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.
Summer Virtual Genealogy Chats,
Everyone is invited to attend
Registration is Required, please register HERE
Summer GenChats!, This summer we invite you to learn about different resources that can be used for Genealogical Research. Come meet the people who run these websites and learn first hand about what they have to offer. Do you have questions? This is the perfect time to ask questions in a relaxed discussion like setting.
Tuesday, August 15, 2023 11am
Leesburg Library Resources, You will be giving an overview of all of the resources available at the Leesburg Public Library. The library is a FamilySearch Affiliate and has over 6000 print sources, over 1000 data CD’s and 900 rolls of microfilm. This is a unique online opportunity to see what is available right here in our own back yard.
Wednesday, August 23, 2023 11am
Human Library, This interesting discussion will be around the work surrounding the Human Library Project that was started in the Netherlands in 2015. It is a true work in storytelling and helping all of us learn empathy for one another. The Human Library Project is a non-profit that hosts a “Library of People” that you can “check out” for an hour and learn all about their story. Just like a book library, there are several types of genres to speak with and many different experiences to be shared. In our core, the oral telling of our stories to our families is how we have gained most of our interest in genealogy and this is a good way for us all to get back to our roots.
Thursday, August 31, 2023 11am
Living DNA, This discussion will revolve around the LivingDNA website, an overview of how it got started, and some helpful search hints and navigation help. You will be walking us through all the new features, and some of the work being done behind the scenes as new DNA research is coming to light.
Free attendance to most of our programs.
Please see the Events Calendar section of the website for more details.
Pastfinders September Hybrid Presentation
Thursday, September 14, 2023
Cooper Memorial Library and Pastfinders of South Lake Co. Genealgical Society
teamed up to bring you this exciting program!
WWII: Untold Stories from the Greatest Generation
Traveling Museum will open at 3:30PM Located in Room 108 at Cooper Memorial Library
Zoom room opens at 4:30 with annoucments followed by Speaker Benjamin Mack-Jackson
Come in person to Cooper Memorial Library and Experiance the Traveling WWII Museum
Benjamin Mack-Jackson will start his presentation at 5:00 PM Q&A to Follow
Registration is open to everyone, click HERE to register for Zoom.
If attending in-person please come to Cooper Memorial Library
2525 Oakley Seaver Drive, Clermont
Your Genealogical Journey Starts Here!
Learn how to proceed with virtual Family History Classes.
Learn more about these classes and Register for the Zoom Link HERE
Most programs are free and open to the general public.
Your Genealogical Journey Starts Here!
Come to Cooper Memorial Library to learn how to be a Family Historian.
Learn more about these classes and Register HERE Please arrive to the library early.
Most programs are free and open to the general public.
Pastfinders Virtual
Special Interest Groups
Irish SIG meets on the 3rd Monday each month at 11 AM Eastern Time.
Peter Stauder is our Irish expert and he will help you discover where and how to research Ireland. To Join the Irish SIG list for the season please register here: REGISTATION You will recived a reminder email in your inbox each month from Pete the program facilitator.
Family Tree Maker SIG meets on the 3rd Tuesday each month at 2 PM
Stan Wells hosts the meetings and uses the FTM 2019 instruction manual to guide content. To join the FTM SIG please send your contact info, Name, City, State and Pastfinders membership status to Info@Pastfindersslc.org with the Words FTM SIG on the Subject line.
Your host will maintain an email distribution list. You will receive an email several days prior to the meeting with your Zoom link.
How about hosting a special interest group! Do you have a passion for a topic? You do not have to be an expert, just willing to share your special knowledge. We would love to have you host a SIG. Things like DNA, German, British, Or a Research SIG would be fun.
AncestryDNA Study Group Members helpful instructional Videos.
Basic Spreadsheet Class: This class was held on 4 December 2021 for Pastfinders members & guests
Click HERE for Excel Basics hosted by Stan Wells of Pastfinders.
YouTube Videos on using Excel for Genealogy.
Pastfinders Fund Raising Activities
Pastfinders members can provide financial support by using the products and services of our Affiliate Partners:
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
