I've been going line by line thru some cemetery books, I do that occasionally looking for people I have missed and dates that I do not have. Its a great thing to do especially if a family in a given location has a fondness for a certain cemetery, sometime going thru yields children born between census or possible older ancestors.
Once you have names & dates you can try to locate obits & death records to prove or disprove relationships. Of all the contributions that genealogy & historical societies make, I think the cemetery readings are one of the most important.
I have found so many leads and so much information by using the cemetery readings that many of the societies have done. I've also found maiden names in these books.
Beware of the annotations that sometimes come along with the books, without knowing the source of the information that they are including, taking the information with following up with your own research isn't the smartest thing to be doing. Keeping in mind that humans do make mistakes, either in reading the stones or in transcribing records, follow up on the things you find in the books. I have a tendancy to use the books where stones have been recorded in order appearing in the cemetery rather than alphabetically. I like to see who is resting next door. Never know who you'll find.
Having cemetery readings for cemeteries where your ancestors rest? Its a very good thing!
Happy Researching!
Karen
Showing posts with label historical societies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label historical societies. Show all posts
04 August 2011
20 April 2009
The Price is Right...
Okay, I know what you are thinking - what the heck does a television game show have to do with genealogy? Actually it has nothing to do with it, but the phrase has tons to do with it.
With the onset of more & more vital records coming on line, which is a very good thing, less & less people are using libraries & historical societies anymore. Which is a very bad thing.
Ever heard the phrase, use it or loose it? Many libraries & historical societies are having trouble making their budgets because so many people aren't using the resources that these organizations house. Some are in danger of shutting their doors forever because without revenue they can't operate.
On Saturday my husband Mark & I traveled to Lansing to the State Library of Michigan to do some client work in the genealogy department. For the first time in a very long time I actually saw a woman using census microfilm! OMG! What a concept! Great libraries like the Michigan State library have tons of materials not on line and probably will never be on line.
Yes, the price is right for the records found on line, its great that they are there, but there are many newspapers and other valuable resources that can't be found on line that hold valuable clues to your ancestors, but because they aren't on line & you won't make the trek to the library, heaven only knows what you are missing!
Many historical societies are putting their holdings on line but many can not due to funding and other financial concerns. Volunteers are dropping off, there's no one to do the work, everyone is at home on line. Seriously, we need to make the time to visit our libraries and support the libraries & the historical societies. Memberships need to be retained so that newsletters can be done and websites maintained. Without the funding from memberships etc., many historical societies & libraries just don't have the funds to put their information on line.
I guess what I am saying is that we need to keep our memberships to the historical & genealogical societies paid, we need to take the time to pack up our genealogy bag and make use of our great libraries before we loose them. I see lots of people making a fuss when they announce the possibility of closing a library but I don't really see any drastic change in the attendance there. And in many states (check with your tax man or state office) supporting the library or historical society can be a tax deducation on your income tax. Just think, your check to support your library, historical society or genealogical society may just be the one that keeps the lights on, the printers humming or the website on line for another year. Sure sounds like the Price is Right to me!
Karen
With the onset of more & more vital records coming on line, which is a very good thing, less & less people are using libraries & historical societies anymore. Which is a very bad thing.
Ever heard the phrase, use it or loose it? Many libraries & historical societies are having trouble making their budgets because so many people aren't using the resources that these organizations house. Some are in danger of shutting their doors forever because without revenue they can't operate.
On Saturday my husband Mark & I traveled to Lansing to the State Library of Michigan to do some client work in the genealogy department. For the first time in a very long time I actually saw a woman using census microfilm! OMG! What a concept! Great libraries like the Michigan State library have tons of materials not on line and probably will never be on line.
Yes, the price is right for the records found on line, its great that they are there, but there are many newspapers and other valuable resources that can't be found on line that hold valuable clues to your ancestors, but because they aren't on line & you won't make the trek to the library, heaven only knows what you are missing!
Many historical societies are putting their holdings on line but many can not due to funding and other financial concerns. Volunteers are dropping off, there's no one to do the work, everyone is at home on line. Seriously, we need to make the time to visit our libraries and support the libraries & the historical societies. Memberships need to be retained so that newsletters can be done and websites maintained. Without the funding from memberships etc., many historical societies & libraries just don't have the funds to put their information on line.
I guess what I am saying is that we need to keep our memberships to the historical & genealogical societies paid, we need to take the time to pack up our genealogy bag and make use of our great libraries before we loose them. I see lots of people making a fuss when they announce the possibility of closing a library but I don't really see any drastic change in the attendance there. And in many states (check with your tax man or state office) supporting the library or historical society can be a tax deducation on your income tax. Just think, your check to support your library, historical society or genealogical society may just be the one that keeps the lights on, the printers humming or the website on line for another year. Sure sounds like the Price is Right to me!
Karen
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