Index to Collections at the Museum of Springfield History

The Lyman & Merrie Museum of Springfield History is what I would call "The Best Kept Genealogical Secret in Western

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="75"] Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum Of Springfield History (Photo credit: pecooper98362)[/caption]

Massachusetts."  It is a facility that is part of the Springfield Library system and is situated across the street from the Quadrangle of museums: the George Walter Vincent Smith Museum, the Springfield Science Museum, the Michelle and Donald D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts and the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum (currently under an extensive remodeling program). The Museum of Springfield History houses the History Library & Archives, the subject of the PVHN blog linked here: Index to Collections.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="75"] The Connecticut River and Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts. Looking south from Mt. Sugarloaf in Deerfield, toward the towns of Sunderland, Amherst and Whately. The buildings of the University of Massachusetts Amherst can be seen in the distance to the left, and farther off, the Holyoke range of mountains. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

The PVHN (Pioneer Valley Historical Network) is coordinated by one of the the archivists, Cliff McCarthy. Cliff posts e-mails of historical and genealogical activities throughout the Pioneer Valley by maintaining a large e-mail contact list. What I want everyone to be aware of is the PVHN Research Finding Aids Project.  To quote the blog :

Many of the Pioneer Valley’s museums and archives, both large and small, have printed “finding aids” for certain collections, or for their entire holdings.  These finding aids, once a standard practice for museums and archives, are used by museum staff to locate specific items from those collections.  For the researcher, they provide insight into the holdings of that museum or archives.  Frequently, these finding aids are not digitized and are nowhere to be found on the world wide web.

This project will enable researchers and the general public to utilize archival resources of the Pioneer Valley that are currently languishing because finding aids for many important collections have not been made available on the Internet.

It's another site that's well worth the look for anyone researching in Western Massachusetts.

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Join! Genealogy Tip of the Day

The inspiration for this tip comes from what I've been doing all day today.  It'll need a little background.  You know that I'm a genealogist; I work with, teach, lecture and learn genealogy.  As a result, I believe it's important to make as many "connections" in the field as possible.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="75"] The coat of arms of the Committee on Heraldry of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

I belong to the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), the New England Chapter of APG (NEAPG), the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists (MSoG), the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), the Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society (WMGS), the Connecticut Society of Genealogists (CSG) to name a few and yes, there's more!

A couple of things I should mention: I've been the Treasurer of WMGS for a little over a year and recently became the vice President of NEAPG.  I was very interested in these positions as I believe it will help me in my professional pursuits.  And so far, it's been a great year!

AS the VP of NEAPG, I also became the delegate to the New England Regional Genealogical Consortium (NERGC). NERGC puts together a very large convention on a biannual basis in various cities in New England.  So for me, being a delegate is a big professional deal!  I'm involved in putting together the largest genealogical conference anywhere in the Northeast!

So other than going to a lot of meetings, what am I getting out of all this?  First, I get to meet some very talented genealogists with interests in many phases of the field.  Genealogy is certainly not just searching on the Ancestry.com web site.  It is a broad and challenging field.  Family histories require a familiarity with numerous resources which are not available on the internet.  Forensic genealogy is a highly specialized field that only a very few genealogists get involved with. In my single foray in "forensic genealogy" I was able to prove that an estate worth over $170,000 rightfully belonged to my client!  That was rewarding.... Then there's teaching, lecturing, writing....  It just doesn't stop!

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="75"] English: Logo/Seal of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania; in use since 1892 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

And that's where the networking with other professionals comes in.  NERGC will provide a forum for professionals from all these areas of expertise to gather and exchange their knowledge.

Now I've said all that to say this...if you're still with me here!  This is the "Tip of the Day": Join a local society!  The camaraderie alone is worth the time and effort.  You'll not only learn but you'll be able to share your knowledge and experiences.  Because you don't know what you don't know!!

