Below are six learning opportunities in the Pittsburgh, PA Metro area and Akron, OH. SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 2001, 10 a.m., WPGS meeting Western PA Genealogical Society monthly meetings are free and open to the public and held in the Lecture Hall of the Carnegie Library/Museum, 4400 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213. "Messages From the Grave: Listening to Your Ancestor's Tombstone" will be presented by Elissa Scalise Powell, CGRS. In order to find an ancestors tombstone, the burial ground must first be found. Tips are given on how to find the different cemeteries depending on the time period, type (church or commercial), and economic condition of the deceased. Tombstones are the last monuments to our lives on this earth. In their shape and inscribed symbols, they can speak of the lifestyle of the deceased or the attitude of death of the loved ones left behind. They are being destroyed by many factors, which make them illegible or eradicate them altogether. Abandoned and lost cemeteries can be found through records and natural signs. Discussion includes ways to read illegible stones, which may be the last time a person may hear the tombstone speak. This colorful slide lecture illustrates these techniques and shows what problems are encountered in reading a variety of markers and what might be done to overcome them. Internet sources and resources are also discussed throughout the lecture. For any questions, you may call the society's answering machine at (412) 687-6811. _________________________________________________ TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 2001, 7 p.m. NORTH HILLS GENEALOGISTS For Lands Sake! What You Always Wanted to Know About Pennsylvanias Land Records will be presented by guest speaker Jean S. Morris at the 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 20, 2001, meeting of the North Hills Genealogists in the Northland Public Library, 300 Cumberland Road, McCandless Township, Pittsburgh, PA Ms. Morris will discuss land purchases from the Indians which opened settlement areas beginning with the formation of the Colony in 1681; the land application/warrant/ survey/patent system and how it works; the East and West Side Surveys; land certificates given to Pennsylvania's Revolutionary soldiers; a short overview of our Border Controversies with MD, CT & VA; land records/deeds at the county level after that first purchase; what records are held in the Recorder of Deeds offices at the court house; and many maps which illustrate those topics. Jean S. Morris, a professional genealogist since 1969; is editor of the WPGS Quarterly Magazine and a researcher for clients all over the country. The meeting is free and open to the public. _________________________________________________ SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 2001 SLIPPERY ROCK HERITAGE ASSOCIATION - 13th Annual Genealogical Workshop at Slippery Rock University Union Building, Slippery Rock, PA 16057 **** PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF SPEAKER AND TOPICS FOR THIS EVENT ******* 8:30AM - REGISTRATION (juice, cookies) 9:00 am Welcome - Helen Staiger, Workshop Chair Noon Buffet Lunch (pre-registration only), door prizes, vendor or library break 4:00 pm Close of workshop Speaker: Carrie W. Eldridge - local, regional, and national speaker as a result of her lively interest in history, geography , genealogy and people. Carrie is a product of Appalachia and for the last twenty-five years has authored forty books and maps dealing with local and regional history and geography. Carrie has taught school in both West Virginia and Ohio. She is a consultant for local history projects, former editor of West Virginia's MINING YOUR HISTORY FOUNDATION's newsletter Mountain News, and has received nationwide recognition for her various contributions of publishing county record abstracts, maps, gazetteers, migration atlases, census records, and Cabell County Cemeteries volumes. Program: WESTWARD INTO WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA - Rugged terrain and a powerful Indian confederation delayed major settlement into western Pennsylvania until about 1800. European settlers were more apt to take the easy route down to Virginia or to seek new lands alongside the Ohio River. Locate the major travel routes and discover who created these trails. MAPS GALORE - Maps are one of the most effective and necessary tools in a historian's bag of tricks. The same should be true of all genealogists. Locate, choose and use the different types of maps available to discover unknown relatives and clues to if they would soon seek other lands. We'll take the mystery out of map reading by showing how anyone can make and use maps. FRONTIER AGRICULTURE: Papa Turned A Left Hand Furrow - To be listed as a "farmer" on any 19th Century census was considered the most successful a man could become. To understand what a farmer was and what he meant to the community is to understand who your ancestors were and what they did on a day to day basis. Learn about his tools, his animals, his land, his abilities and his ambitions. What was a "Left Hand Furrow?" Why did the children like the pig's tail? Do you really know your ancestors? LOCATING EXTINCT TOWNS: Where to Look - Why you should - Many researchers know everything about their ancestor except where he lived because the location is not on current maps. What is an extinct town? When and why did it become extinct? Where could it be located? We'll discuss this and methods for locating and identifying lost communities using maps, court records and local histories. SOURCES THAT HIDE: Finding And Using Odd Records - Are you stuck? Then it's time to research little known and less often used sources. A multitude of information has been recorded, but it's not all in the Court House. Produce results by trying other avenues of research: Special Collections, Personal Records, Diaries, and little used Public Records such as Pay Rosters and Stray Records. ALSO AVAILABLE: Photographer to copy your old photos from 9am-noon (deposit required) LDS computer database search; SRU Library research; vendors Registration: $28.00 (includes buffet lunch - must be postmarked by March 22) POSTMARK AFTER MARCH 22, OR AT DOOR: $28.00 (lunch on your own - local restaurant map available) ________________________________ MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2001, 7:30 p.m. JEWISH GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY at the Jewish Community Center, 5738 Darlington Road, Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, PA. Free and open to the public. "Walking Aroung the Neighborhood with the Census Taker: Why did he always miss my ancestor?" will be presented by Elissa Scalise Powell, CGRS. The Federal Census is a wonderful and basic tool for genealogists, after vital records, but finding the ancestor can be a challenge. This lecture shows what type of information is on each census and gives the tools for gaining access to the information. Techniques, aside from indices, will also be shown to help the researcher through some of the pitfalls of the records. Internet sources and resources will be discussed. The 1930 census (due for public release on 1 April 2002) will also be discussed. ________________________________ TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2001, 7 p.m. NORTH HILLS GENEALOGISTS "Irish and Scotch (sic) - Irish Ancestors" will be presented by guest speaker Mr. Jim Sterrett at the 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 17, 2001, meeting of the North Hills Genealogists in the Northland Public Library, 300 Cumberland Road, McCandless Township, Pittsburgh, PA The meeting is free and open to the public. More details will follow later. _____________________________ FRIDAY, APRIL 27 and SATURDAY, APRIL 28 OHIO GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY Annual Conference in Akron, OH at the Hilton Hotel Akron/Fairlawn 43 sessions to choose from over the 2 days with topics on Computers and Software, How to Begin, Federal resources, Health History, Military Records, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Church Records, British Isles Research, German Research, Criminal Records, Probate, Irish Records, African-American Research, West Virginia Research, Maps, just to name a few. Many vendors representing genealogical book and CD companies, as well as Ohio Counties will be there. Please see www.ogs.org for more information on how to register. Reduced advanced registration before April 2, 2001. ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.