The Growth of the Jewish Population in Russia through the 1897 All-Russia Census

Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando Program

ORLANDO, FL, September 15, 2014 — Join the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando (JGSGO) for a program featuring genealogist lecturer, Joel Spector, “The Growth of the Jewish Population in Russia through the 1897 All-Russia Census”.

This presentation will incorporate material from both English and Russian language sources to describe patterns of Jewish population growth in Russia, beginning with early historical data. It will then trace the creation and changing designations of the Russian gubernias, and will incorporate early population data from Russian revision lists (revisie skazki). There will be some discussion of Russian laws affecting Jews in the Pale of Jewish Settlement and the legal restrictions on Jewish movement there. Acquisition of Jewish population data from the 1897 All-Russia Census for the Pale and for all of Russia will be described.

Before the presentation, you can come to ask genealogy questions from one of our mavens, to ask computer questions from one of our computer experts, or just schmooze.

Joel has been actively engaged in genealogy for over 30 years, and has been conducting research in several historic Russian language encyclopedias. He has produced a unique English language Index to the Russian language Evreiskaya Entsiklopedia. Joel is a Past President of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Philadelphia, where he has also been chairperson of its Russian Special Interest Group. Joel has given presentations and workshops on the Russian language, both contemporary and pre-Revolutionary, and has provided translations of documents to individuals and groups.  Joel is a former Secretary of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS), the umbrella organization for over 70 Jewish Genealogical Societies, and now serves as its Archivist.

DATE: Tuesday, October 7, 2014

TIME: 7:00pm - 9:00pm (6:30pm to meet with a maven or for computer questions or to schmooze)

ADMISSION: Open to the public. $5.00 for non-members. Free for members.

LOCATION: Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando – Roth JCC – Maitland Campus, Senior Lounge, 851 N. Maitland Ave., Maitland, FL 32751.

Using SIGs to Find Your Ancestors

ORLANDO, FL, May 31, 2014 — Join the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando (JGSGO) for a program featuring IAJGS President, Marlis Humphrey, “Using SIGs to Find Your Ancestors”.
Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are an invaluable resource to finding your ancestors. SIGs are a group of people whose common interest is a geographic region of ancestral origin or a special topic. There are more than a couple dozen various Jewish genealogy SIGs – e.g. German-Jewish SIG, Latvia SIG, GRI- Poland SIG, Rabbinic Genealogy SIG, etc. Most have unique and very useful information available to those researching their family history on a website. Many also have an email based discussion group where members can get help and share information. Many SIGs are also instrumental in sponsoring translation projects to index records from their region of interest. These records might only otherwise be available by visiting an in-country archive. Many SIGs have an annual meeting coincident with the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies annual conference www.iajgs2014.org. Learn about the myriad of resources available through the various Jewish genealogy SIGs, how to access them, and how to utilize this resource to discover your ancestry.
Prior to the program, starting at 6:30pm, there will be time for newcomers to network and to receive free consulting assistance or mentoring from a Jewish genealogy maven.

Marlis Glaser Humphrey is President of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS), Vice President of Programs and Publicity for the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando (JGSGO), and Vice President and Technology Outreach Committee Chairs for the Florida State Genealogical Society (FSGS). Marlis recently received the FSGS 2014 Distinguished Service award. She has successfully discovered all her ancestral shtetls. Marlis is founder of myAncestories, a company that helps genealogists create family histories to treasure. Marlis holds a B.A. in Russian and an M.S. in Management of Technology.
DATE: Tuesday, June 3, 2014
TIME: 7:00pm - 9:00pm (6:30pm for networking and mavens)
ADMISSION: Open to the public. Free admission.
LOCATION: Maitland Public Library, 501 S. Maitland Ave., Maitland, FL 32751.
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 $35 for an individual and $40 for a family. For more information visit our blog at www.jgsgo.blogspot.com , “like” us at www.facebook.com/jgsgreaterorlando or call us at 407-494-4230.
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Contact Information: Marlis Humphrey JGSGO VP Programs & Publicity jgsgo.programs@gmail.com

“BillionGraves and Beyond”

 “BillionGraves and Beyond”

Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando Program

ORLANDO, FL, April 24, 2014 — Join the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando (JGSGO) for a program featuring BillionGraves’ Chief Technology Officer, Brian Moncur, “BillionGraves and Beyond”.

