Old Car Show “in” a cemetery? Roselawn, I approve!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Cemeteries, Cemetery  2 Comments

UPDATE  18 August: The car show has been cancelled. The pressure to not do other things like this got to the cemetery board. It makes me sad.

I love watching house buying shows on cable TV. I laugh every time the realtor or buyer mentions the negative feature of a house being across the street from a cemetery. I would definitely buy that house.

I have been to picnics in a cemetery, have driven through them with my children and grandchildren, and have growled at the ones with awful or non-existent records. I love cemeteries that have great upkeep, have a chapel, have ceremonies to honor military personnel and others buried there, and love creative cemeteries. They really aren’t as scary as they seem. Many are places of beauty. Some have concerts. Our ancestors (while they were still alive!) may have had picnics or family gatherings at the local cemetery. One here in Minnesota shows movies. Cemeteries are just one part of life (and dying?) and need to be utilized for more things.

Roselawn Cemetery (a mile from me) is hosting a car show. Not exactly in the cemetery, but on land adjacent. At first, I shook my head. Then I realized it would bring people to a place they usually don’t visit unless there is a funeral, would introduce children to a cemetery in a happier situation, and might even bring future business to the cemetery. I have ancestors and other relatives buried at Roselawn. I like to think that Great Grandpa Alexander Charles Stuart approves of this. After all, he spent much of his life associated with cemeteries. He carved many a cemetery headstone and created great cemetery stone sculptures in his profession. Those stones are in cemeteries in Wisconsin, Kansas, and Minnesota and maybe other states, too. [Side note that I have posted about before: Alex and his wife Emma do not have tombstones. They died quite poor.]

I bet there are many guys and some women buried in Roselawn that would love to inspect the old cars and trucks.

p.s. Roselawn is a beautiful cemetery, has a Cass Gilbert designed chapel, and the website is fantastic!

Roselawn car show

 

 

Researching Midwestern River People

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  ,  Leave a comment

The title above is for one of my presentations at the 2016 Federation of Genealogical Society’s annual national conference that begins later this month. It is being held August 31 through September 3 in Springfield, Illinois. Everyone with a interested in family history is welcome. For full details and registration: https://www.fgsconference.org/

The topic of river people is one created out of love. A dear friend who I met because we both volunteered to do things for the Minnesota Genealogical Society was a river person. Her husband was a riverboat pilot and Ann Peterson did considerable river research. When she passed away far too young, I decided to create the lecture incorporating what she taught me and then proceeded to learn more.

I grew up a block from the Mississippi River in Saint Paul and only love the river,  the people, and the research only a tich less than railroad research. Then, there is the Native American research. Gee, I can’t choose a favorite.

All this river love made me sit up and take notice when Tara Calishain of Research Buzz fame posted on Facebook that Tulane University has made accessible to the public a new online guide to the Steamboat Image Collection. Thanks, Tara! The rest of you should really be reading ResearchBuzz.

Now back to the info from Tulane: “The collection, made up of more than 60 linear feet, preserves thousands of images of riverboats including sternwheelers, sidewheelers, tugs, packets, showboats, and more.”

The majority of the images are not yet online, but a guide is supposed to be.

Read the Tulane press release.

Read the online guide to the collection. If only I could find this guide on the website, I would give you the link!

Now we have another reason to go to New Orleans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Archeological dig in County Roscommon, Ireland provides details back to 1200

Paula Stuart-Warren  Ireland, Irish Research  3 Comments

Imagine knowing details about the town in which your family lived back about 1200 a.d. An archeologist from Saint Louis University , history professor Thomas J. Finan, is providing us those details. Along with his students, he has spent time for 13 summers excavating the site of “Purt Na Carce (“Port Nah Carr-rick”). It is in County Roscommon in northwestern Ireland, about 60 miles north of Galway. These days, it’s commonly known as Rockingham.”

It’s not one of my Irish counties, but it is still fascinating to me.

Read the entire article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Federation of Genealogical Societies partners again with the National Park Service on a new database

Paula Stuart-Warren  Federation of Genealogical Societies, FGS, National Park Service  1 Comment

Another new preservation venture for the genealogy world under the auspices of the Federation of Genealogical Societies and the National Park Service.

“The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) and the National Park Service’s Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park announce a partnership to develop a searchable database of more than 130,000 soldiers of the U.S.-Mexican War.
The database will allow descendants of U.S. soldiers to connect to their personal history and help Palo Alto commemorate and tell the stories of these soldiers. After the database is developed, unit histories, digitized documents, and information on U.S.-Mexican War soldiers will be added. Efforts will also be made to include names and information about Mexican soldiers in this war.”
I am a proud member of the FGS Board of Directors and am excited that FGS is continuing partnerships with the National Park Service. The previous partnership was the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System database project which resulted in FGS volunteers completing data entry for more than five million names. Those oft-used results are at NPS Civil War website. 
For full details on the new partnership, please visit the FGS Voice Blog and please plan to contribute time to this worthwhile project.

National Park Service: Buffalo Soldiers Study

Paula Stuart-Warren  Military  Leave a comment

Many Buffalo Soldiers interacted with Native Americans in Nebraska, South Dakota, and other places. In my research, the names of some have been found. I am glad to see that in many places, both private and government, attention is being given to these soldiers.

