Nebraska Genealogy Events 2013

Once again, Nebraska groups and societies have shown their commitment to quality programming and events for genealogists. Here is my latest composite list. I can always add more events from other local genealogy and historical societies, so please email me your information! The events calendar is also always easily accessible from the Genealogy Events in Nebraska tab in the menu above.

Hope to see many of you around the state this year!

Date & Location	Description
January 7 – 18, 2013 M-F 8-4 Sat 10-5 Sun 1-5 Nebraska State Capitol 1445 K St Lincoln	Journey Stories – traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution
January 13, 2013 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Walt Branch Library 6701 S. 14th St. Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society Microsoft Word for Genealogists Presented by Phyllis Ericson
January 13, 2013 5:30 p.m. St. Andrews Lutheran Church 1015 Lancaster Lane Lincoln, NE	German American Heritage Society of Lincoln Potluck meal at 5:30 p.m. Program at 7:00 p.m.
January 16-23, 2013 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Wednesday evenings Southeast Community College Continuing Education Center 301 S. 68th St Place Lincoln, NE	Beginning Genealogy: Where to Start with Your Family History Instructors: Marcia Stewart, Cynthia Monroe $49
January 16, 2013 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Great Room Chatelaine 6201 Normal Blvd Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society Discussion group facilitated by Lila Garner
January 16, 2013 7:00 p.m. Nebraska Methodist College 87th and Burt Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Monthly Meeting: Sons of Norway
January 15 – Feb 6, 2013 Wednesday evenings 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Lefler Middle School 1100 S 48th St Lincoln, NE	History of Lincoln, Part 1 Offered by Southeast Community College Presented by Jim McKee $39
January 17 – Feb 7, 2013 Thursday evenings 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Lefler Middle School 1100 S 48th St Lincoln, NE	Lincoln’s Suburbs: University Place, Bethany, College View, Havelock, West Lincoln, Yankee Hill and Normal Offered by Southeast Community College Presented by Jim McKee $39
January 19, 2013 9:15 a.m. – Noon Mormon Trail Center 3215 State St Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Tell Me About My Family – Getting Started with Family History.
January 20, 2013 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Walt Branch Library 6701 S. 14th St Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society DNA Genealogy Interest Group – comparison of three autosomal DNA results for the same person. Facilitated by Tom McFarland
January 27, 2013 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Walt Branch Library 6701 S. 14th St Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society Help Session for new and experienced genealogists
February 1, 2013 7:00 p.m. LDS Family History Center 11027 Martha St Omaha, NE	GO-PAF Meeting Program to be announced
February 3, 2013 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Walt Branch Library 6701 S. 14th St Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society Technology Interest Group Turn Your Tablet Into a Lean, Mean Genealogy Machine Presented by Susan Petersen
February 9, 16, 23, 2013 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Home Economics Building Univ of Nebraska 1650 N. 35th St Lincoln, NE	Course: The Life and Times of Your Ancestors Sponsored by Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) $15 for OLLI member
February 10, 2013 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. Walt Branch Library 6701 S. 14th St Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society Genealogy and One Book One Lincoln: Destiny of the Republic Topics: Making Sense of the Census, Database, Historic Maps, Timelines and Newspapers, Civil War Resources 2:30 – 4:00: Personal research with a genealogist Download a brochure
February 10, 2013 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Walt Branch Library 6701 S. 14th St Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society Help Session for new and experienced genealogists
February 12, 2013 7:15 p.m. Eastridge Presbyterian Church 1135 Eastridge Dr Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society Monthly Program What will happen to your genealogy research when you can no longer take care of it. Information and suggestions and steps to take to preserve your family history. Presented by Loel Brooks, Lincoln attorney
February 13 – March 6, 2013 Wednesday evenings 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Lefler Middle School 1100 S 48th St Lincoln, N	History of Lincoln, Part 2 Offered by Southeast Community College Presented by Jim McKee $39
February 14, 2013 6:30 p.m. Unadilla Community Library Unadilla, NE	Otoe County Genealogical Society U.S. Land Records and the Homestead Act of 1862 Presented by Blake Bell, Homestead National Monument of America
February 16, 2013 9:15 a.m. – Noon Mormon Trail Center 3215 State St Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Part I: Vital Records of Their Lives – Birth, Marriage and Death Records; Part II: Substitutes for Vital Records
February 17, 2013 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. Eiseley Branch Library 1530 Superior St Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society Genealogy and One Book One Lincoln: Destiny of the Republic Topics: Making Sense of the Census, Database, Historic Maps, Timelines and Newspapers, Civil War Resources 2:30 – 4:00: Personal research with a genealogist Download a brochure
February 17, 2013 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Walt Branch Library 6701 S. 14th St Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society Help Session for new and experienced genealogists
February 20, 2013 7:00 p.m. Nebraska Methodist College 87th and Burt Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Monthly Meeting: Searching the Omaha Library catalog Presented by Martha Grenzeback
February 24, 2013 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. South Branch Library 27th and South Streets Lincoln, Ne	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society Genealogy and One Book One Lincoln: Destiny of the Republic Topics: Making Sense of the Census, Database, Historic Maps, Timelines and Newspapers, Civil War Resources 2:30 – 4:00: Personal research with a genealogist Download a brochure