The aim of BillionGraves is to collect images and the location of all headstones throughout the world before these valuable historical records disappear, and make them freely available to the world.  This is a monumental task and not one that we can do alone. This is especially important for Jewish headstones as they traditionally document the name of the deceased’s father – enabling one to go back another generation in a family tree. Brian will show why this work is important and how to get started. BillionGraves uses cutting edge technology to make it easy and fun to collect and search for grave site records.  

Prior to the program, starting at 6:30pm, there will be time for newcomers to network and to receive free consulting assistance or mentoring from a Jewish genealogy maven. With Yom HaShoah, there is no better time to research one’s family tree.

           

Brian has been working on BillionGraves for three years now and has been a huge asset to BillionGraves from the start. He graduated in Chemical Engineering from Brigham Young University and has an extensive background in software design and development. He was the CTO for Fonix (a speech recognition company) as well as for AppTime, the original developer of BillionGraves. In his spare time he loves mountain biking, rock climbing/canyoneering and talking technology with his three sons who all had a hand in the creation of BillionGraves. 

DATE: Tuesday, May 6, 2014

TIME: 7:00pm - 9:00pm (6:30pm for networking and mavens)

ADMISSION: Open to the public. $5.00 for non-members. Free for members.

LOCATION: Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando – Roth JCC – Maitland Campus, Senior Lounge, 851 N. Maitland Ave., Maitland, FL 32751.

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 $35 for an individual and $40 for a family. For more information “like” us at www.facebook.com/jgsgreaterorlando, or visit our blog at www.jgsgo.blogspot.com , or call us at 407-494-4230.

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Contact Information: 

Marlis Humphrey
JGSGO VP Programs & Publicity
jgsgo.programs@gmail.com

Red Star Line, Gateway to the New World from Antwerp (Belgium) to Philadelphia, New York, Boston & Baltimore 1873-1934

ORLANDO, FL, March 17, 2014 — Join the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando (JGSGO) for a program featuring widely acclaimed lecturer from Antwerp, Erwin Joos, “Red Star Line, Gateway to the New World from Antwerp (Belgium) to Philadelphia, New York, Boston, & Baltimore 1873-1934”.
Nearly 3 million passengers emigrated from Eastern Europe on the Red Star Line. Erwin Joos’s lecture is part history of the Red Star Line and the Eastern European emigrants that departed from Antwerp to North America and part story of the artist, Eugeen Van Mieghem, who captured the emigrants in his beautiful paintings. Many were Jews escaping the poverty and pogroms of Eastern Europe. Exhausted from the ordeals of illegal border crossings, endless train rides and travel by foot, those who had to travel in steerage -- which meant most -- were subjected to dockside inspections and the disinfection of their luggage. Those who couldn't be given a clean bill of health were turned back. Those sent on were examined more exhaustively on arrival. Engrossed by the scene, Van Mieghem caught it all: mothers with babies, children, bent old women, bearded men, as well as the people of the port: stevedores, sailors, ship captains, prostitutes, women who stitched bags for grain. Most of us with Eastern European roots will find the story of the Red Line and the Van Mieghem paintings and what they depict are related to our personal family histories. You also will have the opportunity to purchase Erwin’s beautiful artbook, The Missing Images.
Prior to the program, starting at 6:30pm, there will be time for newcomers to network and to receive free consulting assistance or mentoring from a Jewish genealogy maven.
                                                       

