TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Dash to Salt Lake City for research

ADVERTISEMENT

By SHARON TATE MOODY

Tribune correspondent

Published: May 10, 2009

New family historians quickly realize that Salt Lake City is the mecca of genealogical research. But some put off making a visit. They worry it will be an overwhelming experience.

The solution may be the National Genealogical Society's annual research trip led by certified genealogists, who offer guidance to participants.

Space is limited to 30 attendees and the registration deadline is June 30; sign up at www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/research_trips.

The $645 shared-room fee for society members and $705 for non-members includes seven nights of lodging; two dinners; an evening reception; and consultation with escorts Sandra MacLean Clunies and Shirley Langdon Wilcox. Airfare is not included.

Attendees will have six days of research in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints library, which holds more than 2 million rolls of microfilm and more than 300,000 books.

Searching collections

Well-trained genealogists know they should seek out original sources (those in their first form) and primary information (details provided by someone with firsthand knowledge). Special archive and library collections are good places to look for this kind of documentation.

One way to find out about the special collections and what they hold is by going to www.uiweb.uidaho.edu. Type "special collections" in the search field, then click on "Repositories of Primary Sources," which claims to list 5,000 Web site manuscripts, archives, rare books and historical photographs. I haven't counted them up, but the links are impressive and useful.

Great Web site

Most generations of our ancestors had some experience in the military, so records of service and pension are good sources for genealogy pursuit.

The Genealogy Center of the Allen County Public Library in Indiana has compiled a variety of military data, much of which the average researcher probably would never find. The good news is that it's fully searchable online - and it's free!

Users can enter their surnames to find specific references, but the best use of this site is what it makes available to those conducting social research as background for their ancestors' lives. These individuals can search by timeframes or operational entities rather than surnames. The site has entries for all military operations from colonial to the war in Iraq and for peacetime service.

Try a visit at www.genealogycen ter.info/military, and keep a watch for future additions.

'Ask the Mavens'

Got a tough Jewish genealogy research problem? You may find the answer at the next meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay.

The group meets at 2 p.m. May 19 at the Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services center, 14041 Icot Blvd., Clearwater, for a genealogy problem-solving session, "Ask the Mavens."

The panel of experienced resident genealogists includes Emil Isaacson, Clint Elbow, and Bill Israel. Before the meeting, send your problem to jgstb@tampabay.rr.com.

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

South Bay meeting

Fran Walker will lecture on searching land and deed records at the May 19 meeting of the South Bay Genealogical Society, which starts at noon. The group meets at the SouthShore Regional Library, 15816 Beth Shields Way, Ruskin.

A prepaid fee of $13 includes the program and lunch. Make checks payable to South Bay Genealogical Society. Reservations must be received at least seven days before the meeting. Send your check to Rose Huggard at South Bay Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 5202, Sun City Center FL 33571, then call her at (813) 633-0868 to make a meal selection.

Sharon Tate Moody is past president of the Association of Professional Genealogists. Send your genealogy questions and event announcements to her in care of Getaway, The Tampa Tribune, 200 S. Parker St., Tampa, FL 33606 or stmoody 0720@mac.com. She regret

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT