Click below to access the recordings and handouts from our recent online meetings. About one month after the presentation, videos will be moved from this page to the Members Only pages of this website. Handouts for repeating classes are also available in the Members Only pages of this website. The most recent video is at the top of the list. [Please be respectful of the copyrighted materials and do not download or share the videos. Personal use only of the handouts is allowed.]
19 May 2025 Program Speaker – Missing Reward – Widows, Spinsters, Bachelors. Are some folks missing from your family tree? In this program you will learn new ideas on how to find widows and never-married adults like spinsters and bachelors. We then show you how you can also have success finding them by watching the techniques in action through three short case studies. Presented by Sara Cochran.
Click here for Handout Link.
This video and handout will be available on this public site until about 19 June at which time they will be moved to the Members only pages until approximately 19 August At that point the material will be removed permanently.
8 May 2025 Class Video – Scottish Ancestry. Does your DNA reveal Scottish or Irish ancestry, but you don’t have any in your tree? That happened to me! Join me as I take you through my Gaelic journey searching for royalty for my mother! This intriguing journey took me through the history of Scotland, a land of two peoples, and how it’s intertwined with that of Ireland. Then follow the Scottish diaspora around the world as they fled the king’s wrath. I’ll share tips to help you with your search along the way! Presented by Pinellas Genealogy Society Volunteer Lori Coffey. This video will be available for approximately one month then it will be moved to the Members pages of the website. The handout for this class is permanently available on the Members pages of the website.
1 May 2025 Class Video – Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Genealogy. Peek into the world of Artificial Intelligence for genealogy to see how to supplement your family research. This new world of AI will transform your productivity as computers can now perform mental tasks you used to do! Learn why AI, which has been around for 50 years, has developed dramatically in the last decade and how you can benefit from it. Presented by Pinellas Genealogy Society Volunteer Lori Coffey. This video will be available for approximately one month then it will be moved to the Members pages of the website. The handout for this class is permanently available on the Members pages of the website.
25 April 2025 Class Video – PowerPoint for Genealogy. If you have used PowerPoint for presentations, you know how easy it is to use! But did you know it’s also a valuable companion for genealogists? You will want to keep it open all the time after we show you the three biggest genealogy uses for this powerful app: clipping and storing research, manipulating photos, and turning family tree reports into beautiful books or videos! We’ll give you tips to take your PowerPoint skills to the next level whether you’re using your own computer or the library’s. Presented by Pinellas Genealogy Society volunteer Lori Coffey. This video will be available for approximately one month then it will be moved to the Members pages of the website. The handout for this class is permanently available on the Members pages of the website.
20 April 2025 Program Speaker – Your Civil War Ancestor. Putting Flesh on the Bones of Your Civil War Ancestor – Over three million Americans were in uniform during the Civil War. It’s becoming easier to find the facts of our ancestors’ service, but how do we reconstruct their experiences? This presentation will show you how to fill in the blanks between the facts, allowing you to tell your ancestors’ stories. Presented by Annette Burke Lyttle. This video will be available on this public site until about 15 May, at which time it will be moved to the Members only pages until approximately 15 July. At that point the material will be removed permanently.
Click here for the HANDOUT.
16 April 2025 Class Video – Exploring the Library of Congress Digital Collections. The Library of Congress website includes more than 500 digitized collections of manuscripts, maps, prints, audio recordings, and much more. This presentation will introduce you to the wide range of resources available in these collections and show you how they can help you in your own family history research. Presented by Pinellas Genealogy Society Volunteer Karen Fortin. This video will be available for approximately one month then it will be moved to the Members pages of the website. The handout for this class is permanently available on the Members pages of the website.
15 April 2025 Class Video – A detailed explanation and demonstration of the basic features of this most popular genealogy database program. Presented by Pinellas Genealogy Society Volunteer Maridell Hahn. This video review of Family Tree Maker is a series of five classes conducted one week apart. The handouts for these classes are permanently available in the Member pages of the website.
Video: Family Tree Maker part 1
Video: Family Tree Maker part 2 (in process)
Video: Family Tree Maker part 3 (in process)
Video: Family Tree Maker part 4 (in process)
Video: Family Tree Maker part 5
Parts 2, 3, and 4 of the Family Tree Maker series were recorded at an earlier timeframe than parts 1 and 5 due to technical difficulties.
