In honor of the upcoming All-Star game in Kansas City, the following is the first in a series of baseball biographies researched using resources at the Midwest Genealogy Center:
You are sitting in a room shrouded by darkness and shadows. Faces from times past keep popping up and fading away. In each face, you see a part of yourself, a missing puzzle piece. Then, suddenly, you see your grandmother's face smiling at you, then your mom's face, and your uncle's face. They're all waiting for you to ask them a question. What question do you suppose you would ask? Maybe, your grandfather told you that your great-great-great uncle Roxton fought in the Civil War, but you don't have proof...where do you look for that? And wouldn't you know
Join the United States Daughters of 1812 at the Midwest Genealogy Center
One reason I often hear from people who stop by the Genealogy Center is that they’re looking to trace their family history in order to join a lineage society. Not only does the connection instill pride in the relationship to that ancestor, but joining such a group allows the member to do volunteer work involving preservation of the past and education of future generations. Every group has a registrar who helps new members with the paperwork involved in proving the relationship to the ancestor through "membership workshops."
Beginning Classes at MGC: The Perfect Place to Start
Let’s say you have a friend, we’ll call her Jayne Deaux. Jayne started her genealogy research a few years ago, and spent hours upon hours upon hours researching her family. You thought Jayne was crazy! Why spend so much time looking backward? But the more Jayne talked about her findings and the little clues she followed, the more you thought, "Mmm, this is like all those mystery novels I read." Still, you dug your feet in the ground and refused to become one of those people.
One of the best and most often overlooked resources for genealogy research is the family bible. Often recorded within its pages is a treasure trove of dates, names, and important events such as weddings, births, and baptisms. In fact, it was the bible of my great-great grandmother that got me started researching my own family’s genealogy.
I recently celebrated my one month anniversary as a Librarian I Archivist at the Midwest Genealogy Center. What does a Librarian I Archivist do? I manage MGC’s archival collection and work as a genealogy reference librarian. One of the perks of being an archivist is getting to sift through materials to discover new collections. Then, I may develop a finding aid or index for the new collection. In that way, I am able to help patrons access the valuable information in these new collections. More resources available for your genealogical research!
I’ve always believed that if you don’t know the past, you are doomed to repeat it. And, you should especially know your own roots. As such, I have been researching my ancestry for years, and I am still amazed at the things I find.
In the coming blogs, you will be introduced to several staff members at the Midwest Genealogy Center. It is the hope of MGC that the experiences of various staff members will help guide you through your own family research (triumphs and frustrations alike). Therefore, it is my great pleasure to introduce you first to Cecelia.
Wendy’s interest in genealogy began at an early age. Wanting to learn more about her family, Wendy started asking questions at age fourteen. She had several older relatives she was not acquainted with, so she asked her parents to write these older relatives to ask them questions. A new, exciting find just revealed itself in a line that came to America in 1638. No one else in her family had anything on this particular family. These ancestors were one of the founding families in the coastal town of Rowley, Massachusetts, just north of Boston.
Halloween candy is out in the stores. That means, it’s time to register for the 4th annual Let Your Skeletons Dance Lock In. On Friday, October 26, 2012, the Midwest Genealogy Center will remain open for attendees from 6:00 p.m. to midnight. The night includes a barbeque dinner, mini-classes, games, and door prizes. There’s time for research and talking with fellow genealogists. This year the classes will focus on copiers, printers, and scanners.
