Click below to access the recordings and handouts from our recent online meetings. The most recent video is at the top of the list. Presentation videos are also on the Members Only pages indefinitely. Handouts for repeating classes are also available in the Members Only pages of this website. [Please be respectful of the copyrighted materials and do not download or share the videos.]
21 Mar 2026 Program Video – Meaningful Stories Turning your genealogy research discoveries into meaningful stories can be challenging. Follow the re-creation of one family’s story using hands-on, step-by-step, try-this-now story-building strategies. Turn a single record discovery into a simple paragraph, then a paragraph into a story by looking for the “plot” and other interesting elements that make up the most interesting stories. Presented by Sunny Jane Morton. It will also appear on the Members pages of the website for 90 days.
21 Mar 2026 Program Video – Meet PERSI You may be missing out on 30% of genealogy discoveries if you’re not digging into history and genealogy newsletters, journals and magazines. Biographical profiles, stories about ancestral churches or schools, how-to tips for researching a locale, indexes and transcripts of local records are all among those treasures found in PERSI, the Periodical Source Index. Presented by Sunny Jane Morton. It will also appear on the Members pages of the website for 90 days.
12 Mar 2026 Class Video – Welsh Records The National Library of Wales contain Welsh family history. Discover of library and resources to expand your research. Wales has lesser-known archives, many of which we also explore online. Open doors to help track down your elusive Welsh ancestors. Demonstrated by Liz Pearson. It will also appear on the Members pages of the website indefinitely.
12 Mar 2026 Class Video – The National Archives The British National Archives contain English Family History. Discover of archives and resources to expand your research (1639-1974). England has a multitude of lesser-known archives, many of which we also explore online. Open doors to help track down your elusive English ancestors. Demonstrated by Liz Pearson. It will also appear on the Members pages of the website indefinitely.
18 Mar 2026 Class Video – Research Trip Planning Turn your genealogy research trip into a productive and rewarding experience! This session covers smart planning strategies—from setting goals and building a detailed plan —who, what, where, when—helping to pave the way when you arrive, gathering records on site, and organizing your findings. You’ll leave with a roadmap to make every research trip count. (Not for planning a visit to the Family Search Library in Salt Lake City.) Presented by Pinellas Genealogy Society Volunteer Sue Styx. It will also appear on the Members pages of the website indefinitely.
14 Mar 2026 Class Video – AI and My Heritage MyHeritage has been leveraging AI to bring the past to life since long before DALL-E and ChatGPT. Learn how MyHeritage’s revolutionary features transform historical newspapers into a searchable archive, allowing you to experience your family history in a whole new way and giving you a peek into the future of AI-assisted genealogy. Presented by Daniel Horowitz, MyHeritage genealogy expert. This video will be available for approximately one month in this area. It will also appear on the Members pages of the website indefinitely.
11 Mar 2026 Class Video – Census Timelines This class focuses on analyzing groups of similar questions asked in different census years, thus creating a timeline of your ancestors’ responses. It also looks at the instructions given to census takers–if you understand the questions, you can better understand the answers. Presented by Pinellas Genealogy Society Volunteer Jean Roberson. This video will be available for approximately one month in this area. It will also appear on the Members pages of the website indefinitely.
12 Feb 2026 Class Video – Excel for Genealogy You may know and use Excel to crunch your budget numbers, but have you thought about using it specifically for genealogy? Even if you’re new to Excel, we will teach you the basics of building a database right, then we’ll cover how to think through your options to make the exact database that meets your specific needs. Then, as we show you ways to use Excel in genealogy, we’ll add tips to take your skills to the next level whether you’re using your own computer or the library’s. Presented by Pinellas Genealogy Society Volunteer and computer trainer Lori Coffey. This video will be available for approximately one month in this area. It will also appear on the Members pages of the website indefinitely.
10 Feb 2026 Class Video – Harnessing the Internet for Genealogy With seemingly endless websites on the internet, we introduce trusted sites that can help you. Review the fundamentals of research and see essential online resources and databases. Then, we delve into effective search strategies plus collaborating with the genealogy community. Plus, see lots of tips to help you along the way! Presented by Pinellas Genealogy Society Volunteer and computer trainer Lori Coffey.
30 Jan 2026 Class Video – Death Records and Where to Find Them This class focuses on finding records to establish the death date of your deceased kinfolk. We will describe and demonstrate how and where to find many types of records and resources that will enable you to determine death dates. In addition to the commonly used records such as death certificates, tombstones, obituaries, death indexes, etc., you will discover some that you may not have considered. Presented by Pinellas Genealogy Society Volunteer Sue Styx. It will also appear on the Members pages of the website indefinitely.
18 Jan 2026 Program Video – All Politics is Local These words, spoken by former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neil, still ring true. Whether your ancestor was elected to public office or just aspired to serve, lots of records and artifacts were created. Former four-time political candidate, Tina Beaird, will guide you through the political process and explain what records may exist and where to find them. This video will be available for approximately one month in this area. It will also appear on the Members page along with the handout for 90 days.
9 Jan 2026 Class Video – Ancestry Foundations Features Fixes Whether you are new to Ancestry.com or a power user, in this session you will learn ideas to make your journey through this powerful tool even better. First, we explain the foundational tools you may have missed. Then we show you features that make this the number one ancestral search tool. And then, because it happens to all of us, we review fixes to common errors we can make. Presented by Pinellas Genealogy Society Volunteer Lori Coffey. This video will be available for approximately one month in this area. It will also appear on the Members pages of the website indefinitely.
20 Dec 2025 Program Video – Best Genealogy Tips in 2025 Every month in 2025, Pinellas Genealogy Society has introduced interesting and informative speakers – all with lots of tips on how to do your genealogy better. Here you get the best of those tips in one place! Even If you missed a meeting! Presented by Pinellas Genealogy Society Volunteer Lori Coffey. This video will be available for approximately one month in this area. It will also appear on the Members pages of the website indefinitely.
9 Dec 2025 Class Video – Orphan Trains The story of the Orphan Trains, which relocated children from the eastern cities to rural farmlands, has become a part of American popular culture. This presentation explores the facts behind the legends; follows a group of children “placed-out” in 1880; and provides resources available to learn more about the orphan trains and their riders. Presented by Pinellas Genealogy Society Volunteer Karen Fortin.
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.
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 four presentations are from the “Skill Builder Collection.” They delve more deeply into some of the research topics introduced in the Essentials Track:
Video 1: Newspapers in Genealogy Research
Video 2: Military Records in Genealogy
Video 3: Evaluating Genealogical Evidence
Video 4: Documenting Your Sources
The following two presentations are from the “DNA in Genealogy Research Collection”:
Video 1: FUNdamentals of DNA
Video 2: The Whys of Y-DNA
5 Mar 2026 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