Society Saturday: LLCGS

Society Saturday is a fairly new blogging theme offered by Geneabloggers.

I am a member of many genealogical and historical societies in Nebraska and around the country. Today, I am very proud to take some time to spotlight my "home" society, the Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society (LLCGS) of Nebraska.

I've been a member of LLCGS on and off for the past 30+ years, but a steady member since 2005. A little over a year ago, I wanted to become more involved in the group and was delighted when I was asked to become the group's publicity chair. I've wanted to bring LLCGS into the social media arena and the time was finally right for our society to have an online presence in addition to our web site, which is superbly managed by Al Harlow.

LLCGS now has a blog, a Facebook page, a Twitter feed and a Google+ page. We also have a newsletter, which is a monthly publication for members only, which is under the guidance of editor Susie Dunn. We all work together in conveying the LLCGS image to the public.

LLCGS is in its 36th year, serving Lincoln, Nebraska, Lancaster County and researchers from around the globe. While many societies are struggling financially and have dwindling membership numbers, LLCGS is strong, with a solid financial base and a membership roster that recently hit 205!

Speaking as a genealogist rather than as the organization's publicity chair, for me the society has three great strengths that make my membership important to me: the variety of our education programs, our free online databases and our resource library of 8,000+ items.

Education

LLCGS has monthly programs along with the member meetings on the second Tuesday of each month. In the last year or so, additional weekly events have been added to our offerings at what I refer to as "Sunday Sessions at the Library." From 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoons, LLCGS members gather at Walt Branch Library, 6701 S. 14th Street in Lincoln, Nebraska for demonstrations, discussion groups, and "help sessions" for budding genealogists. There are Genealogy Interest Groups (GIGs) for German research, technology, DNA and sharing your genealogy. We will soon be adding a writer's group. All of our sessions are open to the public and our presence in one the newest city library branches has opened our group to new members who noticed our sign as they entered the library.

Two of our members hold afternoon discussion groups monthly in other locations in Lincoln.

Our program topics for 2013 have been identified and the program and education committees are in the process of securing speakers and planning presentations. Also in the works are field trips to out of town libraries and research facilities, as well as other special events.

We will be partnering with Lincoln City Libraries in February in the promotion of the One Book One Lincoln project. The book selected this year is Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard. LLCGS will be branching out to other branch libraries to make a presentation regarding the era following the Civil War and reconstruction and how our families fit into that time frame. LLCGS members will be available to help genealogists with their family history and acquaint them with genealogy resources available in the Lincoln City Libraries.

I counted nearly 100 different education sessions that will be available for our members and the community during 2013. How's that for an active society!

Online Databases

LLCGS has provided many free databases to help researchers with their Lancaster county roots. You can search cemetery records, marriage records, mortuary information, probate information, naturalization information. Naturalization records (vols 1 - 14) were indexed by LLCGS members for the period of October 6, 1906 through June 29, 1929.

Sample Search Result for
my grandparents in the
LLCGS database

I've always said that I was fortunate that my ancestors have been in the Lancaster county area since the 1870s, so these database searches are rich with Kelly, Bellinger, Landon, Fitzgerald, Loder and other surnames. The marriage database is also current enough to include my parent's marriage record from 1947.

The newspaper database is growing, with more than 2,200 names uploaded from the Nebraska State Journal this week. I found two references for my great grandfather John Bellinger's marriage to Emma Landon in 1879. This newspaper index is based on cards that were done primarily by Melvin Sitler and cover the period from May 1873 through December 1899. This is a gold mine of records as the information pre-dates vital records in Nebraska.

People can learn more about the LLCGS digitization projects at our first meeting of 2013 on January 8. Facilitators will be webmaster Al Harlow and librarian Cindy Cochrane.

LLCGS Library

The LLCGS library is housed in the Don Love building on the Union College campus, 3800 S. 48th Street in Lincoln, Nebraska. Yes, you read correctly. We have more than 8,000 volumes of genealogy resources including reference books, genealogies, DVDs, microform, periodicals and videos. Our catalog can be searched here. Not only does our collection cover Lincoln and Lancaster county, but other areas of the country as well. Sadly, as someone who has been working full time and being a caregiver, I've yet to visit our library. BUT - once I am retired after the end of January, I can assure you, I will be spending many hours perusing our collection.

