Using JGSs to find your ancestors

ORLANDO-The Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando (JGSGO) will host guest speaker Marlis Humphrey, president of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS), at their next meeting on Tuesday, March 4, from 7 – 9 p.m. (6:30 p.m. for networking and mavens), at the Maitland Public Library, 501 S. Maitland Ave., in Maitland. This meeting is free and open to the public. Humphrey will speak on "Using JGSs to find your ancestors."

Jewish Genealogical Societies (JGSs), a network of 74 individual societies worldwide that are dedicated to providing assistance to those exploring their Jewish family history, is an invaluable resource to finding ancestors. There are societies across the U.S. and in Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Israel, Great Britain, France, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, South Africa, and Australia that can provide local assistance to you where you live through their educational programs, mentoring, and workshops. Additionally, JGSs can provide assistance to you remotely-in the area where one of your ancestors might have lived. Humphrey will explain and show some of the JGS resources available: records indexes, databases, cemetery information, newsletters, research guides, archive knowledge, experts on call, local tours, and more. Learn about the myriad of resources available and how to use this resource to discover your ancestry.

Prior to the program, starting at 6:30 p.m., there will be time for newcomers to network and receive free consulting assistance or mentoring from a Jewish genealogy maven.

Marlis Glaser Humphrey, is also vice president of Programs and Publicity for the JGSGO, and vice president and technology outreach committee chairwoman for the Florida State Genealogical Society. She has successfully discovered all her ancestral shtetls and is founder of myAncestories, a company that helps genealogists create family histories to treasure. She holds a B.A. in Russian and an M.S. in management of technology.

JGSGO is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to sharing genealogical information, techniques and research tools with anyone interested in Jewish genealogy and family history. Anyone may join JGSGO. Annual dues are $25 for an individual and $30 for a family. For more information visit our blog at http://www.jgsgo.blogspot.com , "like" us at http://www.facebook.com/jgsgreaterorlando or call us at 407-494-4230.