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Bucks County
Genealogical Society
March 2016 Newsletter
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President's Message
To all BCGS Members and Friends:
I have just returned from two days of staffing our BCGS table at the Historical Society of PA's Family History Days. Special thanks go out to both Cathy Ivins and Nancy Heath for not only working the table but for making homemade cookies. Kudos also to Joann Cosgrove, Marilyn Cook, Peg Felter and Pat Gessner for rounding out our support team. Way to go Board!
Watching all the attendees coming and going to lectures, I was reminded of how warm and supportive the genealogy community is. Maureen Taylor, the Photo detective manned her table next to us and she helped both Nancy and me with photo issues. Friends both old and new stopped to chat, ask questions and share information. At a time when daily news brings constant sadness about the state of the world, these indicators affirm that many people are still good and give us hope for the future. On my way home, a total stranger asked me about a free book I was reading from the event about Baptismal Records. She told me she had always wanted to do her genealogy and our conversation had motivated her to go home and begin.
As we approach Passover, Easter, Ostara and spring, I send best wishes to you all, my genealogy family.
Mary C. Butash, President
Bucks County Genealogical Society
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Join us for our next meeting on
Saturday, April 2, 2016
10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon
at the David Library of the American Revolution
1201 River Road, Washington Crossing, PA
(Park behind the building and use the Conference Center entrance)
JUMP START YOUR ONLINE RESEARCH:
SOME SITES YOU HAVEN'T YET EXPLORED
Presented by Joyce Homan
You've delved into Ancestry and FamilySearch, but have you used any of the
other sites online (many of them free!) that can help enhance the rese
arch you've
already done? Join presenter Joyce Homan as she takes you through a tour of some of the Internet's most useful genealogy websites.
Joyce Homan is a genealogist and lecturer and the former Executive Director of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania. She holds a Masters in Library and Information Science from Drexel University, and is the program chair of the Greater Philadelphia chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists.
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The meeting is open to the public. Reservations are not required.
Cost is $5 for BCGS members and $10 for non-members.
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HELP! REFRESHMENTS ARE NEEDED!
Bring coffee from Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts (you will be reimbursed at the meeting) or supply a snack...cookies, small muffins, donut holes, etc. (your meeting fee will be discounted).
Did you know there is a Dunkin' Donuts shop in Washington Crossing PA?
It's on the right on Rt 532 just east of the Taylorsville Rd traffic light in a small strip mall. Getting coffee has never been easier. Call them on Friday at 215-321-3700, place your order, and pick it up on the way to the meeting. Remember to get the receipt and our treasurer will reimburse you.
Please call Marilyn Cook at 215-348-8956
to volunteer for our next meeting.
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Save the date - Nov. 12, 2016
10th Annual Bucks CountyAncestry Fair
We are working to engage speakers for the Ancestry Fair. The speakers have many topics on which they can lecture, and they usually ask us to choose.
We want your input.
What topics would you like to hear at the Ancestry Fair?
Send your suggestions to Joann Cosgrove, Chair of the Ancestry Fair Speakers Committee, at
[email protected]
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Christine Roberts, immediate past president of BCGS,
will be
interviewed on the WDVR-FM radio program, These Days, on Monday, March 28, at 6:00 PM. Tune in to hear Chris talk about genealogy. The station is 96.9 FM and can also be heard live at
www.wdvrfm.org
Chris founded the Bucks County Genealogical Society and was its Charter President for four years. In addition, she has served on the First Families Committee of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, and the Registrar's Committee for the Washington Crossing chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She is also a member of the National Genealogical Society, the New York Genealogical and Historical Society, the New England Historical and Biographical Society, and the Association of Professional Genealogists.
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Will you help
keep the database free?
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New records added to the Database!
Here are the latest additions as of 3/7/2016:
Gravestone transcriptions from Richland Friends Cemetery
Gravestone transcriptions from St. Luke's Lutheran Church cemetery, Nockamixon
Gravestone transcriptions from St. John's Lutheran Church cemetery, Quakertown
Gravestone inscriptions from Christ Church UCC cemetery, Trumbauersville
We have
325,199
searchable records on our free database. Volunteers are working on other records to put them in a format that can be posted.
Keep checking and you may find a record for your ancestor. Here is the link:
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Shutterbug DYK's
from Cathy Ivins
* Did you know
that photos from our monthly meetings are posted on Facebook? You can see past photos by visiting
www.facebook.com/bucksgen
, clicking on "photos" > "albums" and selecting the meeting you'd like to view.