Our library accepts donations of materials and funds to purchase new items. At the moment, we are interested in adding to our collection of high school and college yearbooks. I know that once I make a few scans of my own yearbooks, they will be going to the LLCGS library.

Special Projects

We welcome volunteers to help index and scan records and assist in a variety of projects.

Membership

Membership to LLCGS is a bargain at $15 for an individual. Joint memberships are only $20. We also have patron levels and accept donations via PayPal. To become a member, visit our web site.

A gift membership to LLCGS makes a great stocking stuffer for you last minute shoppers!

Visit LLCGS Online

Web site

Facebook

Twitter

Blog

Google+

I also want to salute the members of LLCGS, committee chairs and the board of directors. Without the work of this active group of people, LLCGS would not be what it is today. It's all about the people giving back to the community.

LLCGS is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) education organization.

West Nebraska Family Research and History Center is now a Family Search affiliate library

This press release was provided by Floyd Smith III

Scottsbluff – The West Nebraska Family Research & History Center is proud to announce today that after a seven year application and waiting process, it is the newest Family Search affiliate library. The new designation means library patrons will have greater and more convenient access to the wealth of genealogical resources available through Family Search.

Family Search is the world’s largest repository of genealogical records and manages the famous Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.  It has amassed billions of birth, marriage, death, census, land, and court records of genealogical significance from over 130 counties.

Family Search is extending access to its collections by circulating microfilms of the historic records through select libraries that were able to meet strict criteria. The West Nebraska Family Research & History Center is now one of those libraries.  It is a priceless resource for local residents interested in discovering their family tree.

There is a nominal fee to order microfilm, but once the film arrives, patrons use the microfilm readers at the West Nebraska Family Research & History Center to peruse it. The library staff can help patrons see what films are available, place film orders, and answer research questions. Patrons can also search the Family History Library Catalog online at FamilySearch.org to see what records are available to order and have them delivered to the West Nebraska Family Research & History Center.

For questions about Family Search.org, microfilm or the ordering process, please contact:

West Nebraska Family Research & History Center

308-635-2400

wnfrhc@wnfrhc.org

http://www.wnfrhc.org

Eastern Nebraska Genealogy Events on tap for November

Family History month may be over, but genealogy opportunities remain for people in eastern Nebraska.

Coming up are activities sponsored by the Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society, the Greater Omaha Genealogical Society and the Nebraska State Historical Society's Brown Bag Lecture series.





Using Land Records - presented by Gail Blankenau
Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society monthly program
November 9, 2010

7:15 p.m.
Lower Level Theater

Dick Admin. Bldg. 
Union College Campus, 3800 So. 48th St. Lincoln, Nebraska

Program Description: (from the LLCGS web site):
Your genealogical research hitting brick walls? It may be you need to expand your quest to land records. In “Using Land Records,” Gail will guide you through the different kinds of land records and help you to prioritize and identify what she calls “high-value targets.” Gail has been a genealogist for over 20 years. Her articles have appeared in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, the Ohio Genealogical Quarterly, Everton’s Genealogical Helper, and Family Chronicle.



The 2nd Nebraska Calvary - presented by Dean Podoll
Greater Omaha Genealogical Society
November 17, 2010
7:00 p.m.
Crown Pointe Retirement Center
2820 S 80th St, Omaha, Nebraska
Program Description: Podoll will be talking about the 2nd Nebraska Cavalry in the 1860′s which was organized to protect the Nebraska Territory from Indian uprisings.


Wings Over Nebraska: Nebraska Aviation - presented by Vince Goeres 
November 18, 2010
12:00 noon
Blackman Auditorium, Nebraska History Museum, 131 Centennial Mall North, Lincoln, Nebraska
Program Description: Aviation enthusiasts will enjoy the photographs and stories of Nebraska's early planes and pilots, including World War I ace Orville Ralston, and Charles Lindbergh, who learned to fly at the nationally known Lincoln Aviation and Flying School. Presenter: Vince Goeres, Author of Wings Over Nebraska. Read more about Vince Goeres' book project on the Journal-Star web site.

GOGS - Omaha conference was great!

Today marked the fall conference of the Greater Omaha Genealogical Society. There was a turnout of more than 100 genealogists for the event that was held at the Nebraska Methodist College in Omaha.

