EMILY CROOM FEATURED SPEAKER AT ETGS SEMINAR The East Texas Genealogical Society will conduct an all-day seminar Saturday, October 9, in the Smith County Historical Society Auditorium, 125 S College Ave, Tyler (the Old Carnegie Library across from the Tyler Public Library). The event is open to the public with registration beginning at 8:30 am. The seminar will last from 9:00 until 3:30 pm. The cost is $25.00 per person if registered before October 1, or $30.00 per person if registering after October 1. Participants may either purchase a box lunch for an addition $10 before the 7th; bring a sack lunch or eat at nearby restaurants. Soft drinks and light snacks will be provided. "We're very excited about this year's seminar. Our guest speaker, Emily Croom, is the author several of well-known books including Unpuzzling Your Past and The Sleuth Book for Genealogists. She will be discussing topics of interest to all researchers whether they are just beginning their research or are seasoned genealogists," Scott Fitzgerald, society president said. The beginning session, OLD DOMINION RESEARCH: OUR VIRGINIA ANCESTORS, will cover special Virginia records. In addition to traditional records such as censuses and city directories, genealogists my find evidence of Virginia ancestors in colonial land patents and numerous tax, vital and county courthouse records. Valuable finding aids including the Library of Virginia Web site, the Family History Library Web site, and the Virginia Historical Index will be discussed. During the second morning session, PROOF AND THE PAPER TRAIL: DOCUMENTING YOUR RESEARCH, Ms. Croom will share tips for the effective use of documentation in research notes, on charts, and in narrative family histories. Proper documentation gives work credibility; helps in the evaluation of sources and evidence; and provides additional benefits to research. SCALING THE BRICK WALL will be the emphasis of the first afternoon session. Although every lineage comes to a halt before researchers are ready, the proverbial brick wall may exist only as a person's perception and not as a true dead end. Advice from literary sleuths such as Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, as well as proven principles of research may help genealogists scale many brick walls. The final session, THE OTHER HALF OF THE STORY, will be centered around researching female ancestors. With careful planning; the use of contemporary records; and the practice of "cluster genealogy" genealogists can identify many elusive females. "Ms Croom holds bachelor's degrees in history and music and a master's in history. In addition to teaching history in public schools for twelve years she also teaches genealogy classes for her local community college; several Elder Hostel groups, an online class; and various seminars and workshops. She is the author of numerous articles in magazines and society journals," Scott said. Visit the Web site at http://www.rootsweb.com/~txetgs/meetings.html to print a registration form. Call Scott at 903-592-6576; 597-7865 or send an e-mail to scottfitzgerald@tyler.net if you need more information.