The Villages Genealogical Society
Social Media at The VGS
 
 
FSGS Logo  

 

Upcoming Monday Evening Webinar
 
Live Webinar / Feb. 3, 2025 – 7:00 to 8:00 pm
The Internet Archive: A Genealogist's Dream Collection
Featured Guest Speaker:  Taneya Koonce
 
Annette Burke Lyttle
Topic Info:  This presentation delves into the essential role of the Internet Archive in preserving digital heritage. It highlights how this expansive online library safeguards billions of web pages, books, audio recordings, and other digital content, ensuring continued access for future generations. Attendees will learn about the Archive's unique tools, including the Wayback Machine, and how genealogists, historians and researchers can effectively use these resources for family history search.
 
Presenter Info: Taneya Koonce is a dedicated genealogist with over 25 years of professional expertise in information science, research, and the organization of genealogical resources. Her passion for family history is matched by her commitment to education and community involvement. As the National Treasurer and Nashville Chapter President of the Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society, as well as the National Representative-at-Large for the USGenWeb Project, Taneya plays an active role in advancing genealogical knowledge.
 
For more details, and to register to attend, visit our Coming Events listing.
 


Upcoming Monthly Program
 
March General Monthly Meeting
Savannah Recreation Center or On-line via Zoom
Wednesday, March 26, 2025 / 10:00 a.m.
Featured Guest Speaker:  Karen A. Fortin
 
Karen A. FortinProgram:  American Ancestors.org – Searching the Online Databases
American Ancestors, the website for the New England Historic Genealogical Society, provides more than 1 billion records in over 470 databases online. Although much of the collection focuses on New England, records from around the U.S. and even some from other countries are available. This presentation will provide a brief overview of the website and will go through the basics of searching these valuable databases.
 
Speaker's Bio:  Karen A. Fortin has degrees in History and Library and Information Science, and a passion for research. She worked in a public library in Florida for 30 years before switching to genealogical lecturing in 2016. She is a member of various genealogical societies and loves to help people explore their family history so that they can better understand their ancestors and the world in which they lived.
 
For more details, and to register to attend, visit our  Coming Events listing.
 
 

 
 

 
 
Admission to in-person meetings of The Villages Genealogy Society
is limited to VGS members and paid guests.
You must be a resident of The Villages, FL for membership.
 
 
 

Upcoming Events
February 7, 2025
9:30 am to 11:20 am
British SIG Monthly Meeting
  Topic: TBD Coordinators:  Pat Adams & Ruth Mason    

February 10, 2025
1:00 pm to 2:20 pm
Italian Special Interest Group Meeting
Coordinators: Laura Wright & Paul Coia  

February 11, 2025
2:30 pm to 4:00 pm
Preserving Family History SIG Meeting
  Topic: TBA Presenter:  TBA ​ Coordinators:  Sharol Lewin & Nancy Schultz  

February 12, 2025
10:00 am to 11:50 am
Irish Genealogy SIG Meeting
  Topic:  TBA Coordinators:  Tom Voyles & Kendra Marasco  

February 12, 2025
2:30 pm to 4:20 pm
ABCs of Genealogy SIG Meeting
  Our Valentine's Day Gift to you . . . Carol will deliver the "Intro to Family Tree Maker" & "Intro to DNA" that you ...
Facts and Tips
The 1930 census lists the value of the property if owned, or the monthly rental if rented. This could lead to locating deeds, tax or mortgage records.
[Census]

Newspapers are wonderful hometown records. In addition to looking for obituaries, be sure to look for articles about special events... births, baptisms/christenings, weddings and pre-nuptial events (bridal showers, etc.), birthdays (parties), anniversaries, etc.
[Hometown Records]

General Land Office is now called Bureau of Land Management of the United States Department of Interior. Some federal land records are here, some in the National Archives and some are in state and university libraries. Public domain land states are largely available on the Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office-Eastern States free website.
[Federal Records]