 

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The Gravestone Girls

Dave Robison / 2 mins ago

Gravestone at Mabe Church (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This post is directed mostly at the folks living here or near Western Massachusetts. Full Disclosure: I’m promoting a presentation that will take place this Wednesday night at the April meeting of the Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society of which I am a board member. The reason is simple. I think this will be one of the most interesting presentations we’ve had in a long time!  We’re hosting the Gravestone Girls.

The presentation will be held at the Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main St, Agawam, Massachusetts.  There’s a little bit of Society business at 6:00 PM and then the program begins. Free and open to the public. We’d love to have you there!   We’d love to have you join!!

Here’s their press release

 Historic Cemetery Documentation and Mortuary Art

 The Gravestone Girls’ mission is to “Keep Our Dead Alive!”  We create decorative artwork using the beautiful and primitive images carved on olde New England gravestones; give lectures on cemetery art, history and symbolism as well as teach gravestone rubbing classes!  Our work aims to entertain and educate on the historical perspective of old cemeteries by documenting and preserving the beautiful art they contain.

To produce our three-dimensional art pieces, we perfected a casting technique which exactly replicated the original gravestone carving.  The creations in our collection are derived from 17th-21st century gravestones found in cemeteries throughout the New England region.  All our pieces are hand-formed and finished in a process we specifically developed.  It’s important to note that no stones are ever harmed by our techniques—preservation is our primary concern!

Artwork by The Gravestone Girls is used to decorate the home and garden, provide a resource for historical education and fundraising as well as assist people in the genealogical documentation of their ancestral gravestones.  Wall hangings, jewelry, magnets, clocks and other interior and exterior pieces are the result of our artistic endeavors.  We regularly make our craft available to families desiring a memento from a sacred resting place. We also develop collections of important images related to a town’s history to be used as a method to raise money for cemetery restoration projects, fund other historical related projects and help support a group’s future activities.

History lessons are a Gravestone Girls’ specialty!  We regularly deliver lectures on the art, history and symbolism of gravestones and the evolution of cemeteries from the 17th century through modern day.  Our programs are tailored to the town, group or organization we are speaking to; and a thorough examination of local burial grounds is conducted prior to the event.  Photographs are collected from our exploration and used to build a comprehensive ninety minute presentation.

We would be honored by the opportunity to develop a special commission piece of your family’s historic gravestone, present a lecture to an organization you are involved with or participate in another aspect of your local history!  Feel free to inquire!

The Gravestone Girls endeavor to help preserve a rich folk art tradition unique to our nation.  We hope you are intrigued enough by our activities to investigate and expand on the special history which lives in everyone’s backyards.

Brenda Sullivan, Maggie White & Melissa Anderson

The Gravestone Girls – Putting the ‘Rave’ Back in Grave!

Anne Sullivan Memorial placque and statue, Feeding Hills, Ma, USA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

grave stone of James B. Stephens and wife Elizabeth (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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The Gravestone Girls

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="75"] Gravestone at Mabe Church (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

This post is directed mostly at the folks living here or near Western Massachusetts. Full Disclosure: I'm promoting a presentation that will take place this Wednesday night at the April meeting of the Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society of which I am a board member. The reason is simple. I think this will be one of the most interesting presentations we've had in a long time!  We're hosting the Gravestone Girls.

The presentation will be held at the Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main St, Agawam, Massachusetts.  There's a little bit of Society business at 6:00 PM and then the program begins. Free and open to the public. We'd love to have you there!   We'd love to have you join!!

Here's their press release

 Historic Cemetery Documentation and Mortuary Art

 The Gravestone Girls’ mission is to "Keep Our Dead Alive!”  We create decorative artwork using the beautiful and primitive images carved on olde New England gravestones; give lectures on cemetery art, history and symbolism as well as teach gravestone rubbing classes!  Our work aims to entertain and educate on the historical perspective of old cemeteries by documenting and preserving the beautiful art they contain.

To produce our three-dimensional art pieces, we perfected a casting technique which exactly replicated the original gravestone carving.  The creations in our collection are derived from 17th-21st century gravestones found in cemeteries throughout the New England region.  All our pieces are hand-formed and finished in a process we specifically developed.  It's important to note that no stones are ever harmed by our techniques—preservation is our primary concern!

