At last year’s "Let Your Skeletons Dance" Lock-In, cousins found each other. That was the third year in a row that has happened. During dinner, everyone shares the family names they will be researching that night. Anna Zack and Ann Roark both mentioned the name Rennick. They determined that they are descended from the first daughter, Agnes, and the last son, Garret, of Robert Rennick (Kentucky, 1821—1891).They are continuing to share information.
On a visit with family in Lawrence, Kansas, we decided to visit the Nordic Festival. The first table we saw was the Midwest Genealogy Center. Manned by a faithful volunteer, the table attracted many people asking questions about starting their family genealogy.
The Tallgrass Creek Genealogy Club came to research here at the Midwest Genealogy Center in November. The group has a long-standing relationship with MGC. Our teachers have presented classes at their group meetings, and they have made several day-trips to our facility. Volunteers were available to work with beginning researchers one-on-one and give tours for first-time visitors.
Many of our customers come to our branch to learn how to begin their genealogy search. Unfortunately, many of us here at the Riverside Branch are not experts in this subject. But we do have a very excellent resource available to us, the Midwest Genealogy Center, which is a part of the MCPL system. Starting in January of 2012, we will begin an evening series of genealogy-related topics taught by the expert staff from the MGC.
Most people toss their old telephone books in the recycle bin and never give them a second thought. To a genealogist, however, any city directory is a valuable resource in locating people. A telephone book, which is an alphabetical listing of residents, is a type of directory familiar to most people. A city directory can be used to locate an ancestor between census years. It may also list a spouse or other family members living in the same town. Some directories give a person’s occupation. City directories often have a section that lists residents by street.&nb
I would really like for all of you Irish researchers out there to learn how to begin your Irish research, but first things first. If you don’t know where in Ireland your ancestor came from, you must do a very thorough search of records in the place or places where your ancestor immigrated. You are looking for any evidence of where he or she came from—marriage records, church records, tombstones, obituaries, etc.
The Lee's Summit Genealogy Book Club is now in its 8th year. The group started meeting in 2005 with two members and has expanded to over fifteen. We meet on the second Wednesday of each month at 3:00 p.m. It's a great way to share the love of books and genealogy. Books are read that would never have been read if not for the club.
At 6:00 a.m. on April 2, 2012, Midwest Genealogy Center will open its doors for anyone wanting to look at the 1940 Census. You will be able to "Get Ready" by attending a class to help you understand the 1940 Federal Census. You’ll "Get Set" by researching addresses and city directories. At 8:00 a.m., the 1940 Federal Population Census will be released to the public. And you will be ready to "GO!" to the National Archives and Records Administration website.
Military records add so much color and depth to your family’s genealogy. Knowing your person’s regiment and company, and learning what battles those companies participated in can help you to generate interest in your family history, even from those family members who aren’t really interested in genealogy.
To celebrate the opening of this census, the Midwest Genealogy Center will open our doors at 6:00 a.m. on April 2nd to those who have signed up to be one of the first viewers. Free classes will be available, so call and sign up now. You are welcome to bring your laptop and use the free Wi-Fi, but we also have 20 library computers available. Doughnuts and coffee will be served.
