Ellen’s interest in genealogy began when she started her career at MCPL. She joined our staff in 2006, when we were still in the "old building." She was a big help in our move to the Midwest Genealogy Center in 2008.
Finding an ancestor who was the first U.S. Marshall sworn in, in what was then Oklahoma Territory, has been a high point in Ellen’s research. She ran across his name while searching the surname Degges. There could only be one Cookman Degges, and sure enough, she was able to connect him with her family.
Julie’s start in genealogy came at the insistence of a friend. Julie accompanied her one day to our old location on 24 Highway. This friend showed Julie how to use the Soundex. The Soundex is the method used to index the Federal Census for the years 1880, 1900, 1910, and 1920. As a note, there are some variations in Soundex coverage for these years. These days, you can find the census indexed on several different websites.
While cleaning out the attic several years ago, Candy found a box of photographs. She began to write older family members to identify who they were and their relationship to her, which started her on the genealogical road. Some were identified; some remain a mystery to this day.
Her most exciting find was her grandmother on a passenger list. Why? Because it was a twenty year search that started with the wrong port. Instead of landing in Galveston, her grandmother actually landed in Baltimore.
I have been a volunteer at the Midwest Genealogy Center for a little over three years but working on family research for about 11 years now. I specialize in Canadian and Hungarian research, but how in the world does that relate to genealogy of a company?
Periodically, I like to take a break from the many branches of my family tree and delve into that of my husband’s family. In my recent research excursion into that side of the family, I came across two women who not only were interesting in their own right but also succumbed to two very different but tragic fates.
Celebrating Women's History Month with Madame Moustache
In honor of Women's History Month, this week's blogs will highlight the accomplishments of some famous and not-so-famous women in the United States who took on life's challenges and met them with fortitude and resilience.
For years now, I’ve spent long afternoons strolling through cemeteries, both in the U.S. and abroad, learning about those interred and searching for signs of the effects of illnesses, social trends, and wars. One cemetery had a mass burial of lost souls affected by a small pox epidemic. Another lost much of their county’s population to the Revolutionary War as skirmishes tore through the area over a devastating three year period. Another cemetery interred those lost over a ten century period with only remnants of headstones marking their time on earth.
One day last week, my mother got a surprise in the mail. She received a large envelope of pictures from one of her cousins who lives in Springfield that we had not heard from in years.
Many of these pictures once belonged to my great-grandmother and featured my grandparents, my mother, and her sister as children. My mother loved going through all the pictures – so many memories. But most of all, she was thrilled to hear from her cousin. Sharing family photos and stories is a great way to reconnect with family that you don’t see often.
How can I keep my kids/grandkids busy this spring break and summer? Or, I guess the more "politically correct" way to say this: "What new skill may I teach my darlings in order to keep their busy little minds and bodies occupied?"
