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The inaugural meeting of the board for the Florida Chapter of APG was held on Saturday, 27 March 2004 at the Orlando Public Library. The first annual meeting of the Florida Chapter of APG was held on 12 November 2004 at the Florida State Genealogical Society conference in Melbourne, Florida.
2004 Annual Meeting Report:
The Chapter had a good
first annual meeting on 12 November 2004 at the annual conference of the
Florida State Genealogical Society in Melbourne, Florida. More than 16 or
two-thirds of some 24 chapter members were present at the conference. That
is a wonderful turnout considering our members are spread around the state.
All board members were present, except Treasurer
Gail Ghigna-Hallas, Ph.D., who had planned to attend but could not because
of illness in her family.
Our chapter members seemed to enjoy talking with and networking with other members. And the conference was well attended, had great speakers, and pleased everyone I talked with. APG members congregated at the Florida Chapter booth, where we took in $140 in new memberships and renewals.
RENEW FOR 2005. Yes, it's time to renew our dues for 2005. Renewals are just $10. Send a check payable to the Florida Chapter of APG to Laurie Caulk, membership chair, 6586 Dor Mil Court, Jacksonville, FL 32244.
BETTER COMMUNICATIONS,
MEETINGS START AROUND THE STATE. As outlined at the annual meeting, the chapter's
goal for the rest of this year and next is to improve communications among
members and to continue to increase membership.
New wrinkles, already underway or to appear soon, are:
-- Regular meetings in the central, southern and northern parts of the state. Some are now being planned way into the year 2005.
-- The chapter newsletter, delayed because of the hurricanes and accompanying slowdown in chapter activities, will debut soon. It will be packed with news and information to get us off on a great start in 2005.
-- The chapter e-mailing list will become more active and informative. All our current members are subscribers.
-- Online chat rooms for board members and possibly members.
-- Improved chapter Website with news, photos, and membership directory.
MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY. Webmaster Amy Larner Giroux, CG, suggests that chapter members send her their directory listing for the Florida Chapter Web site. The content, similar to the listings on the main APG site, includes name, address, e-mail address, Web page address, specialties and services. Amy's address is <agiroux@NYfamilyhistory.com>.
CHAPTER ELECTION. We will
be holding elections by postal mail in early December for chapter secretary
and chapter representative, whose terms will start Jan. 1, 2005 and run two
years. The chapter representative is the
contact between the chapter and APG international organization and reports
news about the chapter to the APG Quarterly. Anyone who is interested in running
for either office please contact Amy at the above address. Nominations will
close at the end of Wednesday, 8 December 2004. Amy is nominations/elections
co-chair with Gladys Friedman Paulin, CGRS. Amy and
Gladys were approved by the board as 2004 co-chairs after the annual meeting.
NEW PUBLICITY CHAIR. The
board also approved Debbe Hagner, AG, as our new publicity chair. We welcome
her. You can help the chapter by volunteering to do some work. We need a
program chair for South Florida and a permanent newsletter editor as well
as committee members for programs, membership, newsletter, and publicity.
Please contact me for more information.
5 February 2005 -
Roundtable on Professional Issues lead by Alvie Davidson, CGRSSM
Topics discussed: how to handle difficult clients, contracts (pros and cons
- if you have a favorite contract you like and would share, bring some copies),
office set up; fees/retainer; locating clients/designing your research for
your client; Marketing and how to invest in your business to keep it viable
and solvent. Click here for a copy of
the meeting summary and notes.
23 April 2005 (10am) - Legal issues by LeRoy H. Merkle
Topics discussed: The ins and outs of the legal system and searching for heirs, starting in Florida, and working with legal entities in other states and countries. Click here for a copy of the meeting summary and notes.
6 August 2005 (10am) - 20th Century Research by Alvie Davidson, CGRSSM
Topics discussed: 20th Century Research. Afternoon session: Shades of Gray, by Sharon Moody.
29 October 2005 (10am) - Workshop on Certification and Accreditation
Topics discussed: Amy Larner Giourx, CGSM, CGLSM led the BCG certification portion and Debbe Hagner, AG, led the AG accreditation portion.
4 February 2006 (10am) - Tour of the Indian River County Library and lectures
Pam Cooper gave a tour of the library and Archives Center. Richard Robinson gave two lectures on: The Joys of Writing Client Reports, and The Law and Genealogists: How to prevent conflicts.
