Baseball and Genealogy

Paula Stuart-Warren  Baseball, Methodology  2 Comments

I grew up as one of three sisters with no surviving brothers. My Dad was a baseball fan and he took his daughters to baseball games. I remember outdoor baseball at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Some of those players I watched are now in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Next week I will be visiting the Hall of Fame — in fact I will be in Cooperstown this weekend for the annual induction ceremonies courtesy of a friend who lives in the town.

Today I am scrambling on the last day of research at the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston, Massachusetts before heading to Cooperstown. I had the good fortune to run into someone I haven’t seen in years — Robert Charles Anderson. Many of you may recognize his name as author of the NEHGS series The Great Migration.

Bob is also a baseball lover. Years ago he wrote a wonderful article on “Baseball Genealogy” in the quarterly of the Association of Professional Genealogists (Vol. 6, Fall 1991, page 59). I had missed his more recent article on “The Family of Asa Brainerd (1840-1888), Pioneer Professional Baseball Player” that was published in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record (Vol. 138, 2007, pages 5-13). For anyone who wants some additional ideas on research techniques involving a family involved in baseball, you might want to check this article. Bob uses sound genealogical methodology in his quest for the correct story of the life and ancestry of Asa Brainerd. Part of Bob’s work showed that previous articles and biographical material on Asa were incorrect. Authors and editors had copied from each other without verifying the details. It’s like copying someone’s online or published family tree without verifying the names, dates, places, and other info.

A sign of the times and a call for help

Paula Stuart-Warren  Archives, Michgan, Minnesota Historical Society  Leave a comment

I love it when things grow by leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, this time it isn’t something to love. Historical societies, archives, state libraries, public libraries, and other places where family historians do their research are floundering. The number of those floundering due to drastic budget and staffing cuts in today’s economy is what is growing by leaps and bounds. It’s impossible to miss each new cut if you read genealogy and history newsletters, websites, ezines, blogs, and even Facebook. Many of my colleagues post such things on Facebook.

My own Minnesota Historical Society has done some of that staff cutting in 2009 and needed the support of historians and genealogists. One of the latest concerns is that of the excellent Michigan Historical Library and Archives in Lansing, Michigan. As in so many states and at the federal level in the U.S. and other countries, history is being lost when there are not funds to house and preserve it.

My friends Shirley Hodges and Liz Kerstens who are both Michigan residents are among those quite concerned about the recent changes in preserving that state’s history. They are among those who are keeping the topic alive on Facebook. On July 13th, Governor Jennifer Granholm issued an executive order closing the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries. Its functions are to be distributed among seven other departments and some outside groups, including possibly Michigan State University. The archives would be under the Department of Natural Resources! For more of the details check out Leland Meitzler’s GenealogyBlog.com

Shirley has written an article on the issue and help needed in the July 23d issue of Global Gazette. She has asked her colleagues to please share it “with anyone who might be interested in the situation that we are facing regarding the Library of Michigan. We need all of the help that we can get.”

She further added: “If you don’t already subscribe to the Gazette, you should do so. It is free and comes via e-mail. It is published by Global Genealogy and has lots of wonderful articles and genealogy tips. They are wonderful friends to the genealogical community.” Click here for details.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Fourth of July memories

Paula Stuart-Warren  Family  Leave a comment

I hope you took some time to remember the importance of the 4th of July and celebrated the freedom and independence of the United States. I feel fortunate to call this country my home.

Randy Seaver, blogger extraordinaire, is known for challenging his fellow bloggers or suggesting writing assignments on a variety of things. His Genea-musings of today has the usual Saturday Night Genealogy Fun. He wants his fellow Geneabloggers to write about the 4th of July.

1. Think of the best Fourth of July you remember from your childhood.
The best one was actually year after year of the same thing. Oh was it fun. Our neighbors, the Lindbergs, had a pool. We would swim all day, have hot dogs and hamburgers cooked by our dads, and then come back to my house to watch the fireworks. From our large backyard we could see the beautiful fireworks that used to be fired off from Highland Park in St. Paul. The oldest Lindberg sons and friends usually had their own bootlegged fireworks and the younger kids had sparklers. What a simple but so enjoyable day.

2. Think of the best fourth of July you remember from your adulthood.
When my parents sold their house, they moved into a condo that was directly across from Central Park in Roseville, a St. Paul suburb. The pool was indoors but their condo had a patio that fronted on to the park where another beautiful fireworks display took place. For several years the entire family gathered there to play, swim, eat, and watch the fireworks. It was more special because my own children got to experience the Fourth with one set of grandparents.

