This past Friday and Saturday, I spent my time in good ol' Rockford, Illinois. The ISGS hosted their Fall conference at the Clock Tower Best Western Center. The speakers were great....meaning John P. Coletta and others. So much to see, much more to learn.
I have written previously about how important it is to attend these conferences. Large or small, one day or four days, there is always something that you take away from these gatherings of professionals involved in preserving history and family stories.
In addition, the vendors and organizations that participate by showing their wares and sharing their knowledge are just great. The Genealogical Society of Winnebago and Boone Counties co-hosted this event. Their display table featured so many of the wonderful programs and projects that they had completed. Cemetery transcriptions, vital records abstracts, mapping projects and newsletter publications are just a hint of the holdings of such a society that can be so useful to the family historian. Likewise, the Illinois State Genealogical Society had an impressive display of their projects, and provided an opportunity for every visitor to donate to the funds used for the digitization of the War of 1812 records. Fold3 and the Federation of Genealogical Societies are involved in a matching fund program for this most important venture. Won't it be wonderful for everyone to view the military records of ancestors living during that time period.
I was fortunate to win a nice book in the door prize event, a publication by the Kane County Genealogical Society. I will be sure to donate it to my local historical society's research library. The was a White Elephant table that was showered with publications from historical and genealogical societies throughout the state. I picked up a few that I thought would be of interest to me. I can always put them back on the next White Elephant table after I am finished with it. I am sure that someone else would be able to use the valuable information that can be found in these magazines and articles.
Before I left Rockford, I stopped in to visit the main Rockford Library in the city, next to the river. What a nice facility. The third floor housed the local history collections. I entered the impressive archive room and asked to see some high school yearbooks from the 1940s. I was asked by someone who found my name on the Generous Genealogists listing to help them find a photo of their relative who just might have attended high school in Rockford. Sure enough, I found the senior photo. Wonderful. I quickly made two copies of the page and another copy of the title page of the yearbook. This kind of thing makes me feel so good, just being able to help out someone who is in need of my help, and they can't be on site to get it for themselves. I took advantage of this type of services many years ago, and was immensely grateful for the help that I received. It feels good to pay it forward.
Just to repeat myself, be sure to take a trip to a conference. Nearby or far away, you will never regret it.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Another FUN Genealogical Society event
On Saturday, I attended the Chicago Genealogical Society's "Dark Alleys of Chicago Family History" tour. What a fun time. Craig, the group leader on this trip, wanted everyone to focus on the relatives in our family trees who "did not behave themselves".
He lead us on a bus tour of very interesting, historically significant city locations that were associated with some the darker sides of the Chicago landscape. Remember Richard Speck, the creepy guy that murdered/raped seven nurses on the south side in the 60's? He was finally arrested at the apartment complex at 617 Madison Street, now called the Presidential Towers, in 1966.
We stopped at the site of the famous Haymarket Massacre in 1886, and stood on the very same brick paved alley where the event occurred.
We passed by the home of former Chicago Mayor, Carter Harrison, at 314 South Ashland, where he was assassinated in 1893. After that, the site of the Black Panther Raid of 1969 was on tap.
The next stop was one of sorrow, as we approached the neighborhood of the terrible school fire at Our Lady of the Angels, which took the lives of many children and nuns in 1958. There was a funeral in progress at the church, now a mission, so we could not get off the bus at this point.
Other points of interest that we visited included : the Biograph Theatre, where John Dillinger was gunned down; The site of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre where the Capone gang takes care of the Dion O'Banion/Bugs Moran gang. Later the conversation turned to Emma Goldman, the Free Love Anarchist from Russian descent. Passing by the area of Lottie's Pub and Margie's Candy and Ice Cream shop enlivened the group, although we could not stop in due to time constraints. Various areas were of significance since they were sites of Hollywood movie shoots.
Stopped at the Newberry Library right in front of Washington Park, where John Wayne Gacy used to pick up some of his young victims. Nice guy. That is where we sat and had lunch...a nice Panera Bread menu of sandwiches, chips, cookies and drinks.
