NGS Award for South Bend Area Genealogical Society Newsletter!

The National Genealogical Society Conference opened today by honoring excellence in the categories of newsletter editorship and service to the Society.

"Each year, the NGS Newsletter Competition recognizes the hard work, long hours, and creativity that editors devote to their newsletters. A panel of three judges reviews each newsletter on material interest, variety, organization, quality of writing and editing, readability, and attractiveness. This year’s categories and winners are:"

County/Local Genealogical and/or Historical Society, for societies with less than 500 members:

Honorable Mention: The Quarterly Newsletter of the South Bend Area Genealogical Society, edited by Eric Craig of South Bend, Indiana.

Congratulations to Eric for all his hard work in producing our award winning Quarterly!

Changes Come to FamilySearch.org

Have you visited the FamilySearch.org site lately?

It has undergone many changes giving it a whole new look and new enhancements!

Follow the link below to view the webinar What's New at FamilySearch presented by Devin Ashby.  You can learn what the latest tools from FamilySearch are and how to use them in your research.  Also, how to save time and money using the enhanced site.

The webinar is free until May 1st.

http://www.familytreewebinars.com/download.php?webinar_id=72

Military Monday - Civil War Letter Reveals Clues

Inspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s presentation on researching Civil War ancestors, I thought I would revisit some family Civil War treasures in my own possession.

Elias Clark, MD has always been my brick wall – We have information about him and his descendants after they relocated to Mt. Carmel Illinois, but very little before that.  We do know that two of his sons, Alfred H. and Elias, served in the Civil War.  Could they have something to tell me about their father?

Twenty years ago my family proudly followed Alfred’s service record, visited several battlefields, thrilled to find his name on several monuments. ............Too bad we were chasing the wrong Alfred!  

That Alfred H. Clark from Albion was in the infantry, while our Alfred H. Clark was from Mt. Carmel and was in the cavalry.  Alfred’s letter to his brother Elias, found in the family Bible, would have guided us in the right direction, if only we had read it more carefully.  

It’s much more likely that cavalry would have been “sent in pursuit of Old Jo Johnson” and “drove him back some forty or fifty miles”.  Once we knew Alfred was in the Cavalry, we were able to request the correct pension records.  Alfred’s birthplace in Ohio helped to find a record of Dr. Clark in the same area.  Maybe that brick wall can be conquered! 

Armed with my information I quickly reserved my seat on the bus trip to Allen County Public Library taking place on May 14th – I have Ohio records to research!

Written by guest blogger – Alice Clark, Director, South Bend Area Genealogical Society

A Full House for Amy Johnson Crow!

Thank you to everyone who turned out on a blustery Spring day to hear Amy's presentation on Civil War Research.

(Amy Johnson Crow)

Amy, a former editor of the Ohio Civil War Genealogy Journal, gave two talks on researching your Civil War Ancestors.  The first covered records before and during the war.  She suggested starting your research by looking at your ancestors year of birth.  Males born between 1820 - 1845 are most likely those you will find in service.  

You can also find clues in obituaries and tombstones.  Obits that include membership in the GAR and tombstones that bear the shield symbol indict that they served.

You can also find official rosters and draft board records, as well as, letters diaries and journals your ancestor may have kept.

The second part of Amy's presentation covered researching your Civil War veterans after the war.  Here you should utilize pension records, census records, particularly the 1910 census, and the wonderful information found in county history books!

Amy provided us with many links to websites we should use in our research and answered questions from the attendees following her program.

This program on researching your Civil War Ancestors was a part of the One Book, One Michiana series of events for the month and was co-sponsored by the South Bend Area Genealogical Society and the St. Joseph County Public Library.  

(Bill Minish, President of SBAGS, Amy Johnson Crow and Greta Fisher, SJCPL)

Bus Trip to Allen County Library!

The South Bend Area Genealogical Society's annual bus trip is Tuesday, May 14th.  Be sure and join us on this popular and fun outing with your fellow family historians!

Registration form found at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~insbags/flyer_2013bustrip.htm

Researching Your Civil War Ancestor this Saturday!

Don't forget to register for Amy Johnson Crow's program in the Colfax Auditorium at the Main branch of the South Bend Public Library this Saturday!

Learn how to research both your Union and Confederate Civil War Ancestors!

Nationally known speaker Amy Johnson Crow will be presenting a two-part lecture at 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

Her 10:30 lecture will focus on the life of the soldier prior to and during the war, while her 11:30 lecture will focus on the soldier's life after discharge.

Co-sponsored by the South Bend Area Genealogical Society and the St. Joseph County Public Library, pre-registration is preferred, but walk-ins are welcome. Call 282-4621 for more information.

April Genealogy Events!

Here's hoping that April will finally bring us warmer weather! I'm thankful that I have some great genealogy events to look forward to!

Thursday, April 4th at Noon join us in the Local and Family History room of the downtown library branch in South Bend to discuss your family history search. Share your successes, bring your questions, learn from others, and have fun! Beginning and experienced genealogists welcome. Call 282-4621 for more information. Feel free to bring a sack lunch!   Saturday, April 13th at 10:00am at the South Bend Public Main Library - Colfax Auditorium, Amy Johnson Crow will be presenting a program on Researching your Civil War Ancestors.  Amy will speak at 10:00am and 11:30am on the periods before, during and after the war. The program is FREE!  Walk-ins are welcome but registration is encouraged by calling 282-4621.        Saturday, April 20th at 2:30pm Travis Childs from the Center for History will conduct a Civil War Cemetery tour at the South Bend City Cemetery (corner of West Colfax and Elm).  No registration necessary, just meet at the front gates.  If you haven't enjoyed a tour with Travis before, be sure to attend!  This is a tour you won't want to miss! Tuesday, April 23 at 7:00pm join the Twigs From The Tree of Life group at Christ The King Lutheran Church at 17195 Cleveland Road, for a program on Using Research Logs and Forms.  Please contact Lin Irish to RSVP at linlirish@sbcglobal.net.  Everyone is welcome! Thursday, April 25 at 6:30pm the Bittersweet Branch of the Mishawaka Public Library will host it's monthly Genealogy Roundtable.  Come join fellow family researchers to share ideas, tips and even ancestral stories!  No reservations needed.   Saturday, April 27th the Indiana Genealogical Society will hold it's annual meeting and conference in Bloomington, IN with D. Joshua Taylor as the featured speaker.  Sessions throughout the day will include Midwestern Research, Cemeteries and Maps, Using Land and Property Records, Probate Records and more!  Cost is just $40.00 for the day!  Register here: http://www.indgensoc.org/conference.php Enjoy Spring and jump start your research this month! Happy Searching!