* Did you know
that if you are
not
on Facebook, you can still view the photos! Go to our website
www.bucksgen.org
. Click on "calendar of events" > "past events" and then on the meeting you'd like to view. You will see info on that program with a link on the bottom to view photos. It will open up the Facebook album of photos. You do not have to have a Facebook account to do so.
* Did you know
you can check out photos from our first three years in our shutterfly book at meetings? You can also view it here. If you would like to order your own hardbound copy through shutterfly, you can do so at
https://bucksgen.shutterfly.com/pictures/3163.
* Did you know
that Ancestry.com has a great photo app for your smartphone?
It's called Shoebox app (not to be confused with the shoebox of storage on ancestry.com) which is connected to your ancestry.com account. It opens your camera so you can take a photo of a document, photo, or even a microfilm reader screen. Then it allows you to crop or modify the image, and "tag" your ancestor in it. Start typing the name and ancestry will list the names for you to select. Finally you can add details to the image (date, location, description) and save it. It has automatically gone to the gallery of that family member's profile! What a time saver!
Now you know.
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Come Help Finish Up Our Cemetery Project!
We are in the home stretch of our cemetery project and only have about 30 to go. We can use your help to finish this up. Download a CAP form from our website at
CAP Form 2016.pdf By the way, CAP stands for
Pick one of the unclaimed cemeteries from our list.
There is no need to visit the cemetery unless you want to pay a visit. The information can be found by searching on the internet and/or calling the cemetery office! Fill in as much information as you can and then send us the form by postal mail or scan it and send it me via email. You can also give it to a Board member at a meeting. If you happen to have new information about one of the cemeteries already completed, please let us know. We can update information at any time on any of the cemeteries. Let's get this project done!
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Do you know about the
Seagoing Cowboys?
They were men and boys who volunteered after World War II to tend the livestock shipped by the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration and the Heifer Project to war-devastated countries.
Click on this link for an interesting article about the project,
Impossible dream
, by Peggy Reiff Miller. Peggy has been researching and documenting the history of the Seagoing Cowboys since 2002 and is happy to share her information.
Peggy has a searchable database for the project. So if you think your ancestor was involved, look at the website
www.seagoingcowboys.com
and then
contact Peggy for more information at peggyreiffmiller (at) gmail (dot) com.
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HELP DESK FOR BEGINNERS
Are you a beginner and want some help or suggestions for your
research?
Come early to the BCGS meeting and look for the Beginners Corner. Mary Butash will be there from 9:30 to 10:00 to answer your questions.
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Tech Help
Are you struggling with a laptop problem, or want to find out how to use email on your mobile device? Would you like help installing new software on your device?
The Bucks County Free Library is now offering FREE tech help on these items. Check out the information and make an appointment at this site:
Library Helpdesk
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Research Tip
Do you have a document from one of your ancestors and can't read it because it is written in Italian or German? Google Translate can help you. It has the ability to translate from many languages into English - and it is free! Here is the website:
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Membership Fees for One Year Membership
Individual: $20 Dual/Household: $35
Organization: $75
Our membership fees help to pay for speakers, facility rental, website costs, insurance and more. Membership in BCGS is on a rolling basis and lasts one year from the month you join. Won't you join and help us continue to grow?
See this list of the Member Benefits - with more to come:
- Discount on Society educational programs and events.
- Members can have their surnames posted on our website with a link to the member's email address.
- Members-only section of the BCGS website. Participate in discussion forums, share files, photos, and information with other members; see members' favorite genealogical websites and contribute your own.
- Meeting handouts are available to members unable to attend the Society's regular monthly meetings.
- Free scanning of documents is available by appointment.
- GenealogyBank: 20% ($14) discount - members may subscribe for $55.95 per year.
- Fold3: 37% ($30) discount - members may subscribe for $49.95 per year.
- Saving Memories Forever: 12% discount - members may receive a one-year premium subscription for $35.00.
- FindMyPast: 50% discount on annual membership
- Dell purchase program: provides discounts on products sold through the Dell website to FGS member societies' members, their families, and their friends. BCGS is a member of FGS (Federation of Genealogical Societies) and the discounts are available to our members.
Join or renew by mail using our membership application/renewal form , on line on the Society's website via PayPal or by paying with cash or check at our next meeting. And, we now have the ability to accept credit card payments at our monthly meetings!
If you have questions and to get access to the above discounts, contact Pat Gessner, VP-Membership at
[email protected]
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Bucks County Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 826, Washington Crossing, PA 18977
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