Erwin Joos is Curator of the Eugeen Van Mieghem Museum (www.vanmieghemmuseum.com) since 1993 and Director since 1986 of the Eugeen Van Mieghem Foundation, a non-profit organization with approximately 1,000 members. Erwin has given more than 100 lectures in Dutch, English and French in Antwerp, Amsterdam, Paris, New York, Washington D.C., London, Geneva, Bordeaux, Philadelphia, and aboard the Queen Mary II sailing between Southampton and New York. Erwin is the author of 7 artbooks and 12 albums and organized 15 major exhibitions in Belgium (The Municipal Printroom and the Museum Mayer van den Bergh in Antwerp, In Flanders Fields in Ypres), the United States (New York: Ellis Island Immigration Museum and South Street Seaport Museum, Philadelphia: Gersman Y Center, JCC’s Memphis and Norfolk), France (Paris, Institut Néerlandais), England (Londen), Switserland (Fondation Neumann, Genève), Holland (Amsterdam: Rembrandthouse and the Jewish Historical Museum; Markiezenhof in Bergen Op Zoom; Schielandtshuis in Rotterdam) and Germany (Barlach Haus in Hamburg, Castle of Wernigerode and the Käthe Kollwitz Museum in Berlin). Erwin studied applied economics at the University of Louvain and post-graduate Financial Theory.
DATE: Tuesday,April1,2014
TIME: 7:00pm - 9:00pm (6:30pm for networking and mavens)
ADMISSION: Open to the public. Free admission.
LOCATION: Maitland Public Library, 501 S. Maitland Ave., Maitland, FL 32751.
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 Facebook page and  “like” us at www.facebook.com/ jgsgreaterorlando  or our blog at www.jgsgo.blogspot.com, or call us at 407-494-4230. 

“Using JGSs to Find Your Ancestors"

ORLANDO, FL, February 6, 2014 — Join the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando (JGSGO) for a program featuring IAJGS President, Marlis Humphrey, “Using JGSs to Find Your Ancestors”.

Jewish Genealogical Societies (JGSs) are an invaluable resource to finding your ancestors. JGSs are a network of 74 individual societies worldwide that are dedicated to providing assistance to those exploring their Jewish family history. There are societies across the U.S. and in Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Israel, Great Britain, France, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, South Africa, and Australia. They can provide local assistance to you where you live - through their educational programs, mentoring, and workshops. Additionally, JGSs can provide assistance to you remotely – in the area where one of your ancestors might have lived. We will tour some of the JGS resources available: records indexes, databases, cemetery information, newsletters, research guides, archive knowledge, experts on call, local tours, and more. Learn about the myriad of resources available and how to utilize this resource to discover your ancestry.
Prior to the program, starting at 6:30pm, there will be time for newcomers to network and to receive free consulting assistance or mentoring from a Jewish genealogy maven.

Marlis Glaser Humphrey, is President of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS), Vice President of Programs and Publicity for the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando (JGSGO), and Vice President and Technology Outreach Committee Chairs for the Florida State Genealogical Society (FSGS). She has successfully discovered all her ancestral shtetls. Marlis is founder of myAncestories, a company that helps genealogists create family histories to treasure. Marlis holds a B.A. in Russian and an M.S. in Management of Technology.

DATE: Tuesday, March 4, 2014
TIME: 7:00pm - 9:00pm (6:30pm for networking and mavens)

ADMISSION: Open to the public. Free admission.

LOCATION: Maitland Public Library, 501 S. Maitland Ave., Maitland, FL 32751.

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 Facebook page at Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Orlando www.facebook.com/jgsgreaterorlando, visit our blog at www.jgsgo.blogspot.com, or call us at 407-494-4230. 

How to Search Online to Break Down Genealogy Brick Walls

ORLANDO, FL, January 23, 2014 — Join the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando (JGSGO) for a program featuring local Jewish genealogy mavens, Laurence “Larry” Morrell and Dave Rowitt, “How to Search Online to Break Down Genealogical Brick Walls ”.

Dave and Larry will walk through the techniques they used to assist members

r requests for help with breaking down their genealogical brick wall. They will provide friendly advice on searching Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, and JewishGen.org. They will show attendees how a non-professional can use these sources in their searches. They will then hold an open Q&A session. 

Prior to the program, starting at 6:30pm, there will be time for newcomers to network and to receive free consulting assistance or mentoring from a Jewish genealogy maven. 

