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Monday, April 21
Best Practices SIG Meeting (Best Practices SIG)
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm Online Zoom Meeting
Coordinators: Annette Burke-Lyttle & Pat Adams
Topic: Directories and Local Histories
The SIG accepts new members throughout the year, but those who join after January 2023 should be prepared to catch up on the chapters that have already been studied. Visit our SIG webpage for more details.
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Tuesday, April 22
Midwest SIG Meeting (Midwest SIG)
2:00 pm to 3:50 pm SeaBreeze Recreation Center, Clearwater Room
Topic: Online Research Tips & Ancestry Pro Tools Review
Coordinators: Lynn Hall & Karen Pickelsimer
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Wednesday, April 23
Brick Wall Solutions SIG Meeting (Brick Wall SIG)
8:30 am to 9:30 am In-person @ Savannah Rec Center
Topic: TBD
Coordinators: Nancy Oster Heydt, Mark Mullinax, & Beverly Hulett
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Wednesday, April 23
A Deep Dive into the U.S. Census Records (VGS Monthly Meeting)
10:00 am Savannah Recreation Center or Online via Zoom
Guest Speaker: Miles Meyer
Topic Info: The U.S. Census has changed greatly since the first one was performed in 1790. This presentation will discuss how the census has changed from 1790 to 1950, provide an explanation of the data that is available in the various census records, and how to develop that into a timeline to discover the details for your family. Prior to 1850, the U.S. Census was a list of names and tick marks. From 1850 to 1950, six basic questions asked in each census remained the same: name, age, gender, race, occupation, and place of birth. Relationships to head of household were asked from 1880 to 1950, and the citizenship status of each foreign-born person was asked from 1890 to 1950. The information from each census alone gives you a snapshot of the family but by combining several census years together, you can begin to see patterns in occupations, residences, and many other characteristics that can help you discover the story of your ancestors.
Presenter Info: Miles is a scientist by training and has been active in genealogy for over 25 years in a variety of ways. His experience revolves around new technologies, internet research and FamilySearch. He is the principal researcher for Our Ancestories Genealogy, a Family History Consultant, and current Director of the Vero Beach Florida FamilySearch Center. He is also the Director of Education for The Family History Guide (www.thefhguide.com). He has presented at a variety of international genealogy conferences, including RootsTech Salt Lake (2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025), RootsTech London (2019), The Genealogy Show UK (Spring, Summer and Winter 2022), The Society of One Place Studies Conference US (2023), and the One World One Family Conference Toronto (2021). Additionally, Myles has been a beta tester for several genealogy companies. And when he has time, Myles also manages several blogs on genealogy related activities.
There are two ways to attend: in-person at the Savannah Recreation Center or online via Zoom. If you want to attend in person, simply come to the Savannah Recreation Center at 10:00 a.m. on April 23rd. If you want to attend online via Zoom, you will need to register in advance by clicking this LINK.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
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Monday, April 28
Technology SIG Meeting (Technology SIG)
10:00 am to 11:50 am SeaBreeze Recreation Center
Coordinators: Pamela Selinski & Vicci Turner
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Monday, April 28
FTM SIG Meeting (Family Tree Maker SIG)
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm ZOOM MEETING
REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
SIG Coordinators: Karen Feeney & Bob Boerst
(Meeting link will be emailed to SIG members approximately 3-5 days prior to meeting date.)
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Thursday, May 1
Eastern European Genealogy SIG Meeting (Eastern European SIG)
1:00 pm to 2:50 pm Daytona Beach Room @ SeaBreeze Recreation Center
Coordinators: Carol Myers & Marie Musialek
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Friday, May 2
British SIG Monthly Meeting (British SIG)
9:30 am to 11:20 am Lake Miona Recreation Center, 1526 Buena Vista Blvd.
Topic: TBD
Coordinators: Pat Adams & Ruth Mason
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Monday, May 5
Jewish Genealogy SIG Meeting (Jewish Genealogy SIG)
10:00 am to 12:00 pm Eisenhower Recreation Center, 3560 Buena Vista Blvd.
Prior to the meeting date, SIG members will receive an email about the upcoming meeting.
Coordinators: Phil Goldsmith & Jerry Schwartz
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Monday, May 5
RootsMagic Special Interest Group Meeting (Roots Magic SIG)
2:30 pm to 4:20 pm SeaBreeze Recreation Center – Daytona Room, and on Zoom
Reminder: Bring your laptops
Coordinator: George Zitterell
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Monday, May 5
Bringing Your Ancestors to Life on WikiTree (VGS Live Webinar)
7:00 pm to 8:00 pm LIVE WEBINAR
Guest Speaker: Betsy Ko
Topic Info: Founded in 2008, WikiTree is a free single family tree focused on accuracy and collaboration. Its 1.1 million members have created upwards of 40 million profiles. Chances are that one of your ancestors is already on WikiTree! This presentation will start with an overview of WikiTree, its mission and our Honor Code that guides us. We'll cover the basics of how to create a profile and then go deeper into the many tools and apps that are available to members. Finally, we'll take a look at what makes the WikiTree community special, including projects, free space pages, challenges, and more.
