UpFront with NGS: November 2011

30 November 2011

December Programs -- The Forget-Me-Not Hour on WHVW radio -- Poughkeepsie NY Area

Professional historian and genealogist Jane E. Wilcox will have the following upcoming programs on her talk radio show, The Forget-Me-Not Hour: Your Ancestors Want Their Stories to Be Told, on WHVW 950 AM radio in Poughkeepsie and on www.BlogTalkRadio.com/JaneEWilcox.

7 December: Behind the Scenes on TV and David Rambo. David Rambo, the former producer of the hit TV show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, joins Jane to talk about the behind-the-scenes development of and writing scripts for fictional TV shows and his work on CSI and as a playwright using history as inspiration. This show airs live at 10:00 a.m. on WHVW 950 AM radio in Poughkeepsie and is rebroadcast at 9:00 p.m. on www.BlogTalkRadio.com/JaneEWilcox that evening.

21 December: Hereditary Societies. Sandra MacLean Clunies, a professional genealogist, author, lecturer and member of such hereditary societies as the Daughters of the American Revolution and Hereditary Order of the Families of the Presidents and First Ladies of America, will tell us what these societies are all about and how you, too, could become a member of one. Airs on BlogTalkRadio.com/JaneEWilcox at 9:00 p.m.

4 January 2012: County Clerks and Nina Postupack. Clerk Nina Postupack joins Jane on tonight's show. Nina will tell us what a New York state county clerk does and what historical records are in their keep. She'll also tell us what Ulster County in particular has in store for genealgists at the County Office Building and the Records Center.

Editor’s Note: There is an archive of past shows available and includes topics such as:

o NY Library Fire and Doc Donations

o Community Genealogy and Helen Shaw

o Photo Detective Maureen Taylor

o Edwin Ford, Kingston, NY Historian

o Jewish Gen IAJGS Gary Mokotoff

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29 November 2011

MA Society of Mayflower Descendants Posting State Research Guides for New England States

As one always looking for resources to share with my fellow genealogists, I am always looking for any guidance on the resources available for research on a particular topic or geographic area.

I recently stumbled across the website for The Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants which is in the process of creating online State Guides for Research for the New England States – Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. This is a work in progress and so do check back regularly.

Do you belong to a lineage society? Does it similarly make available online research assistance? If so, please drop a comment on the blog page or NGS Facebook page! We always love to hear from NGS members (and our genealogy cohorts) what resources they find helpful!

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28 November 2011

Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society -- Speaker George G. Morgan -- 21st annual Spring Seminar

Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society is excited to host guest speaker George G. Morgan at its 21st annual Spring Seminar on 31 March 2012. George will present four sessions:

Bring Them Back to Life: Developing an Ancestor Profile
Push and Pull: The Reasons for Migration
Sidestep Genealogy
The Genealogist as CSI

9:00 a.m. - 3:45 p.m., Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church, 11427 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks, California.

For more information, contact seminar Chairperson Diane Maltase at [email protected]. More details in 2012 at www.rootcellar.org and http://rootcellarramblings.blogspot.com.

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25 November 2011

NGS Newsletter Competition Deadline is Approaching

The deadline for submissions to the NGS Newsletter Competition is 31 December 2011.

The NGS Newsletter Competition is open to NGS member organizations, and all entries must be submitted by the society or association. Submissions by individuals are not eligible. Organizations may enter in one of the three major categories: (1) major genealogical and/or historical societies, (2) county/local genealogical and/or historical societies, or (3) family associations. Three copies of two consecutive issues from the current year must be submitted along with the completed entry form (available on the NGS website). Mail the materials to: NGS Newsletter Competition, National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370.

A panel of three judges will review both issues of the newsletter using the following criteria: material interest, variety, and originality; writing and editing quality; readability and attractiveness; and overall publication makeup. For additional information go to the NGS website. The panel of judges’ scores and comments will be tallied and evaluated. The president of each entry organization will be notified of the competition results. The notification will include the judges’ comments.

