Amelia Island Genealogical Society

Migration Patterns of Germans within America
2021-10-21 20:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Florida
This is a virtual webinar put on by the Florida State Genealogical Society for free. Any AIGS member can attend. The GoToWebinar link to register is here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2978814905850037262

We’ll explore how historical events channeled Germans into certain areas and how chain migration drew allied families together. Many migrated from NY/MD/PA down the Shenandoah Valley into VA, NC and SC. Accessible rivers and railroads led to the establishment of the German Triangle between Cincinnati, Milwaukee and St. Louis. The National Road and German-language advertisements channeled them to Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin and points west. The 1848 Revolution led them to the Texas German Belt. Knowing where your ancestors settled in the mid-1800s can often lead you backwards by considering the migration routes of other Germans, particularly allied families.

Presenter

Sharon Cook MacInnes

Sharon Cook MacInnes, Ph.D., CG, is a former member of the Board of Directors of the National Genealogical Society. She specializes in Pennsylvania land records, colonial research, and methodology. Her 35-year chase over Pennsylvania for elusive ancestors revealed the importance of land to our ancestors and led her to publish the series “Early Landowners of Pennsylvania: Atlas of Township Warrantee Maps of *** County.” To date, she has compiled and published 8 volumes of county atlases pinpointing the original tracts and their owners. Sharon is the CEO of Ancestor Tracks (http://ancestortracks.com) which is dedicated to publishing online free, downloadable 19th-century maps of every county of Pennsylvania to be used with census records and published county histories.

Collecting family history with a Harley and a camera
2021-10-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Fernandina Beach Library, 25 N 4th St, Fernandina Beach, FL, 32034, United States
Many of you may have read the article by Phil Hudgins in the News Leader of September 3, about a gentleman riding around on his Harley Davidson to photograph headstones at cemeteries as a volunteer for Find a Grave. Well, this gentleman, Theron Rogers, has agreed to travel from Gainesville, Ga. to Fernandina and speak to the Amelia Island Genealogical Society!

So, come and join us on October 19 at 7:00 pm in the meeting room of the Nassau County Library to listen to his presentation Collecting family history with a Harley and a camera.

Theron will give us a short introduction to Find a Grave, a website that allows you to see the burial sites of your family and friends. He will then tell us about his adventures on his motorcycle, the many cemeteries he visited and the fascinating graves he discovered and photographed.

Theron Rogers

After a 40-year career with IBM, where he went from Field Engineer to Branch and Regional Manager, in 1991 Theron Rogers retired in Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Ga. Since his retirement, he has kept himself busy with real estate sales, computer instruction and repair, and fixing IBM clocks. Most of all, though, he likes to get on his Harley Davidson, or his Honda Goldwing trike when his wife comes along. They have biked all the lower 48 states, plus five countries in Europe. For the last 14 years, Theron has photographed numerous headstones in cemeteries as a volunteer for Find a Grave.

October 2021 Business Meeting
2021-10-14 17:00 - 18:30 | Online
The Amelia Island Genealogical Society board and officers meet monthly to handle the society business. AIGS membership is welcome to attend. This meeting is virtual: https://meet.google.com/cwt-ekde-nih or phone in at +1 650-667-2463 (PIN: [REDACTED])

Required Agenda Items

The Board must approve the slate of candidates to serve in 2022.Board will also appoint an Audit Committee for 2021.

October Programs Committee Meeting
2021-10-13 15:00 - 17:00 | Fernandina Beach Library, 25 N 4th St, Fernandina Beach, FL, 32034, United States
The programs committee will meet at the Fernandina Beach Library to discuss potential programs for 2022.

September Membership Committee Meeting
2021-09-30 14:00 - 15:00 | Fernandina Beach Library, 25 N 4th St, Fernandina Beach, FL, 32034, United States
This meeting will discuss the duties of the Membership Committee and begin work on developing a New Members Welcome Packet.

September Education Committee Meeting
2021-09-28 14:00 - 16:00 | Fernandina Beach Library, 25 N 4th St, Fernandina Beach, FL, 32034, United States
The AIGS Education Committee will hold it’s first meeting in anticipation of starting back our Beginning Genealogy classes in January! All current (and past) members of the committee are encouraged to attend, so that we can get ourselves off on the right course. The committee chair is Jean Mann, and please contact her from your personal members page.

Fundamentals of Land and Probate Records for Genealogists
2021-09-21 19:00 - 20:00 | Fernandina Beach Library, 25 N 4th St, Fernandina Beach, FL, 32034, United States
Fundamentals of Land and Probate Records for Genealogists, with particular focus on Nassau County court records

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.

Due to the active spread of Covid in our community we encourage everyone to wear a mask, as we will not be able to socially distance ourselves!

Speaker: Jim Shroads

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.

September 2021 Business Meeting
2021-09-16 17:00 - 18:30 | Online
The Amelia Island Genealogical Society board and officers meet monthly to handle the society business. AIGS membership is welcome to attend.

Join with Google Meet: meet.google.com/cwt-ekde-nihJoin by phone: (US) +1 650-667-2463 (PIN: [REDACTED])

August 2021 Library Committee Meeting
2021-08-30 14:00 - 16:00 | Fernandina Beach Library, 25 N 4th St, Fernandina Beach, FL, 32034, United States
The library committee will hold it’s regular bi-monthly meeting at the Fernandina Beach Library on 30 August, 2-4pm. Anyone interested in joining this committee and/or attending this meeting should contact Marcia Pertuz at library@aigensoc.org.

UNF Excavations at the Mocama (Timucua) Indian Village of Sarabay (Big Talbot Island)
2021-08-17 19:00 - 20:00 | Fernandina Beach Library, 25 N 4th St, Fernandina Beach, FL, 32034, United States
Professor Keith Ashley with a couple of his students at the Sarabay dig site on Big Talbot Island.

Presentation by Keith Ashley, UNF Professor of Anthropology.

Located on Big Talbot Island, Sarabay was one of the local Mocama Indian communities mentioned by French and Spanish explorers during the 1560s. The University of North Florida (UNF) first investigated the site in 1998-99 and returned for more excavations in the fall 2020 and summer 2021. Artifacts recovered so far include thousands of fragments of indigenous pottery along with bone, shell, and stone tools. The recovery of a small collection of Spanish artifacts dates the site to AD 1580-1620. This presentation discusses the findings of ongoing excavations at the site of Sarabay.

Bio: Keith Ashley is an archaeologist and Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of North Florida.. His current research focuses on the indigenous peoples and histories of southeastern North America, particularly Florida. He is actively involved in archaeological excavations with UNF students throughout northeastern Florida.

Due to the active spread of Covid in our community we encourage everyone to wear a mask, as we will not be able to socially distance ourselves!

August 2021 Business Meeting
2021-08-12 17:00 - 18:30 | Fernandina Beach Library, 25 N 4th St, Fernandina Beach, FL, 32034, United States
The Amelia Island Genealogical Society board and officers meet monthly to handle the society business. AIGS membership is welcome to attend.

How to Write Biography
2021-07-20 19:00 - 20:00 | Florida
John Philip Colletta

Come join us on Tuesday, July 20 at 7:00 – 8:00pm, to listen to a professional recording of a lecture by Professor John Philip Colletta, titled How to Write Biography. The program will be introduced by Dennis Partridge. Please use the following link to login. No pre-registration is needed. Video call link: https://meet.google.com/vua-ikia-uud Or dial: (US) +1 318-620-0345 PIN: 248 849 623#

Professor John Philip Colletta is one of America’s most popular genealogical lecturers. He holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. from The Catholic University of America. He is a faculty member of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama; the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy; and Boston University’s Genealogical Research Program. Professor Colletta also has been an instructor and course coordinator for the National Institute on Genealogical Research, the Genealogical Institute of Texas, and the Genealogical Institute of Mid-America.

How to Write Biography

You’ve explored a broad array of sources for discovering the facts of your ancestors’ lives, and you’ve depicted those facts schematically on pedigree charts and family group sheets. In last month’s meeting you saw how those bare-bone facts may be fleshed out into real-life events, which is what many of us are seeking in genealogy. A narrative genealogy or family history is a collection of biographies of people related by blood—in other words, an anthology of the life stories of kinfolk. In this lecture, we’ll see the process of constructing and narrating the biography of an ancestor.