After dining, we continued on our tour, going on to the south side sites, passing by the areas of the Holy Name Cathedral, Iraquois Theatre ( where the horrible fire took so many lives in 1903 ), the Maxwell Street area, and past the Prairie Avenue area where those with fat wallets lived in the time of the Marshall Field family. And, some of those homes are still there, standing tall and fine.
On Wabash Street, we stopped at the now empty lot where the Four Deuces Club, otherwise known as the headquarters of Al Capone, was located. And we discussed the notorious "Baseball Bat dinner" where Capone swiftly beat the heads of two of his dinner guests who were less than faithful to their boss. That incident happened at Michigan and Cermak. I had to tell my short tale of passed relatives who lost their lives trying to hone in on some of Capone's business. It did not turn out so well for them, but they had one of the finest funerals in the St. Louis area in 1927.
We tried to enter the gated area of the Stephen Douglas tomb, however, it was locked and guarded by a dog who was more interested in getting petted than biting. The area of Camp Douglas is now housing and buildings of the first university of the area, as requested by Mr. Douglas, himself. Incidentally, the Confederate soldiers who passed away while incarcerated at Camp Douglas are buried in Oak Woods Cemetery.
Driving further on the south side we came upon the Chicago Union Stock Yards where a few race riots have occurred over the years, namely 1919-1920. There is a very nice memorial there for the members of the Chicago Fire Department who have passed in the line of duty. We were unable to visit the home of Bobby Franks at 5052 South Ellis, the site of the Leopold-Loeb murder of Bobby. It was getting late, almost 4 p.m. by now, so we headed back to the Ogilivie Transportation Center where we began our tour at 9:30 a.m. that morning.
It was a very long day, but I learned so much and really enjoyed being a passenger on a nice, posh bus, being escorted around a town so rich with history.
Recommended reads as a followup for this trip: Return to the Scene of the Crime (Cumberland House, Nashville, Tenn. 1999), and Return Again to the Scene of the Crime (Cumberland House, Nashville, Tenn. 2001), in addition to "If Christ Came to Chicago" by William T Stead, Laird and Lee, 1894.
So just another reminder, Join a few local societies to add to your educational enrichment and understanding of the past. You won't regret it!
He lead us on a bus tour of very interesting, historically significant city locations that were associated with some the darker sides of the Chicago landscape. Remember Richard Speck, the creepy guy that murdered/raped seven nurses on the south side in the 60's? He was finally arrested at the apartment complex at 617 Madison Street, now called the Presidential Towers, in 1966.
We stopped at the site of the famous Haymarket Massacre in 1886, and stood on the very same brick paved alley where the event occurred.
We passed by the home of former Chicago Mayor, Carter Harrison, at 314 South Ashland, where he was assassinated in 1893. After that, the site of the Black Panther Raid of 1969 was on tap.
The next stop was one of sorrow, as we approached the neighborhood of the terrible school fire at Our Lady of the Angels, which took the lives of many children and nuns in 1958. There was a funeral in progress at the church, now a mission, so we could not get off the bus at this point.
Other points of interest that we visited included : the Biograph Theatre, where John Dillinger was gunned down; The site of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre where the Capone gang takes care of the Dion O'Banion/Bugs Moran gang. Later the conversation turned to Emma Goldman, the Free Love Anarchist from Russian descent. Passing by the area of Lottie's Pub and Margie's Candy and Ice Cream shop enlivened the group, although we could not stop in due to time constraints. Various areas were of significance since they were sites of Hollywood movie shoots.
Stopped at the Newberry Library right in front of Washington Park, where John Wayne Gacy used to pick up some of his young victims. Nice guy. That is where we sat and had lunch...a nice Panera Bread menu of sandwiches, chips, cookies and drinks.
After dining, we continued on our tour, going on to the south side sites, passing by the areas of the Holy Name Cathedral, Iraquois Theatre ( where the horrible fire took so many lives in 1903 ), the Maxwell Street area, and past the Prairie Avenue area where those with fat wallets lived in the time of the Marshall Field family. And, some of those homes are still there, standing tall and fine.