Laurence Morrell, an Orlando native of 71 years, has been engaged in genealogy research for 12 years. He has travelled to Poland and Hungary to see the places his ancestors lived, see the same rivers they saw, walk the same streets they walked, and see many of the same buildings they saw. He has over 1,000 names attached to his family tree and it continues to grow. An active member of the JGSGO, Larry served past president. He has attended two International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) annual conferences. Larry has taught a beginners genealogy class at the Jewish Academy of Orlando and will teach  it again this Spring. Larry is a strong advocate of writing Ethical Wills and has spoken to groups about the importance of that topic.

Dave Rowitt has been researching his family for over ten years. It all started with a phone call from a second cousin who wanted to know more about their family. One question led to many and before he knew it, he was hooked on genealogy. Dave has discovered and located the vast majority of his family that resided in the U.S. Dave’s background as an Information Technology and Business Analyst for over 30 years has given him the skills to deeply probe the area of genealogy with proven results. He, along with his cousin, have identified nearly 3,000 members of their family -  leading to some intriguing family reunions.

DATE: Tuesday, February 4, 2014
TIME: 7:00pm - 9:00pm (6:30pm for networking and mavens)

ADMISSION: Open to the public. $5.00 for non-members. Free for members.

LOCATION: Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando – Roth JCC – Maitland Campus, Senior Lounge, 851 N. Maitland Ave., Maitland, FL 32751.

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 , “like” us at www.facebook.com/jgsgreaterorlando  or call us at 407-494-4230.

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Contact Information: 

Marlis Humphrey
JGSGO VP Programs & Publicity
jgsgo.programs@gmail.com

Making the Most of FamilySearch for Jewish Research

Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando Program

ORLANDO, FL, November 26, 2013 — Join the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando (JGSGO) for a program featuring FamilySearch and Jewish genealogy expert, Todd Knowles, “Making the Most of FamilySearch for Jewish Research”.

FamilySearch.org is the largest website in the world for genealogical information. FamilySearch has more than 6.8 billion historic records on microfilm that are being digitized and eventually indexed. These records contain an estimated 20.6 billion names. FamilySearch has over 200 digital record preservation camera teams in 45 countries who produce more than 100 million new digital images for free online publication each year. You can find U.S. census records, birth, marriage, and death records, and many registers from overseas through FamilySearch. You are also likely to find records from your ancestors’ shtetls. Todd Knowles will demonstrate the tools that can make searching for your Jewish ancestors a more successful experience. Whether looking through the catalog, or trying to access the digital images from hundreds of free online databases, this program will be a great help to everyone. Todd will be speaking to the group from Salt Lake City, headquarters of FamilySearch and the Family History Library.

Prior to the program, starting at 6:30pm, there will be time for newcomers to network and to receive free consulting assistance or mentoring from a Jewish genealogy maven. 

W. Todd Knowles is a member of the reference staff at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. He specializes in Jewish and English research. He began searching for his great great grandfather, a Polish Jew over 35 years ago. That search and the records found began what today is known as the Knowles Collection, six databases containing the genealogical records of the Jewish people. Today those databases contain the records of almost 700k people. Todd has lectured around the world and his papers have been widely published. He has a blog, knowlescollection.blogspot.com, discussing his database. 

DATE: Tuesday, December 3, 2013

TIME: 7:00pm - 9:00pm (6:30pm for networking and mavens)

ADMISSION: Open to the public. Free admission.

LOCATION: Maitland Public Library, 501 S. Maitland Ave., Maitland, FL 32751.

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 , “like” us at www.facebook.com/jgsgreaterorlando  or call us at 407-494-4230.

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Contact Information: 

Marlis Humphrey
JGSGO VP Programs & Publicity
jgsgo.programs@gmail.com

“The Knowles Collection - What Is It and How Do I Use It?”

 “The Knowles Collection - What Is It and How Do I Use It?”

Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando Program

ORLANDO, FL, October 17, 2013 — Join the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando (JGSGO)  for a program featuring FamilySearch and Jewish genealogy expert, Todd Knowles, “The Knowles Collection – What Is It and How Do I Use It?”.

