Free Family History Writing Class – Thrifty Thursday

Is your family story too good to keep in the family?  Was great-grandpa a train robber?  Was great-great grandma a college graduate?  Your family may be littered with black sheep and canonized saints, but that won’t keep their stories alive forever.  So save some hard earned cash and learn to write your family history saga!

The Fountaindale Public Library is hosting “Bringing Family History to Life: The Stories We Could Tell” on Wednesday, August 24 at 7:00 p.m. in Meeting Room B.  Presenter David Clark will help you reach beyond genealogical facts and data to crafting a rich and full history of your ancestors.  Mr. Clark writes “Writing the unique stories of a person’s family can preserve the facts and provide a record for future generations. This presentation will help people interested in telling their family stories to overcome their fears of writing and commit the oral traditions to the written word.”

Mr. Clark will discuss how to interweave your organized information with written materials to create a fantastic item.  All you need to begin your project is a computer, scanner, and digital camera!

Registration for this event is suggested, so save your spot by calling the Fountaindale Public Library at (630) 685-4176.  You can also register by visiting the 3rd Floor Reference Desk or by visiting our website at www.fountaindale.org.

So, the question/comment of the day is:

If you could interview any of your ancestors, who would you choose and why?

Leave your interesting or creative responses in the comment box below, or on our Facebook Page.

Next time, we’ll look at genealogy webinars on Youtube and swap favorite genealogy-centric films and documentaries.

See you at the Library!

Debra

Summer reads with genealogy tie-ins – Wisdom Wednesday

I had a rude awakening a few weeks ago when my mom called and asked me what I’d been reading lately.  Crash Course in Genealogy I told her proudly.  “I blogged about it a few days ago.” Truth be told, I’ve been lusting over content and the 1940 census breakdown the way some folks might admire a busty pin-up.

“Don’t you ever read anything else?” She asked.

Needless to say I was a little hurt and more than a little offended.  But as a matter of fact, yes I told her, I had been reading two other books as well: The Sinner’s Grand Tour: A Journey Through the Historical Underbelly of Europe by Tony Perrottet and If You Lived Here, I’d Know Your Name: News from Small-Town Alaska by Heather Lende.  Both non-fiction, and both considered to be uninteresting material for both my parents.

“You should read Nora Roberts, you’d really like her,” my mother began listing a gourmet dinner grocery list of books I should be reading.

‘Tis the season for road trips, cemetery research, and pumping information from relatives at the family reunion, I explained.  It’s time to enjoy the ride to the Allen County Public Library, eat the food I don’t normally allow myself to even look at, and justify the resulting credit card statement as an ‘educational expense.’  My complaints were unacknowledged.

So in the face of such overwhelming criticism of my literary habits, I broke down and read the In the Garden series (Blue Dahlia, Black Rose, & Red Lily) by Nora Roberts.  And I’m very pleased to report that genealogy is a major plot device in the series.  I’d definitely recommend it if you don’t mind genealogy research sharing the stage with gardening, romance, southern culture, and a psychotic ghost.  But maybe, that was my mom’s point all along.  Use your interests as a spring board and maybe you’ll find some inspiration to look at research in a new way.

But I have to share this one irk with the book;  the characters said they found information pertaining to their ghost problem and Memphis in the 1890 census.

WHAT?

The closest thing we have to the 1890 census in Tennessee is the Veteran’s Census from 1890.  Not helpful in this aspect of the plot.  Most researchers rely on the Memphis City Directory from 1890-1891 to assist them with this 20 year blackout between census records.

I’ve let this fact rest, as the book series is entirely fictional.  But I’m still shaking my head over it.  I’d love to live in a book where I have access to the full 1890 census.  It would totally make most of my research much easier.

Keeping this literary tune in mind, what books (both fiction and non-fiction) with a genealogical bent have you read and could recommend?  Leave your interesting, creative, or otherwise informative responses in the comment area below this post.

Next week I’ll give you the scoop on our special August workshop “Bringing Family History to Life: The Stories We Could Tell.”   This presentation will help people interested in telling their family stories to convert their past into well written and published collections. Click here for registration and more information.