On Wabash Street, we stopped at the now empty lot where the Four Deuces Club, otherwise known as the headquarters of Al Capone, was located. And we discussed the notorious "Baseball Bat dinner" where Capone swiftly beat the heads of two of his dinner guests who were less than faithful to their boss. That incident happened at Michigan and Cermak. I had to tell my short tale of passed relatives who lost their lives trying to hone in on some of Capone's business. It did not turn out so well for them, but they had one of the finest funerals in the St. Louis area in 1927.
We tried to enter the gated area of the Stephen Douglas tomb, however, it was locked and guarded by a dog who was more interested in getting petted than biting. The area of Camp Douglas is now housing and buildings of the first university of the area, as requested by Mr. Douglas, himself. Incidentally, the Confederate soldiers who passed away while incarcerated at Camp Douglas are buried in Oak Woods Cemetery.
Driving further on the south side we came upon the Chicago Union Stock Yards where a few race riots have occurred over the years, namely 1919-1920. There is a very nice memorial there for the members of the Chicago Fire Department who have passed in the line of duty. We were unable to visit the home of Bobby Franks at 5052 South Ellis, the site of the Leopold-Loeb murder of Bobby. It was getting late, almost 4 p.m. by now, so we headed back to the Ogilivie Transportation Center where we began our tour at 9:30 a.m. that morning.
It was a very long day, but I learned so much and really enjoyed being a passenger on a nice, posh bus, being escorted around a town so rich with history.
Recommended reads as a followup for this trip: Return to the Scene of the Crime (Cumberland House, Nashville, Tenn. 1999), and Return Again to the Scene of the Crime (Cumberland House, Nashville, Tenn. 2001), in addition to "If Christ Came to Chicago" by William T Stead, Laird and Lee, 1894.
So just another reminder, Join a few local societies to add to your educational enrichment and understanding of the past. You won't regret it!
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Ancestry.com featured speakers
Greetings. Last post I reviewed why it was important to join local historical and genealogical societies. So, here is a review of a society conference that I attended this weekend.
The Fox Valley Genealogical Society hosted their 2012 conference in Naperville, Illinois on Saturday, September 29. I was fortunate to attend and was pleased to be in the presence of Juliana Szucs Smith and her mother, Loretto Dennis "Lou" Szucs.
They collaborated on four presentations regarding Ancestry.com. It was fabulous. Although I knew about 90 percent of what they had to offer as far as general information and genealogy research, they also revealed some new views and tips for using this wonderful website.
Juliana talked about getting starting on Ancestry.com, including global searches, category searches, individual collections and using the online trees. It was very basic, but I am sure that any novice in the subject surely appreciated this presentation.
Lou followed her daughter with a presentation on what's new at Ancestry.com. She pointed out that when viewing the home page of Ancestry, you can check the "What's happening at Ancestry.com" section. All new records will be listed, which are many, and it is always advisable to visit this section at least once per month. Yes, Ancestry is loading data that fast on this website. She also advised the conference attendees that exploring the many tabs on the home page can reveal some items that you just might have missed before. The LEARNING tab was most important on her "must visit" list. It takes a user from the basics of where to start searching for family history, to webinars, and the Family History Wiki, which most people don't even know is there for their use and education. She had accolades for the MY CANVAS publishing tab, stating that is enables a user to produce their own books, but also posters and custom tree charts. The SHOP tab features Family Tree Maker, Mobile Apps, Books and Gift Memberships. The Biographical Sources (found under Stories, Memories and Histories) contains many http selections, such as the "History of the Swedes of Illinois". Other features that she commented on included:
Border Crossings Jewish Collections
Census African American Collections
Directories Maps, Atlases and Gazetteers
Military Naturalizations, Passenger Lists, Passport Records, etc.
After a break for lunch, and some serious shopping at the vendors setups and white elephant table, which I did visit and found some wonderful resources to bring home with me, the presentations continued.
Juliana presented Getting the Most from Your Family History Finds, where she outlined the importance of thinking outside of the box (or in my case, outside of the crate). Looking for the hidden treasures and clues in the documents that you gather through out your search, forming timelines, studying geographic history, using spreadsheets to evaluate the evidence that you have uncovered in your search....so much more to just collecting dates and places. She suggested being a collector of addresses using census, military draft records, directory and vital records, and placing those in a timeline to see how often your ancestors had moved in their lifetimes. Lastly, she talked about immigration and passenger lists, and the wonderful "hidden" clues that are so often overlooked on those documents.
