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You Can Stomach Milk Of Magnesia Cure

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By SHARON TATE MOODY

Tribune correspondent

Published: December 7, 2008

When I was a little girl, I learned the ailments for which my mother considered milk of magnesia a cure. I kept those aches to myself because the cure was surely worse. I was greatly impressed recently to learn that two tablespoons of the nasty-tasting stuff mixed with a quart of club soda can be used to preserve newsprint.
Newsprint does not age well because it has so much acid in it. That's why we often inherit crumbling heirloom clippings. According to my tipster, you can extend the life of your old clippings by mixing the medicine and soda and refrigerating the solution for eight hours. Then, soak your clippings one at a time for an hour. Remove them from the mix, and dry them between white paper towels.

Road Trip

Spring is a great time for genealogy road trips, and now is the time to plan them. The 2009 National Genealogical Society Family History Conference in Raleigh, N.C., is within easy driving distance of the Tampa area and would make a great outing for friends.

If you're interested, don't procrastinate in making travel plans. Registration opened last week for the conference, scheduled from May 13 through 16 at the Raleigh Convention Center. A month before registration opened, the society announced that the conference hotel was sold out. Attendees can find other nearby hotels at http://ngsgenealogy.org/ conferences/2009/hotel.htm.

This is the top genealogy conference in the country, with leading genealogists from around the world. You're bound to find lectures that will help you become a better researcher or solve problems that have plagued you.

I was honored to get an invitation to lecture and will present four topics: "Child of No Man: The Law and Your Illegitimate Ancestor," "Order in the Court: Ancestor Trials and Tribulations," "The Law: Portal to Understanding Ancestor Documents" and "The Winner Is ... The Georgia Lotteries." I would love to see some local faces in the audience!

Attending lectures is only a small part of a conference experience. Books, software and other product vendors fill the exhibit hall, making for a lot of fun shopping. There are organized social events, and lots of disorganized socializing, among a large gathering of like-minded people.

Society members can register for $175 until March 31, and $210 after that. Nonmembers can register for $210 until March and then for $245. Sign up at http://ngsgenealogy.org/Conferences/2009. If you would like a conference brochure, e-mail rcompton@ ngsgenealogy.org.

Holiday Traditions

If the holiday spirit hasn't arrived at your house, you might find it at the Pasco County Genealogical Society's meeting. Members will share their favorite family stories and traditions while everyone indulges in holiday treats.

The group meets at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 9016 Fort King Road, Dade City. Visit its Web site at www.rootsweb.com/~flpcgs.

Passport To Life

From 1938 to 1945, many European Jews escaped the Holocaust and survived in Shanghai. On Dec. 14, Maxine Kronick of Flagler County will talk about these refugees during "A Passport to Life: Destination Shanghai" at a Jewish Genealogical Society meeting.

The group will meet at Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, 14041 Icot Blvd., Clearwater. The program will start at 2 p.m., but attendees can access the library and have refreshments at 1:30 p.m.

This presentation is a part of Kronick's national speaking tour to 80 Jewish communities and schools.

For information on the organization or directions, call Sally Israel at (727) 343-1652.

Google Tip

Virginia Dunham recently shared a great Google tip with readers of Ancestry Weekly Journal. She suggested putting the address of a known family household into the search engine. By entering her great-grand-uncle's address, she found a real estate ad that included front, rear and side views of the house.

I tried Virginia's tip on several addresses and was excited to get a return of obituaries that I probably would not otherwise have found.

You can get other research tips at www.ancestry.com/learn.

If you have research tips and success stories to share with our readers, please e-mail me at stmoody0720@mac.com.

Sharon Tate Moody is past president of the Association of Professional Genealogists. Send your genealogy questions and event announcements to her in care of BayLife, The Tampa Tribune, 200 S. Parker St., Tampa FL 33606, or wmoody3@tampabay.rr.com. She reg

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