blog.connecticutancestry.org

Irish Spring Seminar

Robert Locke — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:34:40 +0000

This was historic. For the first time, we co-sponsored an event with Connecticut Society of Genealogists. At the Housatonic Community College, Jonathan Shea, Janet Pestey and Daniel Lynch presented on Irish Genealogy. With over 150 attendees, we squeezed more chairs around the aisles and all got to know our neighbors really well.

There were three very knowledgeable speakers that took us on a journey from initial research here in American records, crossing the ocean back to Ireland and searching the Internet.

We will be having an Irish Workshop in the near future to give everyone an opportunity to more directly work on their brickwalls.

Holiday Social 2007

Robert Locke — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 21:03:36 +0000

Hindsight is 20/20. Our Holiday Social 2007 was scheduled for the same day, November 18th, as the Stamford Balloon Parade. Well, if you cannot beat ‘em, join ‘em, so, I (with my daughter, father, and son) at least enjoyed the parade before our Social.

While we scheduled our start time to follow the parade, traffic was a challenge, but several members persevered and we had a grand time at the Ferguson Library.

Nora Galvin, Bob Ferry and Rick Roof (above) listen to stories from Lloyd Sturges,

from Shirley Jessup,

from Nan Crowthers,

and others. We all got a chance to share some of our favorite stories of our ancestors in a little genealogical “show-and-tell”. I think we all had a grand time.

To finish up at Ferguson, we celebrated Fred Hart’s election as a Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists with cake.

The party could not end there, so we went out to dinner to continue the festivities and honor both Fred and Norma.

It is such a privilege for me to be able to learn from Fred and all the wonderful people that make Connecticut Ancestry Society a fun place to be. I cannot wait for our next meeting….

Mark Twain Library

Robert Locke — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 04:22:28 +0000

Yesterday, we visited the Mark Twain Library to explore the Margaret Wixted Collection and present our latest issue to the First Selectman of Redding and other officials.

Above, Library Director Heather Morgan welcomes us.

Above, our President Richard Roof presents a copy of our Journal with newly discovered Redding Vital Records to Redding First Selectman, Natalie Ketcham.

Our Editor, Harlan Jessup, renowned expert on Barbour Collection Errors and Omissions, explains the discovery of new Redding Vital Records.

Jean Taylor, reference librarian, details the resources available in the Margaret Wixted Collection at the Mark Twain Library.

Trumbull Library

Robert Locke — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 04:17:41 +0000

We visited the Trumbull Library yesterday to present newly discovered Vital Records to town and library officials.

Pictured are Ray Baldwin (Trumbull First Selectman), Lois Levine and Warren Blake (Directors of the Trumbull Historical Society), Mary Rogers (Associate Director of Library Information Systems), Walter Dembowski (Head of Reference Services) and Richard Roof (President of Connecticut Ancestry Society).

The presentation was followed by a rousing presentation by lecturer Bill Stansfield entitled Genealogy 101.

Annual Meeting 2007

Robert Locke — Sun, 06 May 2007 03:50:15 +0000

Our Annual Meeting found me Cruising Long Island Sound, as our genealogist, Fred Hart, showed the use of water as the highway of yesterday. I can now more easily picture the movement of family members back and forth from Connecticut to Long Island. It may be time for me to take a closer look at those Long Island roots of Sayre, Hildreth, Jessup, and others.

Graphoanalysis

Robert Locke — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 03:48:22 +0000

Today, we had a wonderful lecture by award-winning Master Graphoanalyst, Irene P. Lambert at the Cyrenius H. Booth Library in Newtown. The lecture was both informative and entertaining as Irene took us in to the world of handwriting analysis. I am also enthusiastic about our sponsoring her for the upcoming NERGC Conference.

As so many of us endeavor to put character and personality into our genealogical research, this investigation into our ancestor’s handwriting can paint a picture of why our ancestors made some of the choices that they did. My great-great grandfather’s handwriting showed some of that determination and quick-thinking that must have been necessary to be a successful entrepeneur in Greenwich.