According to the National Park Service’s website, “The National Park Service (NPS) is conducting a study of alternatives to commemorate and interpret the role of Buffalo Soldiers in the early years of the national park system, recommend ways to enhance historical research, education, interpretation, and public awareness of their stewardship role in the national parks, and identify ways to further connect the Buffalo Soldiers story to the development of national parks and African-American military service following the Civil War. The NPS would like your help to enhance our understanding of the Buffalo Soldiers story, current efforts underway to tell the story, and potential opportunities to improve public awareness.”

Click here for more details.

Lyfmap is hitting the big time news in the StarTribune!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Lyfmap  1 Comment

Lyfmap has been noticed by the media! Thank you Star Tribune and James Lileks. I especially liked the article because it was published on my birthday! Click on the StarTribune link to read what James had to say about Lyfmap.

Today is a good time to share your Twin Cities memories and photos. We have positive things to share. We need those right now. Once you are signed up you can read the genealogy blog and ask questions about how to trace your family history or what to do next if you have already started! http://www.lyfmap.com/

Need ideas of what to share? Tell the story of a house, business, or of the family that lived or worked in those places. Add photos you may have. I added a 1940 photo of all the kids in my mother’s 8th grade class at St. James school in Saint Paul.

Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy 2017 registration begins Saturday July 9

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  Leave a comment
Registration is only two days away! This Saturday, July 9th, registration opens for the January 2017 Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy at 9:00 a.m. MDT. The 2017 SLIG week is January 22-27.

There are many courses to choose from. Descriptions of the courses and registration details are found here. slig.ugagenealogy.org

Saturday is also the day when you may begin reserving your hotel rooms at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center where SLIG takes place. That is done via the SLIG website

I am the coordinator and one of the instructors in the revamped course, “Taking Your Research to the Next Level.” You won’t be sitting and listening all week. Several sessions are interactive and a computer lab at the FHL plus consultations will keep you involved.

Debbie Mieszala continues as an instructor and students in this course will also learn from Luana Darby and Cyndi Ingle in 2017. The full day-by-day class list is on the SLIG website.

If you have any questions about the course, let me know in the comments.

 

Findmypast celebrates 4th of July with free access to 1 billion+ records

Paula Stuart-Warren  findmypast.com  1 Comment

The following press release is from Findmypast.com. Get ready for some searching this weekend and more, a total of 8 days!

Findmypast celebrates 4th of July with free access to more than 1 billion records

  • From June 29th until July 6th 2016, over 1 billion UK, US and Irish records will be completely free to search and explore on Findmypast
  • This includes all 118 million “Travel and Migration” records, 116 million US marriages, and all UK, Irish and US censuses
  • Over 7 million new US Naturalisation records and over 1.7 million US Passport Applications have also been released, marking the first phase of two brand new collections ideal for uncovering early immigrant ancestors

 Salt Lake City, Utah, June 27th 2016

Leading family history website, Findmypast, has just announced that they will be granting 8 days of free access to over 1 billion records as part of a new campaign designed to help US family historians learn more about their family’s path to red white and blue. This will include free access to their  entire collection of Travel and Migration records, all US, UK and Irish censuses and all US marriage records.

The campaign has been launched to coincide with this year’s 4th of July celebrations and will provide customers with exciting new opportunities to uncover the pioneering immigrant ancestors who started their family’s American story.

Researchers will be provided with daily getting started guides, expert insights and useful how to videos designed to help them trace their family’s roots back to their earliest American ancestors and beyond. A special webinar will be hosted by expert genealogist, Jen Baldwin, at 11:00 MDT, July 1st, in which she will be sharing essential tips and tricks for getting the most out of Naturalisation records.

The campaign also coincides with the release of two new record sets that will prove incredibly useful to those looking to explore their family’s pre-American roots. Over 2 million US Passport Applications & Indexes (1795-1925), and over 7 million US Naturalisation Petitions have just been released in the initial phases of two brand new collections that will allow family historians to learn more about the first members of their family to become US citizens.

Over 1.1 billion records  will be free to search and explore on Findmypast from June 29th until July 6th 2016. This will include free access to:

  • Over 106,000 US passenger list records
  • Over 116,000,000 US marriage records
  • Over 690,000,000 US & Canada census records
  • Over 265,000,000 UK & Irish census records
  • Over 10 million new and existing Naturalisation records
  • Over 1.7 million brand new US Passport applications
  • Passenger Lists Leaving UK 1890-1960
  • Over 827,000 convict transportation records

(more…)

It’s nice to get an extra pat on the back for my job

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  4 Comments

I love my chosen profession. I work hard, but enjoy what I do. Sometimes, that hard work gets me some nice pats on the back.

From the Washington State Genealogical Society blog about its conference I spoke at a week ago:

“Can’t express enough superlatives about the 2016 WSGS Conference hosted by the Tacoma-Pierce County GS! Kudos to Chair Warren Fisk, Moderator Cyndi Ingle, TPCGS President D Becker and the rest of the Planning Team — you really outdid yourselves! And what about Paula Stuart Warren??!! She was professional, engaging, funny, informative…everything you’d wish for in a keynote speaker. At the end of the day, everyone left armed with inspiration and excitement to find that long-lost ancestor or explore a new resource. If you get another chance to hear Paula at a conference or workshop, don’t miss it — she doesn’t disappoint!”

I blushed a little when I read that. I did enjoy the rest of my time in the Pacific Northwest, too. I had a nice tour of some areas of Tacoma from my host, Cyndi Ingle.

The TPCGS and WSGS volunteers were great. The audience was great, too. Now on to working on PowerPoint slides and syllabus material for my next event, the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh July 17-22. I do have some seats left in my intermediate course, Intermediate Genealogy: Tools for Digging Deeper.