Welcome to Pastfinders!
Welcome to the Pastfinders of South Lake County Website.
We are located in Clermont, Florida (From Gem of the Hills to Choice of Champions). The Cooper Memorial Library's 
Genealogy Room is our base of operation with monthly meetings, genealogy help sessions, computer users’ classes, Beginner Classes, and special events.
Pastfinders mission is to educate the public on the art and science of preserving family history. Learning about your roots, where you came from, and the struggles your family made to get you where you are today can open one’s eyes to what kind of pioneers our ancestors were.
All the classes Pastfinders of South Lake County Genealogical Society conducts are open to the public and most are free to attend. Our meetings are held from September to May. During the summer months the only scheduled activity is a weekly Summer Genealogy Chat at the library. Please see the event calendar on the menu bar for more detail or use the Contact Us page to Email us for more information.
Dianne Schuster (Pastfinders Founding Member) 1939 - 2020 Clermont Fl
We are saddened to learn that one of the founding members of Pastfinders, Dianne Schuster, passed away on April 25, 2020. Here is a portion of her obituary that pertains to Pastfinders:
"Her keen and determined mind found great satisfaction in researching family genealogy long before online research made details more accessible. She wrote hundreds of letters, visited courthouses, searched for documents, scoured old census records and traced almost illegible documents so she could decipher the handwriting. Her work resulted in certificates as Florida Pioneer Descendants for her father, Ben McLean and herself. She helped found the Pastfinders of South Lake County Genealogy Society to help others research and preserve their family history. As she always did, she made friends along her genealogical journey, sharing generously both her time and knowledge and trying to get other (more lazy and less detail-oriented) family members to join her search."
You can find the complete obituary HERE.
Webmaster Note: I love the part about lazy and less detail-oriented family members
The Lake County Library System (all 16 libraries) remains CLOSED until further notice to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Updated on April 8.
No Pastfinders Events will be scheduled for May.
Summer programming is yet to be determined. Please check back frequently with the website for any calendar updates.
Since the Cooper Memorial Library is closed until further notice, this event is also on hold until further notice.
If YOU have Irish Roots, You will want to attend the New Irish SIG.
Our resident Irish Genealogy Expert, Peter Stauder will begin hosting the Pastfinders Irish SIG (Special Interest Group) on:
The starting date is TBD.
Clipart: https://bplolinenews.blogspot.com/2013/03/irish-genealogy.html
Pastfinders Calendar of Events
We will resume posting the calendar of events when we actually start having events again.
TO LEARN DETAILS ABOUT EACH EVENT, CLICK ON THE
EVENT CALENDAR
Pastfinders Fund Raising Activities
Pastfinders members can provide financial support by using the products and services of our Affiliate Partners:
Flip-Pal Scanners are no longer available for purchase.
Pastfinders receives a 0.5% commission for purchases using Amazon.com.
Pastfinders receives a 10% commission for the purchase of an AncestryDNA kit.
Pastfinders receives a 20% commission when you join Ancestry.com.
Further information and links are located at the How you can support us menu button