See you at the Library!

Debra

Dave Dowell’s Crash Course in Genealogy – Tuesday’s Tip

I’ve read a lot of genealogy books.  I’m not bragging or anything, but I work in a library, so it makes sense that I’m looking through/checking out/reading genealogy books all the time.  The results are mixed.

Are they all stunning works of research?  No.

A dry read?  Sometimes.  Ok.  Most of the time.

Useful?  Yes, most of them are useful.

Completely and utterly awesome?  Once in awhile.

Which is why I was really happy to read Crash Course in Genealogy by Dave Dowell.  I met him at a genealogy round table a few weeks ago, and he let me take a look at his book.

Awesome.  I wish I would have had a copy when I started doing research.  But I was able to read it and literally fall in love with genealogical records all over again, and that’s what made the book even better.

Originally intended as a basic genealogy training course for library staff, this book is a great introduction to genealogy subjects, resources, and research methodology. This book offers newbies a chance to begin their search without the daunting fear factor, but gives intermediate researchers a new way to look at their research. Dave’s breakdown of information into graphics, case studies, and additional resources is truly top-notch. His graphs and timelines really gave me a lot of insight into some of my own methodology.

Included in this book are clear reproductions of census forms, pedigree sheets, Haplogroup migrations, and an illustrated example of a Boolean search.

I could wax poetic, but his breakdown of the 1940 census was one of the best I’ve read.

Crash Course in Genealogy Chapter Index

Preface
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Backward Thinking and Other Keys to Successful Genealogical Research
Chapter 3: Genealogy Speed Dial
Chapter 4: 20th-Century Research
Chapter 5: 19th-Century Research
Chapter 6: Colonial Research
Chapter 7: Researching People of Color
Chapter 8: Taking Research to Another Country
Chapter 9: Fieldtrips
Chapter 10: Incorporating DNA Research
Chapter 11: Keeping Up to Date
Chapter 12: Concluding Thoughts
Appendix
Glossary of Genealogical Terms

This is a great book for your library, historical society, genealogy society or for a new genealogist!

You can check out a copy of Crash Course in Genealogy from your local library or order it online at Amazon.com.

Comment/Question of the Day:  What genealogy book do you run back to for inspiration or help?

Leave your interesting and creative responses in the comment box.

See you at the Library!

Debra

Thankful Thursday – Clark family descendent seeks resources and information

I’ve been looking over this research request for awhile, and while I can say I’m pretty good at finding a lot of really great information, I need a bit of assistance looking into this patron request.  I’ve spent several weekends looking into resources, making calls, all the while downing countless cups of vanilla roobios tea.

David Clark of Saratoga Springs Utah visited our library a month or so ago looking for information on his Clark family ancestors.

If the Clark family sounds familiar, it should ring a bell.  Several members of the Clark family were early settlers to this area.  Timothy Bladwin Clark, a veteran of the Blackhawk War, and his sons Barrett Bass Clark, and David Keeler Clark are buried at Hillcrest Cemetery of Barbers Corner (located at 380 E. Boghton Rd. in Bolingbrook).  The Clark family resided in this area between 1827-1831, moved west, and returned to this area before 1848.

A genealogical sketch of the Clark Family is available online at Community Family Tree.

Do you have any ideas for finding original documents, photographs, or additional resources for my out-of-town patron?

Please post your ideas, leads, and other tips in the comment box, or you can e-mail them to me at ddudek@fountaindale.org.

Go through your bookshelves, because next time you’ll need to be ready to post your favorite books books and movies which feature genealogy!

See you at the Library!

Debra

Cyndi’s List Spruces Up website and Irish-American Heritage Center Hosts Genealogy Meeting

If you’ve been been a user of the blockbuster site Cyndi’s List, you’ll really enjoy its newly launched website design.  With a new layout and some fantastic cosmetic adjustments, the site is better organized and is visually appealing.

I’ve always enjoyed the ‘What’s New’ section, which has provided me with a lot of great finds.  The genealogy category area seems cleaner and easier to use.  I’m also impressed by the design of the ‘new link’, ‘report a broken link’, or ‘update a link’ areas.

