P. G. S. News

Volume 10, Issue 1

January 2005

Previous Issue

Meetings

Happy New Year to everyone. We welcome in our newly elected slate of officers on the Pinellas Genealogy Board.

President – Bob Bryan
Vice President – Karen Keegan
Recording Secretary – Sally Brown
Corresponding Secretary – Alice Charest
Treasurer – Damon Hostetler
Seminar Chair – Mercedes Bleattler
Finance Director – Charlie Grandmaison
Education Director – Pat Strait
Projects Director – Dave Dellinger

THE 2005 CALENDAR

All meetings begin at 11:00 AM in the Jenkins auditorium in the Largo Public Library. Guests are warmly welcomed and encouraged to attend. The Computer Interest Group meets before the general meeting at 9:45 AM.

We would like to thank the following individuals for their kind donations of genealogy materials to the Largo Library.

Emily Dantzman

Patricia and Grant Wallin Jr.

Patricia Monroe – in memory of Larry Allan

Computers Interest Group (CIG)

Meets monthly at 9:45 A.M. in the Jenkins Assembly Conference Room on the third Saturday of each month just before the regular PGS meeting throughout the year. This forum is an informal discussion group in a question and answer format on anything related to the use of computers in genealogy. There is no fee and all levels of computer expertise are welcome. To become a member of the email discussion list, email Bob Bryan. Next meeting is January 15, 2005.

The Family Tree Maker Group (FTM)

FTM is now on their summer break. They meet monthly October through May at 10:00 A.M. in the Jenkins Assembly Conference Room in the lobby of the Largo Library. Each session lasts approximately two hours. There is no fee for this workshop, but donations to the Greater Largo Library Foundation are appreciated. Due to the holidays the meeting this month will take place on the second Saturday with Charlie Grandmaison giving a presentation on OCR. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Karen Keegan . Next Family Tree Maker Group date: January 8, 2005.

We wish a speedy recovery to Joan Murray, our Monday morning library volunteer.

PGS Quarterly needs you!

If you have queries, please turn them in to William Wallace or to the Volunteer Desk for inclusion in the next issue of The Pinellas Genealogist. Remember, this issue will be mailed out all over the country! Local members will now be receiving their quarterly at the PGS Saturday meeting.

The Editor would also appreciate stories of your research trips and reviews of printed or computerized genealogy materials. Naturally, Pinellas County material is always needed. PGS Members: Up to two queries are free!! Thank you for your continued support of our quarterly!

News from Special Collections

• When calling the Largo Library with questions relating to genealogy, please use the number for the Genealogy Help Desk: 727-586-7410.
• Please do not re-shelve books or return other materials. Our volunteers count each item returned as a statistic. These counts help us to determine our peak times for service and areas of high demand. Thank you!
• Please continue to bring in flyers or brochures about libraries you visit this year. Thanks!
• When using the microfilm, please rewind the film before returning it to its box. Please do not remove the take-up reel; this will only leave the film in an upside-down and backwards state!

Social Security Death Index

Sharon Tate Moody’s “Heritage Hunting” column, on December 19th, featured the Social Security Index and the applications for the Social Security numbers, called SS-5. Some of the information you may find on the SS-5 application include their date and place of birth and the maiden name of the mother and the name of the father.

There are four places online which allow you to search the SSDI database free and Ms. Tate recommends you check all four of them in case of errors. These sites are:

Rootsweb- http://ssdi.genealogy.rootsweb.com
Ancestry- www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/vital/ssdi/main.htm
Family Tree Legends – www.familytreelegends.com/records/ssdi
LDS – www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/ssdi/search_ssdi.asp

The fee for obtaining a copy of the application is $27 and the form may be downloaded from the online database once you have found your name.

Seminar News!

Our Pinellas Genealogy Society Annual 2005 Seminar
with guest speaker
Sandra Hargreaves Luebking
Lectures include:

More Land, John? – Techniques in the use of land purchase records.
Trials and Tribulations – Capture those persons who lived “on the fringe” of mainstream society.
Finding Females – Grandma, Where Are You? – How to pursue that most elusive of antecedents: the female.

IN ADDITION BONUS BREAKOUT SESSION TOPICS:

#1	Lineage Societies- Questions and Answers – Bob and Bette Raup
#2	Picturing the Past: Family Clues in Photographs – Carla Kerns
#3	The Changing Technology in Genealogy – Damon Hostetler
#4	German Research – Gerd Hemminger
#5	Ireland/Northern Ireland – It’s all Irish – Maureen Hauge

Saturday, January 22nd, 2005
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Family History Center
9001 106th Avenue North, Largo, FL
Seminar includes Luncheon Speech by Sandra Luebking
Contact: Mercedes Bleattler at 727-587-6748.

Lee County Genealogical Societ

Presents
ANCESTOR TRACKING 2005 DISCOVERING YOUR ANCESTORS’ WORLD
With John Philip Colletta.

Military Service Records 1776-1912
Naturalizatrion Records, 1790-1920s
Using Original and Derivative Sources
How to Assemble and Write your Family History

Saturday, January 29, 2005.
Horizon Village Clubhouse, 9200Horizon Boulevard, North Fort Myers, Florida.
www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~fllcgs

See our books for sale!

BEFORE YOU GO ON VACATION…

Check out the Vertical File! It is located between the microfiche cabinet and the military books. Inside you will find file folders with materials from libraries around the country.
Check out the Road Maps! They are now in the first drawer of the Manuscript File cabinets next to the volunteer desk.
Remind yourself to collect and bring back to share newsletters and handouts from the libraries you visit.
Share your experiences at genealogy libraries your visited with the society by writing a small article for the newsletter.

Check out the new materials in Special Collections

SUGGESTION BOX

In the genealogy area of Special Collections, on a cabinet next to the Federal census film cabinets, is a Suggestion Box. Please take the time to drop us a note and let us know how we are doing. Any new ideas for new classes or programs? Any requests for books or films to order? We appreciate your advice.

WEB SITES

www.genealogybuff.com
This site allows one to input a surname, after which several lists of major database links will result. The links are “pre-fitted with the surname so that the researcher can simply click on the desired link and a new window will open showing all entries for the desired surname.