Starting next Saturday, January 20 at 9 AM at the Mormon Trail Center in Omaha (3215 State St in Omaha) the Greater Omaha Genealogy Society and Omaha Public Library will hold their 10th annual genealogy series. The classes are all held on 3rd Saturday mornings, at 9 AM to about noon. There will be a variety of topics over the next six months, and all will have helps that can give you clues to search out your family. Classes are free, but we ask that people pre-register so that we can be sure we have enough hand outs without having too many extras. To pre-register email _Genclass@aol.com_ (mailto:Genclass@aol.com) or call 706-1453. Jan 20: Tell Me About My Family: getting started, family group sheets, pedigree charts, ideas for successfully climbing your family whether you are a beginner or are experienced. It includes talking to extended family to discover the clues that were passed down in other lines of the family. Feb 17: Vital Records for the Vital Events of our Lives: we will discuss the availability of vital records and what to expect from them, and how to access them. Part II: Substitutes for Vital Records: Since most US states don't start vital records until the 20th century, you are going to need other resources to get as many birth, marriage, and death dates and places that help set your ancestors aside as specific people in a world where often there are others with the same name. March 17: Making Sense of the Census: An overview of the every 10 year visit of the census taker to everyone's home and why you can't afford to not look at all of the censuses your ancestor may have appeared in. (or in the censuses taken in other countries where applicable) April 14: Part 1: Stories in Stone: Many think that the only important thing on a grave marker is the name and the dates. This class will show examples of other things carved on a stone that may give you other clues to more information about your family. Part 2: The Name Game: Why can't you find your people under the name that you're expecting? We'll discuss naming patterns, name changes, patronymics, nick names and other things to watch for when looking for your ancestors. May 19: Part 1: Searching the World's Records Without Leaving Omaha will discuss the materials collected and made available to genealogists all over the world by the LDS Family History Library. (Many more nations and religions are included in their collection of records than just the LDS Church, and we'll give you a very brief overview of the Scanstone project and Austro-Hungarian mapping project that promise to revolutionize research.) Part 2: Telling the Tale and Documenting the Sources: You're going to hear stories about your family. Somebody has to write them down or they're going to be lost. And as always, don't forget to document those sources. (Genealogy without documentation is mythology.) June 16: Part 1: Jumping the Water: "Germany" was a big place if you're looking for the place your ancestors were from, as were most of the other places in Europe when you're also dealing with such things as foreign languages. We will discuss clues that may make it possible to narrow down the place of origin for your immigrant ancestors. Part 2: Black, White and Read All Over: Newspapers can be frustrating in their spelling errors, the yellow journalism of early days, but sometimes it's the only place you can find important family information. Come explore some examples of what can be found in newspapers and possible places to get them. Because this is the 10th annual series of classes, G.O.G.S. is offering a special offer to attendees of the classes. Those in attendance will be given a coupon that allows them to sign up as a Society member for the remaining 1/2 of the 2006-2007 membership year for half price. This will get them 1/2 the year's newsletters, attendance at the spring conference at the member discount, the Ezines for half the year (if they have an email address), and an option to purchase match-purchase census microfilm of their choice. We hope to see many of you at the classes. For those experienced, it's a good review, for those who are beginners, it's a chance to get some solid grounding in research techniques. You can email questions to me or to _Genclass@aol.com_ (mailto:Genclass@aol.com) We're grateful to the folks at the Trail Center for allowing us to use their multi purpose room because we have been able to include many times more people than would fit into the largest classroom in the library system.