Location: Alvin Sherman Library, on the Nova Southeastern University, 3100 Ray Ferrero Jr. Blvd., Davie, FL 33314. Computer Lab A on the Second Floor.

TIME:

   Computer Research Lab, Meeting and Social In-Person Only... Walk-Ins Always Welcomed: 

     12:00 PM — Open Computer Lab:  Explore genealogy resources with hands-on support

     1:30 PM — General Meeting & Social: Join us for  light refreshments, and society updates.

  PROGRAM — Hybrid (In-person on the big screen or via Zoom): 

     2:00 PM to 3:00 PM  — The speaker will be presenting in-person and broadcasting via Zoom followed by Q & A's. In-person Members and Guest will enjoy light refreshments while viewing our speaker on the big screen.

   Program Register: Link will be listed when available

Topic:  Using Find-a-Grave. Find-a-Grave got its start in 1995 when founder Jim Tipton built a website to share his hobby of visiting the graves of famous people. He found that many people shared his interest and quickly opened the site for all individuals (famous and non-famous) with a mission for finding, recording and presenting burial and final disposition information worldwide. Since then, millions of contributors have been entering memorials, photos, GPS locations, biographies and other rich content to the site. As the site grew, the community grew also. Find-a-Grave houses the largest international graving community in the world. In 2013, Find-a-Grave became a wholly owned subsidiary of Ancestry®. 

Speaker: David Belnap was introduced to genealogy and family history in his pre-teens in the 1990s. His maternal grandmother and aunt were instrumental by asking him to help them use a new computer program called Personal Ancestral File. His focus has been on verifying the genealogical data of his family and filling out the families of siblings of his direct descendants. In 2010, he learned about the website FindAGrave.org and became a contributor. Since becoming a contributor, he has added 147 photos to the website. David is a Family History Consultant at the Hollywood Family Search Center helping researchers with familysearch.org.

As a membership benefit, we are pleased to inform you that this genealogical event will be recorded and made available exclusively to members of GSBC. Additionally, any handout will be uploaded to our website for members to access

Location: Alvin Sherman Library/Nova Southeastern University, 3100 Ray Ferrero Jr. Blvd., Davie, FL 33314. Computer Lab A on the Second Floor.

TIME

    Computer Research Lab A, Meeting and Social In-Person Only — Walk-Ins Welcomed: 

   12:00 PM — Open Computer Lab:  Explore genealogy resources with hands-on support

   1:30 PM — General Meeting & Social: Join us for  light refreshments, and society updates.

• Lab Registration: https://nova.libcal.com/event/16177081

   PROGRAM  — Hybrid (In-person on the big screen or via Zoom): 

   2:00 PM to 3:00 PM  — The speaker will be presenting via Zoom followed by Q & A's. In-person Members and Guest will enjoy light refreshments while viewing our speaker on the big screen.

• Program Register: https://nova.libcal.com/event/16069921

Topic:

Your Ancestors: What is their Story?

Speaker:

Gary Green was born and raised in West Palm Beach. Gary and his wife Fran have been married 50 years and have 2 children and 6 grandchildren. Gary has always been interested in family history and his ancestors. In 2010 he began his deep dive into his genealogy and family history research. His first discovery was that Fran’s family could be traced to the Mayflower and passenger Isaac Allerton. He then discovered his mother’s family connected him to an ancestor who fought in the Revolutionary War. In the last 15 years, Gary has been an active member of the Genealogical Society of Palm Beach County and is currently serving as Vice President. Gary is also a member of the Palm Beach Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution and has served as its Secretary, Vice President, and President. Today he is still involved with these organizations and a supporter of his wife’s involvement in the Daughters of the  American Revolution, Daughters of Founders and Patriots, and The Mayflower Society.

As a membership benefit, we are pleased to inform you that this genealogical event will be recorded and made available exclusively to members of GSBC. Additionally, any handout will be uploaded to our website for members to access

Location: Alvin Sherman Library/Nova Southeastern University, 3100 Ray Ferrero Jr. Blvd., Davie, FL 33314. Computer Lab A on the Second Floor.

TIME

    Computer Research Lab A, Meeting and Social In-Person Only — Walk-Ins Welcomed: 

   12:00 PM — Open Computer Lab:  Explore genealogy resources with hands-on support

   1:30 PM — General Meeting & Social: Join us for  light refreshments, and society updates.

• Lab Registration: Link will be listed when available

   PROGRAM  — Hybrid (In-person on the big screen or via Zoom): 

   2:00 PM to 3:00 PM  — The speaker will be presenting via Zoom followed by Q & A's. In-person Members and Guest will enjoy light refreshments while viewing our speaker on the big screen.

• Program Register: Link will be listed when available

Topic:

Honor Flight South Florida is a volunteer organization recognizing veterans in Broward, Dade, and Monroe counties with a one-day trip to Washington D.C. to visit memorials dedicated to military service and sacrifice. With priority for WWII veterans, this all-expense-paid trip includes airfare, transportation throughout Washington with police escorts, meals, and other amenities needed to travel comfortably.  This is genealogy in action: identifying, documenting, and honoring our family’s national service while they are still with us.

Speaker:

Bob Atkins, Veteran Recruitment Committee Chair. Bob’s father was a WWII pilot, and his mother was also an aviator who earned her pilot’s license in a government sponsored training program.  Bob attended college on the G.I. Bill after serving in the U.S. Army as a helicopter crew chief in Vietnam in 1967-68.  He holds a commercial pilot’s license. Bob’s son continues the family flying tradition as a Captain with Atlas Air Cargo.  