This lead to the last presentation by Lou, entitled They Became Americans, Finding Naturalization Records and Ethnic Origins. Finding the first immigrant of your family and following that person through their paper trail of Passenger Lists, Naturalization Papers, Alien Registrations, etc.
She shared some of her favorite websites that she consults for this type of research:
NARA - www.archives.gov
NARA at Chicago - www.archives.gov/great-lakes/
Cook County Circuit Court Naturalizations - www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org/NR/about.aspx
Family History Library - www.familysearch.org
Illinois State Archives - www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/databases.html
Illinois State Genealogical Society - www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilsgs
Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild - www.immigrantships.net/
Roots Web - www.rootsweb.com
The Ships List: Passengers, Ships, Shipwrecks - www.theshipslist.com
It was a nice conference, not too far to drive, and I enjoyed the presentations, the people I met at the lunch table, the vendors that I patroned and the wonderful Fox Valley Genealogical Society members who made this Saturday event a success. Looking forward to the next conference on my schedule in late October in Rockford.
The Fox Valley Genealogical Society hosted their 2012 conference in Naperville, Illinois on Saturday, September 29. I was fortunate to attend and was pleased to be in the presence of Juliana Szucs Smith and her mother, Loretto Dennis "Lou" Szucs.
They collaborated on four presentations regarding Ancestry.com. It was fabulous. Although I knew about 90 percent of what they had to offer as far as general information and genealogy research, they also revealed some new views and tips for using this wonderful website.
Juliana talked about getting starting on Ancestry.com, including global searches, category searches, individual collections and using the online trees. It was very basic, but I am sure that any novice in the subject surely appreciated this presentation.
Lou followed her daughter with a presentation on what's new at Ancestry.com. She pointed out that when viewing the home page of Ancestry, you can check the "What's happening at Ancestry.com" section. All new records will be listed, which are many, and it is always advisable to visit this section at least once per month. Yes, Ancestry is loading data that fast on this website. She also advised the conference attendees that exploring the many tabs on the home page can reveal some items that you just might have missed before. The LEARNING tab was most important on her "must visit" list. It takes a user from the basics of where to start searching for family history, to webinars, and the Family History Wiki, which most people don't even know is there for their use and education. She had accolades for the MY CANVAS publishing tab, stating that is enables a user to produce their own books, but also posters and custom tree charts. The SHOP tab features Family Tree Maker, Mobile Apps, Books and Gift Memberships. The Biographical Sources (found under Stories, Memories and Histories) contains many http selections, such as the "History of the Swedes of Illinois". Other features that she commented on included:
Border Crossings Jewish Collections
Census African American Collections
Directories Maps, Atlases and Gazetteers
Military Naturalizations, Passenger Lists, Passport Records, etc.
After a break for lunch, and some serious shopping at the vendors setups and white elephant table, which I did visit and found some wonderful resources to bring home with me, the presentations continued.
Juliana presented Getting the Most from Your Family History Finds, where she outlined the importance of thinking outside of the box (or in my case, outside of the crate). Looking for the hidden treasures and clues in the documents that you gather through out your search, forming timelines, studying geographic history, using spreadsheets to evaluate the evidence that you have uncovered in your search....so much more to just collecting dates and places. She suggested being a collector of addresses using census, military draft records, directory and vital records, and placing those in a timeline to see how often your ancestors had moved in their lifetimes. Lastly, she talked about immigration and passenger lists, and the wonderful "hidden" clues that are so often overlooked on those documents.
This lead to the last presentation by Lou, entitled They Became Americans, Finding Naturalization Records and Ethnic Origins. Finding the first immigrant of your family and following that person through their paper trail of Passenger Lists, Naturalization Papers, Alien Registrations, etc.
