February 2012 Mentoring Sessions

Thursday February 23, 2012
Topic:           Earliest Plimoth records

Time:            2 pm to 4 pm

Place:            Dennisport Library, Genealogy Room

Mentor:         David Martin   davidchina_2000@yahoo.com

Do you have very early Massachusetts ancestors?  Do you not know where to go for available records?  Meet with David.  He can show you what is available, where you can find it and how you can use them.  Sign up with David at davidchina_2000@yahoo.com.

Friday February 24, 2012
Topic:            Using City Directories
Time:             1 pm to 3 pm
Place:             Dennisport Library, Genealogy Room
Mentor:          Joan Frederici   joanfred4@comcast.net 



City Directories are an important research tool often used in between Census records. Directories typically contain the name of the person and their address, and you can also learn their occupation. Have Joan show you how she has effectively used City Directories in her family search.  This session is limited to 4 members so be sure to send Joan an e-mail right away to save your space!

Two New Special Interest Groups

CCGS is initiating two new Special Interest Groups:
  
   1. Canadian Special Interest Group, for all those researching English, French, or Indian ancestries in Canada. Next meeting: Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 10am, Brewster Library Historical Room.

   2. Family History Writing Special Interest Group, for all those interested in writing and sharing their family history narratives; no special experience or skill needed. Next meeting: Saturday, January 28,10 am, Brewster Library Downstairs Meeting Room.

Members are welcome to attend both groups. Questions? Contact David Martin. (davidchina_2000@yahoo.com)

CCGS Bake Sale coming February 11

Valentine's Day is coming! And so is our CCGS Bake Sale on Saturday, 11 February.  Wouldn't it be fun to pick up a little treat for a friend or child you know?

We'd love to have some of your cookies, cupcakes, mini loaves of bread, or your specialty to add to our sale table.  Last year the 50-cent and $1 baskets were a great hit with the children.  This year we're adding two raffle baskets.  And of course we hope to have our tables loaded with small packaged goodies.  (The Health Department requires packaging, and we'll be there early at 9:15AM with wrapping if you need any.)  If you plan to be away on Saturday, you can drop off your goodies at the library on Friday.  If you have questions, please call Marie Jennings at 508-385-6737.

Dennis Public Library has generously given us the use of a room for our collection, and has asked for our help in funding Heritage Quest and Ancestry, as the prices continue to rise.  The DPL head librarian was the first to offer to bake for the sale... so we hope you can help too!   And thanks to those of you who have already offered!

Valentine's Day Bake Sale

Saturday, 11 February from 10-2

Dennis Public Library, just off Route 28 near Barbo’s Furniture Store.

Do come and bring your friends, grandchildren, neighbors!

Mentoring cancelled for January

Since no one came forward to be a Mentor in the month of January we have had to cancel the program for the month.

Some Mentors became discouraged when no one showed up for their sessions.

Can you tell us what topics would be of interest to you?

Can you tell us if you would like to be a Mentor on a topic that you are comfortable with?

We really believe this program is valuable, but it will only be held if there is interest.

Are you interested?  Please let us know your thoughts.

Gary Boyd Roberts on Royal Lineages--A Special Memorial Event

Gary Boyd Roberts is widely acclaimed as an international expert on royal lineages.  Formerly a member of staff at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, he is current Senior Research Scholar Emeritus there. On Saturday, March 24, 2012, he will provide a presentation entitled "Royal Descents of Some Living Americans", to honor the memory of the late Dan McConnell, formerly President of the Society, who passed away in September 2011. 

This special memorial event will be open to Society members and the general public and will be held at the Brewster Ladies Library Auditorium beginning at 2:00PM. Members of the Howes, Lothropp, and Linnell Family associations will also be present, and books on royal lineages will be available for purchase. This presentation will be a rare privilege for members and others to learn first-hand about royal lineages and how they are widely distributed among present-day Americans. No fee will be needed for the event.

Special Event--Irish Genealogical Research Ideas

Many CCGS members have family roots in Ireland, but Irish genealogical research presents real challenges for researchers in the United States.  On Saturday, April 28, 2012 Mary Ellen Grogan, an expert in Irish genealogy, will provide a workshop on "Irish Genealogical Research: Some Special Techniques."  The workshop, beginning at 9:30am and concluding at 12:30pm at the Dennis Public Library in Dennisport, will focus on three aspects of Irish investigations:

•       Griffith's Valuation in depth
•       Using Court Records in Ireland
•       Using Loan Records in Ireland.

Ms. Grogan will also stay after the workshop to meet informally with any individuals or group who would like to discuss further ideas on Irish research.

This special event is available to members of the Society for a one-time fee of $10, payable at the door.  If you have Irish roots or even suspected Irish roots,  you will not want to miss this opportunity to meet with a well-recognized authority in this field.

Fold3: Featured library resource for January 2012

Fold3 is the new name of Footnote, a database which is repositioning itself as the premier source for US military records.  Formerly a less costly alternative and, according to some, the closest competitor to Ancestry, it was bought out in Sept. 2010, when Ancestry acquired its parent company iArchives.  In August 2011, Footnote announced two major changes: the new focus on US military records; and the name change to Fold3.

What's in a name?  Fold3 references the third fold in the traditional flag-folding ceremony, which honors veterans' service to this country.  Perhaps a bit obscure.

Fold3 has a great deal of non-military content, and is not planning to remove it.  But future improvements will center around military records, and probably will not duplicate material on Ancestry.  The site currently has over 85 million images of original records and photographs.  The browse feature allows one to search by military conflict (the Revolution through Vietnam).  Popular pages include an interactive Vietnam Wall, and memorial pages celebrating individual veterans.  The site also has an active blog where staff respond to members' questions and comments.

A training center on Fold3 presents helpful tips in both video and text format.  Videos are short (about 5 minutes each) and cover the basics: searching, using Browse, but also Leaving a tribute.  Text tutorials cover how-tos such as printing and downloading, uploading and annotating images (more appropriate for a home subscription than in the shared library context).

The indexes in Fold3, and a limited number of databases, are available free.  So you could do your searching at home and then come to the CCGS library to view the images you are not able to see at home.  Give it a whirl!

Canadian Special Interest Group planning

Because of the interest expressed in the formation of a Canadian Special Interest Group (SIG) within the Cape Cod Genealogical Society, an organizational meeting will be held in advance of the regular program meeting of the Society on January 18. 

Meeting time is 9:15am in the Brewster Library Auditorium, where we will find a small area for discussion.

 

The range of topics would focus on French, English, and other nationality heritages within Canada, for sharing information and ideas.

See you then!