This is the 8th edition of our monthly newsletter- The Dispatch! Thank you for all of your comments and helpful feedback as we got this newsletter up and running last fall. Keep them coming, we love hearing from you.
During a recent MLGC Planning Committee meeting we took a look back over the past year. We realized that despite all of the obstacles COVID threw at us, our organization continued to grow and thrive. We thought it would be good to share some of the highlights with you.
Over the last year:
over half of the speakers booked were nationally or internationally known; Zoom has made this possible
we moved our base of operations from the Easttown Library to the Tredyffrin Library which has a larger meeting area and more robust conference technology
launched a monthly Newsletter, "The Dispatch", which is archived and available on the MLGC website
grew our revamped Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts
worked with the Tredyffrin Library to expand the number of genealogy books they have on their shelves
increased the number of meeting attendees which now includes out of state and overseas participants
We could not have done this without our active and engaged members. Because of your donations, the Main Line Genealogy Club continues to be a non profit, locally based club for genealogy enthusiasts. We look forward to another great 2022-2023 season when we hope to start hybrid meetings and expand our ability to get together once again.
We hope you'll join us at our last meeting this season on June 9th with Kate Townsend and her presentation -England and Wales Vital Records Research 101.
See the planning committee's tips below including Paul'sPodcast Picks, Laverna's The Genealogist's Bookshelf and Gail's advice on joining a lineage society.
This is the final newsletter for our 2021-2022 season. The Dispatch will be taking a break over the summer and will be back at the end of August with the September edition. Although, the planning committee will be hard at work preparing a new lineup of informative and engaging speakers for you.
We hope to see you at our next meeting on Thursday, June 9th. The MLGC Planning Committee
Next up in June:
England and Wales Vital Records Research 101
Did you know that you can access many England and Wales Vital Records (plus Wills and Probate) without crossing the pond? Learn the history of these records and how to order and receive them from the comfort of your home.
Kate Townsend is an experienced researcher, investigator and genealogist who turned her passion for family history into a business: Family History Investigations, LLC. Kate previously worked as an investigator in Corporate America. She brings this investigative know-how to her genealogical record sleuthing and analysis. Kate completed Boston University’s Certificate in Genealogical Research in Spring 2020. She is enrolled in ProGen 58. Kate is the Vice-Chair of the National Genealogical Society Delegate Council. In addition, she currently serves as the co-program chair of the North Hills Genealogists and is the Publicity
Chairperson for the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society. She is a member of APG and NGS. See more about Kate on her website- Family History Investigations.
This is a Zoom Meeting. Watch for meeting login details to arrive in your inbox soon. To be added to the list, please provide your name and email address using the Contact Us link on our website: www.mainlinegenealogy.org/contact-us.
$5. contribution suggested
Help Desk opens at 12:30! Bring your questions for the pros!
Please use the Cheddar up link in the meeting details email to donate.
Upcoming MLGC Meetings All meetings are on the 2nd Thursday of the month
September through June, 1:00-3:00
Help Desk open 12:30- 12:55
Did you miss the previous MLGC meetings this season?
Amy Johnson Crowe, was our guest speaker in May with her presentation- Written in Stone: Tombstones and Other Cemetery RecordsAmy Johnson Crowe
The April meeting featured Mary Crauderueff's presentation, Researching Quaker Records: Uncovering your Roots in the Religious Society of Friends. See Mary's page on the Haverford College website for more information.
On March 10th we welcomed Diahan Southard,Your DNA Guide. Diahan gave her presentation, "Connecting Your DNA Matches".
We celebrated Black History Month with a presentation by Dean Henry on Feb 10th. Dean's lecture was titled, African American Genealogy Basics Illustrated. Get in touch through his website Family Pearl if you need help with your African American research!
Our very own planning committee member, Sydney Cruice presented Why Should Anyone Believe Your Research – How to provide Genealogical Proof and Write a Genealogy Proof Argument on January 13th. Get in touch withSydney and see her list of upcoming lectures through her website- Sydney Cruice Genealogy.
The speaker on Dec 9th was Mary Kircher Roddy, CG, ofMKR Genealogy. Her lecture, Family Browse- A Different Way to Look at Family Search, gave us detailed explanations on how to search the millions of unindexed images on Family Search.
We had Chris Paton in November, who discussedScottish Research Resources before 1800. See his website for more info-Scotland's Greatest Story, and look for his many books!!
October's meeting topic was, Discovering Your Immigrant’s Origins: Exhausting Every Resource by Rich Venezia of Rich Roots Genealogy. Rich discussed ways to pin down your elusive immigrant ancestor’s place of origin using some well known and lesser known record sets, ideas, and techniques.
