The Moore County Genealogical Society wrote in its first newsletter (27 years ago) the following: "We plan interesting lectures by experts in the field of finding ancestors and their hard-to-find records. We hope to hold workshops where we can exchange information as we work on our own individual research problems. We expect to have fun doing all this! So come, enjoy, learn and share!"

The MCGS has held to this philosophy throughout the years and an expert in finding ancestors will be giving a workshop Saturday, Aug. 13, at the Hampton Inn, 200 Columbus Drive, Aberdeen.

This workshop, "Gathering, Organizing, and Sharing Your Family History," is co-sponsored by the North Carolina Genealogical Society and the Moore County Genealogical Society.

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Pamela Boyer Sayre is a certified genealogical lecturer, a professional researcher, educator and author. She has taught many university classes on researching genealogy and has spoken at seminars and conferences in 31 states.

She is the co-author of the book "Online Roots: How to Discover Your Family's History" and "Heritage with the Power of the Internet."

In her life before genealogy, she was a software documentation specialist, a personnel administrator and a police detective.

The first topic to be covered will be "Where Do I Go from Here?" Genealogists who have exhausted the usual sources need to seek clues from other printed and online sources. Sayre can guide participants to original governmental records such as military service, property holdings, taxes, court cases and more.

Few know that one can find genealogical gems by utilizing The Library of Congress. MCGS member Joan Campbell says she is especially looking forward to this session and learning how to understand and explore the myriad sources available online and how to use the various search features on the website.

How should you organize those piles of notes and boxes of paper? Sayre will offer suggestions for organizing records. Every document collected in your family history research can be a mouse-click away. This session will also demonstrate use of scanners and creating electronic files.

The fourth session will be "Sharing Your Family History."

"Don't let your years of research end up in a trash bin when you're gone," says a spokesman. "All genealogists should share the stories they uncover and this session offers exciting ways to preserve and share your research."

"The Moore County Genealogical Society invites you to come to the workshop and spend time learning how to discover your ancestors and yourself," says the spokesman.

Sayre speaks nationally and the information given at the workshop will be useful, no matter what level of research you are on or where your ancestors originated.

For details, go to www.ncgenealogy.org, call Joan at (910) 255-6203, or email Norma at njones04@windstream.net.

"Registration before July 31 guarantees a lower registration fee, a hot buffet lunch and all handouts," says the spokesman. "Walk-in registration is available on the date of the event, but lunch and handouts might not be available."