Colleen Joy Shogan, Nominee for Archivist of the United States

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From the White House today! Ms. Shogan is among several nominees by President Biden for government positions. She will be the first ever woman to be the Archivist of the United States. Trudy Huskamp Peterson was acting archivist from 1993-1995. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/03/president-biden-announces-key-nominees-28/

“Colleen Shogan is the Senior Vice President and Director of the David M. Rubenstein Center for White House History at the White House Historical Association. For the past decade, Shogan has taught a graduate course on politics and American history at Georgetown University as an Adjunct Lecturer in the Government Department. She also moderates the Emerging Governance Leaders seminar at the Aspen Institute. She served as the Vice Chair of the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission, the bipartisan commission designated by Congress to commemorate the Nineteenth Amendment. Before her current position, Shogan worked for over a decade at the Library of Congress, serving in senior roles as the Assistant Deputy Librarian for Collections and Services and the Deputy Director of the Congressional Research Service. As a Library employee, she completed the Stennis Congressional Fellowship Program for the 112th Congress. Earlier in her career, Shogan worked as a Senate policy staffer, beginning her service through the American Political Science Association (APSA) Congressional Fellowship Program. Shogan served as the President of the National Capitol Area Political Science Association and was an elected member of the APSA Council.

Prior to her federal service, Shogan was an Assistant Professor of Government and Politics at George Mason University. Her research areas of focus include the American presidency, American political development, women in politics, and Congress. Shogan’s Moral Rhetoric of American Presidents was named by the Wall Street Journal as one of the top five books written on presidential rhetoric. She received her Ph.D. in Political Science from Yale University. A first-generation college graduate in her family, Shogan received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston College. Born and raised near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she is a public-school graduate of Norwin Senior High School. Shogan currently resides in Arlington, Virginia.”

National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown has many Minnesota connections (& a library!)

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These magnets from Cooperstown are on my office filing cabinet.

Today was the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony. I watched it on TV and wished I had been there. In July of 2009, I visited the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. What a neat experience viewing the bronze plaques and at least peeking into the library. The Giamatti Research Center is a place where I really would like to spend time. Thank you to my friend and colleague Karen Mauer Jones for the hospitality and tours of Cooperstown that year.

Today’s ceremony was full of Minnesota connections. Hall of Famers Paul Molitor, Jack Morris, and Dave Winfield who grew up in Saint Paul (my hometown) were on the stage. All three of them played for the Minnesota Twins during their careers. Former Minnesota Twins players also in the Hall of Fame include Bert Blyleven, Rod Carew, Steve Carlton, Harmon Killebrew, David Ortiz (Big Papi), Kirby Puckett, and Jim Thome. Today, Jim Kaat and Tony Oliva (Tony-O) were added to that list.

That stage held many Hall of Famers today but I loved seeing Blyleven, Carew, Kaat, Molitor, Morris, Oliva, Ortiz, Thome, and Winfield there.

Then there was Dave Winfield speaking for one of the inductees, Bud Fowler. Fowler grew up in Cooperstown. He was born nearby as John W. Jackson and his pioneering as an African American player is legendary. Late last year, I learned he had a Minnesota connection! He played for one season on a Stillwater, Minnesota team. The Washington County, Minnesota Historical Society’s website and Facebook page share a lot about Fowler.

Minnesota Historical Society announces recipients of Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants

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On July 12, 2022, the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) announced recent recipients of 33 Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Small Grants totaling $281,675 in 23 counties. It’s always exciting to see what’s happening with the fund from the Legacy Amendment in our state.

A few examples of the grants and how they will be used:

  • Cottonwood County Historical Society, Windom, $10,000
    To purchase a microfilm reader/printer/scanner to make microfilmed records more accessible to the public.
  • St. Olaf College, Northfield, $10,000
    To hire a qualified professional to complete a manuscript on the history of Japanese American college students in World War II Minnesota.

  • Scandia Heritage Alliance, Scandia, $10,000
    To hire a qualified historian to conduct primary source research on the history of indigenous peoples who lived along the St. Croix River around what is now Scandia and Marine on St. Croix.

