Jessie Elizabeth Rush, also known by her first name only and her middle name only and even just Lizzie Rush on her marriage certificate. What about Shively, Shibley, or Sheobley. UGH! Those are all the same family, and it certainly looks like Shively to me when I read the handwriting. But to the person indexing those names, it was a guessing nightmare. And, it can be a nightmare for researchers as well.
The Midwest Genealogy Center’s Periodicals team has been busy creating new ways to access our periodicals collection. The Periodicals team recently completed a Microsoft Access database that helps MGC staff more easily locate any of the 2,600 periodicals within our collection for customers. Each staff member participated in hands-on training sessions that allowed them to get a feel for searching and navigating through the database.
Janice Schultz, MGC Branch Manager, to Retire in March
It’s time to bid farewell to one of our own this spring. Janice Schultz, MGC Branch Manager, has worked for the Library for over 25 years and has dedicated much of her career to studying and teaching genealogy.
Ever since I read the Little House book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, I have been fascinated by the pioneers-those who went west on the Oregon-California Trails. When we travel across Kansas, I picture the covered wagons going up and down the rises in the Flint Hills or straight across the flatness of other sections of Kansas.
Irish research was rumored to be impossible in years past; either because of their location or their destruction. However, access to surviving records is becoming easier with digitization and the willingness of libraries and archives to put their holdings online.
One of my favorite sites is the National Archives of Ireland. Below is a list of their digital resources available online:
Oh, the stories Miss Marie could tell. I have learned to value not only the educational rights of each individual, no matter their race, creed, or beliefs, but also each citizen’s civil rights, due to experiences this fine woman shared with me.
I had the distinct privilege of being acquainted with a unique woman. Her accomplishments were versatile and prolific. During an era when an African American was lucky to attain an eighth grade education, Miss Marie graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education in 1930 from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She went on to obtain her master’s degree in student personnel administration from Columbia University in New York. The 1940 census records her as being a school teacher in a public school in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.
Many years ago, I asked my mom to write to my great aunts in California for some information and copies of pictures of my mom’s parents. Both of my maternal grandparents died before or shortly after I was born, and since my mom is the baby of seven children, she inherited virtually nothing in the way of family photos or heirlooms. At the time, my aunts were also in their late eighties, and I thought that these stories should most definitely be collected before the last of their generation were gone.
This Valentine's Day week, the staff of MGC will share some of our favorite stories of love, family, and genealogy. We hope you enjoy these endearing courtship stories as much as we enjoyed researching them.
Periodicals at MGC-Celebrating African American History Month
In celebration of African American History Month, MGC will spotlight African American heritage throughout the month of February. We hope you will enjoy our upcoming blogs and share your experiences with us, too.
How does spending a quiet afternoon in the Library sound? Sit back in one of our comfortable chairs by the window and read a few periodicals.