February 27- March 6, 2013 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Wednesday evenings Southeast Community College Continuing Education Center 301 S. 68th St Place Lincoln, NE	Intermediate Genealogy: Research Your Family Tree Instructors: Marcia Stewart, Cynthia Monroe $29
March 1, 2013 7:00 p.m. LDS Family History Center 11027 Martha St Omaha, NE	GO-PAF meeting Program to be announced
March 10, 2013 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Walt Branch Library 6701 S. 14th st Lincoln, Ne	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society Display Your Family Tree with Charts and Posters Presented by Phyllis Ericson
March 12, 2013 7:15 p.m. Eastridge Presbyterian Church 1135 Eastridge Dr Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society Monthly Program Hiring a Professional Genealogist
March 16, 2013 9:15 a.m. – Noon Mormon Trail Center 3215 State St Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Making Sense of the Census – Using U.S. and International Censuses
March 20, 2013 7:00 p.m. Nebraska Methodist College 87th and Burt Sts Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Monthly program to be announced
April 5, 2013 7:00 p.m. LDS Family History Center 11027 Martha St Omaha, NE	GO-PAF meeting Program to be announced
April 9, 2013 7:15 p.m. Eastridge Presbyterian Church 1135 Eastridge Dr Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society Monthly Program: Census Substitutes: Tax Records and City Directories
April 13, 2013 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Nebraska Community Blood Bank 100 N. 84th St Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society Part 1 of 2 Putting the Pieces Together genealogy workshop Presented by Phyllis Ericson Fee
April 13, 2013 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Nebraska Community Blood Bank 100 N. 84th St Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society Part 2 of 2 Putting the Pieces Together genealogy workshop Presented by Phyllis Ericson Fee
April 17, 2013 7:00 p.m. Nebraska Methodist College 87th and Burt Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Monthly program to be announced
April 20, 2013 9:15 a.m. – Noon Mormon Trail Center 3215 State St Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Part I: Searching the World’s Records – using Family History centers; Part II: The Name Game – Learn Tips to Help with Your Family History Search
April 27, 2013 Nebraska Methodist College 720 N. 87th st Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Spring Conference: Paul Milner, Irish Research Registration fee to be announced
May 3-4, 2013 Midtown Holiday Inn 2503 S Locust Ave Grand Island, NE	Nebraska State Genealogical Society Annual Conference Featuring Beth Foulk Registration fee to be announced
May 3, 2012 LDS Family History Center 11027 Martha St Omaha, NE	GO-PAF meeting Program to be announced
May 14, 2013 7:15 p.m. Eastridge Presbyterian Church 1135 Eastridge Dr Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society Monthly Program Regional Libraries as Genealogical Resources Resources from: Lincoln Public Libraries, LLCGS Library, Germans from Russian Library, Nebraska State Historical Library, LDS Family Search Library, Nebraska Library Commission, UNL Libraries, Nebraska State Genealogical Society collection in Beatrice
May 15, 2013 7:00 p.m. Nebraska Methodist College 87th and Burt Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Monthly program to be announced
May 18, 2013 9:15 a.m. – Noon Mormon Trail Center 3215 State St Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Part I: Where’s the Dirt? Overview of Land Records Part II: What’s Black and White and Read All Over: Newspaper research
June 2, 2013 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Walt Branch Library 6701 S. 14th St Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society 4-H Activities and Exhibits Related to Genealogy and Photography
June 7, 2013 LDS Family History Center 11027 Martha St Omaha, NE	GO-PAF Meeting Program to be announced
June 9, 2013 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Walt Branch Library 6701 S. 14th St Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society Earning a Boy Scout Genealogy Badge
June 11, 2013 7:15 p.m. Eastridge Presbyterian Church 1135 Eastridge Dr Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society Monthly Program Finding Your Ancestor’s European Origin Presented by Phyllis Ericson
June 15, 2013 9:15 a.m. – Noon Mormon Trail Center 3215 State St Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Part I: Genealogy Problem Solving Part II: Internet Genealogy
June 19, 2013 7:00 p.m. Nebraska Methodist College 87th and Burt Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Monthly program to be announced
June 30, 2013 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Walt Branch Library 6701 S. 14th St Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society Earning Girl Scout Badges Related to Family History
July 9, 2013 7:15 p.m. Eastridge Presbyterian Church 1135 Eastridge Dr Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society Monthly Program Creating Useful Ancestor Timelines Presented by Phyllis Ericson and Susan Petersen
July 12-13, 2013 Homestead National Monument of America Beatrice, Ne	Land Records and Genealogy Symposium Details TBA fee
July 20, 2013 11:00 a.m. W Dale Clark Library 215 S 15th St Omaha, NE	Omaha Public Library summer reading program My Ancestor Was an Axe Murderer – dealing with skeletons in your ancestor’s closet Presented by Susan Petersen
August 13, 2013 7:15 p.m. Eastridge Presbyterian Church 1135 Eastridge Dr Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society Monthly Program Ghost Towns of Families Past Presented by Bob Hanna
September 6-7,2013 Holiday Inn Convention Center 110 S. Second Ave Kearney, NE 68848	Midwest Family History Expo
Information is based on each organization’s online information. Information and classes subject to change without notice. Email additions or corrections to me.	List compiled and maintained by Susan Petersen, LongLostRelatives.net. To add or update your listing, please email me sooznebr@gmail.com