The Knowles Collection contains the genealogical records of Jewish people throughout the world. The people listed in the records are linked as families, and are compiled from over 1200 different sources. The collection has six databases, Jews of North America, Jews of South America and the Caribbean, Jews of Europe, Jews of the British Isles, Jews of Africa and the Orient, and the Jews of the South Pacific. As of 1 Jan 2013 the collection held the records of almost 700,000 people. Todd will show how to use this free research tool and how to make the most of it. The collection also has its own blog at knowlescollection.blogspot.com . Todd will be speaking to the group from Salt Lake City, headquarters of FamilySearch and the Family History Library.

Prior to the program, starting at 6:30pm, there will be time for newcomers to network and to receive free   consulting assistance or mentoring from a Jewish genealogy maven. 

                                       

W. Todd Knowles is a member of the reference staff at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. He specializes in Jewish and English research. He began searching for his great great grandfather, a Polish Jew over 35 years ago. That search and the records found began what today is known as the Knowles Collection, six databases containing the genealogical records of the Jewish people. Today those databases contain the records of almost 700k people. Todd has lectured around the world and his papers have been widely published. He has a blog, knowlescollection.blogspot.com, discussing his database. 

DATE: Tuesday, November 5, 2013

TIME: 7:00pm - 9:00pm (6:30pm for networking and mavens)

ADMISSION: Open to the public. $5.00 for non-members. Free for members.

LOCATION: Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando – Roth JCC – Maitland Campus, Senior Lounge, 851 N. Maitland Ave., Maitland, FL 32751.

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 , “like” us at www.facebook.com/jgsgreaterorlando  or call us at 407-494-4230.

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Contact Information: 

Marlis Humphrey
JGSGO VP Programs & Publicity
jgsgo.programs@gmail.com

“Finding Your Family on the Web”

Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando Program

ORLANDO, FL, October 2, 2013 — Join the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando (JGSGO) in celebration of International Jewish Genealogy Month, for a program featuring our own digital genealogy expert, Tom Hirsch, “Finding Your Family on the Web”.

The Internet is probably the best tool ever for genealogy.  It allows you to access billions of webpages all over the globe by using your home computer.  The Internet can help you find lots of material that you could not find otherwise.  Tom Hirsch, will use his 20 years of genealogy experience, and his journalistic skills to show you how you can find relatives that you did not know existed and how to use the enormous connectivity of the worldwide web to share your family tree and link you to other people researching the same ancestors.

Tom will show you a variety of websites, demonstrate some genealogy databases, capture official records, search for information, use translation tools, and find educational materials to help you be a better genealogist, and to work more effectively and efficiently. In addition to demonstrating numerous websites for you to use in your family history work, Tom will provide important information on how to protect your computer and the critical information that you have spent so much time and effort to find.

At the meeting, you will receive a list of some of the most useful websites for your research.  After seeing Tom's presentation, you can immediately use these tools to advance your work. Tour the Internet with Tom as he shares his knowledge of the worldwide web and computers to help you capture and share your family history. 

                                         

                             

Tom Hirsch is a veteran in the broadcast industry and News Assignment Editor at WESH, Channel 2. Tom is also VP Membership of the JGSGO and an avid genealogist with 20 years of research experience. Tom quickly learned that his investigative news gathering abilities and skill in doing great stories for radio and TV found another important use in compiling his family history. Tom has collected much of his genealogy by using the vast resources on the Internet. Tom is the author of “Tom’s List” – a compilation of more than 300 links to useful websites to aid in Jewish genealogy research. For more information on how to obtain “Tom’s List”, contact jgsgo.membership@gmail.com .

DATE: Tuesday, October 8, 2013

TIME: 7:00pm - 9:00pm

ADMISSION: Open to the public. $5.00 for non-members. Free for members.

LOCATION: Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando – Roth JCC – Maitland Campus, Senior Lounge, 851 N. Maitland Ave., Maitland, FL 32751.

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 , “like” us at www.facebook.com/jgsgreaterorlando  or call us at 407-494-4230.

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Contact Information: 

Marlis Humphrey 

JGSGO VP Programs & Publicity 

jgsgo.programs@gmail.com