Tri-State Genealogical Society - Which One?

I was looking through Cyndi's List for some information on "Digital Archiving" and found myself looking in "Societies & Groups" and thought I would check to see if we were listed, Cyndi only has 7280 links for this category.  Good news, we were listed and with a separate link for this blog.  But the bad news is that there are four "Tri-State Genealogical Societies" listed... which one are we?  Well, that is not difficult to see which one represents Indiana, Illinois & Kentucky as each one lists which tri-state is represented by that organization. 

Besides the 4 tri-state groups, there are 3 tri-county societies and a tri-city.  Bear in mind that these are listed because they each have a web site of one sort or another... there may be more tri-state, tri-county or tri-city groups that do not have a web site or have not ensured that they were listed.  As I said our TSGS represents IN, KY, IL... there is one for 3 counties in WV, OH, PA (they could have called themselves "tri-county" as well!).  The other 2 TSGS's cover South Dakota, Montana & Wyoming with the second one covering Arizona, California and Nevada.

We can boast about being around for a long time being organized in 1977, but Tri-City Genealogical Society was founded in 1961.

Here is a link to our web site: TSGS: IL, IN, KY

You can "LIKE" us on Face Book
Tri-State Genealogical Society

- Compiled by JGWest

ENGINEER'S REPORT – Tech Info

 

This morning, as I do each morning, I checked my email and the many newsletters and other formats of info that comes in my email inbox hourly.  I found this very interesting new advancement in "electronic genealogy."  It has been called "Digitising the Deceased!"  This comes from Dick Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter EOGN

 

http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2012/09/digitising-the-deceased.html

"Radio4 in the UK has an interesting report about placing QR Codes on tombstones. (See the picture to the right for a typical QR code.) Edward Stourton of the Sunday morning religious news and current affairs programme, recently interviewed Steven Nimmo, a funeral director from Dorset, to find out how digital 'quick response' codes are being placed on gravestones. Scanning the code with a smart phone directs people to a webpage where they can find a wealth of information about the deceased.

You can listen to the audio from the radio programme at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00z02tn."

 

This audio link is worth about 2.42 minutes of listening... it is a really cool way to remember love ones.  It is similar to the "Memorial Madallions" we heard about in the last few years.  Technology and genealogy marches on!

 

- Compiled by Indiana Bones

From the Firdt Mate's Photo Album - Willard Library

Very Large Portrait

of George Washington

with Horse

Hangs midway on the stairs to the second floor.

 

This photo and excerpts below are from the Willard Library website: Washington's Portrait. [Click on the link to the left for this photo and story.]

This copy of Gilbert Stuart’s “George Washington at Dorcester Heights” (which hangs at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts) is believed to have been painted by William Edward West.

The painting has been with Willard Library since its opening, but how it came to the Library was a mystery until 1954.

At that time, Julia Evans Stephens Shea, a resident of Hollywood, California, and descendent of General Robert M. Evans, was visiting Evansville. During her stay, she read a newspaper article by Bish Thompson on the cleanup and minor restoration of the painting.

Shea was the only living heir to the painting in 1954, and she determined it should be left on display at Willard Library. It hangs there today.

Willard Library Director Greg Hager told me an interesting story about this painting that maybe I will be able to get him to share on this blog!  My middle son, JJ, who just turned 37 lives in Cincinnati and asked me about this painting that he remembers as an 8 or 9 year old.

Photographs of Willard Library, 1948

• Click to view enlarged image.

J. Paul Wurtz is the photographer of these Willard Library images, taken in 1948.

Reading Table and Bench

• Click to view enlarged image.

The reading table and bench from Columbia school were a gift from Mrs. Sam Warren.

Willard Library and Other Notable Buildings of Evansville

• Click to view enlarged image.

The depictions of Willard Library and other notable buildings of Evansville are from Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, October 12, 1889.

- Compiled by JGWest

Link Changes to Evansville City Cemeteries

I go to the City Cemeteries (Oak Hill & Locust Hill) almost every day to search for a grave.  Last night, I could not get to these great genealogical databases... I got instead a re-direct to a login page.  I went to the Oak Hill Cemetery Face Book site and asked what was happening.  The City/County web sites just recently went through some revising which included some changes in the URL's to the various governmental departments.  For some unknown reason the old links bring you to the login page instead of a re-direct to the new URL address or simply inform you that the sites have been revised with new Uniform Resource Locator (URL) addresses.  Oak Hill management quickly provided all that I needed just a few minutes after 8 AM... special thanks to Chris & his staff!