Case Study: Identifying a Theme

The timelines of Joseph Ring and his younger brother George offer a case study in identifying themes. Joseph and George Ring were born into a Germanic family in Lorraine, France; Joseph was born in 1832, and George in 1834. Both work as skilled tradesmen. In 1853, at the age of 19, George emigrated to Buffalo, New York. There, in the city’s populous German-speaking community, he found a familiar environment, with German parishes, fraternal societies, banks, and stores. But in 1858, George moved far south to the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta, probably seeking to make his fortune in cotton. Sometime after George left France, Joseph also came to Buffalo. But when George headed south to seek his fortune, Joseph stayed in New York and married Barbara Miller. The two shared an identical heritage, and they started having a child every two years.

July 2021 Business Meeting
2021-07-15 17:00 - 18:30 | Online

How to Build Historical Context
2021-06-15 19:00 - 20:00 | Florida
Come join us on Tuesday, June 15 at 7:00 – 8:00pm, to listen to a professional recording of a lecture by Professor John Philip Colletta, titled How to Build Historical Context. The program will be introduced by Dennis Partridge, and this month we will be using a different technology, called Google Meet. Please use the following link to login. No pre-registration is needed.Video call link: https://meet.google.com/eea-ywfj-htnOr dial: (US) +1 413-758-2715 PIN: 804 988 470#​

Professor John Philip Colletta is one of America’s most popular genealogical lecturers. He holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. from The Catholic University of America. He is a faculty member of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama; the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy; and Boston University’s Genealogical Research Program. Professor Colletta also has been an instructor and course coordinator for the National Institute on Genealogical Research, the Genealogical Institute of Texas, and the Genealogical Institute of Mid-America.

How to Build Historical ContextThe lives of your ancestors provide all of the elements of engaging true stories. The challenge is to narrate the facts you’ve discovered within the larger physical and temporal world in which they were once lived events. If you want to get to know your ancestors, you must see them as real people living in a particular place at a particular time. In other words, the biographical facts you gather must be situated in their proper historical context. As we build historical context in this lecture, you’ll see how all the sources we’ve been discussing come into play.

Case Study:Let’s imagine that you’re researching the Steiner family of Vicksburg, Mississippi. You’ve gotten back to your great-great-grandfather, Jacob Steiner. In the library, you come across a compilation of transcribed records called Marriages and Deaths from Mississippi Newspapers, 1850–1861. In it, you find a marriage that fits into your family tree: “Married at the residence of Jacob Morris, Esq., in this city, January 19th, 1860, by L. S. Houghton, Judge of the Probate Court, Mr. Jacob Steiner to Miss Mary E. Hill.” You enter the data onto your pedigree chart and your family group sheet: Jacob Steiner married Mary E. Hill; January 19, 1860; Vicksburg, Mississippi. You now have a biographical fact, but as a family historian, you’re interested in more than just the bare fact of a wedding. How was this wedding different from the many other weddings in your family tree? What did it mean to get married in Vicksburg in 1860? Who was Jacob Morris, and why did Jacob Steiner and Mary Hill get married at his residence? Why was the couple joined by a civil magistrate, not a man of the cloth?

Finding Isaac and Dora Peckham
2021-04-20 19:00 - 20:00 | Florida
During our next virtual meeting, genealogist Linda Olsen will give a LIVE presentation about her research into the eventful lives of Isaac and Dora Peckham, who served as keepers of the St. Simons Lighthouse in the late 1800s.

As usual, the meeting will be facilitated by the Florida State Genealogical Society via GoToWebinar, and you must pre-register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3308228591895150348

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing an “invitation” and information/link for joining the virtual meeting/webinar. About 10 minutes before our meeting click on the invitation link. We will join you at the time of the meeting and will then proceed with our scheduled presentation.

Webinar Abstract:

Through Ancestry.com and work with the Farmington Historical Society, it was possible to piece together the puzzle of how Isaac Peckham came from Connecticut to Georgia. After he fought in the Third Seminole Indian War and on the Confederate side in the Civil War, he became the Assistant Lighthouse Keeper on Little Cumberland Island and from there was promoted to Lighthouse Keeper at St. Simons.