Several years ago my husband and I were in Washington, DC over the Fourth of July. It was a hot day but we watched the parade down the Mall, did a lot of walking around, saw other events, and I was so excited to be live at the nation’s Capitol to watch the entertainment and the fireworks. Suddenly I was ill — the horrible heat that day had taken a toll on me and we ended up going back to the apartment to watch the evening events. It’s not the best, but one that almost was a very special one.

3. What did you do today?
I spent the morning with my oldest granddaughter as we finished assembling my new bookshelves. Well, honestly, I just assisted her. She did almost all the work while I did a variety of things. Then I took her home and came home to continue rearranging things in my living room and dining room. Cooked on the grill and am now watching “A Capitol Fourth” live from Washington, DC. In a little while I will venture outside to see if I can catch the fireworks from a nearby lake.

I hope your day has been both fun and relaxing.

Staycation Research #1: Enlightment

Paula Stuart-Warren  Conferences/Institutes, Federation of Genealogical Societies, Research  Leave a comment

Yes, the economy is changing our research. Libraries, archives, and courthouses are not open as many hours. Some knowledgeable staff members are no longer employed. We are not doing as much distance travel for research purposes. At the end of this summer I am traveling to Little Rock for the 2009 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference. I don’t want to miss that. On my way there and back I will be combining that and some on-site research in several localities. That is my big trip of the summer.

Most of the other summer and fall research time is being spent near home in what many have termed “staycations.” I have already spent time at my nearby county branch library in the reference and history sections. What else can we do this summer and fall to stay nearer to home and save for the major trips?

  • Catch up on your reading. What historical and genealogical books sit on your shelves that you could pick up and actually read from cover to cover?
  • Have some relatives that are hesitant to share with you? How about just sending them a newsy letter or email telling them about what you have found on the past generations. Let them know what your branch of the family is up to. Ask them how their garden is doing or how the grandchildren are doing. Make it light and don’t ask them for a single thing. This could also be called “buttering them up” for the requests you may make in a few months!
  • Does a local library (public, historical, and/or genealogical) give away duplicate books, periodical, or have a sale over the summer? Pick up some good historical and genealogical reading.
  • When did you last review the files on your Griffin family. Pull them out and you will be ready to travel some week in the future.
  • Volunteer in the local history room or archive so that others will find it open when they visit.

Watch for more ideas in future posts.

Two days left to save on FGS Conference

Paula Stuart-Warren  Conferences, Federation of Genealogical Societies  Leave a comment

Two Days Left to Save on an Exciting Genealogy Conference

Wednesday, July 1st is an important date. That is the last day to register with a savings of $50.00 for the exciting Federation of Genealogical Societies 2009 “Conference for the Nation’s Genealogists.” The September 2-5 event is being held in Little Rock, hosted by the Arkansas Genealogical Society. The hospitality features of this conference will make us all feel right at home!

• Who is invited? Anyone interested in genealogy and history. Family historians, genealogy dabblers, professional genealogists, geneabloggers, librarians, archivists, Civil War buffs, and writers are already registered.

• What will be there? Almost 200 lectures, workshops, special events, meals, and other things to do over 4 days. Learn from top genealogists, librarians, and archivists from all over the U. S. Mingle with folks that will listen to your genealogy stories.

• Need more reasons? Find out how to interpret old documents, figure out where that land deed is today, understand the workings of the U.S. National Archives, hear about digitizing records, determine if ancestors served in the Revolutionary or Civil wars, get a sneak preview of new software and databases, and become energized to dig more thoroughly to find and document your family and community history.

• Gain knowledge about family history records and resources that are online and the billions of pieces of paper that are not online yet but hold ancestral details.

To register please visit www.fgsconference.org. The conference also has a news blog that carries vital details, updates, news, and FAQs along with a way to make your own comments and post questions that will be answered. For the blog visit www.fgsconferenceblog.org.

Paula Stuart-Warren
National Publicity Chair
FGS/AGS 2009 Conference
[email protected]

Sam Weller of Sam Weller’s Bookstore fame passes away

Paula Stuart-Warren  Salt Lake City  Leave a comment

Just this past March I blogged about the closing of Sam Weller’s bookstore in Salt Lake City. A visit to Sam Weller’s was a tradition for many genealogically minded visitors to Salt Lake City and locals checked there every so often for a genealogy gem or two. It was a general bookstore with many other types of books, a section for those of the LDS faith, but my areas were the travel, genealogy, and history books. The used genealogy books often included some that were quickly picked up by shoppers.

