Monday, January 12, 2015
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Genealogy Notebook
uscis.gov
Welcome to the Genealogy Notebook!
I just found this online via facebook, and it may be a good resource for those of us who did not realize it existed. It is part of the Department of Homeland Security website, perhaps a strange pace to find it.
News for the Ancestry.com Sherlock Group!!!
http://www.jenealogy.biz/2015/01/01/2015-goals/
My Christmas with my niece!
This is an article from In Depth Genealogy, an online magazine. I'm a subscriber - are you?
FYI: In January and February the Sherlock Group of subscribers to Ancestry.com will be asked to renew their subscription and recommend materials for purchase. The cost of the $300 full world subscription will again be divided between the number of people who wish to join. After March 4th, the account and email passwords will be changed.
If you have any questions, please email me at catherine05@icloud.com
Thanks!
My Christmas with my niece!Sunday, August 3, 2014
Cemetery Etiquette: What you need to know for that cemetery trip
- See more at: http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2013/11/04/cemetery-etiquette-graveyard-dos-and-donts/?sf3967512=1&o_xid=57458&o_lid=57458&o_sch=Social#sthash.GjrC2UM9.dpuf
Gravestones can have useful information that could help you break through a brick wall, and grow your family tree. Although not all cemeteries are local to your area, with sites like FindAGrave.com, distant gravestones are made available to you online. If you’re lucky and find that a gravestone you are looking for is near you, there are some things you’ll first need to know before you visit the cemetery. With these quick tips, you’ll be ‘graving’ in no time!
Be Respectful
This really goes without saying, but sometimes we need to be reminded. A cemetery is a place for families to mourn and visit their loved ones – if you see this going on around you, be respectful and either come back another time or do your best to stay out of the way.
Remember not to leave any trash when you leave, and not to disturb what might be at the memorial. If there are flowers, coins, photos etc. be careful if you move them and put them back leaving everything as you found it. These are memorials, places where people come to remember a lost family member, keep them as such.
- See more at:
http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2013/11/04/cemetery-etiquette-graveyard-dos-and-donts/?sf3967512=1&o_xid=57458&o_lid=57458&o_sch=Social#sthash.UIDbegmM.dpu
Your mission is to preserve
Sometimes in all the excitement of finding a grave marker that might have information we need, we forget about the basics – we want to preserve that marker and information on it, not damage it.
Many beginners will find a gravestone that they are looking for and the first thing they’ll do is rub it so as to get the information onto a piece of paper. This can often damage the stone, causing chips and deteriorating the grave marker. Before you do any kind of gravestone rubbing, first check with the group that is in charge of the cemetery or find another method that is safer for the stone to get the information you need. Never use untested methods to make the gravestone more readable. People have been known to chalk the writing, clean the stone with soaps or detergents, and spread shaving cream onto the stone in hopes it will soak it in and make it more visible – these methods might get you what you need but will ultimately harm the grave marker and are not recommended by professional gravers.
Always remember that these gravestones should and need to be preserved for the families and other genealogists down the road so do your best to keep them safe. For a more exhaustive list of what you should and should not do with gravestones, visit the Association for Gravestone Studies.
- See more at:
http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2013/11/04/cemetery-etiquette-graveyard-dos-and-donts/?sf3967512=1&o_xid=57458&o_lid=57458&o_sch=Social#sthash.UIDbegmM.dpuf
Contact the Party in Charge of the Cemetery
If you are visiting an active cemetery – one that still has burials occurring – try contacting or visiting the office of whoever is in charge of the cemetery. There may be one on site or a nearby church could be running the cemetery. If you find a manager/superintendent, they might be able to quickly check records and give you the information that you are looking for or help you locate a gravestone. This may not always be the case as with older cemeteries and gravestones, records are often lost or destroyed, but it never hurts to ask – you might be surprised what you’ll find. It is also a good idea to contact them, as they will let you know what their rules are for photographing or rubbing the gravestone.
If the cemetery is no longer active, then you will need to find out who is in charge of the cemetery now – this could be a church, city, county or state. This means you might need to talk to a priest, county clerk or even the local police to get the information you need. Start by doing a quick Google search of the name of the cemetery to find out who is in charge and then you might need to make a few phone calls to see the state of the cemetery, if they have any records, and what their rules are.
Remember that some cemeteries are public and some are private – it’s important to understand that there is a difference. Some are public and you can visit any time when they are open (usually dawn until dusk). However, some cemeteries are on private property and you might be trespassing if you show up without having talked to whoever is in charge. This is why it is important to do some research before you embark on your graving journey. If the cemetery is on private land, find who owns the land or is in charge of it and make a phone call to arrange a visit, ask if you can take photographs, and it’s sometimes nice to give them your contact information in case they have any questions about your research project.
Hopefully with these tips you’ll be off to the next cemetery in no time to find your distant ancestors gravestone. Just remember to always be respectful and do your best to preserve the artifacts that are still available.