Married for over 55 years, Bob and Karen have a son and daughter and two grandkids.  Bob retired in 2003 after a successful career as a senior corporate executive in the plumbing products industry.   Their son is a third-generation pilot while their daughter is an architect and lives with her husband in Seattle.

Bob participated in his first Honor Flight as an “Elite Guardian” for a 93-year-old WWII Army Veteran who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day.  Since then, he has flown as a guardian three more times and now flies on every flight as an Honor Flight staff volunteer, which he considers a privilege and an honor.

As a membership benefit, we are pleased to inform you that this genealogical event will be recorded and made available exclusively to members of GSBC. Additionally, any handout will be uploaded to our website for members to access

As a membership benefit, we are pleased to inform you that this genealogical event will be recorded and made available exclusively to members of GSBC. Additionally, any handout will be uploaded to our website for members to access

As a membership benefit, we are pleased to inform you that this genealogical event will be recorded and made available exclusively to members of GSBC. Additionally, any handout will be uploaded to our website for members to access

Location: Alvin Sherman Library/Nova Southeastern University, 3100 Ray Ferrero Jr. Blvd., Davie, FL 33314. Computer Lab A on the Second Floor.

TIME

    Computer Research Lab A, Meeting and Social In-Person Only — Walk-Ins Welcomed: 

   12:00 PM — Open Computer Lab:  Explore genealogy resources with hands-on support

   1:30 PM — General Meeting & Social: Join us for  light refreshments, and society updates.

• Lab Registration: Link will be listed when available

   PROGRAM  — Hybrid (In-person on the big screen or via Zoom): 

   2:00 PM to 3:00 PM  — The speaker will be presenting in person and broadcasting via Zoom followed by Q & A's. In-person Members and Guest will enjoy light refreshments while viewing our speaker on the big screen.

• Program Register: Link will be listed when available

Topic:

Creating Connections: Organizing Reunions with Ease. The 49th annual Burton Family Reunion was held in Ft. Lauderdale on July 25th through 27th, 2025. Held annually since 1976, the location rotates each year to cities and states to gather family and multiple generations. GSBC’s own Tamara Bell hosted a virtual family reunion via Zoom in 2022, keeping the tradition alive even in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and served as this year’s principal hometown organizer. She will share practical strategies for planning meaningful and well-organized family gatherings.

Speaker:

Tamara Bell is a professional with over 20 years of experience passionate about creating connections and organizing meaningful reunions. She holds a Master of Public Administration from Nova Southeastern University and certifications in human resources from Florida Atlantic University. She has expertise in organizing large-scale events and engaging communities. She has a strong interest in genealogy, having taken the Introduction to Genealogy Course and Workshop offered by the GSBC in 2024. She also and an in-person reunion in 2025. She is currently pursuing additional coursework in the field. 

As a membership benefit, we are pleased to inform you that this genealogical event will be recorded and made available exclusively to members of GSBC. Additionally, any handout will be uploaded to our website for members to access.

Location: Alvin Sherman Library/Nova Southeastern University, 3100 Ray Ferrero Jr. Blvd., Davie, FL 33314. Computer Lab A on the Second Floor.

TIME

Computer Research Lab A, Meeting and Social In-Person Only — Walk-Ins Welcomed: 

   12:00 PM — Open Computer Lab:  Explore genealogy resources with hands-on support

   1:30 PM — General Meeting & Social: Join us for  light refreshments, and society updates.

• Lab Registration: Link will be listed when available

PROGRAM  — Hybrid (In-person on the big screen or via Zoom): 

   2:00 PM to 3:00 PM  — The speaker will be presenting in person and broadcasting via Zoom followed by Q & A's. In-person Members and Guest will enjoy light refreshments while viewing our speaker on the big screen.

• Program Register: Link will be listed when available

Topic:

Forgotten and Untranslated Documents: A Journey of Research and Unexpected Finds

A Chance Discovery: A hand-colored family tree sent from Poland to America 120 years ago launched David Light on an extraordinary journey connecting generations. Through Ancestry.com, David met a Rabbi in Los Angeles and relatives in Montreal who each possessed versions of the same tree. Neither group knew how to interpret it as it held no meaning until David deciphered it as if it were the Rosetta Stone, revealing generations of family connections.

Preserving the Shtetl of Orla: Returning to Orla, Poland—the shtetl of his family’s origin—David partnered with the town’s mayor to restore its 17th-century synagogue, now recognized among Europe’s “7 Most Endangered Heritage Sites” for 2025.

Rediscovered Voices: Yiddish letters written by his great-great-grandfather surfaced in 1976 but remained untranslated for decades—their ornate script concealing family stories now revealed through AI tools such as ChatGPT.

Legacy and Collaboration: David compiled his findings into a Shutterfly family history book. He also collaborated with renowned genealogist Eli Rabinowitz of Perth, Australia, to create a Kehilalink for Orla, adding digital information to the JewishGen Orla Kehilla website to ensure the community’s history endures. 

Speaker:

David Light has been a resident of Miami-Dade County for over 51 years where he resides with his wife Lauren. The Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Miami (JGSGM) continues to mentor David as his research continues to evolve. His story shows how curiosity, technology, and perseverance can reconnect us to our ancestors and preserve their memories. 

As a membership benefit, we are pleased to inform you that this genealogical event will be recorded and made available exclusively to members of GSBC. Additionally, any handout will be uploaded to our website for members to access.