On Tuesday, February 19, 2008 the Mount Vernon Genealogical Society (MVGS) will meet in room 112 of the Hollin Hall Senior Center in Alexandria, Virginia. The meeting will start at 1:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public. The meeting will feature a presentation entitled "Access to Archival Databases (AAD): Using The National Archives Electronic Records on the Web for Your Family Tree." The program will be presented by Lynn Goodsell and Daniel Law. Daniel Law is an archives specialist with the Electronic and Special Media Records Services Division. He provides reference services for the National Archives electronic records. Lynn Goodsell is an archivist with the Electronic and Special Media Records Services Division. She provides reference services for the National Archives electronic records. The National Archives and Records Administration's (NARA) Access to Archival Databases (AAD) resource provides online access to a selection of NARA's electronic records, specifically those databases that contain records that identify specific persons, events, or activities - the types of records genealogists use. This presentation will demonstrate how to use AAD, the types of records on AAD of particular interest to genealogists, and how these records can lead to other sources of genealogical information. The Hollin Hall Senior Center is located 4 miles south of Alexandria just off Fort Hunt Road at 1500 Shenandoah Road in Alexandria, Virginia. MVGS is a nonprofit organization and has over 260 members residing in Alexandria, Fort Belvoir, the counties of Fairfax, Prince William, Montgomery, and Prince Georges, as well as several states. Additional information about the meeting and MVGS can be found at http://www.MVGenealogy.org/. Any questions about the program should be directed to Harold McClendon at 703-360-0920 or haroldm@erols.com.

Hello, I am not sure how many of you live in california but wanted to let you know about this great seminar to scelebrate our 110th anniversary....jane ( CGS president) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kathryn Doyle E-mail: CGSpublicity@gmail.com CGS website CGS blog OAKLAND, CA - 1/7/2008 - The California Genealogical Society and Library celebrates 110 years of helping people find their roots at a day-long program with Maureen Taylor, nationally known "Photo Detective" at the Concord Hilton on Saturday, February 9, 2008, from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Maureen will present four seminars exploring ways to identify and preserve photographs to enhance our family history: Tales from The Photo Detective Identifying and Dating Family Photos Preserving Family Photographs Reading Immigrant Clues in photos $45.00 price includes all seminars, lunch and silent auction. Private consultations are available. Contact CGS in advance to arrange. Deadline February 1, 2008 Founded February 12,1898, in San Francisco, the California Genealogical Society, a non-profit, all-volunteer organization that seeks to aid, educate and encourage research in family history, has been located in Oakland since 1998. The society maintains a library, gathers and preserves vital records and disseminates information through publications, meetings, seminars, workshops, online catalogue, web site and our new blog. For further information about this event, visit the CGS website at http://www.calgensoc.org and download the event flyer and registration form. For information about Maureen Taylor, the Photo Detective, visit http://www.photodetective.com/ # California Genealogical Society & Library 2201 Broadway, Suite LL2 Oakland, CA 94612-3017 (510) 663-1358 (510) 663-1596 Fax http://www.calgensoc.org http://calgensoc.blogspot.com/

On Sunday, 24 February 2008, 1:00-3:00 p.m., the British Isles Family History Society—USA will present “Digital Photography for Genealogy.” The internet and computers are the future of genealogy and digital photography is the means for capturing images to document your genealogy. Less expensive and more convenient than what we had before, digital photography is just the ticket for taking pictures of old documents or old relatives. Reagan has served as a computer support specialist for the City of Gardena, and as an officer for Questing Heirs, BIFHS-USA and South Bay Cities Genealogical Society, where he is currently the leader of the computer Internet Group. He also volunteers at the Torrance Family History Center, where he teaches computer classes. He is a webmaster for the El Redondo Chapter of the DAR as well as his own website at: Michael's Cavalcade of Genealogical Technica. >From 3:30-4:30, Peggy Wishon will lead the English study group on the topic, “Expecting the Unexpected. The Art of an Open Mind and Sheer Tenacity in tracing English Ancestors.” Focusing on less used English resources and methods, the group will explore selected online resources, Family History Library gems and County Record Office search requests – sources such as A2a and (British) National Archives “Documents Online,” Multimap.com, Stirnet.com, Free BMD Search, Victorian County Histories, etc; Parish Chest items and tax lists from FHL; burials reconsidered; Land records for rich, poor, farmers and merchants; analyzing existing pedigrees, and ordering research in England. Wishon, a part-time professional genealogist for the past ten years, has been doing English and American research since 1986. She has taken classes, attended seminars, read much and experimented a whole lot, and says she is at home with the ordinary sources, but finds expanding into “untried” sources and methods, plus adding details to the lives of ancestors to be just plain fun. Join us at the Los Angeles Family History Center, 10741 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025 (enter from Eastbourne at Manning). Admittance is free and there is plenty of parking. For more information, see www.bifhsusa.org