5 August 2006 (9am) - Tour of Jacksonville Public Library and case study review
APG Florida Chapter Meeting,
5 August 2006
Contributed by
J. Mitchell Brown
www.southeasternroots.com
The Florida Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists held its quarterly meeting on Saturday, August 5th, at the brand new headquarters of the Jacksonville Public Library. Nine chapter members who participated in the day's activities included: Alvie Davidson, Gladys Friedman Paulin, Ann Staley, Amy Larner Giroux, Mary Chauncey, Marta Metcalf, Holly Timm, Mitchell Brown, and Karen Brown.
Prior to the meeting, the attendees were given a tour of the new facility by the cordial staff. The Genealogy Department, located on the fourth floor, has now been designated as a Family History Center of the LDS Church. microfilm rental is offered to patrons of the library just like the traditional FHC's. The library maintains a large collection of published genealogical resources representing a host of states. To enhance research of their microfilm collection, the library has provided patrons with a hefty number of reader-printers. Like the good ol' days, photocopies are still just a dime. The Florida Collection, which is an amalgamation of all things relative to the history of Northeast Florida and the City of Jacksonville, consists of over 20,000 books and manuscripts, as well as a fabulous post-card collection. The collection also contains many Sanborn Maps for cities and towns throughout Florida. One special room on the floor houses the unique Lewis Ansbacher Map Collection, a collection of approximately 244 rare and unique maps from all over the world. The Genealogy Department also maintains a Holocaust Collection in the Grand Reading Room, as well as a resourceful African-American collection. As one of the most progressive repositories in Florida, Jacksonville Public Library has an ongoing digitization program encompassing a broad spectrum of resources for online researchers. One of the ongoing projects involves the digitization of the extant Jacksonville city directories, many of which have already been scanned and are available for online viewers.
After the tour, the group later met for a round-table discussion of Amy's 2001 article published in the NGSQ entitled, "A Classic Census Problem--- Identifying Fathers before 1850; John Bulson of Orange County, New York." Amy provided the group with a list of group discussion questions prior to the meeting. Much was learned by all as she explained her motivation behind the writing of the article, as well as the research barriers and rigorous challenge to bring it to print. We commend Amy for a great article and the enriching discussion that was generated during the meeting. After the meeting was adjourned, the group capped off an inspiring morning with a delightful lunch at the Boom Town Theatre and Coffee Salon, next to Hemming Park. As always, the members enjoyed the festive time of camaraderie before departing for home. The next meeting of APG-FL is scheduled for October 7th at the Leesburg Public Library in Lake County, Florida. Mitchell Brown, a fellow member, will present a program entitled, "Researching the Indian Wars of the Southeast, 1813-1858." As always, meetings of the APG Florida Chapter are open to all serious genealogists whether a member of APG or not.
7 October 2006 (10am) - Tour of Leesburg Public Library and presentation on Indian Wars
APG Florida Chapter Meeting,
7 October 2006
Contributed by
Yolanda Campbell Lifter
Thank you to all the members and guests who attended our Florida Chapter of the APG meeting at the Leesburg Public Library on Saturday, 7 October 2006. A special thanks to Carol Anderson of the library who was always willing to answer my questions and helped me schedule the meeting.
Our own Chapter member, J. Mitchell Brown, presented a very informative talk titled Researching the Indian Wars of the Southeast, 1813-1858. He gave us a timeline of the major Indian Wars, which were the First Creek War (1813-1814), First Seminole War (1817-1818), Second Creek War (1836-1837), Second Seminole War (1835-1842), the Cherokee Disturbances (1836-1839, included the Cherokee War and Cherokee Removal), and the Third Seminole War (1855-1858).
We also learned about the three indigenous tribes of the southeast, which were the Creeks (Upper, also known as the Red Sticks, Middle, and Lower, resided in Georgia and Alabama), Seminole (a mixed tribe which included runaway slaves, resided in Georgia and Florida), and the Cherokee (resided in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee).
Mitch provided us with information on where to locate records on participants in these various wars. He told us about the forts, which were located in Florida (Fort Dade, Fort King, Fort Clarke, and Fort Heilman).
As a Florida resident since 1978, I am long overdue in learning about the history of the state. Thanks to Mitch, I now have some basic knowledge and am interested in learning more.
3 February 2007 (10am) - Largo Library tour and David Ellis, copyright attorney
Florida Chapter of APG meeting notes
3 February 2007
The Florida chapter's meeting,
held at the Largo Public Library, Largo, Florida on 3 February 2007, was
well received, and the folks attending, although a small group (7 visitors,
9 members), appeared to have a enjoyable time. As
there was not a quorum of officers, we did not have a Board meeting, but discussed
many things. The only negative of the day was the room environment was
too cold. A BIG thank you to Debbe Hagner for arranging this meeting
and speaker. Debbe advertised to several local genealogical societies,
and there was a notice published in the Largo Newspaper on Friday, Feb 2. Consequently
we had 7 visitors.
