloodmobile on Wednesday April 11th from 10:00 to 12:30.  All donors will receive a free OneBlood T-shirt and a wellness checkup including blood pressure, temperature, iron count, pulse and cholesterol screening.

Suncoast Genealogy Society Offers Free Programs on the Fourth Saturday of the Month....Here is May thru July 2018

Look ahead to these programs offered by the Suncoast Genealogy Society:

Suncoast Genealogy Free programs from 2-4PM. These events are at the Palm Harbor Library at 2330 Nebraska Ave, Palm Harbor, FL. Contact bradleym@tampabay.rr.com for more information

May 26, 2018 – Drew Smith – “Finding Cousins and Ancestors using Ancestry DNA”

June 23, 2018 – Jean VanHorn- “Planning a research trip to Salt Lake City – Photos and suggestions on planning ahead and taking advantage of every moment there”

July 28, 2018 – Dave Dockery – from Tampa Bay Technology Center – “How to use Evernote Basics for taking notes, tracking tasks, and saving things you find online”

Auburn, NY Fort Hill Cemetery

Fort Hill Cemetery was founded in 1851, and is located in west central New York State. The site is straight forward in its use. The landing page gives instructions if they are needed.

Check it out at:
Roster Frame:

'via Blog this'

Irish Parish Registers

This pdf document comes to us from the Church of Ireland. It is quite lengthy (some 96 pages), so give it a moment to load. It lists baptism, marriage and burial records, where they exist,  by parish and diocese. It also give an idea of where to find them, to include online sources.

Check it out at:

https://www.ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/AboutUs/library/registers/ParishRegisters/PARISHREGISTERS.pdf

'via Blog this'

PGS Events for the Week of 25-31 March 2018

Monday, 26-Mar-2018 at 6:00 PM--NATURALIZATION RECORDS -- Many of our ancestors became naturalized citizens, and left a paper trail when they did so. This class explains the naturalization process, what information can be found in the records, and where those records can be found. Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Tuesday, 27-Mar-2018 at 11:30 AM--DNA Testing for genealogy—What you can and cannot do with DNA testing relating to your family history—an introduction. This class repeats every fourth Tuesday at the same time. Manning, Jenkins A, Largo Library.

Tuesday, 27-Mar-2018 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. This class repeats every fourth Tuesday at the same time. Manning, Jenkins A, Largo Library

Wednesday, 28-Mar-2018 at 6:00 PM--Newspapers.com is an online database focused on digitized historical newspapers. 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.

Thursday, 29-Mar-2018 at 10:30 AM--Research Trip Planning--This session will lay out some steps to take to ensure that your trip to your ancestral home area is as successful as possible. Bryan, Local History Room, Largo Library.

The Pinellas Pioneers Association 55th Annual Picnic on 7 April 2018

The Pinellas Pioneers Association 55th Annual Picnic will be held on 7 April 2018 at Eagle Lake Park (1800 Keene Road), shelter #3 starting at 10am.

Bring your own food,, beverages and table service. Also bring family and friends, show and tell items, and a chair for your comfort.

Contact Associatioin President Terry Fortner (727-786-2837) for more information.

Gulf Port Historical Society to Feature Author Arin Greenwood on 20 April

This comes to us from one of our Organizational Members, the Gulf Port Historical Society. On the third Friday of the month they hold a "Porch Party" at their museum at 5301 38th Avenue South, Gulfport. On 20 April their guest is author Arin Greenwood who is launching her new book: "Your Robot Dog is Dead."

You can see all the details at https://www.facebook.com/events/166462730823601/

Cary Library, Houlton, Maine Area Genealogy Databases

"The Cary Library Genealogy Database includes historical genealogical information from Houlton, Maine (USA) and its surrounding communities in the Southern Aroostook County area."

It provides over 21,000 unique records or all sorts, and deserves your review if you have ancestors from this part of Maine.

Cary Library Houlton Area Genealogy Database:

'via Blog this'

Online Records Relating to The Danish West-Indies

If you have ancestors associated with the Danish West-Indies, this site may prove helpful. Here is information from the website: "This is where you can search in about 5 million image files of records from the Danish West Indies across the databases of the Danish National Archives."

In addition to online records, the site also provides some background history and a search guide.

Search the records - The Danish West-Indies:

'via Blog this'

PGS Events for the Week of 10-24 March 2018

Monday, 19-Mar-2018 at 10:00 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 and how DNA testing can help in your search for Eastern European ancestors. van Heerden, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Tuesday, 20-Mar-2018 at 6:00 PM--Orphan Trains and the Children Who Rode in Them. Fortin, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Wednesday, 21-Mar-2018 at 10:00 AM--Ancestry.com--basic search techniques for getting the most from this huge collection of databases. Bryan    , Local History Room, Largo Library.

Thursday, 22-Mar-2018 at 10:30 AM--Heritage Quest--Getting the most from this free* website, accessible through the Largo Library website. Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Friday, 23-Mar-2018 at 1:00 PM--Record Searches in Ireland (we'll sample through several free and paid subscriptions and discuss strategies for spending your research money wisely and filling in the gaps in records).       Padgett, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Saturday, 24-Mar-2018 at 10:00 AM--RootsMagic User Group--Questions and answers and demonstrations of how to use the RootsMagic genealogy database software program. This class repeats every fourth Saturday at the same time.    Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Emigration Records and What They Offer

This short article by Lisa Louise Cooke on emigration records points out how emigration and immigration differ, and what type of information is potentially available related to the former.

And just to cover all bases, Lisa provides links to some immigration topics as well.

