The Northeast Indiana Jewish Genealogy Society is excited to welcome Ron Arons, a veteran genealogist, speaker, and author for a program on Sunday, May 7, 2023, beginning at 2:00pm. This is a hybrid program, taking place at the Allen County Public Library and will also be presented virtually through the Zoom platform.

Alcohol, Prohibition and Temperance Societies in Ohio and Indiana
This presentation will discuss Indiana and Ohio’s role and participation in Prohibition and the temperance movement. The session will cover alcohol production and distribution, the push for temperance, key figures, groups, legislation, enforcement, and the demise of Prohibition. Maps and timelines will be used to show how this fits in with a larger geographical and temporal context.

Researching Criminal Ancestors
In this presentation, Ron demonstrates how to research black sheep ancestors, those relatives who might be difficult to research for any one of a number of different reasons. Ron talks about using ‘standard’ genealogical records (census, vital records, city directories, etc., but also about other specific records available only for those who broke the law or came close to doing so. Specific recommendations will be given regarding the methodology of researching such characters.

Ron Arons has been researching his family for more than 20 years and has traced his ancestors back to England, Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Romania, and Ukraine. Ron became particularly interested in researching criminals when he discovered a very deeply buried secret about an ancestor who got into trouble and served time at one of the most famous American prisons. Ron has authored three books: The Jews of Sing Sing, WANTED! U.S. Criminal Records, and Mind Maps for Genealogy. He has given more than 500 presentations across the country (including sessions at 17 IAJGS conferences) and internationally. Ron earned degrees in engineering and business from Princeton and University of Chicago. He currently serves as Secretary for the IAJGS Board of Directors.

We are thrilled that Ron Arons will be presenting in-person at the ACPL Genealogy Center. If you are unable to attend on site, registration is required. The link can be found at Upcoming Events – Northeast Indiana Jewish Genealogy Society (neindianajgs.org) .

Thank you to the Harry W. Salon Foundation, the Louis and Anne B. Schneider Foundation, and the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center for their continued support of NEIJGS programming.
Additional information about the NEIJGS can be found on our website at www.NEIndianaJGS.org, or our Facebook Page, https://www.facebook.com/NEIndianaJGS/. Please contact Pamela Friedman at vp@NEIndianaJGS.org for more information