Learning About Using the Internet Safely

I have collected large files of information about Internet safety and about protecting my identity, and I use Norton 360 and a couple of other programs to protect three computers on my home network against intruders, but I am always interested in learning more about these two subjects that are so important today.

Expecting to learn more, I am looking forward to the Monday evening (5 Oct) meeting of the Cuyahoga Valley Genealogical Society that will feature Independence Officer Joe Vanecek talking about "Internet/ID Safety." According to the publicity blurb circulated by John Stoika, CVGS's newsletter editor and publicity contact, Officer Vanecek has been on the Independence PD for 31 years. In talking with John, I've learned that Officer Vanecek has given this talk to genealogists before.

The meetings will be at 7:30 in the very comfortable Willow Room of the Independence Civic Center, which is at 6363 Seelig Drive.

Oh yes, CVGS extends a warm welcome to guests, and refreshments will be served after the presentation.

Finding Family on Footnote

I have put the finishing touches on my PowerPoint presenation on "Finding Family on Footnote.com" for the upcoming Tri-C GO Genealogy Seminar at Western Reserve Historical Society on Saturday, 24 Oct. After discussing the features of Footnote.com of interest to NEOhio genealogists, I hope to go online to actually demonstrate typical searches, using databases with information about Clevelanders, such as city directories, naturalizations in the Ninth District Court, and Cleveland Birth returns before 1908.

Hope to see you there.

Complete Program for 2009 Tri-C GO Genealogy Conference

I'm proud to announce that I am a presenter at the upcoming Tri-C GO Seminar. Here is the news release:

On Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009, the Cuyahoga County Council of Genealogical Organizations (Tri-C GO) will hold its 2009 all-day Genealogy Seminar at the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio, with the theme of “Finding Your Ancestors Using New and Time-Tested Resources.” A registration form with program details is available at www.wrhs.org (click on Library/Archives and Genealogy Center, then Genealogy).

There will be two presentation tracks in this all-day event with handout materials provided for all lectures.

Track l: Using lime-Tested Research Resources
'Tapping into Archived Courthouse Records"–Dr. Judith Cetina , manager & archivist, Cuyahoga County Archives.
"Get 'Em Talking-Interviewing Relatives for Ancestral Information"–Sunny Morton, writer and lecturer.
"Discovering Archival Collections & Resources"–Ann Sindelar, reference supervisor, WRHS Library.
"Researching in German & Other Ethnic Newspapers"–Jean Hoffrnan, Gertified Genealogist.

Track 2: Using New Research Resources
"Finding Family on Footnote.com"–Wally Huskonen, Certified Genealogist.
"New Approaches to Researching Passenger Lists for Ellis Island and Other Ports of Entry"–Robert Jerin, lecturer, author, travel guide.
"New Resources for Internet Research”–Jann Pflieger, former director, Sandusky Family History Center.
"Googling for Great Grandpa & Other Ancestors"–Wally Huskonen, Certified Genealogist.

The Tri-C GO seminar is organized each year by a committee representing genealogical organizations throughout Cuyahoga County, hence the name Cuyahoga County Council of Genealogical Organizations. The WRHS Genealogical Committee has the lead responsibility for developing and hosting the 2009 program.

The WRHS website provides driving directions to the University Circle location. The registration fee includes parking in the WRHS parking lot. For information, call Stacy Murry at 216-851-7768.

Historical Marker for Erie Street Cemetery, Cleveland

The Ohio Cemetery Alliance is holding a dedication of the Eire Street Cemetery Ohio Historical Marker on Saturday, October 3rd at 1 P.M. OCA members and guests are invited.

Dr. John Grabowski, Case Western Reserve University history professor and Western Reserve Historical Society vice president-collections will offer historic commentary. Following the formal dedication, brief tours of the cemetery will be led by OCA members..

Erie Street Cemetery is at 2254 East 9th Street Cleveland, OH (across from Progressive Field, between East 9th and East 14th Streets). About nine acres were acquired in Sep 1825, by Leonard Case and on 29 Mar, 1826, he and his wife, Elizabeth, conveyed the land by quit-claim to the then-village of Cleveland. The cemetery currently is considered "inactive" but it has 17,935 interments, records for which are housed at Cleveland's Highland Cemetery.

For photos and more background on the cemetery, go to http://www.deadohio.com/eriestreet.htm

Here's hoping that the weather is nice for this event.