Highlights of the day

Land Records

Lynne Farr took the mystery out of land records for me and gave me a little more confidence in tackling this aspect of genealogy research. Visiting with her later, she advised me to take it all one step, one piece at a time. Something she said that really stood out was, "If your ancestor arrived before the Civil War, there is an 80 to 90 per cent chance that they are listed on a land record." That's pretty encouraging! She also recommended that we check out the rejected applications for land because they often have even more information of value to genealogists since the applicants were trying very hard to prove their right to the land.

Oral Histories

Former teacher and librarian, Lucille Saunders is a Storyteller who can really spin a yarn. Ask her to tell you about the time she was in jail! She and her colleagues from OOPS (Omaha Organization for the Purpose of Storytelling) demonstrated how to turn the facts about your ancestors into real-life stories. Honestly, I got chills up my back during a couple of the stories, and one brought tears to my eyes. One of the group was a delightful lady who is 91 years young. The group has a Facebook page; I encourage you to check it out. The group meets at an Omaha bookstore once a month to tell their stories and help one another craft their stories. Listening to them really helped me get some ideas on how to tell my ancestor's stories.

Organizing Your Files

After lunch we were entertained by Cyndy Salzmann, America's Clutter Coach (TM). In addition to her business of helping people organize their lives, she has written nonfiction and fiction books and has taken up the genealogy rein from one of her aunts. She encouraged discussion on binders vs. file folders, letter size vs. legal size, what to do with those oversized documents, color coding. Bottom line - there's no right or wrong way to organize your genealogy files, but once you design your system, stick with it. Check out Cyndy's blog, as well as her author page on Amazon.com. Next to genealogy, there's nothing I enjoy more than a good mystery story, so as soon as I got home, I downloaded her mystery novel, Crime and Clutter (Friday Afternoon Club Mystery Series #2) for my Kindle.

What You Can Do With a Digital Camera

Pitch-hitting for Jeff Ramsell on this topic was Jim Ferguson, a former press photographer for UPI and the Sun. There was a lot of technical talk about megapixels, ISO, and a phrase I haven't heard in about 30 years: "Tri-X." Old 35mm film aficionados will remember that 400 ASA film. It was my standard for many years. He offered some tips on providing alternate light sources when photographing tombstones, and some of the perils of being a photographer who is a world traveler. Bottom line: set your camera to take photos at the highest resolution possible. You can always make the file size smaller later via your photo editing software. For those who don't want to shell out the big bucks for Photoshop, he recommended Adobe Photoshop Elements 9.

The conference also provided a nice opportunity to network and meet new people. As always whenever I attend one of these conferences, I am reminded of how much more I have to learn!

The Spring 2011 conference of GOGS will be held April 9, 2011. Featured speaker will be announced at a later date.

John Colletta "Rocked It" at Genealogy Conference

John Philip Colletta

John Colletta demonstrated that he is one of the "rock stars" in the world of genealogy speakers in his presentations at the fall conference sponsored by the Lincoln-Lancaster County (Nebraska) Genealogical Society.

The author of They Came in Ships: Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor's Arrival Record and Only a Few Bones: A True Account of the Rolling Fork Tragedy & Its Aftermath (among others) informed, entertained and educated the group of more than 100 genealogists at the Southeast Community College Continuing Education Center in Lincoln yesterday.

Colletta's topics were Assembling and Writing a Family History Narrative, Writing a Readable Story, Researching at the Library of Congress, and Using and Understanding Archives.

Colletta is a dynamic speaker, full of passion and enthusiasm for family history. His teaching style is full of rich stories and examples - as well as a lot of humor. He captivated the audience for a full day.

Of most benefit to me was his approach to writing a family history - the stories about the lives of our ancestors. I'm sure that many of us have struggled with trying to figure out how to determine when our research is complete enough to begin writing the story. Colletta emphasized the need for being very clear with your objective, your audience and narrowing your focus. For example, perhaps you will only write about a few generations of the family - you don't have to write about every possible descendant of a certain ancestor.

The other piece of advice he gave is to "start writing now." He made it clear that you don't have to wait until all of your research is done - start writing the stories and eventually your book will evolve. He also showed several different examples of how to present and organize your final product.