You can read more about it on Cyndi’s List: All Spruced Up – And Essential As Ever by Liz Haigney Lynch from the Newark Genealogy Examiner .

This weekend, the Irish American Heritage Center, located at 4626 N Knox Ave in Chicago,
will be open for genealogy research assistance on Sunday, June 26th.

The Irish American Heritage Center genealogy meetings are an opportunity for researchers to use the facilities of the library and discuss what families, areas and problems they’re having with their Irish and Irish-American research.

If you have any questions, please contact the Irish American Heritage Center at (773) 282-7035 or log on to their website at
http://irish-american.org/
.

Also, don’t forget to buy your tickets for the Irish American Heritage Center Irish Fest which runs July 8, 9, and 10 in Chicago!

Next week I will need your help tracking down local sources for an out-of-town patron!

See you at the Library!

Debra

Szabados gives tip on Find My Past Ireland, Holik-Urban publishes meeting review, and Bockman chronicles genealogy trip to France

During last night’s Genealogy Club meeting, our speaker Steve Szabados gave me a new Irish genealogy website to preview: www.findmypast.ie.

I’m a very big fan of findmypast.co.uk, which is a genealogy website for England, Wales, and the Isle of Man.  I’ve often referred patrons and genealogy researchers to this website for the free 14-day trial, which is a great way to break through those brick walls while providing a wonderful relief for the pocketbook.

Find My Past Ireland boasts 5 million available records available to help you get to know your ancestors, with millions more waiting to be made available online.  At the moment, there is a sizable collection of Irish land records, city directories, wills, obituaries, gravestone inscriptions and census substitutes.

I was really excited to see the Travel and Migration Records, which offers information on Irish emigrants from 1858 to 1870.  These records will probably not assist you with finding more about your famine-era ancestors, but keep an eye out for any updates to this section.

If your ancestors hailed from Dublin, you’ll find a fantastic Dublin 1851 Census available on Findmypast.ie!  This census is a wonderful way to substantiate a birth year and address for your ancestor.  It’s interesting to note that this census was enumerated by Dublin policemen!

To access records on Findmypast.ie, you can choose to purchase materials on a pay-per-view model, or a six-month or 12-month subscription.  If you are looking to explore this site with few strings attached, you might want to purchase 100 credits for roughly $14 (American) dollars.  These 100 credits will be good to use for 90 days.  You can find more payment options at
https://www.findmypast.ie/payments/credit
.

Blogs and Genealogy In The News

Jennifer Holik-Urban, genealogy researcher, author and FPLD Genealogy Day featured speaker just published a fantastic review of our meeting last night. With her technology know-how, research experience, and warm personality, Jennifer manages to run a business, author columns, a book, and five blogs while raising two young sons. You also need to read her recent case study entitled Finishing the Story which was published in the Jan-March volume of the National Genealogical Society magazine.  The library has a copy, and if you’re interested in WWI research you’ll really want to read it!  Jennifer is slated to speak at our next Genealogy Day on Saturday, April 7 2011.

Also in the news; genealogy researcher, author and former Dupage County Genealogical Society president  Jeffrey A. Bockman has had an article published in the Naperville Sun.

Jeff recently visited France to tour a village visited by his grandfather in World War I.  He has spoken about this topic briefly during his Genealogy Day presentation earlier this year.

If you need help with your research, or if you’re new to genealogy, make an appointment to see me!  Summer is the season for genealogy road trips and cemetery research, so let me know if you need any help!

Please feel free to comment and share this post with your friends!

See you at the Library!

Debra

Ancestry Library Edition available for in-library use only

Due to vendor contracts, the library will be unable to provide home access to Ancestry Library Edition.  However, the library will continue to provide remote access to  HeritageQuest, the Chicago Tribune Historical Archive, and America’s Obituaries.

You can access Ancestry Library Edition in our Local History Room on the 3rd floor, or in our Computer Commons on the 2nd floor of the library.

Thank you for your patience,

Debra