Ken Macomber, vice president and chairman of the Ancestor Road Show, was
unable to attend. Because of the storms that went through the central
part of the state the night before, Ken was working as a Red Cross volunteer
in the Villages where he resides.
Alvie Davidson, chapter representative, acted as substitute treasurer, collecting
money for 2007 dues, before turning the funds over to Gladys Paulin for delivery
to Amy Giroux, APG FL treasurer next week.
Ann Staley, FSGS conference chairman, reported that FSGS conference attendee
evaluations contained no negative/all positive comments on the Road Show, and
in fact stated the Road Show was "fabulous and enjoyed." There
was discussion of how to advertise for the Road show in 2007. Although
we are a "mighty" group, we are still small. All our resources
were utilized for the Road Show in November, and all spots were filled. In
fact, Debbe Hagner met with several people outside the Road Show schedule after
her spots were filled, as she was our only professional with German expertise. An
increase in membership would give us the ability in expand the Road Show. It
was suggested that if each member could bring in one new member this year,
we would be in great shape membership wise.
Alvie put a plug in for the Imperial Polk County Genealogical Society's annual
conference on March 10th in Lakeland (http://www.ipgs.org/Seminar_Mar_10_2007.pdf). Mitch
Brown and Jack Butler will be speakers there.
Ann Staley put a plug in for the Jacksonville Genealogical Society's spring
seminar on February 24 ( http://jaxgen.home.comcast.net/seminar07.htm ) featuring
Mitch Brown.
Donna Moughty, 2007 APG Professional Management Conference chairman, put in
a plug for that event. It will be held in conjunction with the FGS conference
in Fort Wayne, Indiana on August 15. http://apgen.org/conferences/index.html
We did a poll of members attending the various national genealogical conferences
this summer. Several of our members are lecturers, as well as attendees, at
these events. [I apologize if I left someone out]:
NGS in Richmond, VA (16 -20 May): Ann S., Mitch, Alvie, Donna, Jean, Gladys
IGHR in Birmingham, AL (10-15 June): Ann S., Gladys, Alvie, Amy, Ken
NIGR in Washington, DC (15-21 July): Alvie, Joe Spann
FGS in Fort Wayne, IN (15 – 18 August): Ann S., Alvie, Donna, Gladys
and Jean.
To add to our fun, Alvie Davidson provided a door prize of the book "Trace
Your Roots with DNA" by Megan Smolenyak.
We had 7 visitors, notably Howard Jensen, author of”Aid to Finding Addresses
in the 1890 New York City Police Census." Howard is 85 years old
and does not drive anymore. However, he walked 1.5 miles from his home
to be with us. He is also a major volunteer for the Largo Library's genealogy
section as a member of the Pinellas Genealogical Society (PGS). Donna
Moughty gave Howard a ride home and was rewarded with purchasing the last copy
of his book.
Peter Summers, PGS volunteer, gave us a wonderful overview of the Largo Library's
collection. The library has been without a genealogy librarian for a
few months. Joyce Bok was hired this past week to fill the vacancy.
After a short break and quick trip to the genealogy section, our program resumed
with "Copyright Law for the Professional Genealogist" presented
by David Ellis, an attorney from Largo who actively practices copyright law. His
lecture was enlightening and he answered many questions asked by the audience.
David also kindly agreed (at the request of William Zehner, editor) to write
an article on copyright law for *Florida Lines*, the quarterly newsletter
of the Florida State Genealogical Society. Many of our APG Florida Chapter
members are members of FSGS.
The meeting adjourned to the Olive Garden for lunch and fellowship.
Addendum: On Saturday the Board voted unanimously to renew the State of Florida not-for-profit corporation status. On Sunday the Board voted unanimously to hold the Ancestor Road Show again in November 2007, in conjunction with the FSGS annual conference. Ken Macomber, CG, APG Florida vice president will again serve as the chairman of the event.
4 August 2007 (10am) - Polk County Historical and Genealogical Library
The Florida Chapter of APG met at the host library, Polk County Historical and Genealogical Library, at 10 am on Saturday, August 4th. There were 12 persons attending, nine were members and three were visitors. Alvie L. Davidson, the chapter liaison, chaired the meeting. Following the meeting one visitor asked about mailing in a membership application.
