Some of my free presentations for Native American Heritage month

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  , ,  2 Comments

I have a busy week on my calendar. Each of these upcoming presentations of mine for National Native American Heritage Month is being presented at no cost to registrants. The presentations and extensive handouts are not exactly the same, though some sections are necessarily general. Parts of each are devoted to Indigenous peoples connected to the state in which the organizations are based. I am honored to present these and share research details on learning more about Indigenous ancestral families and to be mindful of the original residents on the land where we reside. I have several decades of research for Native American individuals, Tribes, and law firms and have served multiple tribes in various capacities. I will be available for questions and comments in each session.

November 9, 2022. 2-hour free webinar, Downers Grove Public Library, Illinois, and its partners, Fountaindale Public Library District, Indian Prairie Public Library, and Naperville Public Library.  Wednesday evening. 6:30-8:30 p.m. CST. My 2-hour presentation and handout “Sources and Methods for Researching Native American Ancestors.”

November 10, 2022. 1-hour webinar for members of the  Olmsted County Genealogical Society, Rochester, Minnesota. Thursday, 7:00 p.m. CST. My hour presentation and a handout will be “Sources and Methods for Researching Native American Ancestors.”

November 12, 2022. 2-hour free webinar Appleton Public Library, Appleton, Wisconsin. Saturday, 2:00 p.m. CST. My 2-hour presentation and handout: “Sources and Methods for Researching Native American Ancestors.”

 

November is Native American Heritage Month

Paula Stuart-Warren  Native American  ,  Leave a comment

November is National Native American Heritage Month. It has been celebrated by Presidential Proclamation for 30+ years and should have been for many more years.

This year’s proclamation by President Biden lays out the many reasons this is so necessary. Not everyone is aware of the importance, and our schools generally fail in educating students about it. It’s time to recognize and celebrate the history, culture, needs, and educational contributions. We must honor our nation’s first people and on whose land we reside in the 50 states, Washington, DC, and the territories.

Click here to read the 31 October 2022 Proclamation by President Biden. 

 

U.S. National Archives and 200+ million digitized images

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized    Leave a comment

A press release from several days ago:

“COLLEGE PARK, October 26, 2022 — The National Archives Catalog now contains more than 200 million digitized pages. 

The Office of Innovation collaborated with offices across the National Archives, as well as external partners like Ancestry and FamilySearch, to reach this milestone in August. 

Technical upgrades that improved how the agency uploads images have been critical to meeting this milestone and staying on track for the ultimate goal: 500 million digitized pages in the Catalog by September 2026.

The 205,039,338 digitized pages reflect records digitized by the agency and its partners, and the pages can be found in more than 28 million archival descriptions in the Catalog.” 

 

To read the full press release, get more links, and see an impressive chart of the growth of the digitization https://www.archives.gov/news/articles/catalog-200-million-digitized-pages

 

Farms, rivers, railroads, and all ancestral families covered in next Saturdays’ genealogy workshop

Paula Stuart-Warren  Seminars, Webinars  ,  Leave a comment

I have completed the multi-page handouts for next Saturday’s presentations and hope you will join me virtually in Covington, Kenton County, Kentucky. It’s not only the people directly involved in these occupations, but the people who supplied them, repaired them, married them, lived near them, and traveled with them. Need some ideas for where to turn next, how to figure out what else might exist, or to remind yourself that our ancestral families are varied? This coming Saturday is for you.

The day is free, but you do need to register to receive the link to join us from your computer or tablet. Click on the library’s name below for registration.

November 5, 2022. Virtual All-day Workshop. Kenton County Public Library, Kentucky. 10:15 EDT, 9:15 CDT.

  • Stuck? Have Your Tried…? Have You Overlooked…?
  • The Farmer in the Dell … and in Many U.S. Records
  • Online & On Track: Railroad Records, Indexes, and Finding Aids on the Internet
  • Researching Midwestern River People
  • A Wrap-Up Question and Answer Session to Follow

Searching for historical, cultural, and genealogical organizations in Minnesota

Paula Stuart-Warren  Historical Societies, Minnesota Historical Society  , ,  Leave a comment

Looking for a county historical organization in Minnesota? How about a genealogical society in your ancestral areas? It’s easy to do a search for keyword phrases such as St. Louis County Historical Society and be directed to the website. Did you know about the Eveleth Heritage Committee or the Virginia Area Historical Society in the same county? Try a search for the Fillmore County Historical Center and maybe find a link for the Fillmore County History Center. Not all county level historical societies have historical society as part of their title. In Fillmore County, you may need to check out the Harmony Area Historical Society or the Preston Historical Society. 

Searching for the name of a county genealogical society may not yield what you need. Many involve areas and not just one county and their names may not pop up in searches. 

The Minnesota Historical Society to the rescue with these lists of titles, addresses, emails, and websites. Check the websites to be sure each has the type of material genealogists generally seek. Some are only museums and others are more closely related to area preservation efforts. 

