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Society Past Events

January 20, 2024 (3rd Saturday)

Introduction to DAR and SAR

Elizabeth Heinze on the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). Elizabeth's handout is available in the Members Only section of our website. This presentation was available to our members on Zoom.

February 17, 2024

Ask Us Anything

Three of our SAGS genealogy experts were available to answer any genealogy question.

February 17, 2024 (3rd Saturday)

Records at the Circuit Courts

Brandon Patty, St. Johns County Clerk of Circuit Courts and Comptroller, on the types of records found at the Circuit Courts. Brandon's handout is available in the Members Only section of our website.

March 2, 2024 (1st Saturday)

Irish Genealogy from Your Armchair

Paul Howes on Irish Genealogy from Your Armchair. Paul's handout is in the Members Only section of our website. The presentation was available to members on Zoom and a recording was available to members for 30 days.

April 13, 2024

Overlooked Research Sources: A Gold Mind to be Discovered

Ann Staley will join us via Zoom. A Zoom link was available to members who could not attend. For approx 30 days after the event, a video of Ann's talk and her handout will be available to SAGS Members in the Members Only area of our website.

We sometimes get caught in a researcher’s “rut”; we start looking at the same type of sources and “forget” that there are a lot of different types of sources to be scoured for information and clues to our ancestors. This presentation will take a look at a variety of these sources, what they contain and where they can be acquired. Some sources discussed are County Historical & Biographical Publications; City Directories; Agriculture and Industrial Census Schedules; School Records; WPA Historical Records Survey (HRS) (Published and Unpublished); Periodicals and PERSI (PERiodical Source Index); Prison Records; and more.
Ann Staley, CG®, CGLSM, is an educator, consultant, and lecturer. She is the Membership Chair for the Genealogical Speakers Guild; a volunteer on a number of committees of the National Genealogical Society; a volunteer of the Florida State Genealogical Society; author of several articles for the NGS Magazine; co-author of the NGS Research in the States Series-Florida; and is on the faculty of the International Institute for Genealogical Studies. Ann has been researching her family from Alabama, Mississippi, Indiana, and Virginia to Ireland, England, France and Germany. Her specialties are methodology, vital records and their sources, computer research resources, and conference planning.

2023 General Meetings

  • January 14, 2023 - Joel Warner - "Family History - Fun & Foibles". Joel talked about four situations from his own family history research which provide significant learning opportunities for all family historians.  

  • February 11, 2023 - Mark Olsen - "What's New in Family Tree Maker". This was a live Q and A discussion to answer all your questions about Family Tree Maker, the latest version, updates, features and more. This was an interactive session. Mark discussed the recently released 24.1 update and answer any question. 

  • March 11, 2023 –  Greg Carter spoke on “The Minorcan Origins of the Monson Hotel”.  Greg is an amateur historian/genealogist living in Seattle Washington.  His grandmother’s family descended from three families of Minorcan colonists who survived the Turnbull expedition to New Smyrna Florida in the 17th century.  Those settlers eventually converged in Saint Augustine where his family lived at 56 Marine St for nearly 150 years.  Greg's Florida family history includes records of destitution, enslavement, kidnapping, and rape, as well as stories of honor, creativity, sacrifice, and true heroism.  ​​Though his ancestors dispersed in the 1980s, Greg remains a regular visitor to Saint Augustine and studies the city’s culture and history at the SAHS Research Library.  In 2021, he completed the Boston University Certificate in Genealogical Research and is currently working to assemble a master chart of Minorcan genealogy through the women who first settled New Smyrna.  He hosts the website 56marine.com dedicated to stories of his family in Saint Augustine.  In his professional life, Greg produces and directs plays at the Strawberry Theatre Workshop, a company he founded in Seattle in 2004.  

  • April 8, 2023 - Julie Goucher provided an Introduction to Researching Your Italian Ancestors.  Julie is current Chairman of the Guild of One-Name Studies, and joined us by Zoom.  Her handouts on Italian Genealogical Links and Beginning Italian Genealogical Research are available in Speaker's Handouts in the Members Only section.  

  • May 13, 2023 - Miles Meyer will talk about The Family History Guide: Learn, Search & Succeed.  The Family History Guide is a free learning, research, and activity center for family history.  Handout available in the the Speaker's Handout section of Members Only.

  • ​June 10, 2023 - Kathy Stickney talked about Finding Out More  About Your Ancestors Through Newspapers.  This meeting will be available to members on Zoom.  Handout available in the the Speaker's Handout section of Members Only.

  • July 8, 2023 - SAGS 34th Birthday Pot Luck Lunch at the Southeast Branch of the St. John's Public Library.

  • August.  No meeting. Summer break.​

  • September 9, 2023 - David McFee talked about archiving family photos, film, slides, tapes and documents.

  • October 14, 2023 - For Italian-American History Month Julie Goucher continued her Zoom talk from April on Researching Your Italian Ancestors.

  • November 11, 2023 - Miles Meyer on Researching Your German Ancestors.  The Library is closed for Veterans Day.  The meeting was at the St Johns FamilySearch Center at 5490 County Road 210 West, St Johns, FL 32259.

  • December 9, 2023 - Holiday Pot Luck Lunch at the Southeast Branch Library.​

2022 Events

  • March 12, 2022 – Social gathering at the Southeast Branch of the Library with light refreshments.