Third Blogiversary of LongLostRelatives - Year in Review

Time rolls around so quickly! It's really hard for me to believe that LongLostRelatives.net is already three years old, having been born on December 13 in 2009. 2010 clearly was a landmark year for my blogging, with more than 300 posts that year. 2011 slipped down to a little over 200. This year, I averaged about one post per week, but my reasons for being AWOL from blogging were addressed in my Transitions post.

But LongLostRelatives.net is still attracting readers and serving as cousin bait. Just last week, I received an email from someone who was searching a common ancestor and found the blog. I still get a kick out of hearing from people, sharing our research and discussing our theories.

Evelyn Gibbons obituary
Discovered at W Dale Clark Library
in Omaha

2012 marked coming around full circle. My first blog post was in the form of a query; I was looking for an obituary to confirm if some information I discovered was truly about my Mom's first cousin. It took me nearly three years to discover that obituary, and it was almost in my own back yard, just an hour's drive away at the W. Dale Clark Library in Omaha.




LLCGS

2012 also marked the year of my return to volunteerism. I've been a member of the Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society on and off for many years. Now, having been a member for seven years in a row, it was time to start giving back. I had approached LLCGS about doing social media via Facebook almost three years ago, but they weren't quite ready for it. When 2012 rolled around, the President asked if I would be publicity chair and one of the first things I did was to set up our LLCGS Facebook page, a blog and Twitter feed. These methods of communication are integral to our full publicity efforts, and along with our webmaster and newsletter editor, we are communicating with our members and followers in a variety of ways.

