Bucks County
Genealogical Society
August 2014 Newsletter
IN THIS ISSUE
President's Message
Sat., Sep. 6, 2014, Tips & Tricks: Beyond the Basics of Ancestry.com
8th Annual Bucks County Ancestry Fair Sat., Sep. 20, 2014
Member Spotlight Thomas G. Myers
Nominating Committee to be appointed
Volunteers Needed!
Database Update
We still need photos!
A Pension Walk
BCGS Video - Take a look!
Ancestry.com DNA kit on sale.
Tech Tip
Comprehensive Events Calendar
Have you looked at our Facebook page?
Membership Fees
2014 MEETING DATES


September 6

September 20
Ancestry Fair

October 4

November 1

December 6

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2015 MEETING DATES

January 3

February 7

March 7


An outlaw during the Revolutionary War.
Levi Doan, buried outside the wall of Plumstead Meeting Cemetery.  (The Quakers didn't want an outlaw inside the cemetery.  You will have to lean over the wall to find the tombstone!)
From one of the BCGS cemetery tours on 8/7/14.

 Chris
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Greetings to all BCGS Members and Friends,

We had an impressive turnout of almost 60 attendees at our August meeting, including 8 new members - wow!  We hope you were all able to take away at least one suggestion to help you to blast your research brick wall.  For those unable to attend, the handout and PowerPoint presentation are posted to the Members Only section of our website.

With summer coming to a close, we're looking forward to many terrific fall genealogy events.  Our September meeting features a speaker from Ancestry.com, and will be a free, hands-on event held at Council Rock High School North library in Newtown.  We expect a large crowd, so plan to come early to ensure a seat at a computer!  See the article below for more details.

The Eighth Annual Ancestry Fair, co-sponsored by BCGS and the Genealogical Society of PA, is scheduled for September 20th.  The agenda includes two tracks of speakers and many exhibitor booths. Please see our website and the article below for more details.  Our Society is honored and excited to be a co-sponsor this year, and we hope to see many of you there!

And, fall is election time for our Society.  In accordance with our By-Laws, the Board will appoint a three member Nominating Committee at its meeting on August 21st.  Please consider serving on the Board, or assisting a Board member.  Feel free to contact any of the current Board members for more information. 

Warm Regards, 
Christine Roberts

 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2014 
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

at the 
Council Rock North High School Library,
62 Swamp Road, Newtown, PA 
_______________________

  

 TIPS & TRICKS:

Beyond the basics on Ancestry.com

 

 Presented by  

Sabrina Petersen, Director of Global Imaging at Ancestry.com

   

Everyone who has ever done research has hit a brick wall, or has known that the record exists and yet you just can't put your hands on it. In this session learn the best methods to using    Ancestry to solve these brick wall challenges, and uncover the records you have been searching for. Just a few Tips and Tricks will get you on your way to finding your unfindable.

  

About the speaker: 

Sabrina Petersen plunged into family history at just age 4 - a natural hobby for the daughter of a pair of genealogists. Eventually putting down her own family tree long enough to earn a Bachelor of Arts in History and Education from the University of Puget Sound, Sabrina has since become a professional genealogist herself, as well as a member of the National Genealogical Society, and Association of Professional Genealogists.

  

Recently Sabrina has contributed works to Ancestry Magazine. Her lectures are part of the "Know Your Records" series at the National Archives D.C. and College Park, and she has completed the Modern Archives Institute (held by the National Archives and Library of Congress), as well as National Institute for Genealogical Research, Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research and Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy.

  

Currently, Sabrina works in Silver Spring, MD, as Director of Global Imaging for Ancestry.com. Her areas of expertise include Mid-West research (especially the Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri corridor), NARA research, and online research. 

 ____________

  

 Attendees will have the use of library computers, including access to Ancestry.com Library Edition, to do their own research. Door prizes donated by Ancestry.com will be awarded to a few lucky participants.   

  

   The meeting is free and open to the public.
Donations to the Bucks County Genealogical Society will be accepted.  No reservations are needed.  

