By Doug Mullis, Secretary, Tampa PC Users Group
dmullis@tampabay.rr.com

Mary Sheridan, Member at Large, started the Windows SIG portion of our meeting at 6:40 pm. President Kevan Sheridan was not present. Mary raised a recent experience she had with her Toshiba laptop. The cooling fan failed, and she was unable to find a local parts house or dealer who stocked the part. She had to order the part from New York at a cost of $44 plus $36 for shipping. She asked why this is? Merle Nicholson explained that laptops and notebooks are comprised of proprietary components to minimize space and are sold in a very competitive market. These components are not interchangeable and the situation is not likely to change in the foreseeable future.

Several questions were asked about printing out system information, however your Secretary was distracted by the arrival of the evening’s presenters and did not comprehend the questions.

At 7:20 pm our program presenters, Kelly Whitelock and Tony Hills were introduced. Kelly and Tony are affiliated with the Mormon Church, and their topic was entitled “Bringing Genealogy To Life”.

Packets were handed out, which included Pedigree Charts, Family Group Record forms, a Research Log, a list of items to consider in writing your personal history, and a Five-step Procedure for researching your ancestry.

Step One of the procedure was to record what you already know about your family. Step Two was to decide what you want to learn about your family. Step Three was to select the records you will search. It was suggested you first search compiled records (previous research by others), then search original records (birth, marriage, death and census records). Step Four, you should obtain a copy of the records you find and look for facts and clues, recording the results in a log. Finally, Step Five, use and share information you find. When you reach this point, select a new objective based upon what you now know about your family.

Kelly Whitelock instructed us on the use of records at public libraries and outlined the information contained on a page of a census survey. Don’t expect to see a census record done within the last 76 years, as, to protect the privacy of the living, this information is not made available. I guess after age 70 you should have nothing to hide, or, having burned the candle at both ends, you are expected to have “kicked the bucket” by then.

Kelly invited members of our group to visit her web site at http://www.tampabayroots.com or to attend future classes on genealogy and family history at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at 2120 W. Fletcher Ave. Other web sites referred to were Ancestry.com, HeritageQuest, Cyndi’sList, Roots.com, immigration web sites and the genealogy section of our local public library’s web site, http://www.thpl.org/, at http://www.hcplc.org/hcplc/ig/genealogy_frame.html. u