The winning society or association in each of the three categories will receive a complimentary one-year organizational NGS membership and a feature in the NGS Magazine. A representative of the winning organization will be presented a certificate at the opening session of the NGS Family History Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Questions? Contact the NGS Awards Chair at [email protected].

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24 November 2011

Browsing the NGSQ Archives: Thanksgiving and the Mayflower

General Society Mayflower Descendants

By Toby Webb

Thanksgiving is upon us and for many the holiday will rekindle our dream of proving a Mayflower line. NGS members with access to the society’s online archive of the NGS Quarterly can find several articles to help in such a quest.

Most helpful of all are articles which report a line of descent from a specific Mayflower passenger. There are many articles in the archives about old Massachusetts families, but rarely does the article’s title tell us whether the line began on the Mayflower. Usually it is necessary to search by family name and then read an article to see if a Mayflower ancestor is identified. One NGSQ book review though did announce in its title that it was about a Mayflower line: Shirley M. Pizziferri, "White. John Howland of the Mayflower: Volume 1. The First Five Generations," National Genealogical Society Quarterly 79 (September 1991): 228.

It is more likely that a general overview of Mayflower research is what we need to get started. Elizabeth Pearson Wright published just such an article in 1985: Elizabeth Pearson White, "Finding the Mayflower Ancestors," National Genealogical Society Quarterly 73 (December 1985): 263-276. She listed the identified passengers on the Mayflower (pointing out that, even in the late twentieth century, new names were being added to the accepted list) and then discussed the various record types available to trace their families. In the same issue, Ruth Wilder Sherman added an excellent overview of the vital records of that period: Ruth Wilder Sherman, "New England Vital Records in the Seventeenth Century," National Genealogical Society Quarterly 73 (December 1985): 277-288.

Genealogists can give thanks that such records are available and that these guides to them are there for us to read.

Editor’s Notes:

[Members Only] Browse the National Genealogical Society Quarterly Online -- Recent issues (1979 and 1981–current) of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly are currently available to members of the society, and limited back issues will be added to the online collection periodically.
[FREE to all] Search the National Genealogical Society Quarterly Index -- Search the index by author or title, or browse by year to find the article or volume of interest.

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23 November 2011

A Thanksgiving message from Ann Christnacht Hilke, CG, President of the National Genealogical Society

Seminole Indian Thanksgiving Meal -- State Library and Archives of Florida

Hello all,

On behalf of the NGS Board and Staff I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving. What a great time of year for genealogists. We come together with our families to share a meal and memories. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to talk with the older generation about life when they were young and to share stories about their parents and grandparents. For those of us who are the older generation, take the opportunity to share with family members your memories of your life through the ‘30s, ‘40s, '50s and '60s.

Warm wishes,

Ann

Ann Christnacht Hilke, CG^SM

President

National Genealogical Society

3108 Columbia Pike,

Suite 300

Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370

[email protected]

"CG" & "Certified Genealogist" are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, and are used by authorized associates following periodic, peer-reviewed competency evaluations.

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National Day of Listening -- Thank a Teacher -- 25 November 2011

I have been familiar with StoryCorps for a few years. The idea of saving our stories, given how many have been lost in my own family alone, has always “struck a chord” with me.

And, until this year, I wasn’t aware of the National Day of Listening (the day after Thanksgiving). For 2011, it is suggested that you take a few minutes to say thanks to a favorite teacher and you are not limited to that.

Everyone is encouraged to post a memory to Facebook or Twitter or to tape a tribute on youTube or record an interview with a teacher or anyone else you would like to honor.

At no cost, though donations would always be appreciated, one can record an interview of someone in your community and then share it via the Wall of Listening. This can be an opportunity to visit those in veteran’s homes, senior centers, homeless shelters, and other community centers to make sure that their memories are preserved for the future or just start with the family members with whom you have just shared a Thanksgiving meal!

A Do-It-Yourself video and Guide are available on the site to help you.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to [email protected].