Now comes word in yesterday and today’s Salt Lake Tribune that Sam Weller has passed away. If you ever visited the bookstore in any of its former locations, please read the neat article and the stories shared in the comments sections. One more independent bookstore owner and store gone.

New Orleans Public Library’s Louisiana Biography and Obituary Index now fully online

Paula Stuart-Warren  Libraries, Newspaper Indexes, Newspapers  Leave a comment

This press release appeared online this morning. Don’t forget that many immigrants to this country arrived at the port of New Orleans. Many then ventured up the Mississippi River to their new homes. U.S. residents may have spent some time in New Orleans as they journeyed on the water from the East Coast to the West Coast and vice versa. This is one index I have dreamed of using because much of it was a WPA (Work Projects Administration) indexing project in the late 1930 as part of FDR’s New Deal program. Since that time, librarians have made extensive additions to the index. The library’s website includes information on ordering copies of articles the index references.

“The New Orleans Public Library’s Louisiana Division is pleased to announce that its “Louisiana Biography and Obituary Index” is now available online.

The original Index, which references obituaries appearing in New Orleans newspapers, 1805-1972, and selected biographical references in a variety of published sources, is a massive card file of some 650,000 cards, most of which include multiple references. The online version, a searchable database of the card index, is the result of a nearly 10-year-long collaboration between NOPL and The Historic New Orleans Collection, which funded the project and produced the database and the web interface. While names from about the first third of the alphabet have been searchable online for a number of years, the database is now complete. Names can be searched from Aachler, Fred E. to Zyzik, Pauline Wyplor. We are finally done.

To search the index (and find out more about the project), please link to http://neworleanspubliclibrary.org/obits/obits.htm. (If you have the original version of the index linked or bookmarked, please note that the link has changed, since the completed index has moved to a new server.)

Irene Wainwright
Archivist, Louisiana Division/City Archives
New Orleans Public Library
219 Loyola Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70112

The clock is ticking — 8 days left for discount on FGS Conference

Paula Stuart-Warren  Conferences, Federation of Genealogical Societies  Leave a comment

It once seemed to be in the distant future. The countdown clock has been ticking. July 1st is the very last day to register with a discount for the Federation of Genealogical Societies 2009 Conference and save big on a full conference registration. It is only $175.00 if you register by then. Divide that amount by four full days of conference activities with all those lectures to choose from and it is a educational bargain. This is a “Conference for the Nations’ Genealogists.”

Go to www.fgsconference.org and register online. If you print the registration form and mail it in, be sure it is postmarked on or before July 1, 2009.

If you are registering online you may do that using your Visa, Master Card, or Discover charge cards. The system does not accept debit cards.

Of course, registrations will be accepted after July 1 but the discount will be gone. Register now and join all the other genealogists from Arkansas and from states all over the country at this genealogical, educational, and networking bonanza from September 2-5 in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Smithsonian workers identify Buffalo Soldier’s remains

Paula Stuart-Warren  Cemeteries  Leave a comment

Today’s Washington Post carries the story of remains found in New Mexico that were identified and the steps that were involved. The young man was a Buffalo Soldier, one of many African American men who served in the U.S. army in the “west.” The bones and skull had to be matched after those from this young man and others had been disturbed. It’s unfortunate that people still distub the resting places of those who have gone before us. But the end result of this case is just one more example of how modern scientific methods can help piece history together, not just for Thomas Smith, but for others, too.

The Post article reported “But his grave outside an abandoned New Mexico fort had been violated. His bones were scrambled. And investigators believe his skull, still with most of its hair, became a relic hunter’s trophy before it was returned to authorities in a paper bag.

Last month, experts working at the Smithsonian Institution matched the young man’s skull with a skeleton exhumed from the fort’s cemetery, solving a gruesome mystery of looted graves, purloined artifacts, and life and death on the old frontier.

It was part of a project of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and federal land, water and law enforcement agencies looking into the decades-long ransacking of the cemetery outside Fort Craig, in New Mexico.”

The story is fascinating — click here to read it in full.

The Genealogy Guys Podcast LIVE at FGS in Little Rock!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Conferences/Institutes, Federation of Genealogical Societies  Leave a comment

The Genealogy Guys Podcast, the longest regularly running genealogy podcast in the world, will be recording a LIVE session on Thursday, September 3rd at 3:30 PM during this year’s Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference. You can be in the audience and submit questions for possible inclusion in the episode! The Genealogy Guys are George G. Morgan and Drew Smith. Both George and Drew are heavily involved in genealogy and have long been volunteers in the field. Each is an accomplished author, lecturer, and downright nice guy.

For more details check the FGS Conference Blog.