A few days ago, KMTV in Omaha ran a piece on the Bellevue, Nebraska Cemetery Committee and their desire to place tombstones for seven unmarked graves of Nebraska Civil War Veterans at Bellevue Cemetery. It caught my interest and I posted the link to my Facebook wall. That generated quite a bit of chatter and included another Facebook friend from Omaha reaching out to the woman interviewed in the story.
We had so much chatter that we moved the conversation to the Nebraska Genea-Peeps group on Facebook - a small but active group of Nebraska genealogists and others who have ties to family in Nebraska.
Before you could blink an eye, our group of Nebraska genealogists was on task - pooling our resources and scouring our various subscription sites and Googling like crazy. We were determined to help find living relatives of these seven Civil War veterans. Other people involved in the project joined the task. Several of our Nebraska Genea-Peeps group adopted one of the seven and worked in tag teams to locate information.
By the end of the day, we were posting documents we had discovered, obituaries found and names of possible living family members. To say we were obsessed is an understatement. By the end of the day, we probably had well over 100 posts/comments on the page and we made our discoveries. A couple of the women worked their clues via Twitter conversation.
This morning, we have some strong leads as well as some brick walls. So we are going back to square one to start over on those. This is such an exhilarating and exciting project to collaborate on! We're having such a good time - and also testing our genealogy research skills.
It's just another example of how the power of social media really works in genealogy.
If you have Nebraska family ties or just want to join in on the project, please come visit our Nebraska Genea-Peeps group on Facebook! A splendid time is guaranteed for all!
Thank you to all of the awesome Nebraska genealogists for their contributions to this random act of genealogical kindess!
Showing posts with label Nebraska Research. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nebraska Research. Show all posts
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Monday, October 10, 2011
Nebraska Genea-Peeps Group on Facebook
Are you a genealogist living in Nebraska? Do you research your Nebraska ancestors? If so, I'd like to invite you to join a Facebook group called Nebraska Genea-Peeps:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/144381855641807/
It's a group for genealogists living in or researching in Nebraska. You can ask questions, share research tips and Nebraska resources. At some point, we hope to plan some informal in-person get togethers, ride sharing to events or day-long research trips or do some cemetery hopping.
Recently, someone posted a request for help in finding an obituary for her grandfather, and within a few minutes, we discovered a source for the obituary, which she was able to order online.
We also post upcoming genealogy events. Come join in!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/144381855641807/
It's a group for genealogists living in or researching in Nebraska. You can ask questions, share research tips and Nebraska resources. At some point, we hope to plan some informal in-person get togethers, ride sharing to events or day-long research trips or do some cemetery hopping.
Recently, someone posted a request for help in finding an obituary for her grandfather, and within a few minutes, we discovered a source for the obituary, which she was able to order online.
We also post upcoming genealogy events. Come join in!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Nebraska State Historical Society Reference Room: New Hours
In response to popular demand, the Library/Archives Reference Room will no longer close over the noon hour, but will be opening one hour later. The new hours will be:
Tuesday-Friday, 10:00 – 4:00
Saturday, 8:00 – 5:00 (Saturday hours remain unchanged)
The new hours go into effect on Tuesday, September 6.
Tuesday-Friday, 10:00 – 4:00
Saturday, 8:00 – 5:00 (Saturday hours remain unchanged)
The new hours go into effect on Tuesday, September 6.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Fun Day at the Omaha Public Library
Some readers of LongLostRelatives.net are aware that 2011 has marked the beginning of my genealogy speaking "career." While I have done public speaking and training workshops for many years, hitting the genealogy speaking circuit presented something new and challenging - and a lot of fun!
Yesterday, I had the privilege of sharing my passion for genealogy blogging with fellow genealogists at the W. Dale Clark Library in Omaha. My friends and I arrived at the library early, so we were able to spend time in the genealogy room and get a quick tour of the available resources from Karen, one of the volunteers from the Greater Omaha Genealogical Society (GOGS).
Could it be magic?