CLASS LIMITED TO 15 PEOPLE When: February 21st to March 27th. (No class on March 20th) Time: 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Where: St. Charles County Genealogical Society Library 1022 First Capitol Dr. St. Charles, MO (Red Rose Salon) lower level, side entrance. Fee: $50.00, includes 5 two-hour sessions with individual help, a "Basic Genealogy book with forms,informational handouts and a CD of printable forms and research aids. Also the opportunity to research in the Society Library This course will answer the question, "How do I begin?" It covers the use of ancestor charts and family group sheets. It stresses the correct way of recording data and citing sources. It helps one organize family data and file papers so they can easily be found again. It covers interviewing relatives It discusses Vital records and Census records. With each session there will be forms to use to help get the most from your research. MAIL REGISTRATION TO: St. Charles County Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 715, St. Charles, MO 63302-715. Please include a phone number. For more information: 636-946-8359, 636-947-1762 or gennut62@yahoo.com

The Sangamon County, Illinois Genealogical Society and The Illinois Humanities Council Road Scholars' Speakers Program will present: Guy Fraker who will speak on "Abraham Lincoln and the Eighth Judicial Circuit" Monday, March 10, 2008. The meeting will be held at Springfield, Illinois' public library, The Lincoln Library, which is located at 326 South 7th Street, Springfield, Illinois. The library's phone number is 217-753-4900. The meeting begins at 7:00 pm, the program follows shortly thereafter. Everyone is welcome to attend the meeting. Come join us in learning more about Lincoln the Lawyer. Dan Dixon - President/Editor PO Box 1829 (Mailing Address) Springfield, IL 62705-1829 Email: Dbutton2@aol.com Phone: 217-529-0542 Sangamon County Genealogical Society Office Library 2856 South 11th Street (approx. 3 blocks north of Stevenson Drive and approx. 2 1/2 blocks south of Bunn Golf Course) Springfield, Illinois Phone: 217-529-0542 Email: Dbutton2@aol.com Open Tuesday Nights 6:00 to 8:30 or by appointment Web Address: _http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilsangam/_ (http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilsangam/) **************Biggest Grammy Award surprises of all time on AOL Music. (http://music.aol.com/grammys/pictures/never-won-a-grammy?NCID=aolcmp003000000025 48)

The Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society is offering an array of courses in the Winter/Spring 2008 season for genealogists at all levels of expertise. For course program and registration information, please visit http://www.torontofamilyhistory.org/courses.html.

12 April 2008 - Raleigh, North Carolina The North Carolina Genealogical Society & the Olivia Raney Local and Family History Library are sponsoring the Third Annual Speakers Forum. General, intermediate and advanced level presentations include “Writing Your Ancestor ’s Story: a Civil War Case Study (Catherine Elias); “Using the Neighbors to Find your Ancestors (Monica Hopkins); “Using ‘Web 2.0’ to Share and Collaborate on Genealogy (Jordan Jones); “Orphans and Scholars: Genealogical Records Relating to Children (Victor Jones); “Raleigh in the War Years 1861-1865” (Kevin Milus); “The Digital CSR: Saunders and Clark (and Weeks) in the Internet Age” (Jason Tomberlin); “Explore NC through maps from the comfort of your home!” (Diane Richard); “People Finders for North Carolina” (Jeffrey Haines); and “Money in 18th Century Colonial America” (Jim Jones). Information and Registration: http://www.ncgenealogy.org. No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.9/1238 - Release Date: 1/22/2008 8:12 PM

On Sunday 27 January 2008, 1:00-3:00PM, the British Isles Family History Society-USA will hold its first meeting of the year with an expert panel discussion, featuring genealogists Nancy Ellen Carlberg, Donald Hirst and Annie Lloyd. Join us at the Los Angeles Family History Center, 10741 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025 (enter from Eastbourne at Manning). Audience members’ questions for the panel will be taken at the meeting or can be sent ahead to vp-programs@bifhsusa.org. For the workshop, which follows from 3:30-4:15, Carlberg and Lloyd will personally assist researchers with their brick wall problems. Bring your family group sheets and/or pedigree charts and specific questions in order for them to help you determine what you should be doing next. For more information, see http://www.rootsweb.com/~bifhsusa/.