During the first break, I bought his book, They Came in Ships: Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor's Arrival Record but as he used his research about his Ring family to illustrate his points, I then purchased his book about that family's story, Only a Few Bones: A True Account of the Rolling Fork Tragedy & Its Aftermath. This is not a book of charts and lineages, but is a well crafted story that involves some mysteries and an unsolved case involving the death of an ancestor. I can't wait to get into this book!

If you ever need an outstanding genealogy speaker for your event, John Colletta should be on your short list.

Visit John Colletta's web site

Follow Friday (a few hours early): The Nebraska State Historical Society

Nebraska State Historical Society
Lincoln, Nebraska

This week I am recognizing a valuable resource right here in my own home town, the Nebraska State Historical Society. Headquarters are located at 1500 R Street in Lincoln, adjacent to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. From the society entrance, there is a straight view down Centennial Mall to the Nebraska State Capitol building a few blocks away.

In addition to the headquarters and archives that are located in Lincoln, the Society also oversees the operation of other historic sites such as the Nebraska History Museum, Chimney Rock national historic site, Fort Robinson museums, Neligh Mills, and sites honoring John Neihardt, Willa Cather, Thomas Kennard, and others.

Rather than focusing on the facilities operated by NSHS, this post will feature some of the valuable information that the Society has made available online. There really is a lot to explore, and if you have Nebraska ancestors or connections, you may just find something to aid in your research.

I'll start with the Society's social network. The society has a presence on Facebook, as well as a blog that has some of the most entertaining and informative posts about the Society's collections. I encourage anyone with ties to Nebraska to visit both. Be sure to "Like" the Society on Facebook and add the blog to your favorite news reader.

The Society's web site address is: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/index.htm The site has an index of its major topics. This is really more like a browse feature, since the topics are alphabetical and cover several pages. But among the topics are: Bess Streeter Aldrich movie script, Arbor Day (which had its start in Nebraska), Atlases and Plat Books, the Solomon Butcher photograph collection, author Willa Cather, Made in Nebraska (bet you didn't know that Kool-Aid was invented in Hastings!), Quilts from the collection, among dozens of other Nebraska-related topics. Just browse the index and you can easily get lost for a couple hours.

The first stop for many genealogists on the site will be the Search page. This is broken down by different collections and databases. The search of the library and archives is one place to begin.

Search Result
Mary Kelly Fitzgerald

A search on my Kelly kin turned up this result on Mary Kelly (Mrs. John) Fitzgerald, who was the sister of my great grandfather, Dan Kelly.

Another search turned up a genealogy resource on some of the in-laws of my relatives who I am researching.

If you have some Nebraska connections, try a few searches, you may locate something.

The NSHS site also has some finding aids that may be of value to your research. Resources available in federal, state and municipal government records are included. And there's a page that features some of the more than 3,000 maps in the Society's collection.

The Society's manuscript collection can be searched for family and individual records. The manuscript holdings also include business, church, organization and political records.

The Society publishes Nebraska History magazine quarterly. Selected full-text articles from past issues are available on the site. Several of the articles have a tie-in with my family members or deal with a specific event or time period of stories that have been passed down. Browse through some of the article titles and I'm willing to wager that at least one or two will stir your interest.

Recently added to the Society's database are photographic images from the Society's William Jennings Bryan collection. I browsed through all 45 pages of images of campaign buttons, postcards, photographs and other types of paper ephemera. Bryan ran unsuccessfully for President three times. He was Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson. I'll write more about Bryan in a future blog post, as there are some family stories that indicate a connection to Bryan - I need to become a History Detective to either prove or disprove.

If you would like to receive Nebraska History magazine, as well as other benefits, consider a membership to help support the preservation of the state's history. One of the very special perks to members is the opportunity to reserve a reader/printer for research and print free copies! That's a pretty good selling point for those of us who have convenient access to the facilities.

I invite you and encourage you to explore the Society's web site. And if you find a connection to any of your Nebraska kin on the site, I'd love to hear about it! Feel free to leave a comment below.

Nebraska Genealogy Events in July

Mark your calendar for the following genealogy events in Nebraska.


July 13 - Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society - Wyuka Cemetery at 141 Years - presentation by Ed Zimmer. More Information on the LLCGS web site. Lincoln.


July 15 - Brown Bag Lecture - Wearing the Hempen Neck-Tie: Lynching in Nineteenth-Century Nebraska - presented by Jim Potter. More information on the Nebraska State Historical Society web site. Lincoln.


