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Online Event: Use eBay, Etsy and Other Shopping Sites for Family History

Join Elizabeth Swanay O'Neal, CG® and learn how to locate family heirlooms using effective search strategies, how to work with sellers, and how to make a purchase or participate in an auction. Registration is required. Zoom link will be emailed to registrants within 24 hours of the event start time. For more information, please contact 305-375-5572 or email specialcollections@mdpls.org. All Ages.

Presented by the Special Collections & Archives Division of the Miami-Dade Public Library System, located at the Main Library.

About the Program

Your family treasures could be waiting to be found on popular online sales and auction sites like eBay, Etsy, Craigslist, and others. While many people use sites like these to find collectibles at a reasonable price, they can also be used to enhance your family history research. In this session, you will learn how to locate family heirlooms using effective search strategies, how to work with sellers, and how to make a purchase or participate in an auction. Additionally, you will learn how to use these sites as a family history research tool without spending a dime!

About the Presenter

Elizabeth Swanay O’Neal, Certified Genealogist®, is a professional researcher, writer, educator, and national genealogical speaker. Her specialties include methodology, technology, and online research resources.

Elizabeth has studied at the National Institute for Genealogical Research (NIGR, now known as GenFed) in Washington, DC; the Forensic Genealogy Institute (FGI) in Dallas, Texas; and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is the President of the Second Life Virtual Genealogical Society, Director of the NGSQ Study Groups program, and a Genealogy Consultant for the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).

As a family history lecturer, Elizabeth has given presentations for Legacy Family Tree Webinars, the RootsTech Conference, and many others. Her professional memberships include the Board for Certification of Genealogists, the Association of Professional Genealogists, the Genealogical Speakers Guild, and she is an active member of the public speaking club Toastmasters International.

Since 1987, Elizabeth has made it her goal to research, share, and preserve her family stories. She is a co-host of the Branching Out Genealogy Podcast (https://branchingout.show) and the author of the family history lifestyle website Heart of the Family™ (https://www.thefamilyheart.com). Her mission is to help others make the past part of their present.

About the Special Collections and Archives Division

The Miami-Dade Public Library System’s Special Collections & Archives Division preserves and provides access to rare and historically significant materials for the public and scholarly community. Its diverse holdings include the Helen Muir Florida Collection, the 16mm Film Collection, the Cuban Collection of Rare Books & Ephemera, the Genealogy Collection, and rare and antiquarian books dating back to the 17th century. The Division also manages the Library’s Permanent Art Collection, which features over 7,000 works displayed across library locations, and The Vasari Project, dedicated to documenting Miami-Dade County’s art history since 1945. Committed to accessibility, it offers materials for viewing and research both in person and online through the Digital Collection, which includes more than 40 freely accessible collections, featuring materials from the Library as well as contributions from outside collaborators and partner institutions. Spanning rare books, manuscripts, photographs, prints, paintings, sculptures, artifacts, audiovisual resources, and electronic media, these collections ensure that Miami-Dade County’s rich history, artistic legacy, and cultural heritage remain available to all.

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