The first thing that caught my eye was the card catalog of Omaha area obituaries. There was one in particular that I was looking for, so I pulled out the drawer and set it down on the table. Somehow, the drawer of hundreds of index cards opened up and the obituary that was staring me directly in the face was for my second cousin! Was magician Criss Angel in the room?
Fellow genealogists know that quite often these moments of synchronicity just happen. What is even more amusing to me is that my very first blog post was an "obituary wanted" for this man's mother. That blog post is the first example in my blogging presentation about how to use your blog to locate long lost cousins. At that moment, I knew it was going to be a great day.
After getting a lay of the land of all of the wonderful genealogy resources at the library, we headed for the conference room where I would be speaking. I was approached by a delightful woman who introduced herself, and I knew her immediately from a comment she had left on my blog last year.
She is Evelyn Pecht, and our Pecht families both hail from the same area in Pennsylvania. Now that we've met, I have no doubt that we will kick up our efforts to find out if we are, indeed, cousins. Since this is a unique surname and the families lived in the same vicinity, I'm guessing there's a very good chance we're related. Attending genealogy events doesn't get any better than this! Even if we're not cousins, I'm thrilled to have met Evelyn - I really enjoyed our brief conversation and look forward to getting together again.
All I can really say about my presentation is that I had a great time. The audience was attentive, seemed interested and open to the concept of blogging and asked very good questions! I enjoyed visiting with everyone who stayed to chat and ask questions afterward.
A very special thank you goes out to Martha Grenzeback, Librarian at OPL, who organizes these events and made arrangements for me to speak yesterday. She gets five gold stars!
Genealogy Resources at the W. Dale Clark Library in Omaha
The one thing that I forgot to do was to get my Omaha Public library card, since the Lincoln and Omaha libraries have reciprocity with one another. That is an amazing service and I thank both library systems for making this available to readers and researchers in both communities. I am looking forward to my next research trip to the W. Dale Clark Library this fall - when I'll come prepared with my notes, netbook and "To Do" list!
To learn more about the genealogy resources and events at OPL, click here.
Follow Omaha Public Library on Facebook and Twitter.
My friends and I had a great lunch afterwards at Stokes in the Old Market, and no trip to Omaha is complete without stopping at the Baker's Candy Factory in Greenwood. It was great fun for a Girls Day Out!
Thanks again, Martha, OPL, and what I hope will be a new group of genealogy bloggers!
Yesterday, I had the privilege of sharing my passion for genealogy blogging with fellow genealogists at the W. Dale Clark Library in Omaha. My friends and I arrived at the library early, so we were able to spend time in the genealogy room and get a quick tour of the available resources from Karen, one of the volunteers from the Greater Omaha Genealogical Society (GOGS).
Could it be magic?
The first thing that caught my eye was the card catalog of Omaha area obituaries. There was one in particular that I was looking for, so I pulled out the drawer and set it down on the table. Somehow, the drawer of hundreds of index cards opened up and the obituary that was staring me directly in the face was for my second cousin! Was magician Criss Angel in the room?
Fellow genealogists know that quite often these moments of synchronicity just happen. What is even more amusing to me is that my very first blog post was an "obituary wanted" for this man's mother. That blog post is the first example in my blogging presentation about how to use your blog to locate long lost cousins. At that moment, I knew it was going to be a great day.
 |
| Susan and Evelyn Cousins? Quite Likely! |
She is Evelyn Pecht, and our Pecht families both hail from the same area in Pennsylvania. Now that we've met, I have no doubt that we will kick up our efforts to find out if we are, indeed, cousins. Since this is a unique surname and the families lived in the same vicinity, I'm guessing there's a very good chance we're related. Attending genealogy events doesn't get any better than this! Even if we're not cousins, I'm thrilled to have met Evelyn - I really enjoyed our brief conversation and look forward to getting together again.
All I can really say about my presentation is that I had a great time. The audience was attentive, seemed interested and open to the concept of blogging and asked very good questions! I enjoyed visiting with everyone who stayed to chat and ask questions afterward.
A very special thank you goes out to Martha Grenzeback, Librarian at OPL, who organizes these events and made arrangements for me to speak yesterday. She gets five gold stars!