This is one of the biggest problems with the Internet that after you find a great site... you bookmark it and then that bookmark becomes a bad link because the site changed servers or simply just changed the URL within the site. I have worked 16 years on the Internet and have figured out ways to find these elusive new addresses for the sites I want to visit.  Fortunately, I found a way to get to the cemetery databases late last night when I wanted to get a little info about a Gus Mattingly that had drowned trying to save others!  His grave marker was featured on a "Tombstone Thursday" on this TSGS Cruiser Blog (check the labels to the right for a link to that blog -"Gus Mattingly").

Anyway, I got a quick response this morning from that Cemetery Face Book page which I appreciate very much!  They gave me the new URL's to use on the links for the Tri-State Genealogical Society's web site for those who visit our site.  They have been updated on our site.

If you would want to bookmark the new URL's, here is the two cemetery databases and the Evansville City Cemeteries' home page

Locust Hill Cemetery Database Search http://www.evansvillegis.com/cemeteries/locusthill.aspx

Oak Hill Cemetery Database Search  http://www.evansvillegis.com/cemeteries/oakhill.aspx

Evansville City Cemeteries Home Page  http://www.evansville.in.gov/index.aspx?page=1334

Now, that fall is upon us, you might want to visit the city cemeteries, especially Oak Hill, to see all of the beautiful trees as they change colors.  I have spent hours photographing the breath taking beauty of this cemetery!

- Compiled by JGWest

"Genealogy is Like a Very Big Puzzle"

I have always liked to solve mysteries and to put together puzzles.  I was making a comment on one of MyFamily.com groups of many of my West family and other related families.  We have pooled our resources and what we already have learned to attempt to fill in the gaps of our family history.  I suddenly wrote that it was like we were all working on one very big puzzle.

We are finding the puzzle pieces, but we need to be able to put them all together. As with puzzles, many of us start by finding the flat edged pieces to put together the outer edges (frame) and then concentrate on areas of similar characteristics putting the pieces in one by one until they all connect and the puzzle is complete. This is what we are trying to do, except it is hard to make that frame and there are so many pieces that seem to be the same! :) Also because we can not find some documented records, the pieces are not complete or some of the image of the piece was damaged (lost). No matter what, it is very hard to put together a puzzle if you do not have all of the pieces.

When we first start researching our families, there are just a few that we know who may be of help to us.  As time goes on we build a network of researchers and resources.  We use libraries, DNA, courthouses, friends & family, genealogical societies, the Internet.  Many now are using resources like Ancestry.com, Heritage Quest, bulletin boards, USGenWeb, MyFamily.com and so many others.  What we are doing are looking for the pieces of the puzzle and trying to connect the pieces.

The group I mentioned is a good sized group of cousins that are trying to find these puzzle pieces and then try to put them together as a large diverse group of people.  When I work on a picture puzzle, it seems to get put together so much faster when there are several working together.

Genealogical societies provide resources to help us put together our family puzzles.  Working with others who are researching the same family can increase your chances of finding missing pieces and then connecting them.

My point is that our family puzzles have been scattered about and some pieces are lost or damaged beyond recognition.  We can not rely on just one resource or one person to gather most of these pieces.  We need to work together as much as we can and we can put together that family puzzle.  Of course, once we get that puzzle done, we start expanding the frame!  Hopefully, putting together the puzzle will be fun and enlightening as you go.

- Written by JGWest

TSGS Meeting Report

 

TSGS Meeting

Willard Library

Bayard Room

11 Sep 2012

 

 

 

Since this was 911 Patriot's Day, President Don Counts brought in his "Flag of Honor" with all of the names of those killed in the 911 attack in New York.  The names are used to make the stripes.  Vice-President John G. West helped Don show the flag at the meeting.  With about 30 people present the Bayard Room was a little crowded.

Earlier in the meeting, Special Collections Director Lyn Martin gave the library report mentioning up-coming events and informed the society that due to costs and security, all patrons needed to be out of the building no later than 8PM.  Since we have been meeting at 7PM this put pressure on us to get everything in and adjourn the meeting before 8 O'Clock.

The Finance Committee with approval of the TSGS Board of Directors proposed the 2012-2013 Budget which was accepted by the membership.

Indiana Bones presented his "Cemetery Stories" for the program.  The program was cut short in order to be out by 8PM.  The society may have to meet earlier or meet on weekends to avoid cutting meetings short.

John G. West, TSGS Vice-President

TSGS on Face Book

Check us out and click "LIKE" so we can move ahead just a little more into the tech world!!! Click on this link to see our site: Tri-State Genealogical Society Face Book Page.   We have 31 likes since the page was launched late last night.  We have 250+ members... it would be great to see this number of likes into 200 or more.  Quite a few of these first 31 are not TSGS members.  They are giving us some great support and comments!  After you "like" us then come back often and make a comment or contribute something to the page.  Help make this a success!  It will be another great tool to help all of us with our genealogy and history.

John G. West, TSGS Vice-President
TSGS Web Master
TSGS Blog Master
TSGS Face Book Admin