In the late summer, I was elected as a member at large to the LLCGS Board of Directors. Yes, I chaired the nominating committee, but I was NOT my own first choice for a position on the Board! As I spoke with the movers and shakers of the society, several of them suggested I consider myself for the open position. After some persuasion, I realized I could do a much better job with our publicity and social media if I were involved in the oversight of the organization, so I agreed. I haven't looked back since.

LLCGS is, by far, one of the most exciting community organizations I've been involved with in many years. There is so much enthusiasm and support for genealogy education in our community. It's fun to be a part of that. Our group offers excellent monthly programs, a conference with a nationally recognized speaker, monthly discussion groups, field trips, and weekly sessions at Walt Branch Library in Lincoln. These Sunday Sessions may focus on DNA, Technology, a Writer's Group, Sharing our Family History, German Genealogy Interest Group as well as drop-in Help sessions for members and the community. Walt Branch Library is becoming "the" place to be for genealogists on Sunday afternoons. Just wait until you see the line-up of events we are planning for 2013! There truly is something for everyone.

Genealogy Speaking

I also continued to dabble in giving talks about genealogy. For LLCGS, I gave a presentation on genealogy blogs. During the summer, I was invited back to W. Dale Clark Library in Omaha and debuted my talk about newspaper research. This fall, I was guest of the Friends of Wymore Library for a talk about beginning genealogy. And I'm starting to line up a few more speaking engagements for 2013.

Homestead National Monument and Beatrice, Nebraska

Homestead National
Monument of America
near Beatrice, Nebraska

Over Memorial Day weekend, I finally made it to the Homestead National Monument to see all of the pages of the Homestead Act - the first time all of the pages were on display together. Right before my eyes was that familiar signature of President Lincoln.

I took a lot of photos in the museum and around the prairie grounds that still look much the way they probably did 150 years ago. It was a sunny, peaceful and quiet Saturday morning that left me exhilarated.

I then spent some time getting acquainted with the genealogy materials at the Beatrice Public Library, which is also where the collection of the Nebraska State Genealogical Society is located. I didn't have a research plan in mind - I just wanted to find my way around and see what they had. Then, a true example of social media in action occurred. I've been following Jenna Mills' search for her Buffalo county, Nebraska roots, particularly in Amherst, Nebraska. There, on one shelf, a thick book with the word "Amherst" on the spine caught my eye. I sent off a quick message on Facebook to Jenna to get her surnames. Messages between us then became fast and furious as I discovered pages of information about her family. I was as excited as if it had been my own family! She later said that she just kept clicking on Refresh, waiting as I kept sending more scans to her from the library. I got the biggest kick out of that!

I also drove around Beatrice and found the locations of where my great grandmother, Clara Pecht, had lived after the death of her husband, LeRoy. One appeared to be a vacant lot; another was the site of a church. So, clearly, there are more stories to be discovered in some land records.

Conferences and Kick-Offs

2012 marked the release of the 1940 census and I was involved in the Census Kick-Off celebration sponsored by LLCGS. Judi Cook, our program chair at the time, is a whiz at organizing events with so much attention to detail. People wore 1940s attire, someone brought a vintage 1940s automobile, there was 1940s food and candy (oh, it was Fresh, the items were first on the market in the 1940s!). I put together a music loop of some of my favorite Big Band music to accompany a slide show about the 1940s. It was a great event!

Laura Prescott at the state conference
of the Nebraska State Genealogical Society

In May, I attended the annual conference of the Nebraska State Genealogical Society in Grand Island and became acquainted with our speaker, Laura Prescott. She was fascinating and gave a lot of ideas about resources and techniques I want to pursue. I finally got to meet several of my Nebraska Facebook friends in person, so that was a special treat.

September brought Family History Expos to Kearney, with a turnout of about 300 people! It was great to reconnect with old friends from Lincoln and Omaha as well as other parts of the state. Ruby Coleman of North Platte was our keynote speaker.