Emigration Records With an E: When Your Ancestors Left the Country | Genealogy Gems:

'via Blog this'

Adoptee DNA Testing

This article is not for everyone, but if you are an adoptee and are considering using DNA testing to promote your ancestor hunt, it may be of value.

Blaine Bettinger, in his Blog The Genetic Genealogist, Gives the results of a study he did wherein he asked adoptees a series of nine question about their DNA experience.

The article as has a link to another informative article on the subject by Judy Russell, The Legal Genealogist.

Check it all out at:
Adoptee Testing: A Study – The Genetic Genealogist:

'via Blog this'

PGS Events for the Week of 11-17 March 2018

Monday, 12 Mar 2018 at 6:00 PM--PASSING THE BATON--This class explores some legal and logical things we can do to help ensure that our genealogy research goes to good hands when we pass on. FIRST TIME PRESENTED--Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library. 

Tuesday, 13-Mar-2018 at 6:00 PM--Property Research Basics--This is a general treatment of property research in the United States. It will explore ownership documents from land grants to land patents to deeds; it will explain the difference in land descriptions in state land states and public land states; it will examine the historical context of military bounty land, the Homestead Act, and the cash purchase of public land. We will also survey where to find the records generated during the ownership and transfer of property.Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Thursday, 15-Mar-2018 at 1:00 PM--Irish Genealogy Interest Group--a discussion group regarding techniques to find your Irish ancestry. This class repeats every third Thursday at the same time.   Padgett, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Friday, 16-Mar-2018 at 10:30 AM--German Genealogy Interest Group-a discussion group regarding techniques to find your German ancestry. This month, Sue will have a presentation on the topic of DNA migrations as shown onancestry.com in relation to our German emigrants/immigrants. This discussion group repeats every third Friday at the same time. Dietz, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Saturday, 17 March 2018—Note there is NO Computers in Genealogy Q & A session today due to the special lecture series on DNA.

Saturday, 17-Mar-2018 at 10:00 AM--Program meeting-Lecture Series: Finding Missing Persons with DNA. Southard, Jenkins B, Largo Library.

Saturday, 17-Mar-2018 at 11:30 AM--Lecture Series--A Day Out with Your DNA. Southard, Jenkins B, Largo Library.

West Pasco County Genealogical Society Features Deanna J. Bennett at Seminar on 21 March 2018

The West Pasco County Genealogical Society (WPCGS) will host prominent Tampa author Deanna J. Bennett at its genealogy seminar on Wednesday, March 21, 2018  at 12:30 pm at the CARES Enrichment Center, Activity Building, 12417 Clock Tower Parkway, Hudson FL 34667.  Please make note of the new time and location for WPCGS seminars and meetings.

Ms. Bennett, author of the popular Anna: The Immigration Trilogy book series, will speak of her ancestors’ immigration to America from Lithuania and their subsequent lives in America. Attendees will receive fascinating insights into the hardships of travel in the early 1900’s and the daunting Ellis Island immigration experience. They’ll learn of the challenges Bennett’s grandmother Anna faced as a teen-aged immigrant in a foreign land. The presentation will be of particular interest to those researching foreign ancestry, with information provided about the early immigration process.

The event is open to the public. Cost of the seminar is $7.00 for non-members.

Ms. Bennett will be on hand to answer questions, with a personal book signing after the presentation.  Her three books -- Anna: Going to America (Volume I); Anna: American Journey (Volume II); and Anna: American Dream (Volume III) -- will be available for purchase after the presentation. Payment by cash or credit card is acceptable.

Due to the popularity of the guest speaker and the ancestry research topic, to ensure seating, please register for the seminar by email to: bbratbycarey@verizon.net.

"Visualizing Recombination and Segment Loss" by The Genetic Genealogist

This is a rather technical article by Blaine Bettinger, but one that may get those of you who are really into genetic testing all excited. Even for the none technical person, the article comes to some revealing conclusions. It demonstrate graphically how DNA segments can be lost from generation to generation in rather surprising fashion.

Put your thinking caps on and enjoy the article at:
Visualizing Recombination and Segment Loss – The Genetic Genealogist:

'via Blog this'

Index of Colleges and Universities that have Closed, Merged, or Changed Names

Ever run into a school where your ancestor studied only to discover that it had closed or otherwise gone dark? This index of colleges and universities that have closed, merged, or changed their name may be helpful to you.

From the landing page, click on the state of interest, and you will be given an alphabetical list of subject schools with start and end dates, affiliation, and, if one is lucky, other interesting information.

Check it out at:
College History Garden: Index of Colleges and Universities that have Closed, Merged, or Changed Names:

'via Blog this'

Scottish Vital Records at "ScotlandsPeople"

The Website "ScotlandsPeople" is a subscription site, but it costs nothing to search their index for births, marriages, deaths, and more. If you do find an entry that you want to followup on, they have a payment plan that you can tailor to your level of activity. But, again, the index search if free.

ScotlandsPeople | Connecting Generations:

'via Blog this'

PGS Events for the Week of 4-10 March 2018

Monday, 5-Mar-2018 at 10:00 AM--National Archives,–Ordering Data. This is an in-depth explanation of how to order several different records from the National Archives. The records include military (both historic and modern), naturalization, census, land, and microfilm. Both online and postal mail ordering procedures will be covered. Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Tuesday, 6-Mar-2018 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.

Thursday, 8-Mar-2018 at 10:30 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.

Friday, 9-Mar-2018 at 1:00 PM--Finding Your Ancestors in Ireland--this class covers a brief history, geography and religion of Ireland - vital to understanding records. Padgett, Local History Room, Largo Library.