Florida: Mini-conference, Feb. 20

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Palm Beach County (Florida) has set its annual All-Florida Mini-Conference and Workshop for 9am-4.30pm Sunday, February 20, at the Levis Jewish Community Center in Boca Raton.

Morning sessions:

Doing Your Successful Family Reunion: Dr. Marvin and Natalie Hamburg offer a roadmap for planning a memorable family reunion, and share their experience and expertise.

Following the Paper Trail in the Search of Our Ancestors: Sylvia Nusinov will explain how to find records through effective research in libraries, the Internet, Archives, etc. and what to do with the documentation once found.

The Yiskor Books at Florida Atlantic University: FAU archivist Leslie Siegel will cover the library’s extensive Yiskor Book Collection and discuss other research material in the Judaica Special Collections.

Afternoon sessions:

Census Online with Ancestry.com and Heritage Quest: JewishGen's education vice president Phyllis Kramer will cover census history and how to access it on Familysearch, Heritage Quest and Ancestry.com, with tips and shortcuts.

How I Unraveled My Family History: Stephen Denker of the Greater Boston Jewish Genealogical Society will discuss research techniques used to successfully trace his family business history and Cuban connections, and how he used sources and personal contacts.

Jewish Genealogy - A Hobby with a Purpose: Arnold Tolkin will cover Inheritance Value, Family Traits, and Stem Cell-DNA Testing, the newest scientific technique.

Family Tree Maker for Beginners: Dennis Rice will offer tips and tricks for mastering one of the most popular genealogy programs, work with versions through 2005 and critique the redesigned 2008 version.

Registration begins at 8.30am. Advance registration: members, $30; others, $35; includes kosher box lunch, snacks, materials and gifts. Internet-connected computers will be available in the Resource Room and the Library Collection.

For directions and more details, click here.