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There's A Lot To Learn And Many Chances To Do So

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By SHARON TATE MOODY, Tribune correspondent

Published: February 3, 2008

Genealogy training kicks into high gear in the Tampa area this month with topics ranging from the Civil War to the Internet. Here are your choices for February and beyond:

Confederacy. If your genealogical interests include learning more about the Civil War, this month's meeting of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, Chapter 113, will appeal to you.

The meeting will be at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Steak and Ale, 204 N. West Shore Blvd., Tampa (next to WestShore Plaza). Anne Brown of the Brooksville chapter will present the program: "Columbus, Georgia, the Final Stand of the Confederacy." For reservations, call Gail Crosby at (813) 758-5738.

Immigration. The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay will offer a two-part educational seminar, "2008 Guide to Immigration Research: Finding Your Grandma's Immigration Record," led by Emil Isaacson.

The first part will be at 2 p.m. Feb. 10 and the second at 2 p.m. March 9 at Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, 14041 Icot Blvd., Clearwater. Registration will begin at 1:30 p.m.

The course is free to society members. A one-year family membership will be included in the $25 course fee for nonmembers. A $10 fee will be charged per course book. An annual membership is $25 per individual or family.

For information on the organization, to register for the class or for directions to the meeting, call Sally Israel at (727) 343-1652.

HeritageQuest. The Florida Genealogical Society-Tampa will present information on several online computer programs this year to teach tips and tricks for easier, effective ancestor research.

Odessa lecturer George C. Morgan will lead a program, "How to Get the Most Out of HeritageQuest," at 10:30 a.m. Feb.16. The HeritageQuest databases are available online to anyone with a Hillsborough County library card.

This session will be in the computer lab at the John F. Germany Public Library, 900 N. Ashley Drive, Tampa. Seating is limited to 20. Those with their own laptops are encouraged to bring them. Electrical outlets are not available for laptops, however, so participants will need fully charged batteries.

Send your reservation to rabidgenealogist@hotmail .com. This class may be repeated if demand is sufficient.

Ancestry.com" rel="nofollow">class="bold">Ancestry.com. Bradenton lecturer Donna Moughty will present a program at the South Bay Genealogy Society's monthly meeting on Feb. 19. Her topic will be "Getting the Most Out of Ancestry.com."

Lunch will be served at noon and the program will begin at 1 p.m. at Mangroves Restaurant at the Resort & Club at Little Harbor, 611 Destiny Drive, Ruskin. (The society usually meets at the SouthShore Regional Library.)

Reservations must be made by Feb. 12 by sending a check for $15 to P.O. Box 5202, Sun City Center FL 33571. The fee includes lunch. Direct reservation questions to Rose Huggard at (813) 633-0868.

Yours truly. The South Bay Genealogical Society will sponsor my eight-week basic American genealogy class from March 15 to May 10 (skipping April 19) from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It will be at the SouthShore Regional Library, 15816 Beth Shields Way, Ruskin.

Get course details online at web.mac.com/stmoody0720/MGS/Heritage_Hunting_ Class.html. There is no charge to attend, but you must commit to attending all eight sessions when you register. Seating is limited to 25.

I'll also be presenting a two-hour workshop on "Land Records and Platting" from 2 to 4 p.m. Feb. 28 at the SouthShore library. This class also is free. Seating is limited to 25, on a first-come basis, so you should plan to arrive at least an hour early.

Many Hillsborough library branches offer basic genealogy classes each month. Check them out by picking up a copy of the library newsletter, Page by Page, at any branch or downloading it online at hcplc .org/hcplc/happenings.

Cruise. The world's waterways are getting mighty crowded with family historians looking to blend vacations at sea with learning more about genealogy. The latest comes from the Irish Ancestral Research Association, which will feature leading Irish research specialists.

Experts on the cruise include:

•Valerie Adams, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Belfast.

•Mary Ellen Grogan, Irish Ancestral Research Association, Boston.

•George Handran, expert on Griffith's Valuation, Boston.

•Michael J. Leclerc, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston.

•Gregory O'Connor, National Archives of Ireland, Dublin.

•Eileen and Sean O'Duill, Dublin.

The cruise lectures will run on simultaneous tracks, one for basics and the other for advanced research topics. The first 30 registrants will receive a one-hour private consultation with a presenter.

The cruise will depart from Fort Lauderdale next Jan. 10 for eight nights in the eastern Caribbean aboard the Independence of the Seas. Registrations must be received by today to guarantee the special cruise rate. For information, go to home.netcom.com/~megrogan/irishgenealogy

cruise.

Spring conference. Online registration for the 2008 National Genealogical Society Conference is open at

eshow2000.com/ngs. The conference will be in Kansas City, Mo., from May 14 to 17. Download a registration brochure at ngsgenealogy.org.

Sharon Tate Moody is a certified genealogist by the Board for Certification of Genealogists. Send questions and event announcements to her in care of BayLife, The Tampa Tribune, 200 S. Parker St., Tampa FL 33606; or stmoody0720@mac.com.

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