Artwork by The Gravestone Girls is used to decorate the home and garden, provide a resource for historical education and fundraising as well as assist people in the genealogical documentation of their ancestral gravestones.  Wall hangings, jewelry, magnets, clocks and other interior and exterior pieces are the result of our artistic endeavors.  We regularly make our craft available to families desiring a memento from a sacred resting place. We also develop collections of important images related to a town’s history to be used as a method to raise money for cemetery restoration projects, fund other historical related projects and help support a group’s future activities.

History lessons are a Gravestone Girls’ specialty!  We regularly deliver lectures on the art, history and symbolism of gravestones and the evolution of cemeteries from the 17^th century through modern day.  Our programs are tailored to the town, group or organization we are speaking to; and a thorough examination of local burial grounds is conducted prior to the event.  Photographs are collected from our exploration and used to build a comprehensive ninety minute presentation.

We would be honored by the opportunity to develop a special commission piece of your family’s historic gravestone, present a lecture to an organization you are involved with or participate in another aspect of your local history!  Feel free to inquire!

The Gravestone Girls endeavor to help preserve a rich folk art tradition unique to our nation.  We hope you are intrigued enough by our activities to investigate and expand on the special history which lives in everyone’s backyards.

Brenda Sullivan, Maggie White & Melissa Anderson

The Gravestone Girls - Putting the 'Rave' Back in Grave!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="350"] Anne Sullivan Memorial placque and statue, Feeding Hills, Ma, USA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="350"] grave stone of James B. Stephens and wife Elizabeth (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

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• Old gravestones tossed in Dare County dumpster

Great news! Well, for me anyway..

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="75"] Western Massachusetts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

Great news or just good news, you be the judge.  In my efforts to get my name "out there" I've been teaching genealogy classes, lecturing, conducting workshops all on the local level.  I've participated in "panel discussions" on Google Hangouts where people from literally all over the world listen in.  And lately, I've been pursuing other nationally prominent genealogist to speak to our Western Massachusetts Genealogy Society where I'm Treasurer.  In addition, other than memberships in a fair number of genealogy associations, I've become the Vice President of the New England Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists.  So things are starting to roll.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="75"] Five Corners, Granby MA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

So, what's the great/good news?  The local newspaper, the Springfield Republican in Springfield, Massachusetts has been running a column by a locally "infamous" genealogist for the past dozen years or so.  It seems they picked up a story of a recent presentation I gave at the Granby Free Public Library

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="75"] Belchertown common (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

in Granby, Mass out of the Belchertown Sentinel from the small rural town of Belchertown, Mass.  So the managing editor at the Republican e-mailed me today.  We've corresponded plenty of times before but not for anything that had to do with me personally or professionally.  But she asked me for a "shoulders up head shot" and my schedule of events for the next several months!  She's putting together an article about me and my little research company, Old Bones Genealogy of New England.

I'm sure that this is more of a "brag" than a "blog" but so be it!  I have to admit that to me, it's a sign that I'm getting "out there" more and more.  It's a good feeling inasmuch as I had some degree of notoriety in my last career but this is different because it's something that I've been working on by myself, for myself.

Am I bragging?  You bet!  To me, this is even better than when I was stopped in a grocery store the other day by someone who said, "Say, aren't you the genealogy guy?"

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Wednesday Night at the Springfield Archives

It's unlikely that many of you live in or near Springfield, Massachusetts.  But I want to let everyone know that the Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society will be holding our January meeting Wednesday the 6th at 6:00 pm at the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History.  It's a hidden treasure of the history of Springfield and surrounding areas from it's founding in 1636 to today.  The groundfloor and second level displays are impressive enough: an original Duyrea is on display (the first motorized automobile to ride the

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="75"] Daguerreotype of John Brown (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

streets of any city - built in Springfield), John Brown's work desk (Yes, the "John Brown's body is a'moulderin' in his grave" fame), Indian Motocycles (built in Springfield) all over the place, the famed GB racing planes (replicas hang from the ceilings - built in Springfield), a one owner 1928 Rolls Royce that was donated to the museum by the man who drove it for nearly 75 years.