Marianne Isadora Lasserre’s family came from St. Augustine, FL after her father, a shipbuilder, was invited up to Georgia by a wealthy plantation owner in 1850. After Isaac’s death in 1897, Marianne Isadora Lasserre remained in the St. Simons area until 1917 when she moved to Fernandina to be closer to her younger siblings. She died in 1931 and is buried in her family plot at Bosque Bello Cemetery. For information on her life in Fernandina, Linda consulted the genealogical resources at Nassau County Library and worked with the Amelia Island Museum of History.

Presenter:

Linda’s journey into genealogy began with researching her own family roots. “I’ve learned so much from walking in my family’s footsteps,” she says. “It’s amazing to view history through the eyes of the people you are researching. Linda is an active member of the Coastal Georgia Genealogy Society. In 2019, she was approached by the Coastal Georgia Historical Society to research St. Simons Island Lighthouse keeper Isaac Peckham and his wife Dora.

“Pits I Have Fallen In and How to Avoid Them”
2021-03-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Online
Please join us for our next AIGS Virtual Monthly Meeting, Tuesday, Feb 16, 2021, at 7:00 PM. Notification of virtual meetings occur via email. The email will contain a link for you to register online for the meeting and after doing so, you will receive a subsequent email with a link to connect to the meeting on the appropriate day and time.

“The best thing about making mistakes is the opportunity to learn from them. I’ve made my share of genealogical mistakes over the years, but I’ve learned that most of them have resulted from faulty assumptions. In this talk, we’ll examine eight commonly-held but incorrect assumptions and consider some strategies and resources to help head off errors before they happen.”

Speaker: Pam Vestal

Pam Vestal is a professional genealogist, writer, and speaker from West Linn, Oregon, and the owner of Generations Genealogy, LLC. She lectures throughout the western United States, and her work has been published in the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly. When she isn’t giving presentations or researching on behalf of her clients, she offers private training to those seeking to improve their research skills.

Web 3.0 Development Meeting
2021-03-05 10:00 - 11:00, 2021-02-26 10:00 - 11:00 | Online
The Web Development Committee meets weekly at 10am every Friday. At this time they are creating a new website to replace the current website.

Members:

Dennis Partridge, chair; Jean Mann; Lori Miranda; Marcia Pertuz; Rob Portegies-Zwart.

Your Huddled Masses Yearning to Breathe Free: Immigration and Naturalization
2021-02-23 19:00 - 20:00 | Online
Learn how our ancestors were naturalized; when, where, and what records were created; and the information that might be found in these records.

Presenter

Jeanne Larzalere Bloom, Certified Genealogist, is a full-time professional researcher specializing in problem solving and compiling multi-generational family histories. As a former trained and certified Confidential Intermediary for the State of Illinois, Ms. Bloom was court appointed to locate sought-after relatives for adoptees, adoptive parents, birth parents and other birth relatives. She is a published author and lectures frequently. A case manager, she works for the Repatriation and Family Affairs Division of the Army Casualty and Memorial Affairs Operation on identifying family members to aid in the possible identification of unaccounted for soldiers from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

Find Your Family Stories in Free Online Newspapers
2021-01-19 19:00 - 20:00 | Florida
The AIGS will kick off the new year with a virtual meeting on Tuesday, January 19 at 7 pm. With the help of the Webinar Team of the Florida State Genealogical Society, we will present an archived webinar by Annette Burke Lyttle, titled Find Your Family Stories in Free Online Newspapers.The meeting will be via GoToWebinar, and you must pre-register to attend at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4559709215502153741After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing an “invitation” and information/link for joining the virtual meeting/webinar. About 10 minutes before our meeting click on the invitation link. We will join you at the time of the meeting and will then proceed with our scheduled presentation.

Webinar Abstract: Beyond birth, death and marriage notices, historic newspapers can provide information that brings your ancestors and their world to life. Many of these newspapers are available on line at no cost. Learn how to find and use these valuable resources in your family history research.