  • Stearns History Museum, St. Cloud, $9,655
    To write a literature review of the Dakota and Ojibwe people in Stearns County.

To see the full list of grant recipients click here to view the media release on the MNHS website.

 

MyHeritage and adding bio, adoptive, and foster parents!

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Day by day, week by week, month by month our genealogy websites change, update, add, configure, and other things behind the scenes that we don’t even see! What? Nothing stays the same on a given site as technology changes. I appreciate that companies keep working to keep things running. Then there are the things that are NEW additions that are really needed. The word family doesn’t always have the same meaning as we might have given it when we were young. For some, the word family may have been a bad emotional trigger. My family life as I was growing up was not too bad. I’m the first-born, just 9 months after my parents were married! I have friends who were adopted and others who have adopted or fostered some really cool children. 

Two days ago, MyHeritage announced one of these important updates:

“Families come in all shapes and sizes. MyHeritage users can now specify up to three sets of parents for any individual in the online family tree: biological, adoptive, and foster. For example, if an individual was adopted and his or her biological parents are known, both relationships can now be accommodated in the family tree in a few simple steps.”

Read more about it on the MyHeritage Blog https://blog.myheritage.com/2022/07/new-managing-multiple-sets-of-parents-in-the-online-family-tree/

 

Catching up on email, cleaning house, and GRIP still feels exhilarating.

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  ,  1 Comment

I recently posted on Facebook and here about the great week instructing in my course for GRIP. Of course, my 31 students were the best group in all courses! I didnt do all the presentations myself. Cyndi Ingle, Debbie Mieszala, and Cari Taplin did fantastic ones. Lois Mackin was our course’s tech host. 

A week-long genealogy educational institute is work, joyful, camaraderie, laughs, sharing, and not to be missed. It’s also a mounting disaster for your living space. Doesn’t matter if you are the instructor as I was this past week for the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, a student, a tech host, the tech goddess, or the directors. I probably shouldn’t speak for others, but the dishes piled up in the sink, the dishwasher wanted to be unloaded, the floor had crumbs, laundry pile grew, and the bathroom said it’s been a few days since you cleaned me. I did the sweeping on Friday, went to a ball game yesterday, and today was cleaning day. Ahhhh.

This morning I came up with the word I needed to describe this past week with the students in my course. That word is exhilarating. I’ve done this for 11 years with GRIP and can’t wait to do it again next June. My course “Digging Deeper” will be virtual again.

I have some mighty patient research clients and need to get back to them, answer a ton of emails, and spend some time with family members. Blogging will need to do some catching up, too.

 

Genealogy overload but Looking forward to GRIP 2023!

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It’s been a month since I posted on here and I have many reasons why. Nothing bad or sad, just lots of work deadlines, some good family stuff, and my own birthday that passed without any celebration due to that work. In the past week alone, I have done 15 virtual presentations. Each presentation involves creation or updating of the handout material and the PowerPoint presentation. Some take several days for this and that has been preceded by extensive research. None of the above sentences is meant as a complaint because I love all this. 

In June, I was an instructor during the June week of the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP) in a course coordinated by Cari Taplin, CG. This past week I have been the coordinator and an instructor in my own GRIP course “Digging Deeper.” The 31 students were amazing as was our course tech person, Lois Mackin. Cyndi Ingle, Debbie Mieszala, and Cari Taplin each presented some great sessions in the course. Debbie Deal and Elissa Salise Powell are the ever-working GRIP directors. Cyndi Ingle was the main tech guru for GRIP, and she kept us going all week. I can’t begin to show enough thanks to each of them. 

I am not checking my calendar to see when my next virtual presentation occurs. It’s rest and family time for a week.  Guess what!  I have signed a contract to coordinate my GRIP course virtually the week of 18-13 June 2023. All the GRIP scheduled courses are in the image below. 

