Friday, May 1, 2015

Roots n Branches 2015 Workshop Set for Satruday Sept 19, 2015




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2015 WORKSHOP SURVEY

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ROOTS & BRANCHES 2015 WORKSHOP

Digging up Treasures in Your Own Back Yard
Local area Historical Societies and Museums

Virginia Hanson, State Historical Society--Keynote Speaker

Saturday, Sept 19, 2015, 8:30 am - 4 pm

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sponsored by

Brookings SD FHC

See map below

Brookings Ward
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 
200 22nd Ave, (south of Hospital)
Northeast door

Registration and Check In     8:00 am to 8:30 am
          Welcome     8:30 am

8:45 am – Keynote Speaker: Virginia Hanson, 
Archivist with State Historical Society
“Early Dakota Territorial Records at the State Archives”


Where do you find records of your family when there are no census records?  Or your family fell between the census?  The Early Territory records of Dakota are full of wonderful bits of family information.  This presentation will give you an idea of what to look for and where the records can be found. Documents and samples shown include records from pre-statehood circa 1700-1900 era. Showing resources including; Military Post Returns, Muster rolls, Marriages, Early School Census, Land records, Newspapers, Indian Census, just to start.

Depending on the time allowed, we will include a case file of a young soldier killed in 1862, while stationed at Ft Sully, DT.
  
Session 1 – 10:10 am – 11:10 am

1. Smith-Zimmerman Museum (Lake County) – Cindy Mallery, Curator
 Treasures of the Past: How the Dead Still Speak
Many unique holdings including a comprehensive Obituary project

2. Treasures in Your Own Computer or Device – Family History Apps for Fun for All Ages
Especially for the Youth by Youth of Brookings Ward 

 

Session 2 – 11:20 – 12:20 pm

1. Moody County Museum (Flandreau) – Dale Johnson, former Curator
 Mystery at the Library: Which is the Real Granny Weston is in the Painting?
a Model in Native American research (based on Dianne Ammann’s research) An 1896 painting of a Native American Woman in the Moody County Public Library has puzzled patrons for years as to who she was and why the painting was done.  Dale Johnson, Moody County Genealogical Society, will trace story of Flandreau Santee Sioux from 1862 Minnesota Uprising until their settlement in Moody County area and why at least 5 Granny Westons could be the subject of the paining.




2. Rootstech 2015 Video--more Online treasures

30 Pieces of Tech I Can't Live Without



12: 30-1:20 LUNCH

 (Brown Bag—Bring your own or Reserve one of ours—see registration)

 

Session 3 – 1:30 – 2:30 pm

1. Brookings County Museum (Volga) – Kristin Heismeyer, Historical Advisor 

Walking Through Our Past 
a look at treasures and resources of the Brookings Historical Society and Museum 
including local family history, research resources and outreach programs

2. Faded History –Anisah David, Rural Sociologist, of Bushnell

Hidden Treasures: Ghost Towns/Abandoned Cemeteries (in your own back yard?) 

DUE TO SUDDEN ILLNESS OF THE PRESENTER, this CLASS has been CANCELLED.
Substitute Class: ROOTSTECH 2015 VIDEO

30 Pieces of Tech I Can't Live Without

 
Session 4 – 2:40 – 3:40 pm

1.      SD Agricultural Heritage Museum (Brookings) – Carrie Van Buren, Collections Curator 
Found in Collections: Resources for Family History Researchers 
Maps, Atlases, County/Town Histories, Artifacts, Staff Research Specialties and much more

2.      SD Agricultural Heritage Museum--Gwen McCausland, Director
Preserving Your Family Heirlooms, Photos
 Professional Advice on caring for Family Treasures, Q and A

DISPLAYS

Other Local Museums and Societies

Displays Related to Class presentations

Free Premium Websites at the FHC

2015 WORKSHOP SURVEY

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CommunityWalk Map - Brookings SD FHC

Announcing the new German-American Genealogical Partnership

Announcing the new German-American Genealogical Partnership

The following announcement as written by the folks at the Germanic Genealogy Society:
“Bridging the Gap between North America and Europe for Genealogists”
This partnership forms a German-American genealogy structure between countries and organizations for sharing contacts and genealogical research. This partnership is open to all organizations interested in Germanic genealogical research.
Goals of Partnership
Our shared goal is to stimulate interest in Germanic Genealogy and to provide a forum to share research methods and information to further the researching of our ancestors. The goal of the Partnership is to assist, strengthen and support each society as they continue to grow.
Common Goals include:
  1. Sharing strategies for research
  2. Developing contacts between organization and individuals
  3. Creating a list of most valuable resources
  4. Create lists of references and websites
  5. Sharing contact lists of organizations, speakers, researchers, guides, historians and
    translators
A future plan may include Germanic national and international conferences. Additional plans and goals are under discussion with new partner societies.
Founding Societies
The founding societies of this new partnership include the Germanic Genealogy Society (GGS), the Pommern Regional Group of Minnesota (PRG), and the Deutsche Arbeitsgemeinschaft genealogischer Verbände (DAGV).
The first international online meeting for this partnership was held on 28 May 2015, which included representatives of various societies from Germany, Poland, and seven U.S. states ranging from California to New York.
Representatives from the three founding organizations officially signed a Proclamation of St. Paul on 29 May 2015 before a large audience as part of the GGS Conference. The proclamation describes the goal to create a closer German-American genealogical relationship between all interested societies.
From this original online meeting four additional societies have already joined in this partnership with several more waiting for board approval. We encourage other societies interested in Germanic Genealogy to join us in the German-American Genealogical Partnership. Further information can be found on the GGS website under the German Partnership menu item.
Founding Partner Societies:
  • Germanic Genealogy Society
  • Deutsche Arbeitsgemeinschaft genealogischer Verbände
  • Pommern Regional Group of Minnesota
Additional partners include:
  • Sacramento German Genealogical Society
  • Immigrant Genealogical Society of Burbank, California
  • Southwest Florida Germanic Genealogy Society
  • Ahnenforscher Stammtisch Unna und Umgebung

Thursday, April 30, 2015

New NEH Grant to Digitize Family Records

New NEH Grant to Digitize Family Records

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced “Common Heritage,” the first grant of its kind, to make “light historical records and artifacts currently hidden in family attics and basements” available to the public. In announcing the initiative, NEH Chairman William “Bro” Adams said, “We know that America’s cultural heritage isn’t found only in libraries and museums, but in our homes, in our family histories, and the stories and objects we pass down to our children.”
The announcement states, “The program supports day-long events organized by community cultural institutions, which members of the public will be invited to attend. At these events experienced staff will digitize the community historical materials brought in by the public. Project staff will also record descriptive information—provided by community attendees—about the historical materials. Contributors will be given a free digital copy of their items to take home, along with the original materials. With the owner’s permission, digital copies of these materials would be included in the institutions’ collections. Historical photographs, artifacts, documents, family letters, art works, and audiovisual recordings are among the many items eligible for digitization and public commemoration.”

NEH encourages local institutions such as libraries, archives, museums, and colleges to apply for up to $12,000 in project funding. The application deadline is June 25, 2015, but a webinar for interested applicants will be held on May 5, 2015.
More information may be found at the NEH’s webpage: http://www.neh.gov/grants/preservation/common-heritage.
My thanks to newsletter reader Claire Bettag for telling me about this new grant.