For other upcoming events, check out the full calendar of Genealogy Events in Nebraska on LongLostRelatives.net. To add your event, email me at sooznebr@gmail.com.

Cass County, Nebraska Marriages now online

I'm very pleased to report that the Greater Omaha Genealogical Society (GOGS) has added a site for Cass County (Nebraska) marriages. Once you click on that link, entries are listed in alphabetical order by surname under "Pages."

Right off the bat, I found an entry for my great-grandfather's brother, William D. Kelly, Jr. and Mary "Mollie" Kelleher, as follows:

KELLY, William D.; 22; md.: Mollie Kealeher; 24; C2 Feb 1885 p 433

Mollie's surname was frequently spelled incorrectly in many records, so the misspelling here is no surprise.

What IS surprising is that the couple also took out a marriage license in neighboring Lancaster county to be married on February 10, 1886 [Lancaster county marriage records, Book 7, Page 5 - Lincoln Lancaster County Genealogical Society searchable database]. That record gives William's age as 23 (a year older) and Mollie's age as 22 (two years younger!).


Clearly, the couple took out a marriage license in both counties. The Cass county index site states, "Our site is merely an index to marriages, and we include those who got a license, but did not actually marry (or at least they didn't return the license to indicate they did".


Had the couple planned to marry in Cass county in February, 1885? Did they actually get married in Lancaster county in February, 1886?

According to his tombstone, their first child, Willie Kelly, was born March 4, 1886 and died December 14 of that year. Did they marry a year before Willie was born or did they marry three weeks before he was born? And if they married in 1885 in Cass county, why did they take out a marriage license in Lancaster county a year later?

It's another family history mystery to be solved, but going back to the original source documents for both marriage licenses may shed some light on the mystery.

As it turned out, William died in 1889 at age 38. Mollie married his brother, Michael C. Kelly, a year and a half later, again in February (February 7, 1901).

I want to thank the diligent people at GOGS for adding Cass county marriages to their ongoing list of projects. In addition to Cass county, the Society also has some online indexes for Hall, Rock, Sarpy, Thurston and Wayne counties, as well as the Omaha death, birth and marriage indexes. Nice job!

June Genealogy events in Nebraska

The following genealogy events in Nebraska are slated:

June 8, 2010 - Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society meeting. 7:15 p.m., Union College, 3800 S. 48th St., Lincoln. Presenter: Robert Ripley. Topic: The Tower of the Plains - the Nebraska State Capitol.

June 12, 2010 - Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society - Walking tour of Wyuka Cemetery led  by Ed Zimmer. 9:30 a.m., 3600 O St, Lincoln.

June 16, 2010 - Greater Omaha Genealogical Society meeting. 7:00 p.m., Crown Point Retirement Center, 2820 S. 80th St., Omaha.

June 17, 2010 - Lincoln - Brown Bag Lecture - Archaeology at the Beaver Crossing Trail. Presenter: Nolan Johnson. 12:00 noonBlackman Auditorium, Nebraska History Museum, 131 Centennial Mall North, Lincoln.

June 19, 2010 - Greater Omaha Genealogical Society class - Newspaper research and Cemetery Research. 9:15 a.m. Mormon Trail Center, 3215 State Street, Omaha.

June 21, 2010 - West Point - Elkhorn Valley Genealogical Society meeting. 7:00 p.m., Stahl Library, West Point.

For further information and calendar listing of genealogy events in Nebraska, click here.

Archives.com provides free membership to NGS members

News Release: Archives.com Provides Complimentary Memberships To All National Genealogical Society Members


Archives gives back to the genealogy community with donation of $175,000 of genealogical resources


Archives.com (http://www.archives.com/), a website devoted to making family history simple and affordable, announced today that they have donated complimentary three month memberships to all 9,000 members of the National Genealogical Society (NGS). These complimentary memberships give NGS members unlimited access to over 1.2 billion records on Archives.com, as well as online family tree software, Expert Series articles, hours of professional tutorial videos, and other exclusive benefits.


“Working in cooperation with non-profit organizations like the National Genealogical Society is a great way to provide family history resources to the people that value them most,” says Joe Godfrey, Product Manager for Archives.com. Added Jan Alpert, President of NGS; “Archives' mission is to make family history records more accessible and affordable, and NGS is excited to work with them towards this shared goal.”


