Poolside Chats: A Genealogy Webinar Series - Florida State Genealogical Society

The "Poolside Chats: A Genealogy Webinar Series" is organized by the Technology-Outreach Committee and presented to the FSGS membership and the public on a monthly basis. We have had webinars on topics such as DNA in genealogy, cloud-based technology, Florida territorial records, and everything in between - and we are just getting started.

Genealogy education today can be accomplished in a number of mediums, webinars being one of them. This educational opportunity can provide you with information about resources, new technology and its relationship with genealogy, methodology, new websites and new databases coming online, and much more.

All you need to participate is a computer with speakers and a connection to the internet. So, we invite you to sit back and enjoy the presentations being brought to you by knowledgeable presenters and made possible through your membership dues.

All webinars start at 8 PM ET unless otherwise noted.

Murder in the Mountains: Grandpa’s Birth Father in Court Records: DNA Case – September 18, 2025

By Kate Penney Howard

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Obituaries and Other Death Information in Newspapers – October 16, 2025

By Annette B. Lyttle

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Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools for Land Records Analysis – November 20, 2025

By David M McCorkle

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Did My Family Get Skipped? Mining Census Records for Missing Ancestors – December 18, 2025

By Nicole Gilkison LaRue, CG

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Past Webinars

Family History – From a Pile of Pieces to a Puzzle Picture

By Donna M. Moughty | February 18, 2016

You’ve started your family history, but the pieces don’t seem to fit and the jigsaw puzzle isn’t revealing a picture as you’d hoped? Sometimes it’s just a matter of turning a piece in another direction or fitting it into a different place in the picture. This lecture will show you how take that pile of pieces that don’t seem to fit and turn them into a finished product. At the conclusion of this lecture, participants will understand how to evaluate information, analyze documents, create a source citation and develop a research plan. This lecture works for both the beginner as well as experienced genealogists.

Donna Moughty, a Professional Genealogist and former Regional Manager for Apple Computer, has been conducting family research for over 20 years. She teaches and lectures on a variety of subjects including Internet, Irish research and computer topics locally and at national conferences and institutes.

Your Ancestor Was… Occupations of Our Ancestors

By Nancy Waters Lauer | January 21, 2016

So you have found the occupation of your ancestor, now what? Ancestral occupations can give clues to who our ancestors were, how they lived, where they lived, and most importantly, give them individual identity and personality. The sources that identify occupations are numerous. Church records, city directories, census records, wills, and land records are just a few that may list professions. Once you know how your ancestor earned a living, what’s next? This is where the inquisitive personality of a genealogist proves most valuable. The time spent researching can prove very rewarding. There is much we can discover about our families from their occupations and allow them to live again so that future generations can come to understand their heritage.

Nancy Waters Lauer is a researcher, lecturer, college instructor, and award-winning author. She has extensive speaking experience throughout the Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia area. She has presented at national and regional conferences including NGS, FGS, and Rootstech.

On Mountain or Prairie: Treasures in Federal Land Records

By Warren Bittner | December 17, 2015

Learn how to find federal land case files and see the treasures they contain. Follow a farmer in Kansas who does not appear to own land.

Warren Bittner, CG, is a genealogical researcher and lecturer. He is a trustee for the Board for Certification of Genealogists. He holds a Master of Science degree in history from Utah State University and his master’s thesis looked at the social factors affecting illegitimacy in nineteenth-century Bavaria.

Find Your American Ancestor Using Canadian Records

By Kathryn Lake Hogan | November 19, 2015

When you can’t find your ancestor’s birth, marriage or death registration, or their name on a ship list or immigration record at Ellis Island, then it’s time to consider your ancestor may have been in Canada. Whether your ancestor was here for a day or for many years, he/she left behind records. Discover eight reasons why your American or immigrant ancestor actually may have there. Learn how and where to find the Canadian or provincial records that will help you fill in the missing pieces of your ancestor’s life.

Kathryn Lake Hogan is a professional genealogist, author and educator. She is the driving force behind her family history business, LOOKING4ANCESTORS.

Mob Action: Working as a Group to Get and Stay Afloat

By Jean W. Hibben | October 24, 2015

The objectives here are to help the attendee and his/her society create a cohesive group, use internal resources to help save money, and increase membership. Using principles of small group dynamics, the presenter will acquaint those in attendance with the various terms of the “field” and how these apply to genealogical societies. The problems that result in lowered attendance, membership drop-off, and failure to adhere to the governing documents (bylaws and standing rules) will be discussed in an effort to convince society members to avoid such experiences. The value of a group mission statement, identified leadership, and common goals will be emphasized. Finally, to help those whose groups are experiencing financial issues, some suggestions for bolstering the attendance while staying within a budget will be provided. Member interaction and task management techniques can help a society improve its efficiency. Develop programs from within to save money and build an interdependent group.