She shared some of her favorite websites that she consults for this type of research:
NARA - www.archives.gov
NARA at Chicago - www.archives.gov/great-lakes/
Cook County Circuit Court Naturalizations - www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org/NR/about.aspx
Family History Library - www.familysearch.org
Illinois State Archives - www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/databases.html
Illinois State Genealogical Society - www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilsgs
Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild - www.immigrantships.net/
Roots Web - www.rootsweb.com
The Ships List: Passengers, Ships, Shipwrecks - www.theshipslist.com
It was a nice conference, not too far to drive, and I enjoyed the presentations, the people I met at the lunch table, the vendors that I patroned and the wonderful Fox Valley Genealogical Society members who made this Saturday event a success. Looking forward to the next conference on my schedule in late October in Rockford.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Joining Genealogical Societies
Have you ever wondered who else might be researching in the same family lines or the same geographic area that you are? Just take a look at some of the many websites dedicated to genealogical societies. There are probably at least 2 or 3 that just may have the help that you are looking for to break down those brick walls.
With the Internet at hand, you are able to google just about any subject, surname or geographic area and the results will be amazing. Take a look at Cyndi's list at www.cyndislist.com
Search the Categories/Societies and Groups section. There you will find, in alphabetical listings, the many groups that are available to you.
I am posting this subject today because I was remembering the nice meeting I had at the Oak Brook Heritage Center this past Saturday. A group of 15 or so people gathered there to meet and learn about what the group, Pursuing Our Italian Names Together (POINT) Chicago Chapter Uno, was all about and what we could learn from one another as we talked about the common thread we shared....Italian ancestry and the need to learn about the history, culture, language and kinship resources available to all of us. In just 2 hours, we all made some sort of connections to each other. We relished in the luck of each other's searches, and gasped at the research challenges that lay ahead of each of us.
If you ever get a chance to attend a local genealogical conference, please do. You will come back with information that you never knew existed. You will meet up with others who are searching the same ethnic areas that you do. You will see what new publications are available at libraries and book stores. And, yes, there is always something to eat, too.
So, here's one this coming weekend. The Fox Valley Genealogical Society is hosting a Genealogy Conference on Saturday, Sept. 29. If you are in the Chicago area, take some time to stop in. Listen to a lecture, or two. Talk with a few of the vendors that will be there. Review books and publications that just may have a few secrets to enhance your research. You'll be glad you did.
Til next time, in October. Keep warm. It's getting cold out there.
With the Internet at hand, you are able to google just about any subject, surname or geographic area and the results will be amazing. Take a look at Cyndi's list at www.cyndislist.com
Search the Categories/Societies and Groups section. There you will find, in alphabetical listings, the many groups that are available to you.
I am posting this subject today because I was remembering the nice meeting I had at the Oak Brook Heritage Center this past Saturday. A group of 15 or so people gathered there to meet and learn about what the group, Pursuing Our Italian Names Together (POINT) Chicago Chapter Uno, was all about and what we could learn from one another as we talked about the common thread we shared....Italian ancestry and the need to learn about the history, culture, language and kinship resources available to all of us. In just 2 hours, we all made some sort of connections to each other. We relished in the luck of each other's searches, and gasped at the research challenges that lay ahead of each of us.
If you ever get a chance to attend a local genealogical conference, please do. You will come back with information that you never knew existed. You will meet up with others who are searching the same ethnic areas that you do. You will see what new publications are available at libraries and book stores. And, yes, there is always something to eat, too.
So, here's one this coming weekend. The Fox Valley Genealogical Society is hosting a Genealogy Conference on Saturday, Sept. 29. If you are in the Chicago area, take some time to stop in. Listen to a lecture, or two. Talk with a few of the vendors that will be there. Review books and publications that just may have a few secrets to enhance your research. You'll be glad you did.
Til next time, in October. Keep warm. It's getting cold out there.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Giving a Presentation on Researching Family History
Last weekend I presented a program for a local social dedicated to the restoration of an old "settler" home from the 1840s. I was asked to do a free presentation at the local library for about an hour. They wanted me to tell the audience how to research their family history.
Well, you know that this topic cannot be tackled in less than an hour. So, I decided to use an example of how to answer a historical question about a nearby area, then use the results of that research and apply them to research the genealogy of particular persons living in that area.
So, OK, before I put everyone to sleep, I had to inject a little humor and get the interest of the crowd. The following is my Research Rules of the Road. Most are common sense, but need to be stated nonetheless.