Archives is proud to make such a significant donation to NGS members, and will continue to explore ways to give back to the genealogy community. As part of this partnership, Archives.com will also donate complimentary memberships to anyone who joins NGS during the following 6 months. To learn more about NGS and the additional benefits of membership, visit the NGS website (http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/become_a_member).


ABOUT ARCHIVES.COM


Archives.com (http://www.archives.com/) is a leading family history website that makes discovering family history simple and affordable. The company has assembled more than 1.2 billion historical records – birth, death, marriage, divorce, census, obituary, immigration, military and more – all in a single location, and makes them available at a price that’s up to 80 percent less than the leading competitor. Archives also partners with other leading family history websites to provide integrated record collections, discounted memberships, official certificates and other special promotions – providing a comprehensive resource for researching your family history. Archives.com is free to try for seven days, allowing anyone to explore the benefits of membership without risk or obligation. For more information and to start discovering your family history, please visit Archives.com (http://www.archives.com/).


ABOUT THE NATIONAL GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY


Founded in 1903, the National Genealogical Society (http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/) is dedicated to genealogy education, high research standards, and the preservation of genealogical records. The Arlington, VA-based nonprofit is the premier national society for everyone, from the beginner to the most advanced family historian, seeking excellence in publications, educational offerings, research guidance, and opportunities to interact with other genealogists. Please visit the NGS Pressroom (http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/pressroom) for further information.

Nebraska State Genealogical Society now on Facebook

NSGS at Facebook

Welcome to Facebook, NSGS!

Follow Friday: A Day in the Life of Downtown Omaha

This week, I have not one, but two, recommendations for Follow Friday:

The Nebraska State Historical Society's blog is one that I enjoy following. A recent post, A Day in the Life of Downtown Omaha, features a typical street scene of historic Omaha. Even before I read the caption, I recognized the Brandeis building.

What I really enjoy about the post is how they have cropped some elements from the main photograph to isolate some images of every day life in 1934. People are motoring about, interacting with one another - all these vignettes that one might not see just by glancing at the original photograph. It's given me a new perspective on viewing those historic photographs.

Professional genealogists group grows to more than 2,000 members

The following news release is from the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG).

April 28, 2010 – Today at the National Genealogical Society Family History Conference in Salt Lake City, the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG®) announced that it has just surpassed the 2,000-membership mark. As the world’s leading professional organization of family history and related professionals, the APG supports professional genealogists throughout the world.


More Information

The APG has experienced steady growth in membership since its founding more than 30 years ago. With 23 local chapters in the U.S. and Canada, the organization supports a variety of professions within the field, including researchers, librarians, editors, archivists, lecturers, event planners and more.

Core Facts

Visitors to this week’s National Genealogical Society Family History Conference may learn more by visiting the APG booth, number 314. Booth volunteers are available to answer questions regarding how to hire a professional genealogist, use the APG online directory of professionals, and become a professional genealogist. Visitors will also find a list of APG members who are giving lectures at the conference.

Quotes

“This milestone comes at a time when interest in genealogy is mushrooming, as both a pastime and a profession. Recent television shows like NBC’s “Who Do You Think You Are?” and PBS’s “Faces of America” have helped raise awareness and stimulate interest from a broader audience. This increase in interest is leading more people to hire genealogists and we’ll need more professionals in the field. APG helps professionals develop their skills and build their networks, while promoting standards and ethics.”Laura Prescott, president of the Association of Professional Genealogists

Company information

About the Association of Professional Genealogists
The Association of Professional Genealogists (http://www.apgen.org/), established in 1979, represents more than 2,000 genealogists, librarians, writers, editors, historians, instructors, booksellers, publishers, and others involved in genealogy-related businesses. APG encourages genealogical excellence, ethical practice, mentoring, and education. The organization also supports the preservation and accessibility of records useful to the fields of genealogy, local, and social history. Its members represent all fifty states, Canada, and thirty other countries.

Jeff Kappeler to Speak at LLCGS meeting on May 11

Jeff Kappeler of the Nebraska Humanities Council will be the featured speaker at the next meeting of the Lincoln Lancaster County (Nebraska) Genealogical Society meeting on May 11, 2010.

His topic is Ho! for America! Northern European Immigrants to the Midwest in the 19th Century.