 


The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania 
and 
The Bucks County Genealogical Society are proud to sponsor the 

 

Eighth Annual  
Bucks County Ancestry Fair 

 Saturday, September 20, 2014 from 9 am to 4 pm 

Bucks County Visitors Center, 3207 Street Road, Bensalem, PA

 

This year, the Fair will carry a military theme, in honor of the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 and the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

 

Two tracks of programs will be presented by professional genealogists: Military Research and Beginning Genealogy.  In addition to the speaker presentations, there will be exhibitors representing genealogical, historical and lineage societies, repositories, and Family History Centers, as well as an "Ask the Expert" panel for research and organization assistance.  For a schedule of speakers and topics, a list of the exhibitors, and directions to the Visitor Center, click here: http://www.bucksgen.org/index.php/ancestry-fair-2014


_________________________

Volunteers are needed to staff the BCGS table in two-hour shifts. 
If you can help, please contact Director of Publicity, Cathy Ivins at publicity@bucksgen.org



Tom Myers is a BCGS member and an active volunteer. He serves as our query coordinator and has donated a great deal of research material to BCGS. We asked him to tell us about himself.

                __________________________________

Thomas G. Myers grew up in Bedminster, Bucks County, on a farm that was owned by his grandmother's family since the 1890's. When he was a teenager, his family moved to central New York; his parents and brother still live there. Tom went to high school in New York, but returned to Pennsylvania for college.

 

It was shortly after college that he caught the genealogy bug. He had enjoyed his maternal grandfather's stories and wanted to put some facts to the family stories. He started going to the Mercer Museum Library (formerly known as Spruance Library) two or three Saturdays a month and continued that for several years. He eventually volunteered for the Library and transcribed thousands of documents. Tom has donated those transcriptions to BCGS with the consent of the Library, and the agreement that the material will be available for free public access.

 

Tom gathered lots of records about his immediate family back to the 1700's and eventually branched out to researching numerous Bucks County families. On the BCGS surnames list, you will find Tom's name as researcher on more than 250 surnames. He published a book on one branch of his family, entitled Solliday/Sallad Family History. He has been busy...there are eleven other books by Tom on www.goodreads.com.        

 

When Tom isn't working on his genealogy or answering queries for BCGS, he has a busy life. He is the sixth generation of church musicians - choir directors, organists, vocalists - and he serves as supply organist and choir director for various churches. He works as an actuary, dealing with insurance statistics. His business travels from his home in Monmouth County, New Jersey, take him all over the United States. That provides him with opportunities to visit libraries all over the country for his research.

 

Tom hasn't been able to attend BCGS meetings but is working with our Society to provide Bucks County information for public access. We are grateful for his help.



NOMINATING COMMITTEE TO BE APPOINTED

The BCGS by-laws state that a three-member nominating committee must be appointed in September to present a slate of officers at the October meeting.  Elections are held in November.

Below is a listing of the Executive Board - 6 Officers and 2 Directors  - of the Society and a brief description of their duties.  If you are interested in serving on the Nominating Committee or the Executive Board, please contact BCGS President Chris Roberts at info@bucksgen.org

Some of the duties of officers and directors are:

President: official representative of the Society, provides leadership and direction, presides at all meetings.
First Vice President-Membership:  chairs membership committee, maintains membership records, manages newsletter. 
Second Vice President-Programs & Education: chairs Programs & Education committee, coordinates monthly meetings and events including speaker and location. 
Third Vice President-Projects & Research: chairs Projects & Research committee, identifies and implements projects  which meet the Society's mission.
Secretary: keeps permanent record of of Executive Board, special meetings, annual meeting, maintains corporate files.
Treasurer: maintains financial records, provides monthly and annual reports to the Executive Board.
Director-Public Relations: ensures that all events are promoted online, in newspapers, and events calendars.
Director-Website: manages the Society's website,  ensuring that the content accurately reflects activities of the Society. 
 
 
Can you help with Hospitality?

A hospitality volunteer makes coffee, heats tea water, sets out the beverages and refreshments; and then cleans up after the meeting.  All supplies costs are paid by BCGS.

To volunteer or for more information,  
please contact info@bucksgen.org.
 
_________________________________________________________


Can you help with Publicity?

Publicity Director Cathy Ivins would be grateful for any media suggestions to include publicity for our events if they do not appear there currently.

Send suggestions to her by email at: publicity@bucksgen.org 

DATABASE UPDATE! 

The database keeps growing and changes almost daily.

As of August 19, 2014 the BCGS database contains:

20,675 birth and baptism records

13,105 marriage records

52,503 death and burial records

187,865 total searchable names


To begin your search, go to www.bucksgen.org and click on "Search the BCGS Database." 


Your feedback is welcome! Please email me, Nancy Heath, at webmaster@bucksgen.org with your comments.

