Wednesday, March 21, 2012

1940 Census - Just 11 Days Away

The 1940 Census will be released on April 2, 2012 at 9:00am EST.

The name index to the 1940 census records is being created by volunteers. You can volunteer to be an indexer. In the meantime, 1940 census records can be searched by enumeration district. Steve Morse has provided several one-step 1940 census tools to help. There is a wealth of information about the 1940 census at the National Archives website .

Check out this 3 minute video to get started.


Sunday, March 4, 2012

"Find Your Israeli Family"


Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando Proudly Presents
Internationally Renowned Expert Michael Goldstein

ORLANDO, FL, March 1, 2012 The Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando (JGSGO) proudly presents internationally renowned and highly regarded expert, Michael Goldstein, as Speaker of the Month. He will present "Find Your Israeli Family".

“Find Your Israeli Family” will be a reality-based session featuring a "live" demonstration from Jerusalem in how to search for living Israeli relatives. While not guaranteeing success, the session should give a clear, practical guide to performing the research.

To increase the chances for success, during early February, the JGSGO conducted an open call for interested parties to submit the names of Israeli relatives they seek, provide background information on who they were trying to locate and what research had been done to date. This enabled Michael to conduct pre-investigation of aspects that cannot be done live. Interested parties were also encouraged to provide Yad Vashem Pages of Testimony relevant to their family being searched. Having completed the pre-investigation work, Michael will be performing the search in real-time and sharing research techniques with all attendees.



Michael Goldstein, born in Toronto is a Jerusalem-based genealogist who researches, mentors, and lectures. He carries out worldwide Jewish research, Holocaust research and guides researchers in locating and connecting with their Israeli family, facilitating the use of local Israeli research sources.  Michael is president of the IAJGS, member of the JewishGen Board of Governors, immediate past president of The Israel Genealogical Society, Association of Professional Genealogists board member and a member of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Montreal and the Israel Genealogy Research Association. Michael Goldstein has been pursuing his personal genealogy since 1985 when he assisted his eldest son with a bar mitzvah project, which turned out to be open-ended.

A JGSGO Maven’s Corner will be available starting at 1:00 P.M. prior to the scheduled program. Those interested in meeting with a maven to discuss a genealogy problem should plan on bringing a concise description of their genealogical question and relevant background data. Since time will be limited, you can email your question and background information in advance to jgsgo.maven@gmail.com .

Michael will present to the group from Jerusalem live via the Internet. Whether beginner or expert in researching your Jewish family history, this is the meeting for you. Don’t miss out!

DATE: Sunday, March 18, 2012
TIME: 1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M.
LOCATION: Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation, Social Hall, 11200 South Apopka Vineland Road, Orlando, FL 32836
ADMISSION: Open to the public. $5.00 for non-members. Free for members.

About the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando
The Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando (JGSGO) is a not for profit organization dedicated to sharing genealogical information, techniques and research tools with anyone interested in Jewish genealogy and family history. Anyone may join JGSGO. Annual dues are $25 for an individual and $30 for a family. For more information visit our blog at www.jgsgo.blogspot.com .