Genealogy Resources at the W. Dale Clark Library in Omaha
The one thing that I forgot to do was to get my Omaha Public library card, since the Lincoln and Omaha libraries have reciprocity with one another. That is an amazing service and I thank both library systems for making this available to readers and researchers in both communities. I am looking forward to my next research trip to the W. Dale Clark Library this fall - when I'll come prepared with my notes, netbook and "To Do" list!
To learn more about the genealogy resources and events at OPL, click here.
Follow Omaha Public Library on Facebook and Twitter.
My friends and I had a great lunch afterwards at Stokes in the Old Market, and no trip to Omaha is complete without stopping at the Baker's Candy Factory in Greenwood. It was great fun for a Girls Day Out!
Thanks again, Martha, OPL, and what I hope will be a new group of genealogy bloggers!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Nebraska newspapers added to Genealogybank database
Several Nebraska newspapers have been added to the database at GenealogyBank.com.
Among those added in the past month are The Ashland Gazette (Ashland, Saunders county), Bellevue Leader (Bellevue, Sarpy county), Omaha World Herald (Omaha, Douglas county), Afro-American Sentinel (Omaha, Douglas county), Papillion Times (Papillion, Sarpy county), Suburban Times (Papillion, Sarpy county), Scottsbluff Star Herald (Scottsbluff, Scotts Bluff county), Syracuse Journal-Democrat (Syracuse, Otoe county), and Wahoo Newspaper (Wahoo, Saunders county).
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Nebraska Resources: Adams County
This is the first in a series of posts regarding genealogy and local history resources, museums and other sites that may be helpful for your Nebraska research or if you are planning a research trip in Nebraska. If you have additional resources for this county, please add them in the Comments section below or email me.
Adams County cities and villages include Ayr, Hastings, Holstein, Juniata, Kenesaw, Prosser, Roseland, and Trumbull.
Adams County web site - county seat is in Hastings
Adams County Genealogical Society - The following records are available:
Adams County Historical Society - site includes slide shows of historical businesses and residences
City of Hastings web site - Like this on Facebook
City of Juniata web site - oldest town in Adams County
Family History Center - Hastings
FindAGrave - Adams County cemeteries
Hastings Chamber of Commerce
Hastings Convention and Visitors Bureau
Hastings Public Library
Hastings Tribune newspaper
Books about Adams County - from the LongLostRelatives.net affiliate store with Amazon.com
Trivia
Kool-Aid was invented in Hastings
Actress Sandy Dennis was born in Hastings. The late actress' Foundation operates from Hastings.
Note: I will keep this page updated and it will have a permanent link under the Susan's Links tab above. Please email me or leave a Comment below if you have a suggestion for a link or resource.
Adams County cities and villages include Ayr, Hastings, Holstein, Juniata, Kenesaw, Prosser, Roseland, and Trumbull.
Adams County web site - county seat is in Hastings
Adams County Genealogical Society - The following records are available:
- Tombstone Transcriptions All Adams County and many Clay County Cemeteries
- Obituary Index Adams County newspapers 1877 - 1979
- Adams County Newspapers Index 1877-1979
- Marriage License Index 1871-1972
- Hastings City Directories 1882-present
- School Census All Districts 1876-1920
- Plat Books 1906-1919
- Church Records 62 Churches
- Naturalization Records 1871-1929
- Adams County Census 1870, 1880, 1885, 1900, 1910, 1920 (all unindexed)
- Adams County Histories
- Photo Index 18,000 images
- County Court Warrants Index
Adams County Historical Society - site includes slide shows of historical businesses and residences
- List of Historic Buildings and Sites
- Oregon Trail Tour
- Adams County Cemeteries
- Books on Adams County from their bookstore
City of Hastings web site - Like this on Facebook
City of Juniata web site - oldest town in Adams County
- Juniata Cemetery - board contact information
Family History Center - Hastings
FindAGrave - Adams County cemeteries
Hastings Chamber of Commerce
Hastings Convention and Visitors Bureau
Hastings Public Library
In addition to general genealogy books, the library also has the following books available:
- Adams County, 1872–1972 by Dorothy Weyer CreighHastings City Directories, 1888–currentPast and present of Adams County, Nebraska by William R. Burton - also available on Google books
Hastings Museum - Like this on Facebook
Hastings Tribune newspaper
Books about Adams County - from the LongLostRelatives.net affiliate store with Amazon.com
Trivia
Kool-Aid was invented in Hastings
Actress Sandy Dennis was born in Hastings. The late actress' Foundation operates from Hastings.
