The discount registration deadline for this wonderful week of courses right in the backyard of the Family History Library is tomorrow, November 16th. You save $25.00 if you register today or tomorrow! For all the course details click here. If you wish to read my previous lengthier blog entry about SLIG, click here.
The Catholic News Agency recently distributed a story with that title about the Diocese of St. Augustine in Florida. The opening paragraph stated “The oldest extant European documents written in U.S. continental territory are now hosted at the Archives of the Diocese of St. Augustine.”
The story also said “One of the earliest documents, dated Jan. 24, 1594, is a handwritten record by Fr. Diego Escobar de Sambrana. It describes the marriage of soldier Gabriel Hernandez to Catalina de Valdes in St. Augustine.” So why can’t we find “modern” marriage records for some of our ancestors! The material in the archives was brought back to one place from a variety of other archives.
On September 22d, a new archives building was dedicated. “Curators intend to digitize the archives so that they can be easily and safely used by researchers.” Unfortunately, the article does not give any time line for that process. Diocesan archives information can be found here and that includes their list of rules for researchers. “The diocese maintains Episcopal archives (1857-1967) and the parish registers of the Cathedral-Basilica (1594-1881). The archives also handles requests for genealogical research and the history of Catholicism in Florida.”
Its been a bunch of years since I was an officer of the Association of Professional Genealogists. The elections go on year after year and bring in new officers and board members to lead the organization. The results of the recent election were released today. Congratulations to you all and you have my support and thanks for serving. I know it is a big volunteer commitment, but it is worth it. A big thanks to all the outgoing officers and board members and to the others who ran in this election.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
13 November 2009
Laura G. Prescott Elected APG President
WESTMINSTER, Colo., November 13 – Laura G. Prescott of Brookline, New Hampshire, has been elected president of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), the world’s leading professional organization of family history and related professionals. Prescott is genealogist for the Nickerson Family Association and a consultant for Footnote.com. She will succeed Jake Gehring of Salt Lake City, Utah.
Prescott, reflecting on her upcoming tenure, said “I’m very excited about the next two years. We have a diverse and enthusiastic group of people on the board. This enthusiasm, coupled with the momentum from the current administration, will surely bring benefits to our members. Chapters will continue to play a vital role in reaching members and genealogists on a local level, while we try innovative ways, nationally and internationally, to educate and inform the membership, as well as aspiring genealogists. As professionals, we have a responsibility to set an example and support each other in making positive contributions to the entire genealogical community and to the profession.”
APG members also elected three members of the board’s executive committee to two-year terms, eleven of its nineteen regional directors, and two members to one-year terms on the nominating committee.
Kenyatta D. Berry of Santa Monica, California, a genealogist, entrepreneur, and lawyer with more than 12 years of experience in genealogy research and writing was elected vice president of the nearly 2,000 member organization. Andrew M. “Drew” Smith, MLS, of Odessa, Florida, president of the Florida Genealogical Society of Tampa, and co-host of the Genealogy Guys Podcast was elected secretary. Current APG treasurer, Gordon Gray of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was re-elected. He owns GrayLine Group, a genealogical/family history research business and is the president of the International Society for British Genealogy & Family History.
Eleven regional director positions will be filled by:
West Region:
Suzanne Russo Adams, AG, of Utah, specialist in Italian research and employee of Ancestry.com. James Ison, AG, CG, of Utah, president of the APG Salt Lake Chapter and manager of Strategy and Planning for the Family History Library.
Midwest Region:
Mary Clement Douglass, Salina, Kansas, former museum curator and co-founder of the APG Heartland Chapter. Jay Fonkert, CG, St. Paul, Minnesota, genealogical educator and writer, and president of the Minnesota Genealogical Society.
Southeast Region:
Alvie L. Davidson, CG, a Florida-based Private Investigator and Circuit Court qualified expert. Craig Roberts Scott, CG, President and CEO of Heritage Books, Inc. Melanie D. Holtz, of North Carolina, specialist in Italian research.
Northeast Region:
Debra Braverman, New York, national speaker and forensic genealogist who regularly testifies as an expert witness. Pamela S. Eagleson, CG, Maine, researcher, writer, and teacher focusing on New England, the mid-Atlantic, and Midwest.
International Regions:
Michael Goldstein of Israel, traces roots worldwide, specializing in family reunification, heir searches, and holocaust research. Carole Riley, a professional genealogist based in Sydney, Australia with a background in computer applications.
David McDonald, CG, of Wisconsin, currently serving as a trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists and a director of the National Genealogical Society; and Donna M. Moughty, Florida, speaker and writer were elected to one-year terms on the nominations committee.