All The next meeting of the Oxfordshire Family History Society will take place on Monday 28 January 2008 at the usual venue at Exeter Hall, Oxford Road, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1AB. Doors open at 7.15 pm for coffee, help with both genealogy and computers, and the bookstall, exchange journals and the library. The subject of the talk is "My Ancestor was on the Census – well they should have been!". This will be presented by John Hanson. I'm told by John that the focus of his presentation will be the locating of ancestors who appear to be missing from the census. They might have been away from home on census evening. They might have been in an institution, prison or the workhouse. They might have been serving in the Armed Forces. Or they might be at home but incorrectly named or indexed. John will demonstrate a wide variety of techniques to locate ancestors who can't immediately be traced. Our speaker John Hanson lives in Milton Keynes, and is a well-known face in the world of family history. He is part of the Society of Genealogists' "Census Detectives", and is also active in the Guild of One-Name Studies. He has also lectured at many family history conferences, and presents classes on behalf of the SoG. You can see his photograph here :- _http://www.censusdetectives.org.uk/_ (http://www.censusdetectives.org.uk/) All members, potential members and their guests are welcome. For directions as to how to get to the Exeter Hall, please see :- _http://www.ofhs.org.uk/ExeterHall.html_ (http://www.ofhs.org.uk/ExeterHall.html) For a list of future OFHS meetings, please see :- _http://www.ofhs.org.uk/meetings.html_ (http://www.ofhs.org.uk/meetings.html) Any queries, please contact me off-list. Paul Gaskell Publicity Officer Oxfordshire Family History Society Web : _www.ofhs.org.uk_ (http://www.ofhs.org.uk/)

Date: 28 May - 1 June 2008 Sponsored by the St. Charles County Genealogical Society and St. Charles Community College History Department The annual Family History Research Trip to the Allen County Library (Fort Wayne, Indiana) features expert guidance from nationally-known genealogist Michael John Neill, M.S. Michael is a columnist for Ancestry.com, has led research trips to Ft. Wayne and Salt Lake City, and lectures nationally on a wide variety of genealogy topics. Michael will help you get the most out of your trip through individualized attention in the following areas: pre-trip planning work developing research strategies using resources while you are at the library answering follow-up questions after the trip Learn with short lectures each morning in at the hotel before the library opens. Stay very close to the library in the comfortable Fort Wayne Hilton Hotel. Receive an orientation to the library. Find out how you can ride the bus or drive yourself. For more information, go to the trip website: http://www.rootdig.com/acpltrip.html