His presentation is described as follows: The stories of our ancestors who settled Nebraska contain fascinating accounts of sacrifice, courage and endurance. The journey they made from the Old World to America was a difficult process that will be examined by Jeff in three parts: the decision, the journey and the adjustments required. Jeff’s presentation includes packing an actual immigrant chest and other essential baggage needed by our ancestors for the ocean voyage and the new life on the prairie. Mr. Kappeler is a Research Historian and Archivist and is sponsored in part by the Nebraska Humanities Council.

I heard Jeff speak at the Nebraska State Genealogical Society conference in Norfolk, Nebraska on Friday evening and can guarantee you that this presentation is one you must see and hear. He is extremely knowledgeable about his subject and a very interesting storyteller.

The meeting will be held at 7:15 p.m.

Lower Level Theater
Dick Admin. Bldg.
Union College Campus
3800 So. 48th St. Lincoln, Nebraska

For more information, visit the Society's web site.

Every Genealogist Must Attend a Conference!

The following video from Roots Television makes it clear that "you don't have to be a celebrity to trace your roots." Included is a clip from Phyllis Erickson of the Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society.

Nebraska State Genealogical Society meeting a success!

The 33rd annual conference of the Nebraska State Genealogical Society was held in Norfolk this weekend. Excellent sessions providing tips for finding your long lost relatives were given by Paula Stuart-Warren. Paula was a captivating speaker who held everyone's attention for two full days. Jeff Kappeler of the Nebraska Humanities Council presented an informative and entertaining lecture on what life was like for our immigrant ancestors.

The conference ended with a trip to Prospect Hill Cemetery for a demonstration of grave witching by Judy Carlson. With her two copper rods, Judy showed how she is able to determine the location of graves, if the deceased is male or female, and sometimes, the age of a child. I'm not one of the skeptics and I believe everyone found her demonstration quite interesting!



Judy Carlson demonstrates Grave Witching at the Prospect Hill Cemetery in Norfolk, Nebraska. Behind her (light green pullover) is conference speaker Paula Stuart-Warren.

Honoring Arbor Day in Nebraska

Arbor Day was created by J. Sterling Morton in Nebraska in 1872. It was a day to be set aside for planting trees.

Check out the interactive history book about Arbor Day on the Arbor Day Foundation website and Mr. Morton's diary entry for Arbor Day in his journal on the Nebraska State Historical Society web site.

Nebraska Historical Society Library and Archives reopens March 9, 2010

Great news has arrived from the Nebraska State Historical Society!

The library and archives in Lincoln has been closed doing the building renovation and will reopen March 9, 2010!

Check the society's website for updated Information. Regular Hours: Tuesday-Friday 9-12 a.m., 1-4 p.m. & Saturday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (Closed on State Holidays)

The Library has the largest collection of Nebraska state and local histories including Nebraska atlases, plat books, flat maps, city directories and phonebooks. Most of these titles are not available on the Web.

They have over 3000 genealogies/family histories collected during our 131-year history. We have a general collection of non-Nebraska genealogy guides and histories from other states. Again, many may not be available on the Web and you can use them right here in Lincoln.

The microfilm collection includes the largest collection of Nebraska newspapers in the state. Check out the online Nebraska

Contact the staff about the Nebraska Statewide Cemetery Registry and cemetery tombstone transcriptions in the Library.

Government Records at the NSHS include various federal, state, and county records used in family research.

Looking for genealogy records in Omaha?

Are you looking for birth, death and marriage records from Omaha, Nebraska? The Greater Omaha Genealogical Society has a records index search available online.

Click here for obituaries

Click here for marriages

Click here for births

February 9 meeting of the Lincoln Lancaster County Genealogy Society

February 9th – Marcia Stewart
Getting Started with Military Records

This program builds on Cynthia's January "Getting Started" session by introducing military sources for genealogical information. Marcia will explain what is available, where to find the records, and what you can learn through these resources. Marcia, Cynthia, and Phyllis will share samples of some good genealogy finds.

The Lincoln-Lancaster County NE Genealogical Society cordially invites all in the community to hear our free programs.

Programs are on the second Tuesday, at 7:15 p.m.

Location:
Lower Level Theater
Dick Admin. Bldg.
Union College Campus
3800 So. 48th St. Lincoln, Nebraska

Visit the LLCGS web site.