Pastfinders Genealogical Society of South Lake County

 
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 (CML) 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 contact us by Email at info@pastfindersslc.org for more information.

 
 
 
 Registration Links for (Event schedules reflect USA eastern time zone):
 
Zoom Registration for the October 13 Virtual Presentation: The People of the West Indies & their History.
 
Zoom Registration for the October 5 Family History Research Class 3 hosted by Cathy Kwech. 

Pastfinders Presents’

A Cultural & Genealogical Community Showcase

October 1, 2022 from 9am - 1pm At Cooper Memorial Library

This meeting is being rescheduled due to Hurrican Ian forcing closure of the Library until Monday.

Pastfinders Calendar of Events
Most of Pastfinders Events are being held using online Video Conferencing. Some events are in-person at Cooper Memorial Library.  Starting in 2023 Pastfinders will be holding Hybrid presentations both on Zoom and In-person. 
In order to attend a SIG meeting you will need to signup by simply sending an Email to info@pastfindersslc.org, the title of the email should be the name of the Event you want to attend (FTM SIG, DNA SIG, Irish SIG).  Several days prior to the Event, you will receive an Email containing the Zoom Link.
 
Monthly Meetings, Beginners Classes and Special Events require REGISTRATION.  You will find a REGISTRATION link in the description of the Event.  Just click on the REGISTRATION Link and provide your name and Email address.
 
Details for each Event are shown in the Event Calendar Tab.
To view all Events, click HERE
To View Monthly Member Meetings AND REGISTER TO ATTEND, click HERE
To View only Family Tree Maker SIG, click HERE
To View only the DNA SIG, click HERE
To View only the Irish SIG, click HERE
To view only Beginners Class, click HERE
To View Central Florida Genealogical Society Events, Click HERE
To View Kinseekers Genealogical Society Event, Click HERE
 
 

Pastfinders Special Interest Groups are meeting virtually using Zoom.
 
Family Tree Maker SIG meets on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday each month at 2 PM
Stan Wells hosts the meetings and uses the FTM 2019 instruction manual to guide content.
 
DNA SIG meets on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday each month at 1:30 PM
Arlene Bird and Carolyn Gornowicz host these sessions covering a range of DNA subjects.
 
Irish SIG meets on the 3rd Thursday each month at 10 AM
Peter Stauder is our Irish expert and he will help you discover where and how to research Ireland.
 
Family Research in Beginning Genealogy meets in January, April, September and November. The class discusses research methods, online programs, and tips and strategies to search your ancestry.
 
The host of each SIG maintains an Email distribution list and sends the link several days before each meeting.
To join, send an Email with the name of the SIG as the subject and send to info@pastfindersslc.org.  If the Email link does not open your Email application, just open a new Email and type in info@pastfindersslc.org.
 
If you would like to start a special interest group, please contact us.  You do not have to be an expert, but if you have been researching a niche and are willing to share your special knowledge, we can start other SIGs.  German or British SIGs seem to be popular.
 

 
 
 
 
 
Pastfinders Fund Raising Activities
Pastfinders members can provide financial support by using the products and services of our Affiliate Partners:
 
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 Support Us menu button