23 April 2009

Food for Thought on Source Citations

The following news release calls attention to new thinking on source citations that would make this process easier on us as genealogists.

"Phoenix, AZ – April 20, 2009. Every genealogist and family historian from beginner to professional will at some time confront the issue of source citations. Although great advances have been made in recent years to standardize and simplify citations, it is still too difficult. Today on ThinkGenealogy.com a video was released that proposes a better way to cite online sources.

Click on the following link to see the video:

http://www.thinkgenealogy.com/better-online-citations/

"This 7.5 minute video consists of two sections. The first section discusses some of the current issues with citing sources especially when it comes to online sources. The second section demonstrates an approach to quickly and accurately cite online sources. The technology needed to accomplish this exists today. The changes proposed by this video requires collaboration between various providers of genealogy software and services.

"As a genealogy community, we have at times united to get our voices heard in such areas as records preservation & access, NARA fees, and other topics of key concern. You are invited to watch the video, provide feedback, and learn how we can work together to make citing online sources approachable to all researchers."

Hit the comment button at the right below this line and let me know what YOU think.

22 April 2009

Learn Ways to Share Your Family History

Have you wondered how you can share some of the results of your family history research with cousins and other relatives? On Saturday, Apr 25, at the Western Reserve Historical Society a panel of experts will provide you with some answers in a seminar entitled "Out of the Showbox! Sharing Your Family History." Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The panel will discuss a variety of ways to share information about ancestors and relationships, favorite memories, photos, and even recipes. In addition, a wide variety of examples of books, family newsletters, websites, scrapbooks, and audio-visuals will be on display for your consideration.

The fee for the all-day seminar is $30 to cover refreshments and handouts. Registration is required. For more information and to download a registration form, go to www.wrhs.org and click on Library, then Genealogy, and scroll down to 2009 Genealogical Committee Seminar Schedule. The form is in PDF format. Or contact Nancy Leinweber at 440-205-1942 or nanbwl@juno.com.

15 April 2009

Win Some Green! Write about Your Western Reserve Ancestors

The Genealogical Committee, an auxiliary of the Western Reserve Historical Society, has announced a writing competition.

The entry should be about a Western Reserve ancestor or ancestral family who lived in the Western Reserve. The present-day counties that were formed within the territory known as the Western Reserve are Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Trumbull, and most of Mahoning and Summit, as well as Danbury Township in Ottawa County and Ruggles Township in Ashland County.

The author must establish that the ancestor or family lived in one of these counties.
The article should be at least 750 words long and up to 2500 words. It should be submitted as an original work, not published elsewhere. The author is free to submit it elsewhere after the results are announced.

Prizes will be offered in two categories: Adult and Junior (18 years of age and under). The winning entries will be published in the WRHS Genealogy Bulletin.

There is one more requirement: Some of the research done to create the article should be performed in the Library of the Western Reserve Historical Society. For information on the Library, go to www.wrhs.org and click on Library.

Also, sources should be documented with footnotes or endnotes.

You have until 01 Sep 2009 to file your entry. Submit it by e-mail with your name, address, and telephone number to: akenneley@roadrunner.com. Be sure to place My Western Reserve Ancestors Writing Contest in the subject line.

Or submit your entry by postal mail with your name, address, and telephone number to:
The Genealogical Committee, Western Reserve Historical Society
“My Western Reserve Ancestors Writing Contest”
10825 East Blvd
Cleveland, OH 44106-1777

The entries will be judged by the editorial subcommittee of the Genealogical Committee. The subcommittee may choose not to award all available prizes.
Winning entries will be recognized at the Genealogical Committee’s Annual Open House in October 2009. They then will be published in the WRHS Genealogy Bulletin at the discretion of the editors.

Prizes:
1st place in each category: $50 and a free subscription to the WRHS Genealogy Bulletin
2nd place in each category: $25 and a free subscription to the WRHS Genealogy Bulletin
3rd place in each category: $15 and a free subscription to the WRHS Genealogy Bulletin

04 April 2009

Jean Barnes Honored with OGS Fellow Award

At its annual convention, the Ohio Genealogical Society honors individuals who provided valuable service to the Society and to the field of genealogy over and above the job to which they were elected or appointed, through: volunteer work, special projects, or their expertise or skill in accomplishing a goal for the Society.

At its 2009 Conference, OGS conferred this honor on Jean Barnes, a long-time trustee representing the Cleveland District, which includes the counties of Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, and Medina.

Seeing a need for communication among her groups, she soon formed the Cleveland District Round Table that included all of the OGS chapters of the Cleveland District and eventually expanded to include other ethnic and genealogically related organizations. This group meets twice a year to share success stories and failures as well. It is the only group in the state of Ohio that meets regularly with their OGS District Trustee.

Jean has travelled almost 100,000 miles and logged close to 9,000 volunteer hours, visiting each and every chapter to attend meetings and functions. She has helped chapters on the brink of disbanding come back to life again; she has helped chapters with their by-laws and parliamentary procedures; and she has helped induct new officers.

She has also served on several committees within OGS, including the Membership Committee and has for a number of years chaired the Nominating and Election Committee.

Congratulations, Jean! The honor is well-deserved.

OGS Lineage Societies Induct Large "Classes"

A highlight for many attendees attending an Ohio Genealogical Society conference is being inducted into one of the Society’s three lineage societies: First Families of Ohio, Society of Civil War Families of Ohio, and Settlers and Builders of Ohio.

The 2009 conference demonstrated that there is continued high interest in qualifying for the three societies. All three inducted large "classes."

If you are interested in applying for one of these lineage societies, be advised that the deadline is 31 Dec 2009. The application forms and instructions are available on the OGS website at www.ogs.org.

The 2010 OGS Conference will be held on 22-24 Apr at the Seagate Convention Center in Toledo. OGS has announced that it will have the theme of “Guiding Your Way through the Past.”

OGS Seeks Bids for New Library and HQ

At the Annual OGS Business Meeting and Luncheon, Ohio Genealogical Society President Paul Morehouse and Fund Development Chairman Ted Minier talked about the ongoing process for the new OGS Library. With the necessary funds now in hand, the Society has distributed bid requests to potential contractors. Bids will be reviewed mid-April and a contract will be awarded shortly thereafter. The plan is for the groundbreaking to take place in May. Watch for an announcement on this important development!

02 April 2009

OGS Celebrates 50th Anniversary at Annual Conference

The Ohio Genealogical Society is holding another state conference in an annual series that began in 1962. This one is special because it also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the incorporation of the Society in 1959.

The conference is organized under the theme, “Finding Genealogical Gold in the Streams of History,” and featured over 60 lectures, workshops, and programs of interest to genealogists. The venue for the conference is Sawmill Creek Resort in Huron on the banks of Lake Erie.

The conference kicked off today with a Golden Anniversary Banquet on Thursday evening, April 2. Guest speaker at the banquet was an Ohio native and author, Ian Frazier. He was born in Cleveland, and raised in Hudson, Summit County, Ohio, and had a close ancestral connection with Norwalk in Huron County. Among his many nonfiction books is Family, a book about researching ancestors. In it, he writes about his own ancestors on a personal level, telling what he learned about how they grew up, courted, made a living, and died, and about their individual achievements and disappointments. Frazier shared with banquet attendees stories about his family and especially how some saved all kinds of papers and records and how others saved very little.