 

CEMETERY PHOTOS STILL NEEDED!!

Joann Cosgrove and Peg Felter at St. Luke's UCC, Dublin, PA...one of their cemetery day trips with Cathy Ivins, who took the photo.
Q: Why does BCGS want the photos?

A:  We want to put them on our website to help complete our Cemetery Assessment Project.

Q:  Why can't BCGS use the photos on FindaGrave?

A:  Many of those photos are copyrighted.

Q:  How can I help?

A:  Stop by our website and choose a cemetery near you and send us your photos. 
                For a list of cemeteries that need photos, click here

Check this article for great information about taking cemetery photos: http://foodforworms.org/2013/06/29/how-to-get-great-photos-for-findagrave/

Email your photos to me, Joann Cosgrove, VP - Projects, at projects@bucksgen.org.   
 

 

A PENSION WALK...
`
by Judy G. Russell, August 15, 2014
The Legal Genealogist jgr.research@gmail.com

Sponsor me!

 

 

Okay.

 

I am not a morning person.

 

My lifestyle is ridiculously sedentary.

 

And I'm fundamentally lazy.

 

So why in the world would I even think of taking a one mile walk at 6:30 in the morning?

 

As in a.m.

 

As in oh-dark-thirty, for cryin' out loud.

 

Because it's for a good cause.

 

A great cause even.

 

A cause I passionately believe in.

 

It's to Preserve the Pensions  - to help pay for the effort to digitize millions of pages of fragile documents in grave danger of deterioration: records of War of 1812 pension records held by the National Archives. The records documenting more than 180,000 pension records for War of 1812 soldiers and their families are among the most heavily requested documents at the National Archives and, because of their use, their age and their fragile nature, they really need to be digitized to protect them forever.

 

The effort to get these wonderful records digitized is being led by the Federation of Genealogical Societies, with matching funds support from Ancestry.

 

And, two weeks from August 16th, at the 2014 FGS Conference in San Antonio, FGS is sponsoring a Fun Walk to the Alamo  as part of the Preserve the Pensions effort.

 

Fun.

 

Right.

 

Walking a mile at oh-dark-thirty. Presumably a mile each way even. Before breakfast even.

 

But hey... I can do this.

 

I can be up, dressed, outside and ready to walk at 6:30 a.m.

 

Sure I can do this.

 

And with your support I will do it.

 

You see, every walker can be sponsored. By those who attend and by those who can't be there.

 

The cost to sponsor a walker is $25. Every dollar from the walk goes directly to the Preserve the Pensions effort. And every dollar from the walk is doubled by Ancestry.

 

And everybody who walks - and everybody who sponsors a walker - gets a shirt.

 

So... sponsor me. Email me at jgr.research@gmail.com We'll work out the logistics on how you can pay (PayPal will work) and how you can get your shirt ("hello, USPS?") later.

 

But don't let me turn over and go back to sleep two weeks from tomorrow.

 

Make me get up and walk... and Preserve the Pensions.

 

I'll even post pictures.

 

How 'bout it?

 

 
BCGS VIDEO

Take a look at this terrific video prepared by Cathy Ivins,
BCGS Director
of Publicity:                  

                          
http://youtu.be/ImWz1oayDQg
 
ANCESTRY DNA KIT ON SALE 

Interested in checking your DNA? The Ancestry.com DNA kit is on sale for $79 until August 27th. 

You can order through www.ancestry.com



TECH TIP...Do you know about FamilySearch Wiki?

The FamilySearch Wiki is not about finding the names of your ancestors.  It is not, in fact, about finding people at all.  The Wiki is about finding records that may have been generated about your ancestors and the places in which the records might be found. The Wiki has records from the United States as well as from 244 countries.   Check it out at www.familysearch.org


COMPREHENSIVE EVENTS CALENDAR

Click the link for a listing of upcoming genealogy events for our organization and others in our area:


Have you looked at our Facebook page?


Cathy Ivins, BCGS Director of Publicity, posts great genealogy information almost every day.  Click here and take a look...

 www.facebook.com/bucksgen
   
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?

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.    
  • 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.   
  • 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, please contact:  membership@bucksgen.org
More information about us:
  
Members only...join our Members-Only section of our website.  Registration information available at: Login - Bucks County Genealogical Society 

Not a member and want more information?  Check our website at www.bucksgen.org and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/bucksgen.