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History Professor Coming To Lakeland Soldiers On As Historical Characters

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By SHARON TATE MOODY

Tribune correspondent

Published: September 7, 2008

No matter how many times George Schweitzer lectures, he's never quite himself. He dresses in period costume and teaches through historical re-enactment. His audiences have seen him in many roles, including that of a French fur trader, a German immigrant, a Revolutionary War soldier, both Confederate and Union soldiers, a Cherokee Indian and a railroad engineer.

Assuredly in character as some historical figure, he will appear in Lakeland at the Oct. 18 meeting of the Imperial Polk Genealogical Society. In real life, Schweitzer is Alumni Distinguished Professor at the University of Tennessee and holds several degrees in chemistry and history.

He is a mesmerizing entertainer whose words and lessons in genealogy are seared into the minds of attendees. Genealogists and history buffs are able to "meet" some memorable figures from the past.

The meeting will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Florida Southern College, Alumni Room, Charles Thrist Building, 950 Columbia Way.

Schweitzer will present three lectures: "Tracing Ancestors Back Across the Atlantic (Germany, Scotland and Ireland)," "Finding Your Ancestors Parents (Methods for Finding Another Generation)" and "Researching in Burned Out Counties (Finding and Using Alternative Records)."

Preregistration for the seminar is $40, and registration at the door will begin at 8 a.m. and will be $45. The fee includes the program, breakfast and lunch.

To print out a registration form, go to www.ipgs.org/2008_flyer .html. For information, call (863) 686-9794.

American Version Of Brit Hit

Television producer Lisa Kudrow is hoping Americans will tune in to "Who Do You Think You Are?" the way their British cousins have to the original version of this show. The program will feature the search for ancestors of American celebrities and how the notables react to the discoveries in their family trees.

First aired in England in 2004, "Who Do You Think You Are?" became the most-watched program on the British airwaves.

Kudrow promises to take viewers "on an inspiring and personal journey into the past of America's best-known celebrities." The show will air on NBC, but the network hasn't announced the premiere date or the celebrities to be featured.

Although I'm not particularly excited about the genealogy of entertainment royalty, I have high hopes the show will reveal research techniques and little-used records that will give us common folks some ideas on where to search our lines that appear to be at a dead end.

Very little has been released about the American series, but if you want to learn more about the British shows, check them out at www.bbc.co.uk/who doyouthinkyouare.

NBC also has a site at www.nbc.com/Primetime/Who_Do_You_Think_You _Are/index.shtml, but it is still under construction.

Obama Family Tree

Speaking of celebrity genealogy, a lot of folks are climbing Barack Obama's family tree, proving his maternal roots in Ireland and Holland.

Obama's Irish roots grew from one of his sixth great-grandfathers, Joseph Kearney, born about 1698 in Ireland. Respected research entity Eneclann of Trinity College Dublin conducted the work on this branch of the Obama family tree.

Details of the research and Obama's roots are online at www.eneclann.ie/ Research/genealogy_ Obama_family_history .html.

The Dutch roots were discovered with a detour through the American Wild West. In a campaign speech this year, the presidential candidate revealed family lore that he is a distant cousin of Wild Bill Hickok.

Wasting no time, researchers at the highly respected New England Historic Genealogical Society jumped on the claim and declared the lore as truth. Seems the two are sixth cousins, six times removed. Their common ancestor is Thomas Blossum, who came to Plymouth, Mass., in 1629 from Holland.

View this branch of the Obama Family Tree at www.newenglandancestors .org/pdfs/obama_hickok .pdf.

Write to Sharon Tate Moody in care of The Tampa Tribune, 200 S. Parker St., Tampa FL 33606; or e-mail stmoody

0720@mac.com.

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