GSP Upcoming Events - 2012
FEBRUARY
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Lecture Presentation and Online Workshop
Getting Started with Your Family Research:
Integrating Traditional Methods & Online Resources
GSP Conference Space - 2207 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia PA. 19103
10 AM until Noon
With Presenters:
Karen Higgins and Anita Sheahan Coraluzzi
Karen will review several resources researchers rely on to gather information about their ancestors, including census, vital records, religious records, land and property, newspaper and others. What is the difference between primary and secondary sources? What clues can be gleaned from different types of records? And how do I know if I have the right family? They all have the same first name! Karen will help to answer these and other questions beginner researchers eventually encounter.
Online research can easily threaten the best intentions of the most seasoned researchers. Anita will review how to use the "Big 3" (Ancestry.com, Familysearch.org and Genealogybank.com) for maximum efficiency for your minimum time available for research. She will also explore lesser utilized, but no less genealogically relevant, online resources, many of which require no fees.
Karen Higgins - With twenty-five years experience researching personal genealogy, including extensive research in Finnish and German records, Karen will explain the basics of genealogical research for those new to looking for their family history. Karen also holds degrees in German and French plus two years Latin, and is a member of the GSP Board of Directors.
Anita Sheahan Coraluzzi - Having researched her own family history for the past 21 years, Anita has hands-on experience with Philadelphia and Irish record sources, and spent 10 of the last 21 years doing research professionally in Philadelphia for US and UK clients. A member of GSP since 1995, Anita spent several years volunteering for GSP and serving on the GSP Board of Directors until September 2010 when she joined the GSP staff full time.
FREE to GSP Members/$15.00 Non-Members
To register please send email to anita.coraluzzi@gmail.com. Space is limited - register soon!
MARCH
IRISH RESEARCHERS SAVE THE DATE!
First Friday at NARA
March 2, 2012
9th & Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia
Noon until 2:00 PM
GSP and NARA staff share First Friday dates and this month GSP will host speaker Deborah Large Fox who will guide us through Irish research strategies:
Help! The Faerie Folk Hid My Ancestors!: The Basics of Irish Research
Family historians face a daunting task when researching their Irish roots. During Ireland's turbulent history, many important records were lost or kept haphazardly. In this presentation, Deborah Large Fox guides researchers through the maze of Irish administrative, geographic, political, and religious divisions. Both beginner and advanced researchers will learn tactics for outwitting those ancestor-stealing faerie folk!
Deborah Large Fox has had an interest in family history since she was a young girl.
When 14 years old, her grandmother gave her a letter written in 1847 by her third great grandmother in County Tyrone, Ireland, to her children in America. The letter spoke of the crop failures. On the news that evening [when she received the letter] were stories of the violence of the Troubles. Deborah’s grandmother pointed at the televised riot scenes and told her that the letter came “from right there.” Deborah was hooked.
Having completed a BS from Rutgers University and a JD from The University of Pennsylvania, her initial carrier was in law She left the practice of law in the 1990’s, however, and became a researcher for a local historical society and began giving lectures in The Philadelphia area. Her work as a former prosecutor and growing up with family members who were police officers and detectives provided her with what she believes is a unique perspective on family history research. She prefers the term family historian to genealogist as she believes that the essence of our research is collecting and preserving the life stories of ancestors rather than just adding leaves to a family tree.
In 2010, she organized The Irish American History Society (IAFHS) in the Camden, NJ area and continues to be active with that group although is in the process of relocating to Toronto, Canada.
Don't miss Deborah's blog posts on the Certificate of Irish Heritage website!
Brown bag a lunch or pick up locally.
Coffee and light snacks will be provided.
No registration required - this program is FREE!
(Picture ID required to enter the National Archives building)
IRISH RESEARCHERS SAVE THE DATE!