Don't believe everything you hear
Don't believe everything you read
Names are almost always spelled several ways
Nicknames were used since the dawn of time
People lie about their age
People lie about their occupations and income
People embellish stories
Most families have at least one Rotten Apple
You don't have to be married to have a baby
Some people forget to get a divorce before marrying a second, third, fourth....time
Once everyone prepares for their family research while keeping these topics in mind, there should be no reason to be shocked when you find out that your ancestors were are HUMAN. They made unfortunate decisions in their lives just like we do today. But, they survived through it all, just like we continue to do.
Well, you know that this topic cannot be tackled in less than an hour. So, I decided to use an example of how to answer a historical question about a nearby area, then use the results of that research and apply them to research the genealogy of particular persons living in that area.
So, OK, before I put everyone to sleep, I had to inject a little humor and get the interest of the crowd. The following is my Research Rules of the Road. Most are common sense, but need to be stated nonetheless.
Don't believe everything you hear
Don't believe everything you read
Names are almost always spelled several ways
Nicknames were used since the dawn of time
People lie about their age
People lie about their occupations and income
People embellish stories
Most families have at least one Rotten Apple
You don't have to be married to have a baby
Some people forget to get a divorce before marrying a second, third, fourth....time
Once everyone prepares for their family research while keeping these topics in mind, there should be no reason to be shocked when you find out that your ancestors were are HUMAN. They made unfortunate decisions in their lives just like we do today. But, they survived through it all, just like we continue to do.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Upcoming POINT meeting in Chicago area
Well, after a nice trip to the Family History Center in Salt Lake City, we have all come to one conclusion.....we really need to have a resurrection of the Chicago POINT in Person groups. Previously there were three chapters, Uno, 8 and 27. All had come to a screeching halt. Why? People just get overwhelmed and are not able to carry on due to LIFE.
There is a new enthusiasm now. We will have a meeting to be held at the Oak Brook Heritage Center, maintained by the Oak Brook Historical Society. The building is the former Butler School, built in 1921. In it's heyday, it was thought to be the best school in the state. It also served as the community center for the residents of this area. Oak Brook itself did not become incorporated until 1958. The farming/dairy/horse breeding area was known by many names. Some called it Brush Hill. Others called it Fullersburg. And many thought of it as an extension of Downers Grove, Hinsdale and Elmhurst, which are all now neighboring towns and villages.
We are very fortunate to be able to meet in this old building which is undergoing renovations and restorations. Saturday, Sept. 22 from 10 a.m. until 12 noon, the POINT Uno group shall meet and provide coffee and donuts. We will talk about what interests us, how we wish to conduct meetings and what other locations will be of interest to the group for future meetings and activities.
There is already talk of having a November meeting at the Italian Cultural Center in Stone Park, where there are a couple of museums and a nice research library, in addition to beautiful grounds. The Center holds many festival-type events every year, including Christmas Cookie baking and Italian language classes for children and adults.
If you are of Italian descent, or you have an interest in Italian genealogy and history, please stop by our meeting on the 22nd of September, 2012. 10 a.m. sharp.
The address of the Oak Brook Heritage Center/Old Butler School is :
1112 Oak Brook Road, Oak Brook, IL 60523
on the north side of the street, next to the Oak Brook Village Hall, at the intersection of Spring Road and Oak Brook Road.
Coffee and donuts, come one, come all.
There is a new enthusiasm now. We will have a meeting to be held at the Oak Brook Heritage Center, maintained by the Oak Brook Historical Society. The building is the former Butler School, built in 1921. In it's heyday, it was thought to be the best school in the state. It also served as the community center for the residents of this area. Oak Brook itself did not become incorporated until 1958. The farming/dairy/horse breeding area was known by many names. Some called it Brush Hill. Others called it Fullersburg. And many thought of it as an extension of Downers Grove, Hinsdale and Elmhurst, which are all now neighboring towns and villages.
We are very fortunate to be able to meet in this old building which is undergoing renovations and restorations. Saturday, Sept. 22 from 10 a.m. until 12 noon, the POINT Uno group shall meet and provide coffee and donuts. We will talk about what interests us, how we wish to conduct meetings and what other locations will be of interest to the group for future meetings and activities.