I think I will be trying to locate more writing samples that can be looked at by Irene in the future.

Website Updates

Robert Locke — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 03:17:30 +0000

With the summer months having waned, and our first board meeting of the fall earlier today…

It is now time to start thinking about what else I can do with this website to ensure that it can be relevant to our members. I want to find a way for our members to “help each other” in our quests. I do not necessarily want to duplicate or try to supplant many of the other fine endeavors that technology is presenting to us, but I do want to find a way to make this site one that our membership can be proud of, but, more importantly, something we can use on a regular basis.

I am told that years ago, Stamford Genealogical Society had a project that collected pedigree charts from their members. In fact, these charts are said to be available with other parts of our collection at the Ferguson Library in Stamford. I wonder if we could somehow provide a means for members to contact members who happen to be researching the same lines. I do find some of the “Surname Projects” a bit overly inclusive and have found that sometimes it is a challenge to “keep up”. So this should be a nice complement to those lists. But, should we keep the information “members-only” or aid our members in publishing their genealogies in this modern age?

Let me know your thoughts. Send me an email with any ideas you might have for how we can extend this website to be more of a resource in your endeavors. I really want to hear from you!

Annual Meeting 2006

Robert Locke — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 03:05:26 +0000

Let me just say, first, that I am truly honored to have been asked to step up to the plate today and function as Vice President of the Society. Over the last couple of years, I must say that this group on the Board has been wonderful to watch and participate with. I can only hope to live up to a small part of Fred Hart’s example.

Getting Published in Connecticut Ancestry

Robert Locke — Sat, 17 Dec 2005 03:04:44 +0000

Well, I took the leap. I’ve just been published in “our” journal, Connecticut Ancestry, in the November 2005 issue. My grandmother had been the keeper of the “Family Bible” for as long as I can remember. That Bible and a copy of “Ye Historie of Ye Olde Town of Greenwich” by Spencer Mead that belonged to her father is what helped me begin my genealogical journey. My grandmother had given me Mead’s book. Between these two “books”, I was now linked to many of the old Stamford and Greenwich names: Ford, Hendrie, Betts, and, of course, Ferris and Lockwood. My grandmother had continued to record the “family facts” over the years in to that Bible. Shortly before her death, she followed tradition and passed it along to the eldest female descendant, my second cousin, Jill, who lives out West. Now was the time to preserve on the East Coast and share some of the great generational history found in the “Hurlbutt-Ford” Family Bible. In fact, it has a record of every decendant of the original recipient of the Bible, Sarah L. Hurlbutt, my g-g-g-grandmother, through 2001, for a total of “seven complete generations.” It also records Sarah’s siblings and parents and father’s siblings and parents, ultimately covering nine generations.

Doing the transcription was a real joy. Looks like I’ll need to find something else to work on for Harlan, our editor, real soon….

Polish Research

Robert Locke — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 02:58:41 +0000

On October 5th, 2005, we had a wonderful presentation at the Fairfield Historical Society. It was a lecture on Eastern-European Research with a Focus on Poland done by Professor Jonathan D. Shea, A.G. of the Polish Genealogical Society of Connecticut and the Northeast.My grandmother, while born here in the United States, was of Polish descent. Both of her parents had individually emigrated to the United States and were married here. I had always been led to believe that most of the records had been destroyed by the ravages of war through Central Europe or by the Communist occupation. This lecture pleasantly opened my eyes to an opportunity to research a side of my family that I had given up hope on.It will not be easy. First, and of utmost importance, is going to be locating the exact place of origin for my g-grandparents. Jonathan presented several good ideas on places to look. Second will be struggling with the language since records may be written in Polish, German, Russian, Latin, or even others given Poland’s fluid borders. I did purchase Jonathan’s book at the lecture entitled, In Their Words: A Genealogist’s Translation Guide to Polish, German, Latin, and Russian Documents, Volume I: Polish. I am anxiously looking forward to beginning my research in this area.