The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania is pleased to welcome
The Ulster Historical Foundation
to the Philadelphia area on
Friday, March 23rd, 2012
At the Commodore John Barry Irish Center
6815 Emlen Street, Mt. Airy, Philadelphia, PA 19119
4:00 PM until 7:30 PM
The Ulster Historical Foundation is a long-established, highly reputable research and publishing agency offering extensive knowledge on the sources available for tracing Irish and Scots-Irish ancestors.
Our aim is to encourage an interest in the history of the province of Ulster; promote a positive image of Northern Ireland overseas; strengthen the links between Ireland and those of Ulster descent; broaden access to historical documents and records for Irish and Scots-Irish genealogy; and to inspire pride in Irish and Ulster heritage and culture.
Program details for Friday, March 23, 2012
4:00 - 7:30 PM
Introduction to Irish and Scots-Irish Family History Research
An overview of Scots-Irish and Irish research, which will benefit beginners and seasoned genealogists alike. Using attractive visual aids, it is practical, wide ranging, factual and informative. It offers advice before beginning research into Irish and Scots-Irish ancestors, covers the destruction of records in 1922, the importance of place and administrative land divisions in Ireland, and explores the major collections of records and how to access them.
The Ulster Plantation: and sources for researching 17th Century Families
This talk will look at those sources which can throw light on Ulster families in the seventeenth century. It identifies documents relating to the Ulster Plantation (1610-41) which can be used to construct profiles of settler families. It also considers sources from the second half of the seventeenth century, such as hearth money rolls, the Civil Survey and poll books, which are of use to genealogists working in this period, irrespective of whether they are searching for a ‘planter’ or ‘Gael’ ancestor.
Solving your “brick-walls” – practical internet tutorial and resolving research queries. Including a general Question and Answer Session
An extended question and answer session, where the speakers use online resources and their local knowledge to offer participants practical tips about Irish and Scots-Irish research. These sessions will help the beginner and the seasoned genealogist alike.
Biographical notes
Fintan Mullan has been Executive Director of Ulster Historical Foundation since 2001. He is a non-executive director of the Irish Family History Foundation; a board member of the Northern Ireland Publications Resource (NIPR), a member of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Readers Forum, and a former non-executive director of the International Society for British Genealogy & Family History. He has spoken widely in the USA about Irish family history research, including a presenter in the genealogy section at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 2007, when Northern Ireland was one of the featured countries. He has also spoken in Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. He was educated at Queen’s University Belfast. He has a bachelor’s degree in Irish Politics and Philosophy, and a master’s degree in Organisation and Management, both from Queen’s University Belfast.
Brian Trainor retired as Research Director of the Ulster Historical Foundation last September. He was educated at Queen’s University, Belfast, and from there went for a time to the Institute of Historical Research in London. He returned to Belfast where he lectured for several years at Queen’s before becoming in 1956 an archivist in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. He was Director of the Public Record Office from 1970 to 1987 when he became Director and then Research Director of the Ulster Historical Foundation. He holds an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the National University of Ireland.
Register HERE
- GSP & Irish Center Members - $20
- Non-Members - $30
PLEASE NOTE: Fintan Mullan, UHF Executive Director, and Dr. Brian Trainor have asked organizers to inform attendees about the opportunity for a research consultation during UHF's visit on March 23rd at the Irish Center.
If you are interested in a research consultation with Dr. Trainor, please be aware there is a Twenty dollar ($20) fee, and you are requested to fill in the Preliminary Research Assessment Form (Click HERE for form) and submit completed form and payment to the Ulster Historical Foundation
before March 2, 2012.
Light refreshments will be provided.
Parking – On-street parking is available, but limited, around the Irish Center. GSP suggests taking SEPTA Regional Rail or bus. The Carpenter Lane station stop on the SEPTA Chestnut Hill West/Fox Chase line (aka the R8) is directly across the street from the Commodore John Barry Irish Center. The Chestnut Hill West train can be accessed from all center city stations or any station along the line. For more information, maps, fares and regional rail schedule, see www.septa.org
Library – The Commodore Barry Irish Center Library is on the 2nd floor of the center and will be open for registrants of the UHF program on March 23rd.