Note: I will keep this page updated and it will have a permanent link under the Susan's Links tab above. Please email me or leave a Comment below if you have a suggestion for a link or resource.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Nebraska State Government Resources for Genealogists
A couple years ago, the State of Nebraska revamped its online presence to this dynamic Nebraska.gov site that was intended to serve as a portal to all state government services in one location. Personally, I find it cumbersome and much too difficult to find what I'm looking for most of the time. If I need to find something quickly, I've learned to go to Google to search within this site. To save you some time and frustration, here are some of the pages of interest to genealogists doing research in Nebraska.
A starting point is a list of links of Genealogy resources:
http://nebraskaccess.ne.gov/genealogy.asp - the links are the usual fare for genealogy researchers and most are general information, not specific to Nebraska (Ancestry, Cyndi's List, FindAGrave . . .)
The State of Nebraska offers free access to Heritage Quest if you are a resident of the state. Your Nebraska driver's license number will get you into this database. Access to eLibrary is also available with a password you can obtain through your Nebraska public library.
Privacy issues have limited access to some records for genealogists. The basic procedures for obtaining records is on the Health and Human Services web site. The state rules and regulations for release of records for genealogical purposes is in Chapter 3 of Nebraska Administrative Code 174. You have better access to records if you are a certified historian or a an enrolled student of history working on a specific project or an employed member of the news media.
Information about where to obtain birth, marriage, death and divorce certificates is on this page, although it is primarily a list of links to external sites.
The State Library Commission hosts a blog which announces different libraries in Nebraska as each attains an online presence. You can subscribe to this blog in your RSS reader to receive updates. Here are a couple examples of the libraries on the site:
This page has links to libraries in Nebraska, links to their social networking sites, and indicates if they have WiFi access or a catalog online. This is a good starting point for your local research.
Nebraska Memories is another government web site operated by the Nebraska Library Commission. Subtitled "Making Nebraska's Past Unforgettable" you can browse or search a variety of digital images on such categories as portraits, sports, music scores, animals, maps, government, education, business, disasters and more. I can easily get lost on this site for quite a while.
If your research leads to a famous Nebraskan, there are several links on this page. I have to toot my own horn a little bit since the page links to my NebraskaOnFilm.com web site (another of my passions in addition to genealogy).
The Nebraska State Historical Society provides a wealth of information and resources online. Since I've already written a blog post about their resources, I'll direct you to that post rather than repeat it here. But here is a link to the Society's page about doing genealogy research.
If you are researching property in Nebraska, here's a nice 60 page guidebook with a lot of great tips. A link in this book took me to an interesting map labeled "Ghost Towns of Cass County" as well as a 1908 map of Lancaster county. Even if you don't have a Nebraska connection, this publication also serves as a good resource on land and property research. This publication may just be the best "Easter egg" that I discovered while surfing sites to include in this post. It's a pdf file that you can download.
You can search court cases, but you need to get a User ID and password. Presently, the fee is $15 per search.
The Secretary of State's office has some information that may be of value to researchers, although this information may be more recent in nature. One of the databases is on registered voters, which I've used a time or two.
The Unclaimed Property division of the State Treasurer's department might yield results on missing relatives. This is a searchable database of money sitting around in bank accounts or safe deposit boxes. Whoa, Nellie! I just found a listing for less than $300 for one of my Dad's aunts who died in 1982. I told you that you might find something here!
I hope these links provide Nebraska researchers with a few resources they may not have seen before. If you come across other gems or links on any State of Nebraska government web site, please share them in the comments section below.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)