Florida Digital Newspaper Library

Here is a wonderful collection of Florida digitized newspapers. Not all paper published in Florida are represented, but a bunch are.

You can search the collection or browse by interactive map. You can filter by publication date, geographic area, subject, and language.

Check it out at:
UFDC Home - Florida Digital Newspaper Library:

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Lee County Genealogical Society Features Diana Crisman Smith in June

Diana Crisman Smith will present "In Search of the Elusive Female Ancestor--Who Was She?" at the 21 June meeting of the Lee County Genealogical Society.

The event will be held at Cypress Lakes Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 8260 Cypress Lake Drive, Fort Myers, Florida. Doors open at 9:30 am.

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

Fall River, Massachusetts Obituary Index Online

An index of obituaries published in the Fall River Massachusetts Herald News is available online. Obituaries from the 1940's thru the 2000's are available.

The index is in an Excel file that you can browse alphabetically by last name of the deceased.To search the file you will have to download it. Included in the index in addition to the name of the deceased is the name of the spouse (with maiden name if known) and the date of the paper in which the obit if found.

On the landing page you can find instructions for ordering a copy of the obituary.

Check it out at:
Resources for Research/Obituary Index:

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PGS Events for the Week of 27 May to 2 June 2018

Wednesday, 30-May-18 at 6:00 PM--Pre-1850 Census analysis--Many researchers become frustrated with the difficulty in researching the US Census prior to 1850 because of only the heads of households being explicitly named. However, those early censuses contain more information than one might initially think. This class examines the characteristics of the pre-1850 census, the information available, and some strategies for analyzing those census years. Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Fire Insurance Maps Online at the Library of Congress

The Library of Congress continues to add to its digitized collection of Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. It has about 25,000 maps digitized now and has a target of 500,000 by 2020.

The landing page is an explanation of what the collection is all about and how to use it. Do not overlook this information.

To get to the images, click on the "Collection Items" tab at the top of the landing page. There you will find filters in the left pane, and a search box at the top of the page.

About this Collection - Sanborn Maps | Digital Collections | Library of Congress:

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Confederate Muster Rolls from Georgia

According to the site: "The majority of the company muster rolls in this series are from military organisations created by the State of Georgia during the Civil War for service within the State."

Entering a search term in the search box will result in a hit list with accompanying thumb nails of the original documents. An advanced search option is available also.

Be sure to read the information about the collection as you scroll down the landing page.

Confederate Muster Rolls:

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Drew Smith and Jean Van Horn Speak at Suncoast Genealogy Society Meetings on 26 May and 23 June respectively

Suncoast Genealogy Society announces its May and June programs. The group meets at the Palm Harbor Library at 2330 Nebraska Avenue, Palm Harbor, FL.

May 26th Saturday
Open Discussion: DNA & Genealogy from 1:00 to 1:45 pm
Program: 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Drew Smith, Speaker
Identifying Relatives Using Ancestry DNA — Come and hear our own renowned local Tampa Genealogist talk about one of his favorite subjects! Ancestry DNA test results con-tain information that can be used to identify relatives. Learn to interpret the results and then make successful contact with matches.

June 23rd Saturday
Open Discussion: DNA & Genealogy from 1:00 to 1:45 pm
Program: 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Jean Van Horn, Speaker
A Genealogy Research Trip to Salt Lake City — Take a virtual tour of the LDS Library and an in-depth look at the FamilySearch.org catalog; a catalog of all the holdings of the Family History Library, as well as many research aids. This program will help you to do research as well as plan your trip to Salt Lake City.

Online Searchable Death Indexes, Records and Obituaries

This great collection of Internet sites comes to us from Joe Beine. It is a directory of online death records and indexes listed by state. It includes indexes for obituaries, cemetery burials, and death certificates.

On the landing page, click on the state of interest to see and alphabetic listing of resources. Note that below the list of states, are links for some major cities as well.

I have recommended this site before, and do so again because it has been updated. Thanks goes to Joe for this great resource.

Online Searchable Death Indexes, Records and Obituaries:

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PGS Events for the Week of 20-26 May 2018

Monday, 21-May-18 at 6:00 PM--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.