We are pleased to announce that the website for the 2008 Southern California Genealogy Jamboree has been launched, and we are now taking registrations for this year's event. The 39th Jamboree will be held Thursday through Sunday, June 27-29, 2008 at the Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, 2500 Hollywood Way, Burbank, California. You can register online, by mail, or by phone by calling the Southern California Genealogical Society. This year’s 2008 Genealogy Jamboree offers a record number of presentations by nationally and internationally recognized genealogists and family history lecturers. The speakers' list includes Elaine Alexander; Michael T. Booth; Carl Boyer, III; Jana Sloan Broglin, CG; Starr Hailey Campbell; Schelly Talalay Dardashti; William “Bill” Dollarhide; Arlene Eakle, Ph.D.; Wendy Bebout Elliott, Ph.D., FUGA; Dick Eastman; Colleen Fitzpatrick, Ph.D.; Bennett Greenspan; John T. Humphrey; Peter W. Landé; David Lifferth; Leland Meitzler; Cheri Mello; George G. Morgan; Stephen P. Morse, Ph.D.; Larry Proctor; Geoffrey D. Rasmussen; JoAnne Rockower; Beau Sharbrough; Drew Smith, MLS; Eric A. Smith; Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak; Mindi Stevens; Cath Trindle, CG; Tom Underhill; Stephanie Weiner; Pamela Weisberger; and Pam Wiedenbeck. As in years past, we have an exhibit hall filled with the most popular products and services to help you solve your genealogical mysteries. We have special events to provide lots of networking opportunities, door prizes, and many other extras to entice you. Break out your lederhosen, dirndls, and beer steins!! To commemorate the 400th Anniversary of the arrival of the first German immigrant to Jamestowne Colony, we are focusing our ethnic track on German, Eastern European and Jewish research. John T. Humphrey will conduct several sessions on German research, including "Thousands of Ahnentafels" that were prepared in pre-WWII Germany. We will also welcome Peter W. Landé, who will speak about the Bad Arolsen Holocaust Archive as a source for all genealogists. The archive in Bad Arolsen, Germany, recently opened to the public after long being off-limits to researchers. It contains 16 miles of shelves holding 50 million pages of documents. Most of the attention on Bad Arolsen has focused on Jewish records, but in fact, probably over two thirds of the 50 million records relate to non-Jews who were swept into the Holocaust and events in WWII for many reasons. We are very excited about the first-ever Blogger Summit, featuring many of the top genealogical industry bloggers today. Dick Eastman, Stephen Danko, Schelly Talalay Dardashti, Leland Meitzler, George G. Morgan, Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, and maybe others, will put their collective heads together to discuss the pros and cons of nearly instantaneous information flow through genealogy blogs. There is so much to tell you about, we could go on for days! In fact, that's just what we're going to do. We've started a Jamboree Blog to keep you updated on the most recent happenings. It is a great way to stay in touch. Make the most out of your Jamboree experience and subscribe to the Blog (it's free) at http://genealogyjamboree.blogspot.com/. The Jamboree website at www.scgsgenealogy.com holds lots of information about the schedule, the lecture topics, the speakers, exhibitors, registration, hotel -- you name it, it's there! Check out the website, check out the blog, and register for Jamboree today!! Leo Myers and Paula Hinkel Co-Chairs, 2008 Southern California Genealogy Jamboree jamboree@scgsgenealogy.com

12 April 2008 Held at St. Charles Community College, St. Peters, MO Co-sponsored by the St. Charles County Genealogical Society and St. Charles Community College Presenter: Michael John Neill, columnist for Ancestry.com. Michael has led research trips to Ft. Wayne and Salt Lake City and lectures nationally on a wide variety of genealogy topics During the workshop, you will discover original records on FOOTNOTE.COM and how to access them. Each person will have a computer and free access during the workshop. Registration Fees: SCCGS Member, SCC students, faculty, staff: $30. General Public: $40. For more information: http://www.rootdig.com/stchas2008.htm Questions? Email Michael John Neill at mjnrootdig@gmail.com or Jo Schnare wschnare@mail.win.org

Carl Sandburg College's Branch in Carthage, Illinois, will be offering two separate all-day, hands-on genealogy computer workshops in the spring of 2008. They are: Family Tree Maker 2008 on 29 March 2008 Free Genealogy Online on 26 April 2008 Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis and is limited ($35 each). Presentations will be made by Michael John Neill. More information on the workshops can be found on our website at: http://www.rootdig.com/carthage.html Thanks. Michael -- ------------------------------------ Michael John Neill May 2008 Group Trip to Salt Lake City http://www.rootdig.com/slctrip.html

In recognition of Black History Month, Le Comité des Archives de la Louisiane, Inc., and its African American Genealogy Special Interest Group (SIG) will hold an all-day African American Genealogy Seminar on Saturday, February 23rd, at the Louisiana State Archives, 3851 Essen Lane, in Baton Rouge. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the program begins at 9:30. The program will progress from a beginner's level lecture to more advanced topics later in the day. Gregory Osborn, Library Associate and Archivist at the New Orleans Public Library, will kick off the seminar with Beginning Genealogy for African Americans. He will cover conducting oral interviews, basic forms, family tree charts, family group sheets, research logs, collecting data, vital statistics, censuses, obituaries, and other topics specific to African American genealogy from 1870 to the present. Renee Richard, former Archivist and current volunteer at the Diocese of Baton Rouge Archives, will then present How to Research Your African American Ancestors at the Diocese of Baton Rouge Catholic Archives. She will discuss the records available at the Diocese and the current work being done on slave records. She will also present a case study that shows the challenges of slave research due to surname changes. After lunch, Julia French Wood, an expert on DNA testing, will present Tracing Your Ancestors With Genetic Testing. Ms. Wood, who is active in the DNA discussion list on Rootsweb.com, will cover the many DNA tests available, what can be learned from them, and the companies that offer the testing, with particular emphasis on African American research. Serena Haymon, a former administrator at the Family History Center in Denham Springs and professional genealogist specializing in Southern research, will discuss Connecting Your Ancestors Through the Mississippi and Louisiana School Censuses. These special, but sometimes hard-to-find, school censuses can be particularly helpful to African American researchers by filling in gaps left by the federal censuses. Finally, Judy Riffel, a professional genealogist and author of numerous books and articles, will present Identifying the Last Slaveowner, a methods-based lecture using real-life examples of how African American researchers can break the Civil War barrier and take their research back into slavery times. The cost of the seminar is $10 for current members of Le Comité registering before February 9th. For members registering after February 9th and non-members registering at any time or at the door, the cost is $20. Those wishing to join and take advantage of the lower price should include an additional $15 for membership. Lunch is not included in the seminar price and is "on your own." Many restaurants are located in the Essen Lane area. To register, mail the appropriate registration fee to Le Comité at P.O. Box 1547, Baton Rouge, LA 70821. For more information on the program as well as Le Comité's African American SIG, contact Program Chairman Cherryl Forbes Montgomery at cherrylm@aol.com, Judy Riffel at riffelj@bellsouth.net, or Ann Riffel at 225-355-9906.