  • April 9, 2022 – Ann Staley – “The 1950 Census is here!”.

  • May 14, 2022 – Margaret Nicholson – “Create a Book of Family Stories & Photos – Introduction to 3 Formats & 3 Print Options” .

  • June 11, 2022  – “Adventures with FindAGrave.com”.

  • July 9, 2022 – Cancelled due to AC problems at the Library.

  • August 2022 – No meeting.  Summer break.

  • September 10, 2022 – Charles Tingley – “Final Resting Places”.  This program will discuss the various types of cemeteries that you may find while searching for ancestors.  St. Johns County cemeteries are used as examples of the types of final resting places found anywhere in the country.

  • October 8, 2022 – Paul Howes – One-Name Study.

  • To be rescheduled – Mark Olsen – “What’s New in Family Tree Maker – Q and A Discussion”.

  • November 12, 2022 – Carol Clay – “Genealogy or History? Collaborative Research in Action”
    This program covers the Southern Genealogists’ Exchange Society (SGES) history, inventory and what the Society does. Carol will also talk about two prominent citizens of Jacksonville and how SGES came to research these two men.
    Carol Clay has been a members of SGES since 2014 and President for the last 4 years. Before becoming President, she served on the Executive Board in various positions. She retired from the St. Johns School District with 19 years of service.

  • December 10, 2022 – Holiday Lunch at the Library.  The Society provides the meat, drinks and paper goods and everyone who wishes contributes a dish.

2021 Events

Meetings for 2021 were suspended starting in February due to COVID.  Meeting rooms at the Library remain closed for the remainder of the year.

  • January 23, 2021 – J Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA – “Making Those Early Census Records Talk”. A recorded webinar available through the Florida State Genealogical Society.  The handout was emailed to registered attendees on January 29, 2021.

  • April 24, 2021 – Jeanne Bloom – “Give Me Your Huddled Masses Yearning to Breathe Free: Immigration and Naturalization”.  A recorded webinar available through the Florida State Genealogical Society.  An email with a link to registration was sent to members on April 6.

  • May 22, 2021 – Gena Philibert-Ortega – “The Anatomy of BMD: What You Don’t Know About Vital Records”.  A recorded webinar available through the Florida State Genealogical Society.

2020 Events

  • January 18, 2020 – Jim Vearil – “Spanish Land Grants in Florida”.

  • February 8, 2020 – David McFee – How to Organize and Digitize Your Family Archive of Photos, Film, Slides, Tapes and Documents”. (Date changed to avoid conflict with primary voting.)

  • March 21, 2020 – CANCELLED.  Library closed as part of the COVID-19 closures. Peter Mullen – “History of the 1918-1920 Spanish Flu Pandemic”.

  • April 18, 2020 – CANCELLED. Library remains closed.  Denise Olson – “Digital Disaster Planning”.

  • May 16, 2020 – CANCELLED. Library remains closed.  Clyde & Kathy Stickney – “Finding More About Your Ancestors Thru Newspapers”.

  • June 20, 2020 – CANCELLED.  Library meeting rooms remain closed. Miles Meyer – “Family History Guide”

  • July 18, 2020 – CANCELLED. Library meeting rooms remain closed.  SAGS 31st Birthday

  • August 15, 2020 – No meeting.  Summer break.

  • September 26, 2020 – NEW DATE.  C. Ann Staley – “FamilySearch Website Demystified” (webinar).

  • October 10, 2020 – CANCELLED. Library remains closed. Peter Mullen – “History of the 1918-1920 Spanish Flu Pandemic”. (Date changed to avoid conflict with Library calendar.)

  • November 14, 2020 – CANCELLED. (Date change to avoid conflict with Thanksgiving.)

  • December 19, 2020 – CANCELLED. Christmas Party.

​​

2020 Special Events

2019 Events

  • January 19, 2019 – Miles Meyer – “Tour of Online European Archives”

  • February 16, 2019 – Marie Santry – “Who’s Your Daddy: When Original Records Lead You Astray”

  • NOTE: On Feb 16, 2019 at 10:30 Denise Olson will be giving a Library presentation entitled “Genealogy 101 – An Introduction to Family Research”

  • March 16, 2019 – Webinar Presentation or Ancestry Road Show (15-min member presentations)

  • April 27, 2019 – Denise Olson – “Family Search – Where Families Live Forever”

  • May 18, 2019 – Lori Smith Miranda – “Let me Weave You a Story – Genealogical Synchronicity & Family Patterns”

  • June 15, 2019 – Michael Ports – “First Creek War (1813-1814) and Second Creek War (1836-1837)”

  • July 20, 2019 – SAGS 30th Birthday Party. Presentation by Charles Tingley, Senior Research Librarian, the St. Augustine Historical Society Research Library

  • August 2019 – Summer break.  No meeting.

  • September 21, 2019 – Margaret Nicholson – “Mastering the Art of IDing DNA Relatives” plus Mark Olsen, Family Tree Maker Ambassador, will be on hand to discuss the upcoming FTM 2019.

  • October 19, 2019 – Family History Fair

  • November 16, 2019 – Denise Olson – “Research and Honor Your Military Ancestors with FOLD3”

  • December 14, 2019 (2nd Saturday) – Christmas Lunch.  Met at Beaches at Vilano at 11:30 am for lunch.

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