Annette Burke Lyttle owns Heritage Detective, LLC, providing professional genealogical services in research, education, and writing. She speaks on a number of genealogical topics at the national, state, and local levels and loves helping people uncover and share their family stories. Annette is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and the Genealogical Speakers Guild, as well as a number of national, state, and local societies.

But, It's All on the Internet!
2020-10-20 19:00 - 20:00 | Florida
The internet is a wonderful tool for genealogy. But, it should not replace some of the tried-and-true methods for discovering our ancestors. Please join us for our monthly (virtual) meeting on Tuesday, October 20 at 7 pm, featuring an archived webinar by Peggy C Lauritzen, AG, entitled But, It’s All on the Internet!The meeting will be via GoToWebinar, and you must pre-register to attend at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4559709215502153741After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing an “invitation” and information/link for joining the virtual meeting/webinar. About 10 minutes before our meeting click on the invitation link. We will join you at the time of the meeting and will then proceed with our scheduled presentation.

Peggy Clemens Lauritzen, AG, was involved in genealogy before she was even born. The daughter of avid genealogists, she was spending time in courthouses and cemeteries while other children were playing on swings and going to the beach. The love of her family’s history has never left her. With her experience serving as a Family History Director, she frequently speaks at genealogical societies, workshops, seminars, and webinars where she loves bringing genealogy to life. Some of those would include The Ohio Genealogical Society, The Ohio State University, Brigham Young University, and many other state and local genealogy societies. She has recently completed several Legacy QuickGuides on Appalachia, and is a well-known webinar presenter. She is also an instructor at Ancestry Academy.

Using Non-Population Schedules for Context and Evidence
2020-09-15 19:00 - 20:00 | Florida
Please join us for our monthly (virtual) meeting on Tuesday, September 15 at 7 pm.The program will feature an archived webinar by Jill Morelli, entitled Using Non-Population Schedules for Context and Evidence. The meeting will be via GoToWebinar, and you must pre-register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6239218723798048270After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing an “invitation” and information/link for joining the virtual meeting/webinar.

Webinar Abstract: Every 10 years the US Federal Government gathers data to apportion the House of Representatives. You may not know that in the 1800s, they also gathered statistical information related to business and industries, communities, agriculture, mortality and assessment of the insane, physically handicapped and those individuals in prison. Some of these schedules will provide you with evidence, while others provide context interpretation of other pieces of evidence is bolstered and your family history enlivened. Using examples of each, learn how these schedules can help, why they were established and where they can be found.Presenter: Jill Morelli lectures and writes on genealogical topics that often transcend the more narrowly defined family history. She provides general genealogy services and house histories in the Puget Sound and national venues. She has spoken before large (300+) and small groups and is an engaging and entertaining speaker who conveys genealogical concepts suitable to the level of the audience. She has been previously published in local, regional and national publications. Jill writes frequently at her blog ‘Genealogy Certification: A Personal Journey’ about her educational efforts to become a certified genealogist.

Genetic Genealogy
2020-08-18 19:00 - 20:00 | Florida
Our President Bob Frey will present an adapted version of his Genetic Genealogy lecture during the Beginners Course earlier this year, using the Zoom videoconferencing program. Bob will discuss the basics of DNA in easy to understand terms; review the types of DNA tested for genetic genealogy purposes; and review the primary DNA testing companies.The virtual meeting will be held on Aug 18, 2020 at 7:00 PMIn order to join, go to:https://us04web.zoom.us/j/4809251709?pwd=[REDACTED] ID: 480 925 1709Passcode: [REDACTED]

Bob Frey is retired from CSX and Florida Blue where he held various positions in marketing, accounting and finance, corporate planning, and project management. While working he was a Certified Project Manager. He holds an AB degree from the University of Missouri and an MBA from the University of Chicago.With his wife Judy’s encouragement, Bob has been involved in genealogy as a hobby for over 25 years. With his keen interest in science and mathematics, Bob was drawn to the emerging field of genetic genealogy as an extension of his personal genealogy research. He has tested with Ancestry DNA, 23 and Me, Family Tree DNA (FTDNA), and LivingDNA. He also manages the DNA accounts for several of his relatives. Bob’s YDNA (paternal) haplogroup is R-BY3592 and his mtDNA (maternal) haplogroup is J1c.
