Expo, lectures at UGA provide research tips

The Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) will offer a week of intensive study in Athens at the University of Georgia’s Center for Continuing Education July 23-28.

As part of this, there will be a special Expo held on July 23 from noon until 5 p. m. at the center, located at 1197 South Lumpkin Street. Parking is adjacent. It’s free, with no registration required. The event is sponsored by FamilySearch. org. Various vendors and genealogical societies will be present with information about their societies, books, and so forth. To see which organizations have signed up or more details on the Expo, see ighr.gagensociety.org.

During the week, there also will be evening lectures on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights from 7 p.m.-8:15 p. m. at the same location. The cost is $15 for each class and open to non-IGHR attendees. Space is limited, and registration is required. See the website above, search “evening.” Monday’s class features Laura Carter discussing how to use GALILEO and UGA Library Resources. Tuesday has two options: Judy G. Russell discussing the Board of Certification for Genealogists and how to become certified, or John Philip Colletta lecturing on “Why Grandpa shaved off his mustache: Tales of our Ancestors and the Weather.” Wednesday’s lecture, also by Colletta, will cover “Private Archives: What They Are and How to use them.” In 2018 the IGHR will be held June 2-7 in Athens.

Vital records worldwide

While the Internet offers us instant access to finding almost anything, sometimes a good book can cover a lot of territory. Thomas Jay Kemp has published the seventh edition of “International Vital Records Handbook,” which covers state by state and country by country how to order a vital record, such as a birth or death certificate. The actual application forms are included. For many states, online resources are cited for copies. The foreign countries section is probably most useful, since that information is much harder to locate. The book is available for $84.95 plus postage from the Genealogical Publishing Company of Baltimore. See genealogical. com or call 800-296-6687.

Ancestors too old to pay taxes?

In the 19th century in Georgia, the law required a man to pay a head or poll tax from ages 21 to 60. So if you had an ancestor who owned no taxable property, and reached 60, he would disappear from the tax rolls without being deceased. So take that into consideration in doing Georgia research.