Hints & Tips, Historical, News, Software No comments yet

Technology and the Library

By on May 5th, 2006

Tom Viti has a good article, Technology and the Library, in the Westwood Press (MA), concerning how modern technology has changed the way in which people use libraries, as well as how the libraries themselves have changed how they do things, including helping with inter-library loans (more and more library systems are doing this).

Computer technology has made possible not just a speedier response, but a dramatic increase in the scope of library service as well. Access to print and non-print materials has expanded far beyond what librarians ever imagined possible. Most of our users want popular titles that are supplied by local libraries, but we have gotten specialized science, history and genealogy materials from as far away as the University of Hawaii.

The available resources are staggering. The 41 member Minuteman Library Network contains over 6 million volumes.By providing our holdings online, inter-library borrowing has skyrocketed. Last year Minuteman libraries swapped over 1.3 million items to meet non-residents’ requests. Westwood’s inter-library loan activity has increased by 78 percent since 2003. Massachusetts libraries also provide computers access to magazine and periodical databases containing thousands of articles. Westwood users made 5,000 database searches and printed 4,000 articles last year.

The numbers are pretty amazing. When the internet first started to take off, and with the rise of Amazon, etc., many people predicted that libraries would become obsolete or have to drastically scale back. Nothing could be further from the truth, at least in regards to the libraries I use – many people use them for internet access, and with genealogy becoming more and more popular, there is a corresponding rise in library useage.

Cemetery, Hints & Tips, Historical, Media Coverage, News No comments yet

Historical Projects Puts Tombstones in Focus

By on May 4th, 2006

Roger Wolfe, a reporter for 9News (Denver, CO), has written an article, Historical projects puts tombstones in focus, about the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution working on digitally documenting all of the tombstones in Weld County. They then place the images/information online, for other genealogists to access.

Excerpt from the article:

“It’s a matter of respect,” said Chapter Regent Donna Hoffman. “I think we have to know our history. We have to respect the people who went before us. These people are the pioneers of Greeley.”

Having the tombstone pictures available online should be a big help to people researching their family histories. “Genealogy has become a kind of fast and furious growing hobby of people because the Internet has made it so easy to do research,” said D.A.R member Chris Ruth.

You can view their work at PatriotDreams.us/Cemeteries. It’s very impressive – unlike many similar projects, you can actually see a picture of the tombstone itself, and they are organized and fairly easy to find.

Hints & Tips, Media Coverage, News No comments yet

Genealogy Project Earns Girl Scout Gold Award (Highest GS Award)

By on May 3rd, 2006

The Patriot News (PA) has word that a family genealogy project has earned a Girl Scout a “Gold Award”, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive. Emily Clemens of Troop 368 (Penn Laurel Girl Scout Council) not only researched her family’s history, but gave a presentation/workshop on her genealogy project as well as how to use the genealogy information.

Quote:

For her Gold Award project, she researched the genealogy of her family and shared that information with the community, providing handouts including the best Web sites, books, magazines and software to use for researching family history. She also offered a workshop on how to use the information she gathered.

It’s always good to see younger people get involved with genealogy, especially to be associated with something as high profile as this. Unfortunately there is not much else to this article.

Cemetery, Hints & Tips, Historical, Media Coverage, News No comments yet

Who Was Henry Ferriss and Where is He Buried?

By on May 3rd, 2006

Denise Crosby asks Who was Henry Ferriss and where is he buried?, in The Beacon News (Illinois) about a lost tombstone that almost ended up in the city dump.

Excerpt from the article:

When Mike Chapin showed up to help with the rehab of the house that was part of the city’s Rebuilding Together Aurora project last weekend, he didn’t expect to find a mystery.

What he did find was an old white tombstone — leaning against a tree and waiting for garbage pickup, along with other refuse that was taken from this property in the 200 block of South Ohio Street.

Seems the grave marker had been removed from the back yard during the cleanup. The owner didn’t know how it had gotten there but seemed mighty glad someone was taking it away because, well, who really wants to have a tombstone in their back yard?

It reads: Henry C.; Son of Reed & Lydia Ferriss; died Jan. 25, 1848; Aged 19 years, 5 mos. & 21 days.

Chapin, who is a Noon Rotary Club member and public relations director for the West Aurora School District, was intrigued. Which doesn’t surprise me because he used to be the managing editor here at The Beacon News and no doubt will always have a journalist’s eye for a good story.

Besides, he likes genealogy. So he grabbed the tombstone (actually, he had to have someone help him lift it) and threw it into his extremely messy trunk — with the intention of dropping it off at the Aurora Historical Society and hoping the folks there would figure out what to do with the old stone.

“I just knew the city dump was an inappropriate place for it to go,” he said.

If any of that sounds familiar, they could use some help in identifying who Henry was, and where he ended up at. Denise’s contact information is linked at the at the article above, or perhaps contact the Aurora Historical Society. It’s a genealogy mystery worth solving, so that Chapin can get the tombstone out of his truck.

Historical, Media Coverage, News No comments yet

Follow-Up on Texas Ranch House

By on May 3rd, 2006

Inside Bay Area has an article/review by Susan Young, The best little ranch house in Texas, about PBS’s Texas Ranch House series. I knew one of the members was into genealogy, and Susan clarified it as well as gave a little back-story about the amateur genealogist:

Like “Survivor,” they lived with cameras in their faces while enduring harsh elements such as temperatures climbing will above 100, encounters with rattlesnakes and fly infestations. Personality clashes combined with extremely limited food and hygiene resources made for a tense time.

But unlike other reality shows, no one was going to end up with a million dollars, or any financial reward. So why do it?

For genealogy buff Lisa Cooke, it was a chance of a lifetime to experience what life might have been like for one of her ancestors, a Texas pioneer woman.

“My great-great-great grandmother Laurie Ann Green moved to Texas hill country in 1850 with her children,” Cooke says. “It’s hard to find documentation on them, and I had such a strong drive to at least experience a version of her life.”

Cooke says there are almost two historical perspectives: One painted from photographs that showed people as they wished to be seen and writings from the era, including journals, letters and other accounts.