Funeral Card Friday - Anna Payne - Newfield, NY

Willow Creek School Teachers 1898 - mid--1950s

One of my Willow Creek school classmates sent me a PDF of the 1848-1948 Centennial program for Willow Creek school.  My great-grandmother, Mrs. Arthur (Jessie) Agard, gave the historical sketch; the keynote address was given by Dr. Liberty Hyde Bailey, Professor of Agriculture, Emeritus and Director of Bailey Hortorium at Cornell University.*

The program listed the trustees and teachers from the year 1898 through 1948. Those educators in the one (then two) room rural schoolhouse were:

1898-99 - Rose A. Troy

1899-00 – Charles F. Smith

1900-01 – Grace I. Bardwell

1901-03 – Lottie M. Eddy

1903-04 – Gertrude E. Mortimer

1904-05 – Bertha Blauvelt

1905-06 – Cora Drummond

1906-07 – Eleanor D. Smith

1907-08 – Nellie Grey Wilson

1909-12 – Leah H. Clark

1912-13 – Ella M. Pierce

1913-16 – Pearl I. Houston

1916-17 – Gyda T. Rumsey

1917-31 – Sarah Tichenor

1931-33 – Esther Hopkins

1933-37 – Alice Viele  (Married Bill Agard in 1937; Alice died in 1939)

1937-41 – Marion La Rue (Married Bill Agard in 1941)

1941-43 – Ruth Holley

1943-46 – Lydia Sears

1946-48 – Marion Evans (tenure lasted until school was closed in mid-1950s)

With a couple of exceptions it is interesting to see in the early years teacher tenure lasted one year.  Since only one was male, I suspect the females got married. It would be interesting to confirm why these women left after only one year.  Another project to add to my list!

* What’s a Hortorium? Here is the description from the Cornell University website.

“Founded by Liberty Hyde Bailey in 1935, the Hortorium has historically been the major U. S. center for the systematics of cultivated plants. Today, the Hortorium's mission has expanded to include systematic studies of wild and cultivated plants, ethnobotany, molecular systematics, paleobotany, phylogenetic theory, biodiversity studies, and pharmaceutical studies of tropical plants.”

Funeral Card Friday - Alfred Olli - Newfield, NY

Tuesday’s Tip – Google plus Genealogy

Genealogy Guy Drew Smith mentioned Google+ as a genealogy resource in his presentation to the Manatee Genealogical Society last week.  I’m not so sure how successful Google+ is going to be as a social network, but it might be worth a visit to check out the genealogy communities, or if you have any other special interest.  Keeping up with the latest technology is one of my weaknesses, so I signed up for that community.

Google+ has communities of every sort and if you don’t find a community that suits you, Google+ encourages you to start your own!  Check it out!

Society Saturday - Fredericksburg VA Spring Lecture Series March 22, 2014

Fredericksburg Regional Genealogical Society

Spring Lecture Series

In Conjunction with the Central Rappahannock Regional Library

Come join us and learn how to collect and share your family stories!

Saturday March 22, 2014

Lectures will be held in the Auditorium of the CRRL

1201 Caroline Street
Fredericksburg, VA 22401

Doors open at 8:30 am

Program is from 9 am – 1 pm

Light refreshments will be provided by FRGS

For more information please call the CRRL at 540-372-1144 

Or email FRGS at FRGSVA@gmail.com | http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vafrgs/

Lecture 1: Writing Genealogy: Using the Elements of Narrative to Tell Your Family's Story

Genealogy is more than just names and dates in a lineage-linked database or on a pedigree chart . . . it's about people, places, and events in historical context. The building blocks of genealogy are similar to the narrative elements that writers use to craft memorable stories: character, plot, setting, and motivation. Learn how to make your family's story unforgettable!

Presenter: Madaleine J. Laird

Madaleine spent last summer pulling records at the National Archives for the Genealogy Roadshow research team. She serves as copy editor for Casefile Clues, an electronic publication written by Michael John Neill. She has attended Samford University's Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research several times, even earning her survival badge for the Advanced Methodology and Evidence Analysis course taught by Elizabeth Shown Mills. In 2012 Madaleine was awarded the Kansas Historical Society's Edward N. Tihen Historical Research Grant. She used the funds to record 360 names inscribed on a quilt in the Society's Kansas Memory collection.

Lecture 2: Gathering Family Stories: Conducting an Interview

Documents and records only tell part of the family story.  Family members can tell the rest of the story that is not in the documents and records.  What is the best method to obtain that information and what should be done with it once it has been gathered?

Presenter: Charles S. “Chuck” Mason, Jr., CG

Charles S. “Chuck” Mason, Jr. is a Certified Genealogist, specializing in Southern New Jersey and 19th and 20th Century Death Records.  He is a Past President of both the Fairfax and the Mount Vernon Genealogical Societies and the NIGR Alumni Association.  Chuck is a grader for the National Genealogical Society's home study course and serves as the NGS Awards Chair.  In addition to his many volunteer activities, he teaches genealogy classes for the Fairfax County Parks and Recreation. Chuck is a co-host of Tracing Your Family Roots at Fairfax Cable Television Channel 10.  Rebroadcasts of the show can be viewed at their website at tracingroots.nova.org.  

Funeral Card Friday - Richard Payne

Tuesday’s Tip – Message Boards

The meeting room of the Manatee County Public Library was filled to capacity this morning for Drew Smith’s presentation on Effective Online Queries.  Drew Smith of The Genealogy Guy’s Podcast shared hints on using mailing lists, message boards, and groups/communities. 

Utilizing message boards is old news to many genealogists, but I wonder how many of those in that room utilized this way of crowd sourcing in the past, but not recently.  I’m guilty.  I also know there were a number of people there that had never used message boards. Even us seasoned genealogists came away with many helpful hints.

When posting queries Mr. Smith said make sure your query is relevant to the particular message board.  Craft your query carefully. It should contain enough information but not rambling.  The subject line should be concise – who, where and when should be stated.  Surname should be in caps. Share in your query what you know and where you have already looked. You don’t want to waste your time or that of someone trying to assist you.  Ask a specific question.  If you posted a query long ago and changed your email address, go back to that query with a reply and put in your new email address. 

Do not include your family surnames in your signature as this will confuse and interfere those researching the message boards.

Message boards can be found on Ancestry.com, GenForum.genealogy.com and Cyndislist.com/queries.