Fall brought Hank Jones Jr. to the LLCGS conference in October. He was delightful! And YES, a GOOD speaker can do a full day of entertaining lectures and education without the use of PowerPoint slides! Unfortunately, I missed seeing John Colletta in Omaha two weeks later as I was still keeping an eye on my Dad who had a stroke the day after the Hank Jones conference. (He continues to improve, by the way, thank you to everyone who wrote with your positive thoughts and encouragement).

Reconnecting with the Geneabloggers

While I wasn't able to attend some of the big genealogy gatherings around the country this year, I was able to meet up with some blogger buddies who I first met at the Family History Expo in Kansas City in 2010.

Gena Philibert-Ortega was a presenter at the International Quilt Museum symposium here in Lincoln this year. We were able to get together for lunch at Lazlo's and share a very wonderful spinach and artichoke lavosh. We didn't have a whole lot of time together, but it was Quality time!

I was certainly disappointed in missing the John Colletta conference sponsored by the Greater Omaha Genealogical Society in October - because I had made plans to spend the day with my friend, Diana Ritchie who writes the Random Relatives blog, who has been a very good pal since we met in Kansas City two years ago. I owe her for taking me down the Kindle path! Fortunately, we already had Plan B ready. Her friend, Nancy, has connections in Lincoln and her grandparents are buried at Wyuka Cemetery here. We met bright and early for breakfast on a Sunday morning. I got to look at the beautiful book that Nancy had compiled via Ancestry.com. Then we scouted Wyuka looking for gravestones. Wyuka has THE BEST resource for locating graves on their web site. Every one is indexed and searchable and then there are maps for each section of the cemetery. One wishes that every cemetery had something this genealogist-friendly.

A short distance from Wyuka was the home and former grocery store that had belonged to Nancy's grandparents that she remembered from her visits to Lincoln. We walked around as Nancy and Diana took photographs. Of course, one of the neighbors wanted to know what the heck we were nosing about for!

Getting our Tech Together

This year I also set up two discussion groups on Facebook where we can talk about Kindle for Genealogy and Technology for Genealogy. Recently, I even created an iPad for Genealogy community on Google+. Please drop by any and all of these groups to ask questions and provide your answers for others. My thanks to Becky Jamison and Thomas MacEntee for their help in maintaining the groups.

As I look back over 2012, even I am amazed at all of my genealogical activities - because I thought it was a pretty tame and laid back year. Apparently not!

With my retirement now less than 40 days away (but who's counting?), I am really looking forward to 2013 and more volunteering with LLCGS, more speaking engagements, more blogging, more blog reading, more scanning, more organizing, more research, more conferences, more day trips, more of Everything that I Love!

I have no doubt that 2013 will be an amazing year!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all! And to all a good night!

Love, Susan

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.

Transitions

Readers of LongLostRelatives.net may have noticed my conspicuous absence from the blogging world the last few months, even though I've continued to remain active on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

But I'm getting back in the swing again after some life interruptions and just being very busy!

I've written before about being my father's caregiver for the last few years. Dad had a stroke in October and I took several weeks off work to aid in his recovery. Fortunately, he had no paralysis, but he has aphasia, the inability to always be able to say the words he wants to say. His speech is gradually coming back and we actually were able to have a fairly lengthy conversation last evening and most of the desired words were there.

His loss of communication skills hit the genealogist in me very hard. I've been with him for eight years and clearly, I took our daily interaction and his stories about his life for granted. I've made a few recordings of his reminiscences, but I guess I always thought I would have more time to do that. As he lay in the hospital, unable to find the most basic words to convey his needs, I began to grieve the loss of the stories I might never hear again.

My advice to all my fellow family historians: record and document those stories NOW - before it's too late. We are all living on borrowed time, so capture the memories while you can.

I'm happy to report that Dad has eased back into his daily routine and we are returning to the life that is "normal" for us.