In September, Steve Morse gave us a tour of his website One-Step Webpages, which provides tools for finding immigration records, census records, vital records and much more. Click on "About this website and how to use it", for an overview and start searching more effectively. Get familiar with Steve's website if you are excited about the 1950 U.S. Census being released on April 1st.!!!
2022 Classes and Conferences
Celtic Connections Conference 2022, July 9-September 30, a virtual conference bringing together well-known international and domestic speakers who present on Irish, Scots-Irish, Scottish, and Welsh topics. Registration is open- Journey Home
VirtualGen-Fed 2022, August 8-13. See details here: Gen Fed News
Conference Keeper, "the most complete collection of Genealogy events online!"
Here are the Planning Committee's
"Things You Need to Know" for June!
Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective really loves family photographs! All of them — from the mystery images you find in shoeboxes and albums to the pictures you snap with your digital devices. No mystery is too small. A simple question about an image can lead to new stories of your ancestors. If you don’t know who’s in a photo, don’t worry. Maureen has proven methods for putting names to the faces in those pictures. Methods that can tell you more about when they were taken, who took them and why. As a former curator at a historical society, The Photo Detective knows how to make sense of photographs and family history. Her skills live at the junction of history, genealogy and photography. This means you can count on learning from her podcast and blog to help you identify the people in your photos, she even offers solutions for preserving and organizing photos, and yes, even guides you in the various ways to gather and share picture stories with your relatives.
The Photo Detective's methodology is to start by studying clues within a picture — a hairstyle, a sign in the background, or the shape of a shirtsleeve — in order to identify a person, place or era. What follows from her genealogical expertise is uncovering the story behind the images of the past. That could mean shedding light on how those pictures fit into your family tale. Or discovering the history of the area in which those people lived — even if that’s locally in the small state of Rhode Island or around the world in Australia.
Some of the few varied topics that are covered in Maureen's many podcasts are: Clues from Postcards; Helping identify ancestors in WWI Photos; Finding Family Farms in Vintage Aerial Photos; and How to Tell a Family History Story in 6 Minutes Using Photos. Here is the link to Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective's website that has all of her podcasts, blogs and more: https://maureentaylor.com/category/the-photo-detective/
What do you want to read this summer? Memoirs can be a lighter genre within genealogy, although that is not always the case. The titles listed this month are very popular and just might stimulate your own thinking and writing. They may even inspire you to go deeper within your own memories or those of family members and plan more research and travel.
Klam, Julie. The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters: A True Story of Family Fiction. New York: Riverhead Books, 2021. 254 pages. New York Times bestselling author Klam tackles family lore about the Morris sisters, cousins of her maternal grandmother. The resulting narrative draws on genealogical research, site visits to archives and libraries, and trips to St. Louis and to the family’s point of origin in Romania. As the facts provide many answers, they also generate additional questions. This is a fun summer read!
Newton, Maud. Ancestor Trouble: A Reckoning and a Reconciliation. New York: Random House, 2022. 378 pages.
Newton sets out to investigate the tall tales of her family and to explore the psychological traumas of her childhood. The result is a book that combines family history, DNA and genetic genealogy, heredity, physical traits, temperament, social and personal values, and heritage. She even considers the spiritual dimensions and lineage repair, a new facet of genealogy. You can hear Maureen Taylor interview Newton about the book in The Photo Detective Podcast Episode #176. Read the book first!
Have you ever wanted to join a lineage society? Or maybe you are a member of the Mayflower Society or the Sons of the American Revolution, and you crave more?
There are 100’s of societies, so as you build your family tree and research your ancestry keep your eyes open to the possibilities!
With Memorial Day, Independence Day and Flag Day upon us, the trifecta of patriotic holidays, let’s focus on the Daughters of the American Revolution. The DAR, (pronounce each letter) is a non-political women’s service organization, dedicated to education, historic preservation and patriotism. You must prove lineal descent from a Patriot of the Revolution. But what does that mean? Your ancestor might have fought with the Salem County New Jersey Militia (like mine!), signed the Declaration of Independence (What?!), took part in the Boston Tea Party, or simply paid a supply tax. These efforts must have occurred between the Battle of Lexington, April 19, 1775 and the withdraw of British Troops from New York on November 26, 1783.
Use the DAR’s Genealogy Research System, the GRS, a free online resource to access the database of information it has collected since it’s founding in 1890. Find a chapter near you, and start the application process with the chapter regent and registrar. You do not need to have your lineage completely proven before requesting membership!!!!! The registrars and lineage specialist are there to help. Take a look at the DAR website to see if membership is for you. DAR.org
Some other lineage societies of interest:
The Sons of the American Revolution
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
The Mayflower Society
Presidential Families
Colonial Dames
Sons and Daughters of Early American Witches
Daughters of Hawaii
And the best one yet: Descendants of Illegitimate Sons and Daughters of Kings of Britain
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