11 Apr 2025 Class Video – Walking in Their Footsteps. Locating Places Where Our Ancestors Lived and Worked One of the fun things about genealogy is getting to know our ancestors as people, not just as names and dates on a chart. This presentation will help you to identify sources that can assist you in locating the precise locations where your ancestors lived and worked. Presented by Pinellas Genealogy Society Volunteer Karen Fortin. This video will be available for approximately one month then it will be moved to the Members pages of the website. The handout for this class is permanently available on the Members pages of the website.
VIDEOS FOR NEW GENEALOGISTS
16 Jul 2023: Getting Started on Your Family Tree. This video leads you through a hands-on tutorial on getting started on your family tree. When you follow the link to the video, you will be offered additional links to handouts which you can download for a more beneficial experience.
19 Nov 2022: VIDEOS FOR NEW GENEALOGISTS. The following videos are listed in order of complexity. As you become familiar with various genealogy research skills, choose from the listed topics to tailor your skills development.
A consolidated handout is available by clicking here: CONSOLIDATED HANDOUT.
The following three presentations are from the “Essentials Collection”. They cover topics aimed at researchers new to the study of their family’s genealogy and history:
Video 1: Getting Started in Genealogy
Video 2: Key Records in Genealogy
Video 3: Internet Genealogy
The following three presentations are from the “Skill Builder Collection.” They delve more deeply into some of the research topics introduced in the Essentials Track:
Video 4: Newspapers in Genealogy Research
Video 5: Military Records in Genealogy
Video 6: Documenting Your Sources
The last two presentations are from the “DNA in Genealogy Research Collection”:
Video 7: FUNdamentals of DNA
Video 8: The Whys of Y-DNA
8 Nov 2024: DNA basics: The following videos are aimed at introducing the essential concepts of DNA in genealogy research. There is a consolidated handout for the videos in the member pages of the website.
VIDEO: DNA Basic Series Overview
VIDEO: DNA Basics I – Types of Tests and Ethnicity
VIDEO: DNA Basics II – Centimorgans and Shared Matches
VIDEO: DNA Basics III – Ancestry DNA
VIDEO: DNA Basics IV – X, Y, MtDNA
21 Sep 2024 Monthly Program: Unique Challenges of African American Genealogy. Genealogy is the same the world around, yet there are some unique challenges when researching African American family history. For example, specific strategies are required to identify and work with records before 1860 and locating identifiable names among government records can raise the difficulty level. Even though it can be challenging, it can also be rewarding. Especially if you plan to volunteer for community projects like our Clearwater Colored Cemeteries program. We’ll provide research strategies to take you around the obstacles to help you find the records you seek. Presented by Taneya Y. Koonce. There is no handout for this presentation.
PGS HISTORY VIDEOS:
Five program meetings during 2022 were dedicated to celebrating the 50th anniversary of PGS. The videos collected here are recordings of each of those five meetings They will be available on the public as well as member pages of our website for the foreseeable future. Use these videos to gain an appreciation of the breadth and depth of the Society’s activities over the past fifty years. (You can purchase a 50th Year Commemoration book by clicking on the “Publications Tab” at the top of the website homepage.)
There are no handouts associated with these videos.
15 January 2022 – VIDEO – FIRST DECADE: Debbie Schuler, PGS President shares the history of the start of the Pinellas Genealogy Society for our 50th Anniversary First Decade Event. This is also the first PGS hybrid meeting held both in-person in the Largo Library and online via Zoom.
19 March 2022 – VIDEO – SECOND DECADE: Maridell Hahn, PGS Seminar Director shares the history of the second decade of the Pinellas Genealogy Society for our 50th Anniversary Second Decade Event. This is also the first PGS hybrid meeting with both in-person and virtual speakers.
18 Jun 2022 – VIDEO – THIRD DECADE: Damon Hostetler, PGS Anniversary Committee member shares the history of the third decade of the Pinellas Genealogy Society for our 50th Anniversary Third Decade Event.
2 Dec 2022 – VIDEO – FOURTH DECADE: Damon Hostetler, PGS Anniversary Committee member shares the history of the fourth decade of the Pinellas Genealogy Society for our 50th Anniversary Fourth Decade Event.
17 Dec 2022 – VIDEO – FIFTH DECADE: Karen Fortin, PGS Anniversary Committee member shares the history of the fifth decade of the Pinellas Genealogy Society for our 50th Anniversary Fifth Decade Event.
Follow this link to join the Society: JOIN HERE