Connecticut Historical Society

On April 13, the Genealogy Club of Newtown learned about the holdings of the Connecticut Historical Society Museum and Library.  I, for one, was amazed at the amount of genealogical information housed there and accessible for easy research access.

They have family genealogies, the Hale Tombstone index, local histories, the complete Hartford Courant, with the issues 1764-1820 indexed by Doris Cook. They have recent Hartford Courants online, NEGH Register, the Rhode Island Arnold Collection. They also house the Colonial Dames Church Records 1700-1800 of 106 Connecticut parishes.  They have the Lucius Barnes Barbour Probate Abstracts, the Camp Collection of the Smith family, diaries, journals, account books, Revolutionary War and bible records.  Just to name a few.

If you cannot visit their beautiful facility located in West Hartford, CT, they have staff on hand to give you the assistance you need. They will discuss your research goals, provide a list of the sources that will be examined, and provide an estimate of how many hours it will take to conduct the research.  You will then receive a comprehensive report listing all sources consulted, including photocopies of relevant materials. Their rates are $30/hr for members; $50/hour for non-members.  For research, call 860 236 5621 x 212, or research_center@chs.org.  The Connecticut Historical Society address is: One Elizabeth Street, Hartford, CT 06105. 

Anyone with Connecticut ancestors should have the Connecticut Historical Society in their genealogical toolbox.  Stop by their web site, search their online catalog for your ancestor, but keep in mind, only a portion of their collection is indexed online at this time. So if in doubt, contact them. They are waiting to help you! The Society is sustained by its membership dues and its annual fund; it is not state funded. So any financial assistance they receive is most welcome. 

One Lovely Blog Award

Several weeks ago Leslie Huber of The JourneyTakers blog honored me with the One Lovely Blog Award. The honor came at a time when I was inundated with transcription work, had company, and was running up against packing up and leaving beautiful Anna Maria Island, Florida for the cold northeast. But enough excuses!

I thanked Leslie and told her I looked forward to seeing her at NERGC that begins for us this Thursday, April 7. Can’t wait!!

The Rules are:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who granted the award and their blog link.

2. Pass the award on to blogs that you've newly discovered. (Leslie’s site stated 15; other award sites state various numbers, so I picked six.)

3. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

So many blogs; so little time. These are the ones I have chosen:

1.            Carolannkg’s writing in Adventures in Family History is concise, and I love her photos.

2.            Andrea in Stories from Springer Hill touches my heart. Andrea is a gifted writer, talented cook, and a good friend. I especially love her Lu Stories. Don’t miss her "Our 2000 Pound Neighbors" blog.

3.            Donna of Donna’s Genealogy Blog. Actually she has two; one for general genealogy information, the second dealing specifically with Irish genealogy. We have had the pleasure of attending Donna’s presentations at the Genealogy Club of Newtown (CT) and at the Manasota Genealogy Society (Bradenton, FL). Donna is very knowledgeable and is a gifted writer and teacher. She, too, will present at NERGC.  

4.            Heather of Leaves for Trees. This is a new Geneablogger blog with the goal of helping each other solve brick walls. We all need that – thanks, Heather.

5.            John of New York History. For those of us with Upstate New York roots, this is a great web site to keep up on current news dealing with New York History.

6.            Emily of Writing Your Memories. I appreciate tips on writing my genealogy research and journal posts. Thank you, Emily. 

The Journey Takers

Last evening the members of the Genealogy Club of Newtown thoroughly enjoyed Leslie Albrecht Huber’s lecture based on her new book, The Journey Takers.  The well thought out PowerPoint presentation seamlessly wove her personal journey in tracing her German and Swedish ancestors with their difficult choices and their journey to America.  The presentation included helpful research tips and interesting information that included use of maps, making sure you know not only the hometown of your European ancestor, but where they attended church, utilize parish and village histories, a reminder that original records can be wrong, always verify information, be flexible with spelling – even though you might have it correct, the original record might be wrong and therefore won’t come up in your search.  And last but not least, Leslie made the case that it is the responsibility of each of us to document and share the stories of our ancestors as well as our own.

Leslie Albrecht Huber is a delightful young woman who is an accomplished genealogist and a passionate and entertaining speaker.  Thank you, Leslie, for sharing your time and knowledge with the Genealogy Club of Newtown.  We all left the meeting energized to better document our families.