Hi listers and colleagues The New Year is really with us on Sunday 27 January 2008 when the annual Bracknell Family History Fair takes place. Traditionally, this event sees the commencement of the year's family history calendar, and is the largest Sunday family history fair held in the UK, with some two-hundred or so stalls in attendance. I'm delighted to report that the Oxfordshire FHS will have it's usual stall at this Fair, when Wendy Archer and Alex McGahey will be selling our CDs, microfiche and some items from our bookstall. In addition, they will have our "Search Services" available on computer, featuring an array of Oxfordshire and North Berkshire indexes to censuses, baptism registers, marriage registers, burial registers and monumental inscriptions. Those researchers wishing to plan their visit to our stall in advance can view our resources on the following webpages :- CD sales ; _http://www.ofhs.org.uk/CDsales.html_ (http://www.ofhs.org.uk/CDsales.html) microfiche sales ; _http://www.ofhs.org.uk/mfiche.html_ (http:// www.ofhs.org.uk/mfiche.html) bookstall ; _http://www.ofhs.org.uk/books.html_ (http://www.ofhs.org.uk/books.html) Search Services ; _http://searches.oxfordshirefhs.org.uk/_ (http://searches.oxfordshirefhs.org.uk/) The Bracknell Family History Fair takes place on Sunday 27 January 2008 at Bracknell Sports and Leisure Centre, Bagshot Road (A322), Bracknell, Berkshire RG12 9SE. The doors open at 10.00am. Further details about the Fair itself from : _http://members.aol.com/aquarterma/familyhistoryfairs.html_ (http://members.aol.com/aquarterma/familyhistoryfairs.html) Best wishes. Paul Gaskell Publicity Officer Oxfordshire Family History Society Web : _www.ofhs.org.uk_ (http://www.ofhs.org.uk/) E-mail : _publicity@ofhs.org.uk_ (mailto:publicity@ofhs.org.uk)

Polish Cuisine/Culture at Genealogy Meeting Joseph W. Zurawski, author, educator and historian will introduce us to hard-working, freedom-loving Polonia in his book,²Polish Chicago, Our History, Our Recipes² at the February 10 meeting of the Polish Genealogical Society of America (PGSA). A lifelong Chicagoan, Mr. Zurawski will discuss the Polish contribution to Chicago¹s meatpacking and steel industries as well as the proud cultural heritage of the Poles who contributed greatly to our society in education, healthcare, social welfare and who preserve and promote their rich culture with music, dance, theatre and the Polish language. He talks of their freedom-loving spirit in volunteering in disproportionate numbers in the U.S. Armed Forces and working tirelessly for over 150 years for the independence of Poland. Mr. Zurawski shares some of the best-loved Polish recipes in his book, which will be available for purchase and signing at the meeting. The meeting will be held Sunday, February 10 at 2 pm in the Social Hall of the Polish Museum of America, 984 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago. All meetings are free ande open to the public.