Jean Wilcox Hibben; PhD, MA, CG, is the Director of the Corona Family History Center and a Board Member of the Assoc. of Professional Genealogists (and Past-President of the So. Calif. Chapter). She served as lead researcher on the PBS television program Genealogy Roadshow in 2013.

Beyond the Simple Website: 5 Technologies for Putting the “Social” into “Society”

By Drew Smith | October 24, 2015

Your society’s website is only a first step in successful communication. The modern hi-tech world requires that you investigate and use additional online tools in order to hold on to current members, to attract prospective members, and to let the local community know what you are accomplishing. The objective of this webinar is to help the attendee become aware of five popular and free online tools that any society can use to strengthen communication between the society and its members, to showcase the society and its activities to prospective members, and to make the public aware of the positive impact the society’s activities are having within the local community and beyond. The function and benefits of each tool will be presented, including how to assess its impact. Facebook: a way for the society to reach an enormous audience, keeping current members up to date and attracting new members. Twitter: a way to get small bits of information out quickly to the public with links to more information. Pinterest: a way to use attractive photos, infographics, and other visual information to interest members and non-members. Blogs: a way to replace print newsletters and awkward-to-update websites with the latest society news. Hangouts: a way to put engaging video about your society and its members in front of a wide audience.

Drew is an Assistant Librarian with the Academic Services unit of the University of South Florida (USF) Tampa Library and has taught graduate-level courses in genealogical librarianship and indexing/abstracting.

Probate Records, Genealogy’s Goldmines

By Jack Butler | October 15, 2015

Probate is the lawful process that gives a deceased person’s property to another person or persons. Control of this transfer of property from the deceased to living persons can either be testate – the deceased left a will which governs how the property is to be disposed of – or it can be intestate – there was no will and the law and the Probate Court decides the disposition of property. Both methods can be gold mines of genealogical information. They usually tell the decedent’s date and place of death, and information about family members and relationships is routinely revealed. It is often possible to identify parents or children of the deceased, and sometimes several generations can be identified. References to religious affiliation or bequests of land ownership provides guidance to research in church or land records. Inventories and bequests can give you some idea of the financial status of the family and sometimes provide a peek into how the family lived. This program uses real examples to explain the different kinds of probate records that you are likely to encounter in your research, as well as where the records can be found and the types of information that each kind of record may provide

Jack Butler is a professional genealogist, lecturer and author. Active in serious genealogical research for more nearly 20 years, Jack is also active in the genealogy community. In addition to being a frequent speaker at Genealogical Societies and Conferences around Florida, he is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and former President of the Florida Chapter of the APG.

Mapping your Genealogy: From A to Z and In-Between

By Thomas MacEntee | September 17, 2015

Maps have been around as long as man needed to remember specific locations. For genealogists, maps are more than just a statement of place: they contain valuable clues for research. Learn the basics of maps and the valuable information they contain for genealogy research. You’ll also discover various resources for maps, both online and offline as well as how to incorporate maps in your research.

What happens when a “tech guy” with a love for history gets laid off during The Great Recession of 2008? You get Thomas MacEntee, a genealogy professional who’s also a blogger, educator, author, social media connector, online community builder and more.

Where You Are Depends on When You Are: Resources for Finding your American Ancestors in Time and Space

By KC Reid | August 20, 2015

Political boundaries change over time, and sometimes dramatically so. Our ancestors may never have moved, yet these boundaries could have shifted around them, causing them to live in multiple different jurisdictions even though they were born and died in the same house. If we are not aware of what those boundary changes are, and when they occurred, we may overlook relevant records and repositories or accidentally create brick walls for ourselves. This presentation explores digital and hardcopy resources that can help us navigate the ever-changing American political landscape as we work backwards through time through the 1700s, highlighting changes unique to Florida.

KC Reid is a professional genealogist specializing in tracking American ancestral lines to the immigrant ancestors and creating narratives that reflect the lives and times of those ancestors. She also designs travel and learning experiences so clients can literally walk in their ancestors’ footsteps anywhere in the world while they learn about individual ancestors who were there.

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