Be Sure to Visit my new 1900 Galveston Storm Website at: http://freepages.genealogy.rootseb.com/~barnette 

GENEALOGY, HISTORY AND THE 77TH LEGISLATURE

 The 77th Texas Legislative session  has closed is now history. Last Sunday, 16 June  was the last day for Governor Perry to sign, veto or allow a bill to become law without his signature. Bills that did not advance past the committee stage or were not voted upon by both houses of the legislature died where they were.

 Three bills discussed previously in the column had mixed results. HB 2061 passed and relates to monuments on state property. It mandates historical accuracy of monuments and equitable representation of all Texans on the advisory committee. HB  953 which sought to remove Confederate statues from the University of Texas at Austin campus was left pending in committee.

 Finally, HB 2263 requires the Texas Department of Transportation in cooperation with the Texas Historical Commission to publish a guide to all the historical markers in the state.

FEMA WEBSITE OFFERS RECOVERY TIPS

 Readers who experienced damage to personal belongings and family heirlooms during the recent floods may find help at the FEMA website at http://www.fema.gov/DIZAS/recovery.htm. The site offers guidelines for saving water damaged textiles, photographs, furniture and other valuables.

MIDWEST ROOTS CONFERENCE IN INDIANAPOLIS

 The Indiana Historical Society in Indianapolis is hosting "Midwestern Roots:  Family History and Genealogy Conference" on 13-14 July. The two-day conference will feature an assortment of speakers from across the Midwest presenting talks on a variety of subjects including unique resources across the Midwest, genealogy research on the  Internet, African-American genealogy, and much more.
 For further information and a registration form call (317) 233-5659 or visit the IHS Web site at  http://www.indianahistory.org

FAMILY TREE MAKER SOFTWARE CLASS

 Paula Perkins Parke will teach an Organizing Your Family Research With Family Tree Maker Software class from 1:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. Tuesday 10 July.  This one-time class will be held at The First United Methodist Church 1062 Fairmont Parkway in Pasadena.

 Through demonstrations, students will learn step by step instructions to organize and document family information and sources. For more information and to register, contact Fran Gregerson at 281-487-8787.

HOW TO PUBLISH A GENEALOGICAL BOOK

 Mic Barnette, owner of Barnette's Family Tree Book Company and writer of this column will present a class on How To Write and Publish A Genealogical Book. The course will be held from 7 P.M. to 9 P.M. on Tuesday 10 July at Leisure Learning's 2990 Richmond Avenue campus.

 The course is geared toward those who wish to write or compile a genealogical article or book and have it published online, self-published or published through a commercial publisher. The class will discuss privacy issues, software, organizing, writing, numbering, documenting, layout, pricing, prepublication, marketing, advertising and a host of pertinent issues.

 For more information and to register, contact Leisure Learning at 713-529-4414

GENEALOGICAL CLASS AT GRACE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

 Paula Perkins Parke will teach a Beginning Genealogy Class at Grace  Presbyterian Church, 10221 Ella Lee near Sam Houston Tollway in West Houston. This two part class will be held on Wednesday 10 July from 12:30 P.M. to 6:30 P.M. The second class session, a week later, will consist of a tour and hands-on census work at Clayton Library.

 To enroll or to learn more about this class, contact the Becky Morris at the Grace Presbyterian Church Adult Education office at 713-267-5091.

NEWS FROM THE BOOKSHELF

 The new 2nd Edition of Ryan Taylor's Books You Need To Do Genealogy In Ontario: An Annotated Bibliography is now available. It may be purchased for $28, postpaid, from the publisher Round Tower Books, P.O.Box 12407, Fort Wayne, IN 46863-2407.

 Researchers of Ontario, Canada will find this book of immense value. It is designed to inform the researcher of the availability and subject matter of books about Ontario. By knowing a book exists, a researcher is able to attempt to purchase it, borrow it through interlibrary loan or visit a library where the book is available. The books listed in the bibliography will most certainly be found in libraries in Ontario, Fort Wayne, Indiana and in Houston.

 The book begins with a section of  book listings covering Ontario as a whole with no specific county indicated. The books listed consist of  histories, gazetteers, passenger records and the like. The remainder of the book is arranged geographically by county, then by author.

 Ryan's annotations go beyond listing the author and title of a book. They describe the contents and offer advice on a book's usability, format or other related books that should be consulted. These helpful notations give clear guidance to the researcher.