Tuesday, 22-May-18 at 11:30 AM--Genealogy and DNA: The Basics. Learn about the types of DNA tests used for genealogy and popular testing companies. We compare the benefits of each type of test and each company’s database. Manning, Jenkins A, Largo Library

Tuesday, 22-May-18 at 1:00 PM--DNA Interest Group: Learn how to interpret your DNA test results, and apply those results to your current family history research. Join our casual group as we research and learn together. Manning, Jenkins A, Largo Library.

Saturday, 26-May-18 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.

DNA Education and Where to Find It

Judy Russell writing in her Blog, "The Legal Genealogist," gives us several links to sites that provide basic DNA education and instruction. This is a handy list that you should keep handy in case you ever need to brush up on the fundamentals of  DNA testing.

Judy was the primary speaker at our seminar in February 2018, and did a wonderful job for us.

Check out her article at:
DNA basics for a sound foundation | The Legal Genealogist:

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Lewiston, Maine Genealogy Records

Thanks to the Lewiston, Maine Public Library for these records. Available are cemetery records, marriage records, and some records that go well beyond Lewiston itself. Many of the record sets start in the 1800's.

If you have ancestors from Maine, this is worth checking out.

Genealogy // Lewiston Public Library, Maine:

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PGS Events for the week of 13-19 May 2018

Thursday, 17-May-18   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, 18-May-18 at 10:30 AM--German Genealogy Interest Group-a discussion group regarding techniques to find your German ancestry. This class repeats every third Friday at the same time. Dietz, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Saturday, 19-May-18 at 10:00 AM--Computers in Genealogy--Question and answer session on the use of computers in genealogy research and record keeping. This class repeats on every third Saturday at the same time. Bryan, Jenkins B, Largo Library.

Saturday, 19-May-18 at 11:00 AM--Business Mtg and Program--"Civilian Conservation Corps--History and Records," Summers, Jenkins B, Largo Library.

Saturday, 19-May-18 at 12:30 PM--Workshop tour of the Genealogy Center showing the many genealogical research resources there. Summers, Genealogy Center, Largo Library.

The Ins and Outs of the SSDI

Lisa Louise Cooke gives us an interesting article about the Social Security Death Index (SSDI). In it she give its historical background as well as tips on how to use it.

Interestingly, she compares how the various big data providers (Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilySearch, and Findmypast) handle the SSDI information.

Check it out at:
SSDI Search – How to Find Hard to Find Ancestors | Genealogy Gems:

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The Franklin Times (Louisburg, N.C.) Historic Issues

Here is another digitized newspaper from the "DigitalNC" project. It is The Franklin Times serving Louisburg, NC. The collection covers the period 1909 to 1969...2500 issues all told.

If you explore the brows tab at the top of the landing page, you can find the other North Carolina newspapers (and more) in the total digital collection.

The Franklin Times (Louisburg, N.C.) Historic Issues · DigitalNC:

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PGS Events for the Week of 6-12 May 2018

Monday, 7-May-18 at 6:00 PM--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, 10-May-18 at 10:15 AM--MAPS IN GENEALOGY RESEARCH –EVEN MORE – 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 military, ward, topographical, plat, and railroad maps. Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Surviving Genealogy Burn Out

An article by Katie Andrews Potter in "The In-Depth Genealogist" gives us tips for overcoming genealogy burn out. You know, those times when you feel like all you have are impossible brick walls, and you feel like giving up.

Everyone can benefit from this short but helpful article. Give it a read at:
Tips for Genealogy Burn Out - The In-Depth Genealogist:

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Interactive map of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire

This website may directly affect only those of you who  have ancestors who lived through the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. However, the uniqueness of the site and the national impact of the event, may interest others of you also.

The site gives you a map of San Francisco with pins showing locations that have pictures associated with them. Click on a pin and a thumbnail of the photo appears, click on the photo and it is enlarged with  suggestions for other, possibly related images. The map can be zoomed by using Ctrl + or Ctrl -.

Check it out at:
1906 Earthquake and Fire - Open SF History - OpenSF History Images - Western Neighborhoods Project - San Francisco History:

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