African American Genealogy Forum

The Toms River branch of the Ocean County Library (101 Washington St.) will present two leading family-history research experts at a program and workshop Saturday, March 24 at 11 a.m.

The Toms River Branch of the NAACP and Friends of the Toms River Library will present Shamele Jordan and Ione Vargus to talk about their experiences while researching family genealogies and the resources that are available to researchers.

That discussion will be followed up with workshops and a tour of genealogical resources available in Ocean County Library, its Toms River branch, and online.

Shamele Jordan was a contributor for the PBS series “Oprah’s Roots.” She is the former president of the African American Genealogy Group in Philadelphia, a faculty member at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research in Birmingham, Ala., and a volunteer at the Family History Center in Cherry Hill, N.J.

Ione Vargus is Professor Emerita and Dean at Temple University’s School of Social Administration.  She is the founder of the Family Reunion Institute at Temple University and author of “More Than a Picnic: African American Family Reunions.”

The program and workshops are free and open to the public but registration is required.  For more information or to register call (732) 349-6200 or (609) 971-0514 or visit http://bit.ly/wmkPGE .