" Immigration and Naturalization Research" (Monthly Meetings)
10:00 am to 12:30 pm
Hybrid Meeting (Virtual and in-person)
The location of this meeting has changed to First Presbyterian Church of Bradenton, 1402 Manatee Avenue West, Bradenton. See the attachment for location information
Celebrating 50 Years!
The Manatee Genealogical Society was formed in 1974 when
Mrs. Richard Sowden held the first meeting on January 15, 1974,
forming
The Manatee Society for Genealogical Research.
This year this Society is celebrating 50 years,
and a celebration will be held at the December 3rd
Monthly Membership meeting.
Our program speaker, Bryan L. Mulcahy, will present in person “Immigration and Naturalization Research”.
Our seminar will discuss how immigration records can be a rich source for genealogy research. The presentation, and electronic study guides that will be on the Manatee Genealogical Society website, will cover the most efficient ways to research your immigrant ancestors, where to look in print and online, and the nuances and clues within the records. Also discussed during the presentation will be the ports of entry, migration routes and places to look for your ancestors along the way, along with the naturalization process.
Bryan is the Adult Reference, Genealogy, and Literacy Librarian for Lee County Library System, Fort Myers Regional Library, Florida, a position he has held since 1990. He holds a B.A. (Political Science) and MLS (Library/Information Science) degrees from Florida State University.
Members of the public are welcome to attend. Guests attending via Zoom must register at least one day in advance by emailing: info@mgsfl.org. Participants attending in person will meet at the First Presbyterian Church of Bradenton. The church will open for in-person attendees. The Zoom meeting will begin at 10:00 a.m. EST.
Immediately following the meeting, we will begin our “Members Helping Members” session.
Researching in a foreign country can be a little intimidating, especially if you are researching alone. If your ancestors are from Poland or Eastern Europe, this group may be for you. Join us for a monthly discussion and research session designed to encourage and inspire everyone. The meeting format is very flexible and the discussions go where the group takes it. Meetings are usually held the 1st Wednesday of the month at 10:00 AM via ZOOM. Details for joining the Virtual Meeting will be provided prior to the the meeting to MGS members via email. Non-members can request attendance information by emailing us at info@mgsfl.org . Please put in your email Subject line: Request POLISH SIG Link.
Monday, December 9
TECHNOLOGY SIG - Virtual (SIGs)
2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
VIRTUAL MEETING (Meeting Time is EST)
The TECHNOLOGY SIG helps users of all abilities to effectively use technology in support of Family History research. We will also have breakout groups for the users of Family History software. Meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of the month at 2:00 pm. Details for joining the Virtual Meeting will be provided prior to the meeting to MGS members via email. Non-members can request attendance information by emailing us at info@mgsfl.orgPlease put in your email Subject line: Request Technology SIG Link.
Tuesday, December 10
IRISH SIG - Virtual (SIGs)
2:00 pm to 3:00 pm
VIRTUAL MEETING (Meeting Time is EST)
It’s estimated that about 10% of the US Population has Irish ancestry…that’s about 31 million people! Ireland is not the easiest place to research due to political strife as well as the destruction of the Public Records Office in 1922. However, research is possible if you know the place where your ancestors lived and the timeframe of their emigration. In the Irish SIG we'll answer basic questions about how to do Irish research and what records are available to search both online and off. Join us for the first monthly Irish SIG meeting led by Donna Moughty. Donna has worked as a professional genealogist and has been conducting Irish research for over 30 years. Details for joining the Virtual Meeting will be provided prior to the the meeting to MGS members via email. Non-members can request attendance information by emailing us at info@mgsfl.org . Please put in your email Subject line: Request IRISH SIG Link.
Wednesday, December 11
GERMAN SIG - Virtual (SIGs)
10:00 am to 11:30 am
VIRTUAL MEETING (Meeting Time is EST)
Do you have German ancestors or you are interested in this part of Europe, or were your ancestors located in some of the popular German settlements in the USA? Maybe you should join our German Special Interest Group (SIG) and converse with other researchers with the same interests. The meeting format is very flexible and the discussions go where the group takes it. Meetings are held the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 10:00 AM via ZOOM. Details for joining the Virtual Meeting will be provided prior to the the meeting to MGS members via email. Non-members can request attendance information by emailing us at info@mgsfl.org . Please put in your email Subject line: Request German SIG Link.
Tuesday, December 17
DNA SIG - Virtual (SIGs)
5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
VIRTUAL MEETING (Meeting Time is EST)
Join us for a dialogue on the use of DNA in your genealogical research. News, sharing and help! The DNA SIG is led by Peggy Jude. Peggy is a member of the board of the Manatee Genealogical Society and is a professional genealogist with a specialty in genetic genealogy. Details for joining the Virtual Meeting will be provided prior to the meeting to MGS members via email. Non-members can request attendance information by emailing us at info@mgsfl.org . Put in the Subject line: Request DNA SIG Link.
