There will not be a BCGS monthly meeting on November 4th. The next regular BCGS meeting will be held on December 2nd and information about that meeting is on our Calendar of Events and will be in the November newsletter.

T he special event for November 11th is the

Annual Bucks County Ancestry Fair.

See the next article for more information.

11th Annual Bucks County Ancestry Fair

Saturday, November 11, 2017

at the Bucks County Community College

One Hillendale Rd., Perkasie, PA.

Sydney Cruice Dixon will present the keynote address and will also offer two additional presentations during the day. We have five more speakers who will offer varied topics.

Take a look at the Ancestry Fair website (link below). The speakers' topics have been entered in the Ancestry Fair schedule, the exhibitors are listed, as are the many door prizes. It will be a terrific event!

Pre-registration is open.

Take advantage of the $25 discounted pre-registration admission fee!

You may register by mail and pay by check until Saturday, November 4th, and online paying by PayPal until Wednesday, November 8th. Payment after those dates will be made at the event on November 11th and it is $30.

Click the link to get to the website: www.ancestryfair.org

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.

 Here is the link: Comprehensive Calendar of Events

The annual election of BCGS officers and directors will take place at the December 2nd meeting. Information about each candidate will appear in the November newsletter.

Even though several officers have agreed to continue serving, we are in particular need of a candidate for Vice President - Projects & Research.

We welcome your interest to serve on the BCGS Executive Board. If you are interested in any position, would like more information, or can suggest someone who might be willing to serve, please contact Mary Butash at info@bucksgen.org

BCGS has embarked on a new 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

Click here to print out a paper submission form, fill it out and either email it to Connie Ace at  research@bucksgen.org  or Joann Cosgrove at  projects@bucksgen.org,  or mail it to Connie Ace at the address at the bottom of the form.

So here we are, not researching our family tree and not happy about it. Let’s recap those reasons for not researching: Boredom, Focus, Tools, Time, Money, and PERFECTION. Is there an answer, a solution that will get us out of this rut?

Boredom

I have found at times that boredom can have many reasons for existence. Sometimes we are just tired, or not feeling well. But maybe we have just lost our way. Ask yourself why you began doing family history. What did you want to learn? Have you found what you wanted to know? If you haven’t been on a field trip to the place where your family is from lately, maybe a trip to the old hometown will help you “feel” those ancestors, again. Maybe we need to get together with a genealogy friend for lunch to “catch” their enthusiasm. An exciting conference or article can sometimes get us excited about a new path to follow.

Focus

I have found myself blindly going from site to site on the Internet and finding nothing. I don’t know too many people who get into a car and drive mindlessly without a destination. So we need a list of what we really want to know and what gaps there are in our research, a map to show us where we want to go. These are written on a Research Plan, with specific questions. Just make a list of what you want to research and possible places to find the information. Go to www.cyndislist.com under Research Methodology for ideas. So how do we sort those goals? When I was doing visiting nursing, I would sit on the living room floor surrounded by my patients’ field charts and one by one I’d ask them what they needed. I’d put stickies on the charts with lists. So how do I do this in genealogy? Start with one ancestor. Write down what you already know. Some people find using Mind Maps is one way to show this information but lists and sticky notes will do fine. What piece is missing that you really need? Then list where you can look to find the information. If you are tired of looking for dates and facts, why not look for information about what life was like for them. Maybe read a book about the historical era, economical situation, and occupation that will fill out your picture.

Tools

If you don’t know where to look for the information, find a knowledgeable person at a meeting and ask them where to search. Stop by the beginner’s table at one of our meetings. Try Cyndi’s list ( www.cyndislist.com) for places to start your search. It is indexed by topics, countries etc. She has resource checklists under Research Methodology. There is so much knowledge out there in books, videos, Family Search wikis and Ancestry articles; just pick one and start reading. When you look at sources, make sure you keep a record of the places where you found information so you don’t look there again. There are blank Research Logs on Cyndi’s list and the web for this purpose.

Time

 In our lives, we schedule doctor’s appointments, car maintenance and any number of important events. Promise yourself that once a month for two hours you’ll do research. Prepare ahead of time by starting that research plan. Then put an actual time and date on the calendar like all the rest of your important events.

Money

Yes, genealogy can be expensive. On most subscription sites you can do a monthly or 6 monthly subscription. Some people turn their subscriptions on and off and focus on each subscription for the time they have it. There are more and more free sites, not the least of which is Family Search. Again, try Cyndi’s List for ideas.

Perfection

Fear of failure is a dangerous thing. It is what keeps procrastinators from acting. Genealogical records are full of mistakes. Even the most talented professional genealogist makes mistakes. One of my favorite phrases is “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway”. It is a book I read years ago. And if you get tangled in trying to accurately write resources/citations, remember what you really need is to note where you got something so you can go back to it if need be. Professional genealogists need to follow research standards meticulously. Remember, you are not writing a term paper for a grade! Find an easy reference for citations and just get it written down.

I don’t know if this helps but I know it helped me to think it through. And always remember to STOP AND HAVE FUN!

When looking for census records, be sure to check more than one source. Although your great- grandfather's name may not appear in any census record in Ancestry.com due to errors in transcription, you may find your ancestor in the SAME census record in FamilySearch.org.

Also think about how the handwriting may have looked to the transcriber. Did the transcriber think the “a” looked like an “o”? Did the “lt” look like “tt”? You have to use your imagination in your attempt to “beat” names or information out of the database. One way to make this a slightly easier task is to make full use of “wildcard” searching. Most vendors such as Ancestry.com or Google enable wildcard searching; however, they have different symbols and rules on how to use the symbols. Whether the vendor supports wildcards and the rules on their use are found on the vendor’s site. For instance the name Vandegrift could be searched as Vand*gr*f* to capture Vandergrift, Vandegraff, Vandergriff, etc. Don’t be afraid to be creative in your searching and DO review a vendor’s rules and tips on how to successfully search their system.

From the Ancestry.com September 2017 Update:

"Legend has it that one in every seven Americans can trace their roots through Brooklyn. Are you one of them? Now you can free search the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper published daily for more than 100 years (1841‑1955)."

Here is the link: Brooklyn Daily Eagle

As mentioned in a previous newsletter, we found a light-blue sweatshirt on one of the benches after the August BCGS meeting. If it is yours, please contact Pat Gessner at newsletter@bucksgen.org. If the sweatshirt isn't claimed by the end of October, it will be donated to a non-profit organization.

HINTS FROM AUNT EDNA!

We received this fun poster in the mail from The Pennsylvania State Archives.

It is a great reminder to take care of your photos.

If you would like a poster, contact the PA State Archives; or you can have our poster. (We are a digital organization and don't have an office in which to display it.)

Contact Pat Gessner at newsletter@bucksgen.org