The Association of Professional Genealogists (http://www.apgen.org), established in 1979, represents nearly 2,000 genealogists, librarians, writers, editors, historians, instructors, booksellers, publishers, and others involved in genealogy-related businesses. APG encourages genealogical excellence, ethical practice, mentoring, and education. The organization also supports the preservation and accessibility of records useful to the fields of genealogy, local, and social history. Its members represent all fifty states, Canada, and thirty other countries.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13, 2009
DAVID FERRIERO SWORN IN AS 10TH ARCHIVIST OF THE UNITED STATES
Washington, DC. . . David Ferriero, the former Andrew W. Mellon Director of the New York Public Libraries and a leader in the field of research librarianship, was sworn in today as the tenth Archivist of the United States at a small ceremony at the National Archives at College
Park. Mr. Ferriero will move to Washington and assume his duties full-time in the very near future.
At his swearing-in ceremony, Mr. Ferriero said, “I’m very excited about being here. I am looking forward to jumping in with both feet to work with the staff at the National Archives on the important issues that we face in a world increasingly dependent upon information and
technology.”
Ancestry.com Publishes for the First Time Online Collection of Twentieth-Century Navy Records Site Celebrates Veterans Day with Free Access to Entire U.S. Military Records Collection
PROVO, UT (Nov. 11, 2009) – Ancestry.com today added more than 600 Navy cruise books to its online collection of military records to commemorate Veterans Day. This historic effort is the result of an agreement between Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online resource for family history, and the United States Navy. As part of the agreement, Ancestry.com set up scanners on location at the Navy Department Library in Washington, DC, and has spent several months digitizing the cruise books for this occasion.
The collection of Navy cruise books, available exclusively online at Ancestry.com, represents nearly 40 years of cruises following World War II (1950-1988) and chronicles an estimated 450,000 servicemen deployed at sea during that time. Styled after yearbooks, the cruise books include the names and photographs of individuals who served aboard the ship and highlight not only significant milestones that took place during the cruise, but also the day-to-day life on board ship. While not every Navy cruise was documented in a cruise book, the Navy Department Library has on file an estimated 3,500 cruise books, which Ancestry.com plans to digitize and add to this collection over time.
“When Ancestry.com approached the Navy about digitizing these cruise books for online access, we were thrilled,” said Captain Charles Todd Creekman, Jr., USN (Ret.) Executive Director of the Naval Historical Foundation. “A cruise book offers an insider’s perspective into what these sailors experienced, and the strong camaraderie they established, while serving their country at sea.”
The Navy cruise books are part of Ancestry.com’s U.S. Military Collection, which includes 100 million names that span more than three centuries of American military service. “When you have a family member who has served in the Armed Forces, you can’t help but be proud,” said Tim Sullivan, CEO of Ancestry.com. “This Veterans Day, we’re celebrating America’s military heroes of yesterday and today and invite every American with military roots to see if they can learn something new about their family member on Ancestry.com.”
In honor of America’s military heroes, the entire U.S. Military Collection on Ancestry.com can be searched free through Nov. 13. To begin exploring your family’s military heritage, visit www.ancestry.com/military.
This press release was just received from the U.S. National Archives. I hope this bodes well for all types of researchers and the preservation of and true access to the records.
David Ferriero Confirmed by U.S. Senate as 10th Archivist of the United States
Washington, DC. . . Today, the United States Senate voted to confirm David Ferriero as the 10th Archivist of the United States. Mr. Ferriero was the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the New York Public Libraries and is a leader in the field of library science. Mr. Ferriero, who was nominated by President Obama on July 28, 2009, will succeed Professor Allen Weinstein who resigned as Archivist in December 2008 for health reasons. Deputy Archivist Adrienne Thomas is serving as the Acting Archivist until Mr. Ferriero assumes his duties.
As the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the New York Public Libraries (NYPL), Mr. Ferriero was part of the leadership team responsible for integrating the four research libraries and 87 branch libraries into one seamless service for users, creating the largest public library system in the United States and one of the largest research libraries in the world. Mr. Ferriero was in charge of collection strategy; conservation; digital experience; reference and research services; and education, programming, and exhibitions.
Among his responsibilities at the NYPL was the development of the library’s digital strategy, which currently encompasses partnerships with Google and Microsoft, a web site that reaches more than 25 million unique users annually, and a digital library of more than 750,000 images that may be accessed free of charge by any user around the world.
Before joining the NYPL in 2004, Mr. Ferriero served in top positions at two of the nation’s major academic libraries, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA, and Duke University in Durham, NC. In those positions, he led major initiatives including the expansion of facilities, the adoption of digital technologies, and a reengineering of printing and publications.