Wednesday, December 18
Mid-Atlantic Pre-Civil War (SIGs)
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
VIRTUAL MEETING (Meeting Time is EST)
Do you have ancestors who arrived in the US before the Civil War? Did they begin their US experience in the Mid-Atlantic states and then move westward? Then this SIG is for you! Sometimes the key to finding your ancestor’s home across the ocean is researching the places they lived before they migrated west. This was often in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, or the surrounding states. This SIG is designed to help people with just that experience.
The focus will be on those who arrived in the US before the Civil War and back to Colonial times. Migration routes, record sources, and more will be discussed.
All sessions will begin at 10:00 a.m. EST on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. Nancy Ryburn will lead the discussion with members sharing research suggestions and support.
Details for joining the Virtual Meeting will be provided prior to the meeting to MGS members via email. Non-members can request attendance information by emailing us at info@mgsfl.org . Please put in your email Subject line: Request Mid-Atlantic SIG Link.
Tuesday, January 7, 2025
"Impacts on Your Family: Sudden Deaths, Disasters, Epidemics & Events: 35 Examples" (Monthly Meetings)
10:00 am to 12:30 pm
Hybrid Meeting (Virtual and in-person at Manatee Central Library)
Our program speaker, Margaret (Peg) Kapustiak, will present in person “Impacts on Your Family: Sudden Deaths, Disasters, Epidemics & Events: 35 Examples”.
Ideas, websites and sources, with how-to’s for research on your family which may have been impacted by a series of deaths or injuries in a very short time. The Influenza of 1918 is the most well-known example, but we have over 35 more examples, plus websites’ sources for ideas. Maybe you have examples you can share of sudden deaths in your family?
Margaret (Peg) Kapustiak’s presentations and handouts are designed to provide you with extremely practical tips, ideas, links and sources. She has been a Genealogist/Family Historian for 47 years and has researched her family history in the Chicago area, the Midwest, New England, and New York state plus ten countries in both Europe and Asia, when she lived overseas. She has provided over 190 talks to organizations both nationally and internationally in the past 25 years. She is the author of one book and 56 research articles and currently volunteers at five historical/genealogical organizations. She is currently writing a book on Venice, Florida history for their 100 Anniversary of incorporation as a city.
Members of the public are welcome to attend. Guests attending via Zoom must register at least one day in advance by emailing: info@mgsfl.org. Participants attending in person will meet at the Manatee Central Library, which is located at 1301 Barcarrota Blvd West, Bradenton, Florida 34205. The Manatee Central Library Auditorium will open at 9:45 a.m. for in-person attendees.
The Zoom meeting will begin at 10:00 a.m. EST.
Immediately following the meeting, we will begin our “Members Helping Members” session.
2025 Annual Seminar - "Finding Your Elusive Ancestors" (Workshops/Seminars)
10:00 am to 4:15 pm
VIRTUAL MEETING (Meeting Time is EST)
Registration is now open!
The Manatee Genealogical Society is hosting a Virtual Seminar on Saturday, January 25, 2025, 10:00 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. EST. Four nationally known speakers will address the theme of the seminar: “Finding Your Elusive Ancestors,” and the seminar will serve as a fund-raiser for the project to digitize the Veteran Bounty Land Records, being coordinated by the National Genealogical Society (NGS) and the National Archives Records Administration (NARA). You will also have the chance to win prizes from major genealogical companies. Registered attendees will have access to recordings of the speakers for 30 days. Registrations received by December 31, 2024 will be entered in an Early Bird drawing. The last day to register is 5:00 PM, Friday, January 24, 2025.
Tom W. Jones, PhD, CG, CGG, FASG, FNGS, FUGA, “DNA Helps Clarify a Puzzling Relationship and Reveal forgotten Mixed-Race Ancestry: A Case Study” This presentation shows how genealogical reasoning can overcome a scarcity of records to identify unrecorded parents. The research methods it demonstrates include the resolution of conflicting evidence, recognizing that differing details refer to one person, distinguishing men of the same name, and testing multiple hypotheses to identify which of four sisters was the mother and which of twenty-four men with the same Y DNA was the father.
Tom is a genealogical researcher, author, and educator whose Manatee County roots predate 1908. He has been tracing his ancestry since 1963 and teaching genealogical methods since 1997. Besides twenty-five published genealogical case studies, he wrote the textbooks Mastering Genealogical Proof and Mastering Genealogical Documentation, three chapters in Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice and Standards, and one chapter in Advanced Genetic Genealogy: Techniques and Case Studies. He edited the forthcoming book Forensic Genealogy: Theory and Practice.
Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL, The Legal Genealogist, “Landing the Fourths: Proving a Case with Court, Land, and DNA Evidence”The father of Gustavus Boone Robertson (1827 MS-1903 TX) was William M. Robertson (c1795 NC-1864 MS). But who was Gustavus's mother? No record directly identifies her, but court, land, and DNA evidence combine to prove the case as to the identity of this third great-grandmother and, in doing so, landing the fourths—fourth great-grandparents, that is.
Judy G. Russell, The Legal Genealogist®, is a genealogist with a law degree who provides expert guidance through the murky territory where law and family history intersect. An internationally-known lecturer and award-winning writer, she holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist® and Certified Genealogical Lecturer℠ from the Board for Certification of Genealogists®. Her blog is at https://www.legalgenealogist.com.