The point of our meeting was to bring together the members for to bring to the table suggestions about anything they have learned and wanted to share with others.
A discussion was entered into about the KGROW position paper and it seems most of those present was aware of this product of APG Florida.
A new CD was mentioned which has become available. It is a CD version of Digested Summary of Private Claims. These are claims against the U S Congress following the American Revolution.
Some discussion was brought up about the new website named Footnote.com. Everyone seems rather excited about all the information becoming available to enhance research.
Discussion was brought up by Alvie about the annual meeting at the Florida State Genealogical Conference to be held at Orlando, FL. An exact time has not been set but it is customary to have it during lunch on the first day of the FSGS Conference. The dates for the FSGS Conference is November 9-10, 2007.
The next regular meeting of APG Florida was changed from Elmer's Library in Madison to Orlando Public Library on October 6th.
Announcement was made for the need of a chapter nominating committee; no volunteers at this meeting.
It was also announced that Ken Macomber will be setting up the Ancestor Road Show to be conducted by APG Florida at the FSGS Meeting on November 9th. We will need many volunteers from Florida who can fill the slots for helping.
With all the roundtable out of the way, the group was dismissed and gathered at Perkins's Restaurant nearby for lunch and a grand discussion continued around lunch.
6 October 2007 (10am) - Orlando Public Library
Summary of the 6 October 2007 APG Florida Chapter meeting
Yesterday the quarterly meeting was held at the Orlando Public Library, 3rd floor, Palm room. Eight members were present, plus one guest, Orlando librarian Sue Draper, and new member, Sherril Erfurth, CG, of Jacksonville.
Because there was not a quorum of Board members, the Board meeting was tabled. After an informal greeting session, Gladys Paulin gave an informative and interesting talk on immigration records at NARA.
Jean Kelley, representing the nominating committee, announced the slate of officers for 2008-2009: President, Alvie Davidson, CG, Vice-President, Jack Butler, Treasurer, Amy Giroux, CG, CGL (incumbent.) The ballots will be mailed this week, with a deadline for return by October 31 to Linda Perdue.
Details on the Ancestor Road Show to be held on Saturday, November 10th , in conjunction with the FSGS annual conference, were discussed for benefit of those chapter members who are participating for the first time this year. Two more people volunteered to be consultants. Also, it was noted that it is still not too late to volunteer to be a consultant for the Road Show. Any member who has not volunteered yet can contact Ken Macomber ken.macomber@comcast.net who is in charge of the Road Show, or Jean Kelley jfkelley@tampabay.rr.com.
Announcements:
Details of the annual meeting are still being finalized. It will be held during the FSGS conference, on Friday (11/9) during the lunch period. An announcement of when and where will be sent out on the mailing list.
Details for the FSGS conference are online at http://www.rootsweb.com/~flsgs/index.htm
Four chapter members will be speaking during the conference: Donna Moughty, Jack Butler, Alvie Davidson, and Ann Mohr Osisek.
After the meeting adjourned, several members had lunch together at a local cafe.
2 February 2008 (10am) - Polk County Historical and Genealogical Library
The Florida Chapter of APG met on Saturday, 2 February 2008 in the second floor meeting room of the Polk County Historical and Genealogical Library, Bartow, FL. Jack V. Butler, chapter vice-president, repeated his 2007 FSGS Conference presentation, titled "Read All About It: Finding Kin in Early Newspapers”, for the benefit of chapter members who missed it in November.
For the Chapter’s next meeting, on Saturday, 3 May 2008, the group is traveling north for their first ever meeting in Tallahassee at the Florida State Library and Archives building. Deanna Ramsey will give her "Gadgets for the Family Genealogist" presentation at the 10am program portion of the meeting. Jack Butler is in charge of this meeting, and if enough interest is expressed by members and/or guests, he will arrange a tour of the Library (2st Floor) and Archives (1st floor). Please contact him with questions or for further details - jackvbutler@comcast.net
Attendees who have not previously used the substantial research materials and facilities available at the Florida State Library and Archives are encouraged to build research time into their plans. Also, the Museum of Florida History on the ground floor of the building might be of interest to attendees.
As always APG Florida Chapter welcomes all APG members and interested genealogists
to attend our open program meetings.
CGRS, Certified Genealogical Records Specialist, CG, Certified Genealogist, and CGL, Certified Genealogical Lecturer are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®, used under license by professionals who pass periodic competency evaluations by the Board.
Last updated: 21 February 2008