LAWGS

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    LAWGS' ANNUAL FUNDING RAISING YARD SALE:

Bring your cast-offs on the afternoon of Friday, April 23.  Please have them price marked ahead of time or be prepared to do it when you bring them.  NO furniture or heavy items.  Do NOT bring items on the day of the sale without prior arrangement with Dorothy.  Anyone wishing to volunteer to help set up or work on the day of the sale (including shutdown) should contact Dorothy.  

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See a separate page on this site concerning LAWGS' new service:  entertainment industry obituaries which were provided by a dedicated LAWGS member and compiled over many years is on   Please go to the contents menu on the left and click on that topic.

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MONTHLY SPEAKER PROGRAM in REVIEW by Tom Lane  

LAWGS' FEBRUARY's speaker, Ted Gostin, presented a very informative program on"What Do We Do When There Are No Vital Records".  Public records are a relatively recent phenomenon.  Primary Sources, such as marriage and death certificates, are preferred.  Sources may reflect direct evidence  or indirect evidence.  He warns researchers not to trust the date ranges given in the title, index, or description of a complied work.  They are often inaccurate.  Church records, Cemetery and mortuary records, probate records, newspaper announcements (particularly obituaries and birth announcements) as well as a list of other records are useful sources.

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An article from the Carolina Herald and News Letter, Winter 2009) titled: "Tips for Finding Females That Matter to You" was contributed and edited by Anne Goodenough.  Identifying females is one of the hardest challenges that face genealogists.  Before the 20th Century, women did not have the same rights as men and generated fewer records.  To identify a woman, try looking for the husband's records.  There was a list of at least ten record sources given that need to be searched in finding female identities.

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  LAWGS'    SHARED GENEALOGICAL TIDBITS:

Tom Lane shared the announcement of a TV show called "Who Do You Think You Are?" on NBC on Fridays.  The premier show featured the family history of Sarah Jessica Parker.  (Note:  Tom discovered that he shares an ancestor, Robert Elwell, with her!)

Future shows will feature:  

March 22 - Emmitt Smith

March 19 - Lisa Kudrow

March 26 - Matthew Broderick

April 2 - Brooke Shields

April 9 - Susan Sarandon

April 23 - Spike Lee

Check your program guide and set your DVR to record them so you won't miss one episode.  They make genealogy look so easy but we know better.

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     RootsTelevion will NOT be closing after all!  They announced they would close on March 10 but are saved.  Here is the link to their site for the "saved"  announcement:  http://rootstelevision.typepad.com/ogblog/

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On March 2, 2010, Joan LoPear gave a short talk on "Finding a Revolutionary Ancestor Via United Empire Loyalists" at the regular meeting of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, Rancho San Jose De Buenos Aires Chapter.  She even recruited a new member for LAWGS, Karen Visdarday.

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    LAWGS MAILBAG:

The Santa Monica Historical Society mailed a publication titled:  "Preserving Our Legacy" in honor of the 100th Anniversary of the Santa Monica Pier.  Their museum is located on the East side of the Santa Monica Public Library.  The dedication of the Douglas DC-3 Monument Park will taken place in March.  Contact Joan LoPear if you wish to see the entire publication.

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Registration packets for the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference, "Rediscovering America's First Frontier", to be held August 18-21, 2010 in Knoxville, Tennessee will be available at the LAWGS membership table for as long as they last.

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  Pre-meeting educational table(s): 

Elaine Berry thanks all those who participated in February's pre-meeting table.

For March, Elaine plans a table on Census Records. As she will be away in March, she left free material that you may find useful in your research.

For April, Elaine plans a table on TAX Records!  

If you have ideas for future tables, please contact Elaine Berry.  She is always open to suggestions.

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  Educational opportunities:  Monthly FREE classes at the LA Regional Family History Center, please see link:  www.larfhc.org/class.htm  and www.familysearch.org

 With the closure of the LA Regional Family History Center for remodeling, please check to see where the classes are now offered.

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  ANNOUNCEMENT:  The Family History Center (LARHFC) on the West Los Angeles Temple grounds is closed for remodeling starting from April 2009 for an indefinite period of time.  Please note that the Torrance Center and Los Angeles Public Library are two possible "temporary" research centers.

    NARA IN LAGUNA NIGUEL IS MOVING TO RIVERSIDE  IN A NEW FACILITY TO REJOIN THE FEDERAL RECORDS CENTER (FRC). THE CURRENT HOLIFIELD BUILDING CANNOT BE RENOVATED.   THE MOVE IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED BY SPRING 2010.