Do you know where YOUR family was when Lewis and Clark headed up the Missouri River in 1804? The 7th Annual Beginning Genealogy Workshop Series presented by the Greater Omaha Genealogical Society and the Omaha Public Library History and Social Science Department begins Saturday January 17 and over the next six months, you can learn how to find out where your family was and what they were doing. Because the classes outgrew the largest available classroom in the library system (maximum 50 people), we were very glad to take the folks at the Mormon Trail Center, 3215 State Steet, in Omaha up on their offer to use their conference center for the classes where several hundred people can be accomodated when necessary. (It's the same place the annual Gingerbread Parade was held.) Each third Saturday morning a different class is held from nine to approximately noon. The classes are FREE, but pre-registration IS REQUIRED so we know how many handouts to prepare. You may register via email: Genclass@aol.com, or by calling Sandy at 344-2887 or Merrily at 706-12453. The classes are as follows: Jan 17: Genealogy Basics: an introduction to the nuts & bolts of genealogy research. Where do you start researching your family? Feb 21: Learn How to Find Vital Records and Substitutes for vital records that will give the dates & places for births, marriages and deaths for the people in your family. Mar 20: It makes sense to use the census. Learn how to use the federal censuses to identify family members and origins from 1930 through 1790. The collection of census reels at the W. Dale Clark Library is one of Omaha's best kept secrets: did you know that there is half of the over 15,000 released census reels there to use, and about 2/3 of the states are complete through at least 1900. April 17: Using timelines to place your ancestors in historical context and to determine what historical events might have generated records that include your ancestors. Part 2: The Name Game: A discussion of names, variations, naming patterns, and strategies for finding the missing ancestors when you can't find them under the name that you think they should be using. May 15: National and International Research in Primary Record Sources without leaving Omaha. Use the resources available through the nearest LDS Family History Center. www.familysearch.org is just the tip of the iceburg. June 19: Naturalization records: What kinds of information might be found in naturalization records, and how can you locate your ancestor in them. Not usually taught in the beginner series, because these records are sometimes difficult to track down. Part 2: Other Record Repositories: We'll discuss the National Archives, Historical Societies, Courthouses and lots of other places to search for your ancestors. Attend one class or all of them, but again, you must pre-register. Hope to see you there.