During the time I was off work, I had plenty of time to contemplate my own life, what I want to do with the rest of it and easily made the decision to give up my day job after 40 years of public service with the state of Nebraska. Since I've made it official, I can now share that information. My last day of work will be January 31, 2013. To say that I'm giddy about being able to devote more time to family history, genealogy speaking and writing is an understatement. I'm really going to be able to live my dream and do what is best for Dad and me. I think he is even more excited than I am!

The "busy" part is due to having been elected to the board of directors of the Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society in August. This is a very exciting time for our society as we branch out with our weekly education activities and special interest groups, in addition to our monthly programs. We have some very exciting programs and events in the works for 2013. We will be finalizing those plans at a committee meeting this Sunday. It has also been fun to gear up our online presence with our Facebook page, Twitter feed and blog. Al Harlow, our webmaster, does a great job with the LLCGS web site - and all of our online activities feed into one another. We sponsored a fall conference featuring Hank Jones, Jr. in October. He's one of the best!

In October, I was guest speaker at the Wymore Public Library in Wymore, Nebraska. My talk was sponsored by the Friends of the Wymore Library. I had a great time - many thanks to Jan and Janet for making that possible.

Thanks to the readers of LongLostRelatives.net for your continued and ongoing support. I'm looking forward to a fun and exciting 2013! And more frequent blogging!

Upcoming Genealogy Events in Nebraska

Upcoming genealogy events in Nebraska. If you have an event to add, please email me at sooznebr@gmail.com

Date & Location	Description
December 2, 2012 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Walt Branch Library 6701 South 14th St Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society - Planning Programs for 2013 Join the Program and Education Committees to make plans and scheduling events for 2013. Facilitated by Phyllis Ericson, program chair.
December 5, 2012 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Nebraska Methodist College 720 N. 87th, 3rd floor Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Dennis Kingery will present “Searching for Grundsheim: Finding Family in Germany.” He will discuss his research trip to Germany, preparation, how he organized the trip.
December 6, 2012 1:00 p.m. St. Paul United Methodist Church 12th and M Streets Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society - Discussion Group led by Bob Houser Theme: discovering holiday traditions of our ancestors.
December 7, 2012 7:00 p.m. LDS Family History Center 11027 Martha St Omaha, NE	GO-PAF meeting
December 9, 2012 Ethnic Holiday Traditions 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Walt Branch Library 6701 Normal Blvd Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society - Ethnic Fair with foods, traditions, music, languages and shared advice about researching our specific regions. Get out your favorite recipes, music, crafts, maps and other memorabilia representative of our varied cultures.
December 11, 2012 7:00 p.m. Fellowship Hall Eastridge Presbyterian Church 1135 Eastridge Dr Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society - Monthly meeting and Program Celebrating our Ethnic Heritage and Traditions
December 12, 2012 6:30 p.m. Valentino’s 102nd and Maple Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Christmas Party
December 19, 2012 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Great Room Chatelaine 6201 Normal Blvd Lincoln, NE	LLCGS Discussion Group led by Lila Garner
2013
January 19, 2013 9:15 a.m. – Noon Mormon Trail Center 3215 State St Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Tell Me About My Family – Getting Started with Family History.
February 16, 2013 9:15 a.m. – Noon Mormon Trail Center 3215 State St Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Part I: Vital Records of Their Lives – Birth, Marriage and Death Records; Part II: Substitutes for Vital Records
March 16, 2013 9:15 a.m. – Noon Mormon Trail Center 3215 State St Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Making Sense of the Census – Using U.S. and International Censuses
April 20, 2013 9:15 a.m. – Noon Mormon Trail Center 3215 State St Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Part I: Searching the World’s Records – using Family History centers; Part II: The Name Game – Learn Tips to Help with Your Family History Search
May 18, 2013 9:15 a.m. – Noon Mormon Trail Center 3215 State St Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Part I: Where’s the Dirt? Overview of Land Records Part II: What’s Black and White and Read All Over: Newspaper research
June 15, 2013 9:15 a.m. – Noon Mormon Trail Center 3215 State St Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Part I: Genealogy Problem Solving Part II: Internet Genealogy
	List compiled and maintained by Susan Petersen, LongLostRelatives.net. To add or update your listing, please email me sooznebr@gmail.com