Florida Genealogical Society (Tampa)

Serving the Needs of the Genealogical Community for Over 50 Years

6 July FGS Monthly Meeting

Get out of the July heat and learn something new with speaker Gladys Friedman Paulin. Gladys will be talking about big city research, which can seem scary: too many people, too many repositories. But, according to Gladys, urban research is exciting.  She says there is a smorgasbord of records available for all. Gladys cautions that the researcher needs a strategy and careful record keeping to be successful, especially since common surnames can lead to confusion.

According to Glayds, the history of a city, its neighborhoods and internal migrations may help you understand ancestor movements and give you hints for finding them in the correct places. Gladys' presentation includes a review of essential records: vital records, census, city directories, voter lists, tax and business records. Large numbers of urban residents were tenants, not property owners, but probate and other court records may be plentiful.  Cities frequently collected information not deemed necessary in smaller towns and rural districts. Overlapping bureaucracies: municipal, borough, town, county, state and federal records may also be confusing. Border changes and annexations may require study to determine which records may be in which locations based on time and history. 

Gladys' presentation also includes an overview of Ethnic records: newspapers, historical archives and museums; big city libraries; and the explosion of what can be found online.

So come cool off with us 6 July 2013 in the Auditorium of the John F. Germany Library, 900 N. Ashley, Tampa (11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) and pick up some tips from Gladys.

Educational Opportunities

The Special Interest Groups will be meeting prior to this regular society meeting.

  • Brickwalls and Beginning Genealogy meets in the Auditorium from 10:15 to 10:45 a.m.
  • DNA groups gathers around a table in The Florida History & Genealogy Library on 2 West.
  • Computer Interest Group is in the Computer Lab on 3 West. If you attended the last session, you had homework! Professional corporate trainer Lori Coffey will be back answering your questions about using Google. If you missed this presentation, you missed a lot! However, you can catch up.
    --Log in to the Members Only area of the website.
    --Click Secure Download.
    --Click the Computer SIG Docs button.
    --Click the June 2013 Handlout link.
 

Susan Jones Is New Chair of Awards

FGS member Susan Jones has been appointed as the chair of the Awards Committee. The Awards Committee is responsible for identifying individuals or organizations who should be honored by the Society for their contributions to the Society or to the genealogical community. This responsibility includes selecting an FGS member for the annual Volunteer of the Year award.

More volunteers needed!

Under our new bylaws, we have a streamlined set of committees.  The Membership Committee and Special Projects Committee are already in action, but we have a lot more committees to start up and get going. Here is a list of what we need volunteers for:

  • The Awards Committee shall be responsible for identifying individuals or organizations who should be honored by the Society for their contributions to the Society or to the genealogical community.
  • The Communications Committee shall be responsible for managing communication between the Society and its members and between the Society and the community, including the promotion of Society-sponsored activities.
  • The Education Committee shall be responsible for educational activities of the Society. Its membership shall include the chairs of the Program Committee and the Seminar Committee.
  • The Hospitality Committee shall be responsible for greeting attendees at Society-sponsored events; for introducing new members and guests at Society meetings; and for organizing and hosting social events.
  • The Program Committee shall be responsible for planning and implementing programs at the monthly meetings. Its membership shall include the chairs of the Education Committee and the Seminar Committee.
  • The Research Committee shall be responsible for assisting genealogists with their research.
  • The Seminar Committee shall be responsible for planning and implementing Society-sponsored seminars and workshops. Its membership shall include the chairs of the Education Committee and the Program Committee.

An email will be sent to all members (those whose email addresses we have on file) asking for volunteers for these communities. Please give serious consideration to volunteering!


Shirley Besch Is New Chair of Membership

FGS Director Shirley Besch has been appointed as the chair of the FGS Membership Committee.  She is joined on that committee by Treasurer Mary Rivers and Director Pattie Schultz.  The Membership Committee is responsible for for planning and implementing activities to recruit new members and to retain existing members. 

Hoffman Is New Chair of Special Projects

FGS member David Hoffman has been appointed as the first chair of the FGS Special Projects Committee.  The Special Projects Committee is responsible for managing volunteer projects involving the preservation of and access to genealogical materials.