Bucks County
Genealogical Society
September 2017 Newsletter
President's Message
  To all BCGS members and Friends:

I recently traveled to Pittsburgh to attend the Federation of Genealogical Societies conference. This was my first national genealogical conference. The first day was a day of presentations about how to improve your society. You should know that we, as a society, have done just about everything that they recommended. It was a great confirmation that we have good leadership and are forward moving..

One new slant came from D. Joshua Taylor, prior President and one of the stars of Genealogy Roadshow. He said we should not just look to increase our number of members, but to search for “supporters.” For this he recommended looking at the “non-genealogy” community who don’t know what we do. If you look at our activities this year you will find we have been informing those non-genealogists about us. Cathy and Joann did the Pecha Kucha at the Library. It was a short presentation outlining our passion for family history. We do the same when we sit at a booth at Boscov’s to sell the discount tickets. And at so many fairs and events like the Northeast History Fair, the Italian American Festival, and Historic Fallsington Day etc. We meet and make friends for family history. They may never do research or join a genealogical organization but they are more knowledgeable now. By the way, you don’t have to be an expert in genealogy to staff our table at these events. It is easy and fun and we meet great people. Just say yes.

Over the years as a nurse I went to many conferences; so why did I go to this one? For one thing, it was in one of my favorite cities, Pittsburgh. I wanted to see what education was available in the “bigger pond.” I did meet and hear presentations from the rock stars of genealogy: Judy Russell, Diahan Southard, D. Joshua Taylor, Mary Tedesco etc. They are worthy of their stardom. I found many of the presentations were in depth and had excellent speakers. I also rubbed shoulders and shared stories with family historians from other parts of the country. My favorite, however, was a 93-year-old woman from Chattanooga Tennessee, previously from Alabama. She rode a green scooter painted by her son to match her green clothes, nail polish etc. She wore an Apple watch and carried an iPhone and was a real kick. Never say seniors don’t do tech!

So would I do it again? Yes with stipulations. The person who told me to bring something on wheels was right! The venue was enormous and it took two weeks for my knees to stop hurting. I was told by one of the “scooter” ladies that you can rent a scooter in any city and it will be delivered to your hotel and picked up later and cost approximately $150 for the week. Bring walking shoes, walker if you need one. Drop a presentation if you get tired. Remember to visit the city you are in. Don’t just see the inside of the conference. I learned to Uber and got to ride in a hot red Fiat. The view of the three rivers is amazing at night from the Inclines. Most of all, have fun! I am doing it again in October for the Czechoslovakian Genealogical Society.

Mary C. Butash
Join us at our meeting on 
Saturday, October 7, 2017 
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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Bucks County Resources at the Mercer Museum
This presentation will offer an overview of the records available to researchers at the Mercer Museum (formerly Spruance) Library, operated by the Bucks County Historical Society. This will be similar to the session Tom presented in December 2016, where there were seating limitations that required us to limit the number of participants.
About the speaker, Thomas G. Myers:

Tom Myers is the author of numerous books indexing and abstracting Bucks County records, including Will Abstracts 1825-1870 and 1870-1900, Orphans' Court Records 1685-1852 and 1852-1900, and Miscellaneous Deed Dockets 1785-1857 and 1857-1900. He is the Query Coordinator for the Bucks County Genealogical Society, and his donation to the BCGS of records he transcribed as a volunteer for the Bucks County Historical Society provided the initial basis for the Bucks County Database now available to the public on our website.
COMPREHENSIVE CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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
Bucks County Genealogical Society 
is selling as a fundraiser:
25% Off Shopping Passes*
for just $5 for use at any Boscov's location on Tuesday, October 17, 2017
BCGS receives 100% profit from shopping pass sales.  You  receive a great day of savings, plus entertainments, refreshments, and a register-to-win chance for prizes, including a shopping spree! Passes will be sold at our
October 7th meeting, and on Oct17th at Neshaminy Mall Boscov's!

Special offer to our Readers: If you are unable to purchase the shopping passes in person, you can order them by mail until 9/30/17! Simply mail a check payable to Bucks County Genealogical Society for $5 for each shopping pass to Bucks County Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 826, Washington Crossing, PA 18977. 

*Passes are good in-store (online sales excluded) on October 17, 2017 only. Shopping pass discount is 25% off most departments, others 10-15% off. See shopping pass for specific departments.
OUR DATABASE KEEPS ON GROWING!
We are continuing to add records as they are transcribed by volunteers. Another 3,945 records have been added since last month!

Our database index now has a total of 365,889 names, with dates ranging from the 1700's to the 20th century. If you think you may have Bucks County ancestors, search the database using this link:
Rosie the Riverter!
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.
Check for Ancestry Fair updated information!
Mark your calendar for the Bucks County Ancestry Fair on
Saturday, November 11, 2017
at the Bucks County Community College in Perkasie, PA.

The speakers' topics have been entered in the 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!

Click the link to get to the website: www.ancestryfair.org
Beginner's Corner
Are you having trouble with misspelled surnames? Here is information that might help you deal with names like Cole, Coal, Kohl, Koal, etc. The article is from an Ancestry.com blog and titled Make Misspellings Work for You by Linda Barnickel. Click here to read the article.
RESEARCH TIP
There are wonderful educational places online to help with your research. For example, https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Family_History_Library_Classes_and_Webinars has a schedule of classes and webinars. The October schedule features a United States and Canada Research Seminar. You can register for this free seminar online.

Members of BCGS can access a terrific list of Educational Opportunities in Genealogy in the Members-only Files section of the website. There links for blogs, websites, podcasts, and more! Check it out.
BCGS Fees for One Year Membership 
Individual $20  Dual/Household $35 Lifetime $250  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.

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 membership@bucksgen.or g