Turners Falls, MA - Genealogy Gathering

Come and join us! New or experienced researchers are always welcome.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Lots of History Events

There is so much going on in the area that could be of interest to historians and genealogists.

The Pioneer Valley History Network is the source of lots of tempting offerings.  You can get on their email list, or check out the events page  HERE.

I was inspired by Joe Manning's talk at the Holyoke Heritage State Park, describing his research into descendants of child laborers photographed by Lewis Hine in the early 1900s. See details at http://www.morningsonmaplestreet.com/

Tina Peters is looking for help compiling favorite web sites of interest to genealogists at her October 13 talk in Colrain.  This will be a day full of local history with 16 sessions.  Tina's talk is entitled "Finding your ancestors in Colrain, West County, and Beyond"   The event is sponsored by the Mary Lyon Education Foundation.

Lots of cemetery info has been put up on Find a Grave by our Montague team and by a dedicated group in West County.

Remember, new information is being made available daily in a variety of ways.  The 1940 census, world-wide records on Family Search and photos of gravestones everywhere.  Do your part by sharing your research or responding to a request for a photo.  It's a big world out there full of Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness!

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Hatfield On Line

This is a great site with info from the Hatfield Historical Society. It links to cemetery records: here.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Have You Explored the 1940 Census?



April 2 was a big day for genealogists, who have been awaiting the release of the 1940 U.S. census since the 1930 census was released 10 years ago. This time, images are available to view at a variety of sites. Until the forms are indexed, a project now underway by an army of volunteers, the pages must be read one by one to find our ancestors. In small towns it isn't too time-consuming to read through the images. In cities, knowing the Enumeration District narrows down the search. Maps of Massachusetts, VT and Rhode Island are available at Old Maps, with links to Steve Morse's site for other locations.

Have you tried indexing? You can join the effort through familysearch.org. By downloading their software, you can read and enter one page at a time. It only takes about 15 minutes, depending on the handwriting of the enumerator. It is a great way to be part of this exciting project. The more volunteers join in, the sooner the searchable images will be available to all of us. Get more information here.