There is already talk of having a November meeting at the Italian Cultural Center in Stone Park, where there are a couple of museums and a nice research library, in addition to beautiful grounds. The Center holds many festival-type events every year, including Christmas Cookie baking and Italian language classes for children and adults.
If you are of Italian descent, or you have an interest in Italian genealogy and history, please stop by our meeting on the 22nd of September, 2012. 10 a.m. sharp.
The address of the Oak Brook Heritage Center/Old Butler School is :
1112 Oak Brook Road, Oak Brook, IL 60523
on the north side of the street, next to the Oak Brook Village Hall, at the intersection of Spring Road and Oak Brook Road.
Coffee and donuts, come one, come all.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Oklahoma Indian Territory on-line
This week I read the post from Dick Eastman which included information about the Oklahoma Archives and their addition of wonderful information that has been added to their website.
www.okhistory.org/research
The gateway to Oklahoma newspapers is really nice. You can search and browse them for FREE.
In addition, they have added Territorial Incorporation records, covering the years 1890 to 1907.
This is great if you have anyone in your research data that may have owned or worked for a company in this area. The incorporation of the business records should be listed here.
For those who are studying the general history of Oklahoma, there is a listing of the governors, counties and county seats to present time. The state constitution is also listed.
Route 66 repositories in Oklahoma are also listed.
There are links for Oklahoma and all digital data on the web. Just click and go, which include Oklahoma birth and death certificate resources.
Of course, it is not a free service. Charges are about $15 to $40 depending on what you need.
I took a quick look at the Chronicles of Oklahoma http://digital.library.okstate.edu/Chronicles
here is the lead-in to the section about the Italians that settled in Oklahoma during the territorial days of this area : In Indian Territory the majority of early-arriving Italians settled in the coal-mining counties of present eastern Oklahoma in the mid-1870s. In that decade, coal mines began operating in Pittsburg County, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory. In need of cheap labor, the coal companies hired immigrants, primarily men, from southern and eastern Europe. They were primarily farmers and uniformly Catholic. The first northern Italians arrived in 1874, and the first southern Italians arrived in the late 1870s.
The article goes on to say that when the era of petroleum began to overtake the coal industry, many of these immigrants lost their jobs and headed to larger metropolitan areas, both in Oklahoma and further away to New York and Chicago, as well as other cities.
I am so glad that this State, which was once an area of little available archival information, now has a place on the web. And, I look forward to seeing much more becoming available in this website.
www.okhistory.org/research
The gateway to Oklahoma newspapers is really nice. You can search and browse them for FREE.
In addition, they have added Territorial Incorporation records, covering the years 1890 to 1907.
This is great if you have anyone in your research data that may have owned or worked for a company in this area. The incorporation of the business records should be listed here.
For those who are studying the general history of Oklahoma, there is a listing of the governors, counties and county seats to present time. The state constitution is also listed.
Route 66 repositories in Oklahoma are also listed.
There are links for Oklahoma and all digital data on the web. Just click and go, which include Oklahoma birth and death certificate resources.
Of course, it is not a free service. Charges are about $15 to $40 depending on what you need.
I took a quick look at the Chronicles of Oklahoma http://digital.library.okstate.edu/Chronicles
here is the lead-in to the section about the Italians that settled in Oklahoma during the territorial days of this area : In Indian Territory the majority of early-arriving Italians settled in the coal-mining counties of present eastern Oklahoma in the mid-1870s. In that decade, coal mines began operating in Pittsburg County, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory. In need of cheap labor, the coal companies hired immigrants, primarily men, from southern and eastern Europe. They were primarily farmers and uniformly Catholic. The first northern Italians arrived in 1874, and the first southern Italians arrived in the late 1870s.
The article goes on to say that when the era of petroleum began to overtake the coal industry, many of these immigrants lost their jobs and headed to larger metropolitan areas, both in Oklahoma and further away to New York and Chicago, as well as other cities.
I am so glad that this State, which was once an area of little available archival information, now has a place on the web. And, I look forward to seeing much more becoming available in this website.
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