Hopefully with these tips you’ll be off to the next cemetery in no time to find your distant ancestors gravestone. Just remember to always be respectful and do your best to preserve the artifacts that are still available.
- See more at:
http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2013/11/04/cemetery-etiquette-graveyard-dos-and-donts/?sf3967512=1&o_xid=57458&o_lid=57458&o_sch=Social#sthash.GjrC2UM9.dpuf
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
In Church Attics, the Private Life of Early America
This is a link to an article in the New York Times today that has a lot to do with genealogy and preserving our history. I think you would all enjoy it.
Catherine
PS If the link does not work, please let me know.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Archivist's Notebook (from Leslie)
I have a special announcement for all of my Gen Clubbers...
Adult Services is sponsoring a program here at the Library on May 5th from 7-8:30 titled "Archivist's Notebook." This is all good stuff that you should know about the proper way to store your "discoveries." Unfortunately there have only been a couple of people who have signed up for this excellent program; unless Abby has more people sign up in the next 2 days - she will pull the program for lack of interest. If you are passionate about the correct way to store your genealogy from notes to treasures, you will want to attend this program. Let's help Abby out and make this program a success!
Here are the particular's:
Archivist's Notebook
Genealogists acquire and arrange a vast array of materials, both physical and digital. Who isn’t excited to find an original document a grandparent or great-grandparent wrote? Or gathering photos and memorabilia from a favored family line? Your diligent work now will benefit generations to come, but only if the material is properly stored and prepared to pass to the next generation. Laura Cosgrove Lorenzana, genealogist and author of the blog The Last Leaf on This Branch, will offer ideas and best practices for ensuring the long life of the materials that are important to you and your family history.
Date: Monday May 5, 2014
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Contact: Abby B. 630-924-2730 abudzynski@mybpl.org
Location: Mtg Room C
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Friday, January 24, 2014
The In Depth Genealogist
Click here to get the latest issue on your computer:
http://theindepthgenealogist.com/going-in-depth/?utm_source=The%20In-Depth%20Genealogist%20List&utm_campaign=d8516209ee-December_2013_Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f4c12bb316-d8516209ee-93456713
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
My Favorite Genealogy-Themed Book Series
By Leslie Drewitz, from the In Depth Genealogist
Sometimes, it’s great just to kick back and relax… take a break from genealogy and read a good book. I’ve liked mysteries and thrillers since I was a kid – I always thought I’d be either a detective or a cop. Now I can’t see doing anything but what I love – Genealogy!
So I’ve combined my great love of mysteries and thrillers with my great love of genealogy. My favorite genealogy mystery thriller series is written by one woman – Rett MacPherson! If you’ve never read her books, you’re in for a treat! The series is about a woman named Torie (Victory) O’Shay and she’s – surprise! – a genealogist who lives and works in a small town in Missouri. Her job is my dream job. She works as he curator of the Gahmer House, which is a museum and the repository for the towns historical society. Torie had all kinds of adventures, all involving MURDER and GENEALOGY – YAY! Ms. MacPherson is right on her game when it comes to genealogy and has so many good ideas; as a matter of fact, I’ve used one or two of her ideas for our historical society here in town.
I have listed all of her books and the publication dates below. Please, do yourself a favor and pick up her books at your local library and if they don’t carry the series, you can always request that they interlibrary loan them from another library – which you can do at the reference desk.
Rett MacPherson
TORIE O’SHEA Mysteries:
Main Character: Victory O’Shea, Genealogist, Missouri
- Family Skeletons 1997
- A Veiled Antiquity 1998
- A Comedy of Heirs 1999
- A Misty Mourning 2000/01
- Killing Cousins 2002
- Blood Relations 2003
- In Sheep’s Clothing 2004
- Thicker Than Water 2005
- Dead Man Running 2006
- Died in The Wool 2007
- The Blood Ballad 2008
After the eleventh book, she stopped writing the series. She kind of vanished off the face of the earth. There are many sites on the Internet that mention her, but I have yet to find any that explain why her books about this character came to such an abrupt end. There is no clue to it ending in her last book, “The Blood Ballad” and I was heartbroken when, after waiting for a year, there were no more books about Torie, her cool family or the (sigh) Gahmer House. It was like losing an old friend…
On her website, www.RettMacPherson.com, it looks like it’s been hi-jacked. There is no personal content from her what-so-ever. She does have a Facebook page, but it is maddening in that it says nothing about why she quit writing and didn’t continue the series… Of course, because I don’t have a Facebook account (gasp!), I can’t fully read the comments – but if you do, and you can, perhaps you can enlighten me… Or maybe she’ll see this blog and answer herself!
This series was a credit to genealogy and it’s always been my wish that she resume writing this excellent series. Check out this series and you may think so too!
As always, I’d love to hear from you if you’ve read this series or know what happened to Rett or have a question about it…
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