Beginner Classes

Introduction to Family History Marcia will start this session out with an introduction to the Amelia Island Genealogical Society membership benefits as well as providing a brief look at the AIGS website. Once this has been done she will introduce the class to getting started with genealogy in the right way. Building Your Family Tree Using Census Records Whether you are a seasoned genealogy researcher or a brand new researcher, understanding the basics of census research is essential to finding your ancestors. While the examples in this post are from U. S. census records, the tips and strategies apply to your census research for any country. Class Instructor: Marcia Pertuz Marcia Fleming Pertuz is a retired elementary school teacher and principal. She serves as the chair of the AIGS Library Committee, is currently the registrar for the Princess Amelia Chapter of Colonial Dames XVII Century and is an application reviewer for the Florida Pioneer program of the Florida State Genealogical Society. Marcia has been doing genealogy for over 40 years. She holds a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University and participated in the 18 month Professional Genealogy Online Study Group (ProGen). Her personal research areas of interest include Pennsylvania, Colonial New England, Columbia, Spain, France, Poland and Slovakia. Marcia is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Amelia Island Genealogical Society and is currently chairman of the Library Committee.

Evidence and Analysis, Timelines, and Vital Records Research Jim will provide a brief overview of Evidence and Analysis of genealogical records, how to create and utilize timelines in your ancestral research, and finish off this session with a look at Vital Records research. Fundamentals of Land and Probate Records for Genealogists The purpose of this program is to provide an overview of the land and probate record keeping systems used in the United States of America. Land and probate record systems were created for economic and legal purposes, so understanding why and how those systems work aids the genealogist’s search to determine who our ancestors were, what they did, where, and when. Class Instructor: Jim Shroads James L. Shroads is a retired attorney. A graduate of the University of Florida, Jim served in the U.S. Air Force as a Missile Combat Crew Commander in the Titan II ICBM systems. After leaving the military, he enrolled in the University of Miami School of Law, and upon graduation was employed by The Deltona Corporation as corporate counsel. A few years later he joined ITT Community Development Corporation, the developers of Palm Coast. In 1983, he was transferred to ITT Rayonier in Fernandina Beach, and remained with Rayonier after it was divested by ITT and became an independent company. From 2000 until his retirement, he maintained a private law practice focused primarily upon real estate matters. Jim is currently serving as Vice President of the Amelia Island Genealogical Society.

Document Organization The two most important tasks in genealogical research is organizing your findings and documenting the sources of your findings. Be kind to yourself and start these tasks immediately. The key for you is to find or create a system that works with your style of thinking! Marcia will review the variety of methods researchers have developed to record their family trees. We will also use this time to take a brief look at our own genealogy book collection. Citing Sources Documentation Will Make Your Research Easier and Faster Documentation Helps Prevent Duplication of Research Documentation Gives Others Confidence in Your Research Documentation Doesn’t Have to Be Hard Researching at Repositories A repository in genealogy terms is a physical location where genealogical material is held. Marcia will provide instruction on how to develop a research plan before you head off to a repository and also review the different types of genealogical evidence you can find. Genealogy Websites Comparisons Marcia will review the big 4 genealogy research sites and show how they stack up to one another.

Dennis will review and demonstrate how to access the various free online book repositories for your genealogical research. He will share the benefits of PERSI and periodical research, as well as Newspaper research through free and paid repositories. Finally, he'll discuss Special Collections that can be found online and offline that can assist you with your research. Dennis will review the push and pull reasons your ancestors may have had for leaving their old country and moving to the United States. He will review the variety of ports they may have arrived at, and then review searching the Ellis Island Passenger List website as well as Castle Gardens. He will finish the class with a look at naturalization records, where they can be found, and what type of evidence you can find in them.

United States Military Records from the Revolutionary War to Vietnam Military Records are an excellent source of genealogy records. They cover a wide range of record data, ranging from enlistment, muster, pay, pension, medical, mission, and combat. Record quality and quantity increase and improve over time, with few records being available in the pre-colonial era outside of specialized libraries and histories, to the significant volume of records available for the modern wars (Civil War, WWI, WWII through Recent Wars). Class Instructor: Gus Reinwald I was born in Lock Haven, a small, rural Pennsylvania town. I was named Royce Augustus Reinwald, after an uncle and great-grandfather. My childhood years and school days, including high school and college, were in this town, ending with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts from Lock Haven State College. My college days were interrupted by a four-year stint in the U.S. Army Security Agency, a part of the National Security Agency. This stint included one year in language school at the Presidio of Monterey, California learning Vietnamese. Then, one year in Vietnam working as a translator in support of the 3rd Marine Division in Phu Bai near the imperial city of Hue in central Vietnam. After Vietnam, I worked at the National Security Agency, located at Ft. Meade, Maryland near Washington, DC. The Army behind me, I married my childhood sweetheart, finished college and started a family. I worked 32 years in the general aviation industry for Piper Aircraft and Lycoming Engines, mostly in […]

Class Description PROCESS is a method I use to conduct research on client family trees as well as my own. You will find that a lot of the PROCESS method was discussed earlier in the different classes. This class is meant to tie it all together by sharing research results I have found while researching my 2nd great-grandfather’s parents and family.