The Minnesota Genealogical Society has a resource list of organizations and some have a description of the research materials held. 

 

 

AskAnArchivist day is Wednesday, October 12

Paula Stuart-Warren  Archives  4 Comments

Do you have a question to ask an archivist? Wednesday, October 12, 2022 is #AskAnArchivist Day!

  • Have some things to donate? Ask about that.
  • Wonder whether there is an online catalog for XYZ archives? Ask away.
  • What’s the best archives for doing Indigenous research in Minnesota?
  • Does your archives offer classes? 
  • What’s the best way to store an old bible? Click on that link above to ask your questions on Twitter. Ask general questions or search for a specific archives. Some archives are taking questions on Facebook, too. 

Ask general questions or search for a specific archives. Some archives are taking questions on Facebook, too.

 

 

Indigenous Peoples Day in 2022. We still aren’t learning from the past.

Paula Stuart-Warren  Native American    3 Comments
I have reread the 7 October 2022 Proclamation by President Joseph R. Biden. This, the article mentioned in the paragraph above, and many others should be required reading in schools AND for adults. It begins with these two paragraphs:

     “On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor the sovereignty, resilience, and immense contributions that Native Americans have made to the world; and we recommit to upholding our solemn trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribal Nations, strengthening our Nation-to-Nation ties.

     For centuries, Indigenous Peoples were forcibly removed from ancestral lands, displaced, assimilated, and banned from worshiping or performing many sacred ceremonies.  Yet today, they remain some of our greatest environmental stewards.  They maintain strong religious beliefs that still feed the soul of our Nation.  And they have chosen to serve in the United States Armed Forces at a higher rate than any other group.  Native peoples challenge us to confront our past and do better, and their contributions to scholarship, law, the arts, public service, and more continue to guide us forward.”

 
We can continue to honor the memories of ancestors who immigrated to this country but must not forget the Indigenous People who were already here, were forced westward over and over, children taken away from parents, arrests made for observing their own culture and many other horrific things. When are human beings going to learn to be kind, helpful, and respectful of everyone? Too much of that did not happen in the past and still does not happen today. I will observe Indigenous Peoples Day and continue to research this great heritage which alas, I do not have. 

 

Hey genealogists! Legacy Family Tree Webinars top picks for September!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Webinars  ,  Leave a comment

Regular readers know that I love to present educational webinars for Legacy Family Tree Webinars. Then I love to listen to the presentations of others, both live or recorded if I missed the live times.  Each month, Geoff Rasmussen releases a list of the top webinars from the preceding month. My 14 September presentation on “Michigan: An Upper Midwest Researcher’s Dream” is number 18 on the list which is pretty good for a state-specific topic. Read the full September list here https://news.legacyfamilytree.com/legacy_news/2022/10/top-10-genealogy-webinars-september-2022.html

 

Grants to history organizations in Minnesota that impact genealogists

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized    Leave a comment

From a 20 September 2022 press release from the Minnesota Historical Society:

The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is pleased to announce the newest recipients of 28 Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Small Grants ($10,000 and less), totaling $264,831 in 15 counties. Small grants are awarded quarterly to help nonprofits, educational organizations, government units and federally recognized tribes to preserve and share Minnesota history. This cycle of awards was approved by the MNHS Executive Council on Sept. 7, 2022.

Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants are made possible by the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008. The Legacy Amendment supports efforts to preserve Minnesota land, water and legacy, including Minnesota history and cultural heritage.

A Selection of the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Small Grant Recipients and it will be immediately evident why family historians should be excited.

Brown County Historical Society, New Ulm, $8,691
To provide better organization of the museum’s archival collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Cannon Falls Area Historical Society, Cannon Falls, $10,000
To hire qualified professionals to produce the second half of a manuscript on the history of the Mineral Springs Sanatorium.

Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County, Moorhead, $10,000
To provide better organization of the museum’s archival collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Le Sueur County Historical Society, Le Center, $9,875
To purchase a microfilm reader/printer/scanner to make microfilmed records more accessible to the public.

Washington County Historical Society, Stillwater, $10,000
To hire a qualified historian to research and write the history of brewing and breweries in Washington County.

To view more of the grant recipients click here. 

 

Updated speaking calendar with my next genealogy presentation on October 4 for Family History Month

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized    Leave a comment

I have added several new presentation dates to my Speaking Calendar. Click on the Speaking tab above or click here to see the full list even into 2023. Next up is this free webinar as we celebrate Family History Month in October here in the U.S. 

October 4, 2022. Free webinar. Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research, Houston, Texas. 2:00 p.m. CDT. My presentation and handout “Researching Midwestern River People.” It really applies to research on all river connected people, captain, dock workers, storekeepers, engineers, and their families. Wait for a special connection between Texas and the Midwest!