Genealogy websites and updates

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I love reading about the updated and new collections on genealogy websites. Then I rejoice at the searchable and indexed collections news. Today’s news from MyHeritage’s Daniel Horowitz states 

“I’m excited to tell you that during April and May, MyHeritage added 1.3 billion historical records in 37 collections from all around the world. These records are from the U.S., the U.K., Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, and Ukraine, and they include birth, marriage, death, military, census, newspaper records, and more. Many of the collections include high-quality images alongside the indexes. With this update, the total number of historical records on MyHeritage has now reached 18.2 billion.”

Read the details on their blog https://blog.myheritage.com/2022/06/historical-record-collections-added-in-april-and-may-2022/?

While you are reading their blog, I will be checking some of the new and updated records.

A researcher’s commentary on the value of librarians and archivists!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  ,  4 Comments

An 8 June newspaper article in the StarTribune that has a connection to my 9 June post seems appropriate to share. It’s not from a genealogist, but David R. Smith, the author, did research that resembles what we do. Once again, it shows the connection with history and genealogy. 

His commentary “In Praise of Librarians and Archivists” tells about his research journey and the assistance he received along the way. What would we do if the librarians, archivists, and other repository staff wasn’t there to assist us!

After you read his commentary, be sure to read the comments. I had many thoughts I wanted to share but stopped myself before I posted some strong words. He just educated people on the value and some truly don’t get it! We have fellow genealogists who don’t get it either. Copyright, costs and time to digitize, and the vastness of the material in libraries, historical societies, and archives makes the librarians and archivists invaluable. Added to that is the knowledge and experience they possess!

https://www.startribune.com/in-praise-of-librarians-and-archivists/600180439/?refresh=true

My 2022 genealogy presentations calendar has been updated

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized    4 Comments

I have added some presentations that will take place this fall and updated some that were previously noted as TBA. I don’t publicize the titles and presentation host until a contract is signed. 

Let me know if your genealogical, civic, historical, or other organization is interested in having me present one or more topics on a virtual basis. Click on the Speaking tab of this website for contact details. 

E-mail me about my availability for your event date. I have a several page Speaker Packet with details on numerous topics, experience, specific details, fees, and how I can help you promote your event. That packet can be sent via an email attachment.

 

International Archives Day

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Today, June 9, is International Archives Day and this is International Archives Week.

My early days of family and community history research were spent at the Minnesota State Archives. Then it was at a one-story building off Interstate 35E in Saint Paul. Today it’s part of the Minnesota History Center in downtown Saint Paul. Those days were well before online websites, catalogs, material descriptions, digitized material, and other helpful historical information.

Those early days introduced me to a wealth of finding aids for the records held in the building. I remember browsing the books section that held published archives books on records held at various archives beyond Minnesota. Some were from archives beyond the United States.

In the U.S., many state archives hold only local, county, and state government material, others hold records of businesses, organizations, and individuals. County and regional archives also hold a varying array of material.

College and university archives hold material related to the institution and many are combined with special collections with records from businesses, organizations, and individuals. Religious archives often have records from the denomination, individual churches, and some have records from the clergy and other individuals. Some have fantastic biographical material on such individuals. Some businesses have their own archives. County historical societies are another resource.

The U.S. National Archives in Washington, DC, and its regional locations around the country also hold my reverence. I’ve spent many weeks at some of these facilities pouring over original records that are not online. The websites only tell part of the reasons why original research is so vital. I drool while reviewing the Library and Archives Canada website. 

Much of the material is not described online and some is not covered even minimally online. What is digitized or indexed online on an archives’ website or on our genealogy websites is only a small part of what awaits our discovery.

Be sure to thank those who keep these various archives operating, gathering, and preserving historical materials, and describing them so we know where to research. In general, these are not lucrative jobs!

Before this day ends, check out the website of the archives of a county, state, province, country, or religious entity that has a probable connection to your own ancestral family. See what you have been missing in your research journey. Learn what is online and what needs to be researched by an in-person visit. I guarantee you’ll need at least a few days to visit each.

Several archives to get you started: