Bucks County
Genealogical Society
January 2018 Newsletter
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T
o all BCGS members and Friends:
Comfort. As we endure frigid temperatures, ice and snow, all I can think of is comfort. Warm, cozy beds, scarves and mittens, hot chocolate and marshmallows all sum up comfort. As children, how were we made comfortable? Each morning when I woke to go to elementary school, the coal furnace mustn’t have made the house toasty, because I never wanted to get out of bed, into the cold. My dear mother, Irene, would take the underwear for my sisters and me, warm it in our gas oven and quickly bring it to our room. If you jumped out of bed immediately, you were comforted by the warmth. At breakfast, she warmed the juice “to take the chill off”. So in this bleak, cold time of year, seek comfort. Pull out those photo albums and curl up with the memories. Write the stories of “your history”. Cuddle with a book, possibly fiction that will place you in a time period in which an ancestor lived. Imagine what their life was like. I remember my first volunteer effort at Hope Lodge, an 18th century mansion. I was a “candle-watcher”. At the end of the event, I snuffed the candles and for a moment, imagined standing in that room, in the cold and reality of the 18th century. It was my house! So find your comfort this month. Don’t forget the cuddly throw, the memories and the hot chocolate!
Mary C. Butash
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Join us at our meeting on
Saturday, February 3, 2018
10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon
at the David Library of the American Revolution
1201 River Rd. Washington Crossing, PA 18977
(Park behind the building and use the Conference Center entrance.)
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FISHING ON FACEBOOK:
USING SOCIAL MEDIA FOR GENEALOGY
presented by Cathy Ivins
Social Media has its rightful place in the toolbox of today’s genealogists. Using it wisely and safely can lead to major breaks in brick walls through information found, or through free assistance by many knowledgeable and helpful peers and experts. This presentation will help you face your fear of Facebook, a popular and user-friendly social media site, and explain how you can benefit from its use. Let's open a can of cousin bait, without disturbing the protective seal.
Has Facebook helped you with your genealogy research? Do you have a favorite Facebook page or group to recommend to others? Send details to Cathy Ivins by email to
publicity@bucksgen.org
by January 27th for inclusion in her program.
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About the speaker:
Cathy is a charter member of BCGS and its Director of Publicity for the last 4 years. She is as an Instructional Assistant and Student Council Advisor for Bristol Township School District. She is administrator of several Facebook pages and groups, including Bucksgen and her school. Cathy has been researching her family history for over 15 years and is a member of many genealogy societies and Facebook groups. She completed the Forensic Genealogy and Practical Genetic Genealogy courses at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh. She has benefited tremendously from social media in her own family history research, especially in finding her living relatives.
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Come as early as 9:30 a.m. to enjoy complimentary coffee and snacks while socializing with like-minded genealogists! Our Beginner's Corner is available for consultations with genealogy newbies.
The meeting is open to the public; reservations are not needed.
Cost: $5 Members / $10 Non-Members
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Coffee and refreshments are needed!
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If you are willing to get coffee at the Dunkin' Donuts in Washington Crossing, you will be reimbursed at the meeting. Please contact Marilyn Cook so that we don't have too many folks bringing coffee - and to get directions.
If you would like to bring cookies, baked goods, munchkins, etc., your meeting
fee will be discounted. Please send an email to Marilyn so that she knows about the refreshments. Thank you!
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COMPREHENSIVE CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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The calendar is frequently updated and includes events from all over the country. Be sure to check it every month to see what is happening.
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SAVE THE DATE - NOVEMBER 17, 2018!
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We are excited to announce information about this year's Bucks County Ancestry Fair! It will be held on Saturday November 17th at a new venue: Delaware Valley University in Doylestown. It has an auditorium which can seat 450 people which is great because we will need it for our Keynote Speaker ... Superstar Genetic Genealogist CeCe Moore! She and her team of genetic genealogists work with Henry Lewis Gates, Jr. on the show
Finding Your Roots
! She will spend the day with us giving several lectures on using DNA, along with other speakers on various genealogy topics, and of course exhibitors of genealogy organizations, products and services. Stay tuned to our website at
www.ancestryfair.org
for more information and updates.
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If you read our newsletters or attend our meetings, you know that there is a lot happening with the Bucks County Genealogical Society. We thought you would be interested in BCGS by the numbers from 2017:
5 years:
The length of time that BCGS has been in business; incorporation was February 2012.
341 members
at December 31, 2017. This varies monthly due to new members, renewals, and expirations.
11 programs
presented in 2017. (There was no meeting in July.) We charge a nominal fee for these events to cover speaker fees and facility rental.
84 average meeting attendance
. The average includes 27 who showed up on a snowy day in January and 176 who attended the Ancestry Fair in November.
370,355 searchable names
in our free database at year end. That is about 29,000 more searchable names than at year end 2016.
1,038 contacts
who received our free newsletter which is 152 more than at the end of 2016.
10 board meetings
were attended by the BCGS board and other interested members. There was serious conversation/planning about your organization and a countless number of hugs and laughter.
If you would like to attend a BCGS board meeting, please contact Mary Butash at
info@bucksgen.org
for date and location of the February meeting.
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BCGS is working on a project to honor the ladies who served their country during World War II. We are asking our members and friends to participate in this project by submitting the names, service description, dates if known, and a photograph of their mothers, aunts, grandmothers, and their friends and neighbors who participated in the war effort by serving in the military, working in a defense industry, or otherwise making a contribution to support the war effort. The photos and other information will be combined into a presentation that will be posted on this site, along with a searchable index of the submitted names. The individuals you submit do not have to be related to you, and do not have to be from Bucks County.
You can submit your information in either of two ways:
Go to our online Rosie the Riveter
submission page
and fill out the information on your female ancestor; or
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Have you heard of Family Tree Magazine? It is a terrific resource for genealogy. You can subscribe and have the magazine delivered to your home. Or you can go to
www.familytreemagazine.com and sign up for the free newsletter. The website offers lots of free information - how-tos, tutorials, free forms and resources.
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If your African American ancestors are from the Philadelphia PA area, there is an 1847 census of free African Americans living in six areas of Philadelphia. The census was commissioned by the Philadelphia Quakers to further their efforts to assist the African-American population. The census is available on Ancestry.com
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BCGS Fees for One Year Membership
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Individual $20 Dual/Household $35 Organization $75
Lifetime $250
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.
You don't have to have Bucks County ancestors to enjoy the benefits of membership!
Won't you join and help us continue to grow?
See a list of BCGS Member Benefits on our website:
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.
If you have questions and to get access to the discounts, contact Peg Felter, VP-Membership at
membership@bucksgen.org
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Stay connected with us on Facebook!
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