But the real treasures, in my opinion, are downstairs in the archives.  There, you can find a collection of an estimated 2.5 million historical manuscripts, the Loiselle Index (French-Canadian marriages), 6,000 microfilm/fiche, 25,000 historic photos, diaries, deeds, account books, land transfers, hundreds of historical maps including the Sanborn Fire Insurance collection, yearbooks and selected school records from the Springfield Schools, annual voter lists by ward and precinct....  and the list  goes on and on!

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="75"] English: First Church of Christ, Springfield Massachusetts, September 2009 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

The archives are a part of the Springfield museum complex in downtown Springfield.  Springfield residents and members of the Museum's Association have free access otherwise there is a $9 admission fee for visits during their regular hours.  There is no charge to attend the meeting.

So maybe some of you can make it!

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="75"] English: James MacNeil Whistler, a famous painter, grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. He was, however, born during his family's brief tenure in Lowell, Massachusetts. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

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Maureen Taylor, Genealogist and Historic Photograph Expert

Live in Western Mass? Interested in genealogy and historical photographs? Mark your calendar for November 6, 2013 at 6:00 PM. Maureen Taylor, a nationally renowned lecturer, genealogist, author and expert in historic photography will give a remote presentation via SKYPE on photographic genealogy at the Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society.  She has published 2 volumes of Revolutionary War Patriot photographs! Yes!! These are photographs of veterans of the Revolution who fought at some period between 1776 and 1783 who sat for the new technology in the mid 19th century. Maureen is collaborating with award winning documentary film producers Verissima Productions on a film based on the books.  You learn more about Revolutionary Voices at www.lastmusterfilm.com.  Maureen's website can be seen at Maureen Taylor Genealogy.  The event is at the Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main St. Agawam, Mass in their community room.

The public is invited to this event at no charge. But we encourage everyone to become a member of the Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society, or WMGS. We meet 10 times a year on the first Wednesday of the month from September through the following July. Dues are only $20/year.

In the coming months, we'll have a variety of programs including a "field trip" to the Museum of Springfield History, a repository of an amazing collection of published and unpublished genealogical resource material.

In the spring, a book signing with Kerry Hotaling, local author of "What They Endured, What They Wrought" recalling the regimental casualties of the Battle of Gettysburg which available at Amazon.com.  Kerry is donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each book to the Gettysburg Foundation.



The Gravestone Girls , cemetery historians, will bring their expertise in ancient gravestones, the culture that created them, the symbolism...fascinating program.  Next, another remote presentation on "Breaking Down Brick Walls" from D Barry Sheldon of Genealogists.com.

We meet at the Agawam Senior Center in their Community Room, a modern, comfortable facility located at 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA. You can contact me directly with questions at dave@oldbones.info or westmassgen@gmail.com.

See you November 6th!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Thomas and Esther Smith House, Agawam Massachusetts, July 2010 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

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Genealogy - In - Time Magazine

I want to introduce you to GenealogyInTime Magazine, in case you're not aware of it. It's an online magazine or e-zine that I subscribed to a few months ago. They have offered many great ideas and tips for genealogists at every level.

What got me started on this today was a webinar by Thomas MacEntee I watched earlier this afternoon. He offered about 20 web sites that you'd probably never think of using for your research. I'll post some of what I learned from him in the coming days. I'm trying to finish up some client work and I really should be concentrating on that tonight!

Back to GenealogyInTime.... Today's message from them has to do with searching by country. They'll explain this much better than I can, but the simple version is, using a country or location specific Google search engine can radically change your results. I copied their chart of search engine URLs and put it in DropBox. You can access it at this DropBox link. It's not a very "neat" chart, but the info is accurate, especially if you want a Google genealogy search for the Isle of Man!

The current issue offers 10 "insights" to help you in your research efforts.

Keep watching for some of the Thomas MacEntee data. I can tell you this: I was thinking of what subjects I'd like to cover for a presentation I'm giving to the Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society this November. Thomas MacEntee gave me the answer!!