Participants who would like to create a profile during this demonstration should sign-up for a WikiTree account and upgrade at least to the Family Member level (WikiTree is entirely free). Be sure to have the person's name, birth and death dates, birth and death locations, and one source. (For the source, it is recommended that you find the individual in a census on FamilySearch and then copy the citation straight from there.)
Presenter Info: Betsy Ko is a Chicago-based genealogist who has extensive research experience in the mid-Atlantic states, the Midwest, and England. Her ongoing genealogy education has included coursework through Boston University's online Genealogy Studies Program. What began as an engrossing hobby in 2015 has since grown into a professional endeavor with private client projects and a team position with WikiTree (a collaborative global family tree). Upon joining WikiTree's community in 2019, Betsy established herself as a community leader by hosting monthly Q&A sssions for new members, co-leading the Events Committee, co-hosting the Saturday Roundup Livecast, and driving other community engagement initiatives. She joined WikiTree's official team in August of 2024. In her new role, Betsy supports WikiTree project leaders in keeping the tree growing with high levels of accuracy and harmonious collaboration. When not on WikiTree, Betsy plays flute in the Northshore Concert Band and is an active music teacher.
Click HERE to register in advance to attend this webinar:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
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Wednesday, May 7
French Canadian Genealogy SIG Meeting (French-Canadian SIG)
9:00 am to 10:50 am La Hacienda Recreation Center
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Thursday, May 8
German Genealogy SIG Meeting (German SIG)
9:30 am to 11:50 am In-person @ Lake Miona Rec Center & via Zoom
Coordinators: Dianne Fedderson & Steven Buhrow
An email containing the Zoom link & info will be emailed to SIG members prior to the meeting date.
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Friday, May 9
Genetic Discoveries SIG Meeting (Genetic Discoveries SIG)
10:00 am to 11:50 am Rohan Recreation Center, Colony Cottage Room and via ZOOM
Coordinators: Sherry Bean, Bill Canavan & Marcella Zorn
Topic: Using Notes and Emojis to track DNA Testers and the Tester matches in BanyanDNA
An email containing the Zoom link & info will be emailed to SIG members prior to the meeting date.
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Monday, May 12
Italian Special Interest Group Meeting (Italian SIG)
1:00 pm to 2:20 pm Atlanta Room @ Savannah Recreation Center
Coordinators: Laura Wright & Paul Coia
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Tuesday, May 13
Preserving Family History SIG Meeting (Preserving Family History SIG)
2:30 pm to 4:00 pm Destin Room @ SeaBreeze Recreation Center
Topic: TBA
Presenter: TBA
Coordinators: Sharol Lewin & Nancy Schultz
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Wednesday, May 14
Irish Genealogy SIG Meeting (Irish SIG)
10:00 am to 11:50 am Osceola Room @ Chula Vista Recreation Center
Topic: TBA
Coordinators: Tom Voyles & Kendra Marasco
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Wednesday, May 14
ABCs of Genealogy SIG Meeting (ABCs of Genealogy SIG)
2:30 pm to 4:20 pm Neptune Beach Room @ SeaBreeze Recreation Center
The ABCs of Genealogy SIG is for VGS members with any level of experience in genealogical research. Sessions are geared to be easy to understand to get you started and keep you going as you discover more about your ancestors.
Topic: TBA
Coordinators: Carol LaSalle & Cheryl Richardson
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Thursday, May 15
Northeastern Genealogy SIG Meeting (Northeastern Genealogy SIG)
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm SeaBreeze Recreation Center, New Smyrna Room
Topic: TBA
Coordinator: Joanne Schmidt
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Friday, May 16
Scandinavian Genealogy SIG Meeting (Scandinavian SIG)
11:00 am to 12:30 pm SeaBreeze Recreation Center, New Smyrna Beach Room
Topic: TBA
Coordinators: Per Andersson & Kris Petersen-Gauthier
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Monday, May 19
Best Practices SIG Meeting (Best Practices SIG)
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm Online Zoom Meeting
Coordinators: Annette Burke-Lyttle & Pat Adams
Topic: Vital Records, Census Records, and Substitutes
The SIG accepts new members throughout the year, but those who join after January 2023 should be prepared to catch up on the chapters that have already been studied. Visit our SIG webpage for more details.
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Tuesday, May 20
Let's Talk Genealogy: Members Only Event (VGS Special Events)
10:00 am ZOOM MEETING
We are looking for all levels of VGS members. Come and share with us about your latest research successes or about a research challenge you're facing. Perhaps you have general genealogy questions including places to research or how others organize their information. Share your knowledge and ideas to help keep us all moving forward.
Register to attend this Zoom session – Click HERE
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
** If you are not a VGS member but would like to be, click HERE.
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