Learning about Military Records Is Focus of the OGS Fall Seminar on Oct. 3

There is still time to register for the Ohio Genealogical Society Fall Conference on military records on Saturday, Oct. 3. The society has lined up three speakers who know their subjects well. I have heard them speak before.

Eric Johnson, Lois Lambert, and Marjorie Waterfield will be the keynote speakers at the Ohio Genealogical Society’s Fall Seminar on “Researching Military Records in Ohio”. Visitors are welcome to join the group at the Kehoe Center for Advanced Learning at North Central State College, Shelby Campus, on Saturday, October 3rd.

Eric Johnson, an expert on the War of 1812 in Ohio, is a major contributor of articles on the subject to several Ohio publications.

Lois Lambert has won numerous awards on her Civil War regimental histories – on the 33rd OVI and the 91st OVI.

Marjorie Waterfield is a colorful speaker and author on many topics and will be addressing the group on researching soldiers of the Spanish American War along with World Wars I and II.

Sessions begin at 9:30 AM and last all day with a post-conference reception at the Ohio Genealogical Society Library in Mansfield from 4:00-8:00 PM. Registration for the event is $35.00 for non-members ($30.00 for OGS members paying by Oct. 1st). Reservations may be made by calling OGS at 419-756-7294, online at www.ogs.org/fallseminar.php, or by sending payment to the Ohio Genealogical Society, 713 S Main St, Mansfield OH 44907.

Construction Progress at OGS New Library Posted Online

Are you aware that you can follow construction progress on the new Library building for the Ohio Genealogical Society in Bellville, OH? The steel trusses were erected recently, which means that the roof will be added shortly and the building will be enclosed before winter. That's good news, because it means that construction is on schedule for a Grand Opening by mid-2010.

To check progress, simply go to the OGS website at www.ogs.org and click on the hot link, "Follow the construction progress!" This like takes you to the OhigGenealogicalSociety blog where photos from the construction site are posted periodically.

WRHS Genealogy Center Seminar: Land, Maps, and Migration Patterns

In an upcoming Western Reserve Historical Society Genealogical Institute class, John Dailey will present an intermediate level class on “Land, Maps, and Migration Patterns.” A retired surveyor, John brings his wealth of professional experience to his presentations, as well as a deep interest in the history of our region.

The 3-hr class is at noon on 26 Sep at WRHS, 10825 East Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio 44106. Ph: (216) 721-5722

John is a member of the WRHS Genealogical Committee, an auxiliary of WRHS organized to promote genealogy and family history research.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to take advantage of John's knowledge, as I will be attending the bimonthly OGS Board meeting that day.

Ohio Genealogical Society Schedules Groundbreaking for Its New Library on 29 May

The Ohio Genealogical Society will break ground for its new library and headquarters in Bellville, Ohio, on Friday, May 29 at 10:30 a.m.

For several years, OGS has been raising funds to build a library designed to facilitate genealogical research by its members and visitors, and to assure preservation of irreplaceable records of interest to genealogists. The new library building with floor space of 18,000 square feet will be built from the ground up to accomplish those purposes. The start of construction coincides with the society’s 50th anniversary.

The building site is about 5 miles from the existing library and headquarters building at 713 South Main Street in Mansfield. That building had been used as a furniture store before the society purchased it in 1997.

The 8-acre building site on the outskirts of Bellville was donated to OGS in 1997 by James and Marjorie Gorman. The property is located 2 miles north of Bellville on SR 97.

Following the groundbreaking ceremony at the building site, OGS members and guests will move to the nearby Deer Ridge Golf Club, 900 Comfort Plaza Dr., for a reception and remarks by society representatives and state and local officials.

Members and guests who plan to attend the reception are asked to make a reservation with the Society by calling 419-756-7294. Attendance will be limited to 175 persons.

OGS is the nation’s largest state genealogical society with more than 5,000 members from Ohio and elsewhere. The society has more than 90 chapters throughout the state.

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.

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.

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

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!

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.

Free Family History Seminar

The Westlake Family History Center at 25000 Westwood Road, Westlake, OH, is sponsoring a free genealogy conference on Saturday, 25 Apr 2009 from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm. This multi-track conference will include a workshop for those new to genealogy, plus a full slate of in-depth seminars for more experienced attendees. See the flyer and registration information here. Please register by April 17.