Mr. Ferriero earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English literature from Northeastern University in Boston and a master’s degree from the Simmons College of Library and information Science, also in Boston. After serving in the Navy during the Vietnam War, he started in the humanities library at MIT, where he worked for 31 years, rising to associate director for public services and acting co-director of libraries.
In 1996, Mr. Ferriero moved to Duke University, where he served as University Librarian and Vice Provost for Library Affairs until 2004. At Duke, he raised more than $50 million to expand and renovate the university’s library and was responsible for instructional technology initiatives, including overseeing Duke’s Center for Instructional Technology.
As Archivist of the United States, Mr. Ferriero will oversee the National Archives and Records Administration, an independent Federal agency created by statute in 1934. The National Archives safeguards and preserves the records of the U.S. Government, ensuring that the people can discover, use, and learn from this documentary heritage. The National Archives ensures continuing access to records that document the rights of American citizens, the actions of federal officials, and the national experience.
Christmas 1962 at 1080 Bowdoin in St. Paul
All the grandchildren of Earl James and Olga Theodora (Toots) (Carlsen) Stuart.
Did you, an ancestor, or other family member attend Purdue University? The Purdue yearbooks from 1889 through 2007 are now online according to a November 1st article at BoilerStation.com.
“Sammie Morris, head of archives and special collections at Purdue, said the library staff saw a need to scan the yearbooks due to the many requests that come from out-of-town individuals searching for information. And, she said, month-to-month statistics show hundreds of thousands of visits to the site since its launch in February.”
It is possible to search by a name, topic, building name, or other ways. An advanced search capability is offered for this and other digitized items. Checking year after year shows a changing view of the campus, courses, activities, and of course, the students.
The 1907 edition shows very few women but has an interesting entry on page 173 for one of the men, Lester Elliot Gunn from Toledo, Ohio. “He expects to enter the employ of the Wabash Railroad and we all hope to see him President some day.” Sadly, there is a handwritten addition to his entry “Deceased October 2, 1918.” In 1907 the thesis topic of each graduate is listed.
Read the full online article by clicking here. The name of the yearbook? Debris. No, I did not check for the reasoning behind that name. Any Purdue grads want to explain?
Please share the following with your genealogy friends:
Five days of learning. Five days of discovering ways to find your ancestors. Five days of networking. Five days of techniques to break through brick walls. Five days of fun. Five days of working on your own family. Five days of making new friends.
And to top all that off, you will be near the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. SLIG classes take place in the downtown Radisson Hotel which is less than 2 blocks from the library. Heck, you don’t ever have to venture out if you don’t want to. Stay at the hotel and take the elevator or stairs to the classroom and to the restaurant. If you decide that you do want to visit the library (is there any doubt?) there is usually no problem walking on downtown SLC sidewalks even in winter. I am always amazed at how clean those are kept no matter the time of year. You may hear weather forecasts of big snow in the area but that is up in the mountains not down in the valleys. Traditionally, SLIG draws students from all over the United States and some from Canada. If you don’t normally get to see snow in the winter months, you might be lucky enough to see a couple inches that week but it doesn’t always happen.
Live locally? Take the Trax to within 1 block of the library. Don’t make enough use of the library that is practically in your own backyard? This is a great opportunity to learn from instructors who are very familiar with the FHL.
Registrations made by November 16th save $25.00 off the full price. For your fee you receive all the classes in the course you choose, course materials, an orientation breakfast and the Friday night banquet. Optional evening classes and additional dinner tickets are extra. To see the full and varied list of courses click here.
I am in charge of Course I that is an intermediate level course on U.S. resources titled American Records and Research: Focusing on Families. The 2010 classes focus on topics related to researching individuals and families in the 19th-21st centuries. Sixteen informative classroom hours on significant U.S. records and strategies take you beyond basic research tools. In addition, for this course only, 6.5 hours of help in the Family History Library during the Institute week provide hands-on assistance and guidance. This totals 22.5 hours for your one fee. Time in the library will also include mini-tours and instruction on the recently expanded number of digital scanners for capturing your own images from microfilm.
I just read a story about the Sequoia Genealogical Society in Tulare, California. The society owns between 5,000 – 7,000 books that have been housed in the public library in Tulare since 1976. They were recently informed that they are being “evicted” even before moving into the new city library. The space for the genealogy section had been on the drawing board for the new library. The library says it needs to serve more people. “The library now plans to use that space for a learning center, which would offer tutoring, job training and community group activities.”
I wonder if the library ever did anything to promote the genealogy section that was staffed by volunteers? Click here to read the full article. The genealogy section is included on the library’s website here. The website says it is “one of the largest collections of genealogical materials between Los Angeles and San Francisco.”