CLASS LIMITED TO 15 PEOPLE When: February 21st to March 27th. (No class on March 20th) Time: 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Where: St. Charles County Genealogical Society Library Fee: $50.00, includes 5 two-hour sessions with individual help, a "Basic Genealogy"textbook with forms,informational handouts and a CD of printable forms and research aids. the opportunity to research in the Society Library This course will answer the question, "How do I begin?" It covers the use of ancestor charts and family group sheets. It stresses the correct way of recording data and citing sources. It helps one organize family data and file papers so they can easily be found again. It covers interviewing relatives It discusses Vital records and census records. With each session there will be forms to use to help get the most from your research. MAIL REGISTRATION TO: St. Charles County Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 715, St. Charles, MO 63302-715. Please include a phone number. For questions: 636-946-8359 or 636-947-1762 or gennut62@yahoo.com

Reservations are now being received for the "Military Research Seminar" featuring Craig R. Scott, CG to be held all day Saturday, April 5, 2008, in the Oklahoma History Center, 2401 N. Laird Ave., Oklahoma City, OK. Sponsored by the Oklahoma Genealogical Society, the all day seminar will be devoted to researching your ancestors who served the US in the military. Topics will include: Basic Military Research; Researching Your Revolutionary Ancestor; Pension Research,You Stopped Too Soon; and Treasury Records: Follow the Money. Reserve your space now. Full details and the reservation form are located on the OGS website at: www.okgensoc.org<http://www.okgensoc.org/>

SPONSORED by The Irish Ancestral Research Association TIARA Irish genealogy is one of the most difficult research topics in family history. To make it a little easier, The Irish Ancestral Research Association (tiara.ie) is organizing an Irish genealogy cruise in January 2009. You do not have to be a member to join the cruise. Anyone can attend. We want to give everyone a genuine opportunity to learn how to research Irish families. As every reader of Dick Eastman’s newsletter knows, genealogy conferences held on cruise ships have become very popular. The price is comparable to attending a national conference and you get a fabulous vacation at the same time. This is also a wonderful opportunity to travel with friends and family who are not interested in your passion. There really is something for everyone on modern ships. This trip will focus on Irish research. All speakers have presented at national genealogical conferences and are recognized as knowledgeable in their fields. There will be two tracks. Track 1 will have lectures on basic resources and techniques for Irish research. Track 2 will focus on more advanced topics and is intended for those with experience in using Irish records. The first thirty registrants will be given a one-hour private consultation with one of the professional genealogists on the program. SPEAKERS: Valerie Adams, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Belfast Mary Ellen Grogan, TIARA, Boston George B. Handran, expert on Griffith's Valuation, Boston Michael J. Leclerc, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston Gregory O’Connor, National Archives of Ireland, Dublin Eileen and Sean O’Duill, Dublin DATES: Saturday, January 10 through Sunday, January 18, 2009 SHIP: Royal Caribbean, Independence of the Seas This is Royal Caribbean’s newest ship. It is only now being built and will come into service in May 2008. Independence is a sister ship to Freedom of the Seas. If you watch the Travel Channel, there is an hour-long program on Freedom of the Seas hosted by Samantha Brown. Independence will be a large ship, but it will have something for everyone from the Conference Center to the FlowRider surf simulator. ITINERARY: 8 nights in the Eastern Caribbean. Cruise begins and ends in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with day visits to: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; and Royal Caribbean’s private beach at Labadee, Haiti. The lectures are scheduled for the three “At Sea” days. They will not conflict with opportunities to visit the ports. Please join us. For detailed information on the cruise, go to the TIARA website (tiara.ie) and click on “Trips” Any questions? Contact Mary Ellen Grogan at megrogan@ix.netcom.com.

Mark you calendars now for the Owsley Family Historical Society 2008 Annual meeting in Independence Missouri June 5-7, 2008. This will be our thirtieth anniversary meeting! Independence is home to the Mid-Continent Library, home of the third larges genealogical collection in the US as well as the Harry S Truman Presidential Library and Museum. Plans are being made for an orientation to the library as well as time for research. We'll have a talk about Owsleys as authors and an introduction to designing your own genealogical website. Registration information will be available at www.owsleyfamily.org or by emailing Sheila Patterson at lmnop9@juno.com or Connie Howard at rh823@centurytel.net We will be meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn in Independence. Rooms are available for a special rate of $92 per night. You can call 1-816-350-3535 to make reservations. Be sure to mention you are attending the Owsley Family Historical Society annual meeting to get the special rate. Marion Baumgarten marionbaumgarten@alumni.stjohnscollege.edu