Annual General Meeting of the
Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania
Friday, March 30th 2012
1 PM until 4 PM
Join GSP for our 120th anniversary celebration at our Annual Meeting, to be held at the Athenaeum of Philadelphia
Our special guest speaker will be Mark Stein, author of "How the States Got Their Shapes" and "How the States Got Their Shapes Too: The People Behind the Borderlines."
In addition, we'll review our progress in 2011, share our plans for the year ahead, induct new First Families of Pennsylvania members, and much more.
More details to follow, but plan now to celebrate with us! Email Emily Shaw today at emily.shaw@genpa.org to confirm your attendance.
We hope you plan to join us!
APRIL
The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania
&
Northeast Pennsylvania Genealogical Society
Providing Instruction & Assistance in Promoting Genealogy
Family History Seminar
SEARCHING FOR OUR ANCESTORS:
NAVIGATING FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL RECORDS
Saturday April 21, 2012
Luzerne County Community College Educational Conference Center
Nanticoke, PA
8:00 AM- 3:30 PM
Program Schedule:
8:00 - 8:45 AM - Registration, Visit Society & Vendor Tables, Continental Breakfast
8:45 - 9:00 AM - Welcome from GSP and NEPGS Presidents
9:00 - 10:00 AM - SESSION I - "Exploring the 1940 Census" with Jefferson Moak, M.A., Archivist, National Archives Mid-Atlantic Branch, Philadelphia. This talk is an introduction to the newly released 1940 census, the information found within it, and the ways in which to search this census until indexes can be prepared.
10:00 - 10:30 AM - Short Break, Visit Society and Vendor Tables
10:30 - 11:30 AM - SESSION II - "Genealogical Resources at the Pennsylvania State Archives" with Aaron McWilliams, B.S. B.A., Archivist, Pennsylvania State Archives, Harrisburg. This session focuses on the types of records available to genealogists at the Pennsylvania State Archives. The presentation will cover the principle types of records, the information they may contain, and how to access them.
11:30 - 1:00 PM - Deli Buffet Luncheon, Visit Society & Vendor Tables, Computer Resource Room Demonstrations
12:00 - 12:45 PM - Informal Talk: "Why Local History is Important to Genealogy." Join Thomas Mooney, Genealogy Columnist for the Times Leader. You can find out a lot about your ancestors by studying the world in which they lived. With the Wyoming Valley as an example, learn how to get a handle on local history and use it to discover more about your ancestors and why they lived as they did.
1:00 - 2:00 PM - SESSION III - "Military Records at the National Archives" with Patrick Connelly, Archivist, National Archives, New York City. Patrick will speak about various military records that can be found in the National Archives, including service, pension and draft records from the Revolutionary War
through Vietnam.
2:00 - 2:15 PM - Final Break, Last Society & Vendor Table Visit
2:15 - 3:30 PM - SESSION IV - (Double Presentation) - "Find Your Ancestor(s) in the Naturalization Records of Luzerne County" with Norman Douglas Nicol, Ph.D., Professional Genealogist. Court records of Luzerne County begin in 1830 and may be accessed through a series of indexes. The information found in those indexes is needed to access the actual records of your ancestors. Making the connection between the indexes and the correct documents is the goal of the researcher, and this hour presentation will demonstrate the steps necessary to conduct a successful search.
"Where Do We Go From Here?" - with NEPGS Secretary, Helen T. O'Brien. Part of this session will be an overview of our updated "NEPGS Resource Guide for Finding Genealogical Records in NEPA." The mission and current service providers will be recognized. Feedback will be sought to determine the interest in and topics for future local genealogical seminars and educational programs.
3:30 PM - Adjournment/Submit Evaluation Forms
Early Bird Registration until March 12th, 2012 - $35
Registration March 13th - April 16th, 2012 - $45
PRINT AND MAIL REGISTRATION BROCHURE HERE
For more information please contact either society:
The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania
215-545-0391 ExecDir@GenPA.org
or
Northeast Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, Inc.
570-829-1765 nepgsmail@gmail.com
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