Richard G (Rick) Sayre, CG, CGL “Bounty Land Applications as Good as a Pension”Many bounty land records rival pension records in their genealogical value. These records provide evidence of military service and even evidence of kinship. The federal government and some states awarded land from 1776 to 1855 to encourage and reward service in the military. Awards continued into the early twentieth century. Heirs and associates may be found in these records. Strategies to locate these records will be explained. Today more and more of these resources are available online and even more will be digitized soon.
Richard (Rick) G. Sayre is a Certified Genealogist®, and a Certified Genealogical Lecturer. He is also past president of the Board for Certification of Genealogists. His areas of genealogical expertise encompass records of the National Archives, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Daughters of the American Revolution, including military records, land records, using maps in genealogy, urban research, Irish research, and government documents.
Lisa Louise Cooke, “Reconstruct Your Ancestors’ World with Google”A wide variety of rich resources are available for free through Google. But it’s not just Google search that can lead you to finding genealogy gems. Google’s empire includes a collection of free online tools that are all powered by the same Google search engine, and many are brimming with historical information. In this case study session, You'll learn the techniques and strategies needed to flesh out an ancestor's story using a variety of Google tools, and bring it all together in a compelling video that can be shared.
Lisa Louise Cooke is the author of several books including The Genealogist's Google Toolbox, 3rd edition. She produces and hosts the popular Genealogy Gems Podcast (founded in 2007) and publishes weekly videos at the Genealogy Gems YouTube channel. She offers a Premium Membership service at her website at https://lisalouisecooke.com featuring exclusive on-demand genealogy education. And she writes a regular column for Family Tree Magazine and produces the Family Tree Magazine Podcast.
COST: Members - $40; Non-members: $50. You can now register from this website Homepage, the left column: 2025 Seminar Registration
Our program speaker, Shelley Bishop, will present in person “The Case of the Missing Will”.
1870 Illinois resident James Taylor was born in Ohio—but where and to whom? No will, probate, death record, obituary, or other record names his parents. This case study illustrates how indirect evidence drawn from extensive research in a variety of sources was analyzed and correlated to identify his father and long-deceased mother, as well as locate his place of birth.
Shelley Bishop is a professional researcher, writer, and speaker with a passion for finding ancestral stories. She enjoys helping others learn more about genealogical records, skills, problem-solving methods, and family history writing. As the owner of Buckeye Family Trees, Shelley specializes in Ohio and midwestern research. She is a frequent contributor to Family Tree Magazine, NGS Magazine, and other publications. Shelley is a member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild and Past-President of the Great Lakes Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists. Learn more about her at www.buckeyefamilytrees.com.
Members of the public are welcome to attend. Guests attending via Zoom must register at least one day in advance by emailing: info@mgsfl.org. Participants attending in person will meet at the Manatee Central Library, which is located at 1301 Barcarrota Blvd West, Bradenton, Florida 34205. The Manatee Central Library Auditorium will open at 9:45 a.m. for in-person attendees. The Zoom meeting will begin at 10:00 a.m. EST.
Immediately following the meeting, we will begin our “Members Helping Members” session.
Tuesday, March 4, 2025
"AI for Genealogy"
10:00 am to 12:30 pm EST - Manatee Central Library, Main Auditorium, Bradenton, Florida & via Zoom
In-person and Hybrid Meeting
Our program speaker, Peggy Jude, will present in person “AI for Genealogy”.
Did you know that artificial intelligence (AI) has been around a surprisingly long time? Dive into the fascinating world where artificial intelligence meets family history! Discover how AI, including ChatGPT, is revolutionizing genealogy. Learn how to harness these powerful tools to summarize, extract, transcribe, and supercharge your research.
Peggy is a speaker, educator and researcher who has been conducting genealogical research for over 40 years. She specializes and teaches in five areas of genealogical interest: DNA, Genealogical Technology, Preserving Family History and Family Heirlooms, Genealogical Methods and Records, and Swedish Genealogy.
Peggy serves as the VP, Projects and member of the board of the Manatee Genealogical Society (FL.) She leads both the DNA and the Technology for Genealogy Special Interest Groups for the society. She holds a BS in Zoology from Iowa State University and an MBA from the University of Michigan. Peggy is a co-course coordinator for the Foundations in DNA course at the Institute for Genealogical and Historical Research (IGHR). She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the Genealogical Speakers Guild and a graduate of ProGen, and multiple advanced genealogical institutes.
Members of the public are welcome to attend. Guests attending via Zoom must register at least one day in advance by emailing: info@mgsfl.org. Participants attending in person will meet at the Manatee Central Library, which is located at 1301 Barcarrota Blvd West, Bradenton, Florida 34205. The Manatee Central Library Auditorium will open at 9:45 a.m. for in-person attendees. The Zoom meeting will begin at 10:00 a.m. EST.
Immediately following the meeting, we will begin our “Members Helping Members” session.
