Visit Crispus Attucks Museum IN PERSON

 

Research Tools Zoom At ACPL Thursday, Feb. 3rd

 

Have Your Beverage In A GSMC Mug!

Visit our Library and get this super mug 

for a $5 donation to our maintenance fund.

It's A Win-Win!

Thanks much to Kim Smith for these spiffy creations.

 

Homestead Records, Brownsburg Library, Wednesday

 

Civil War Zoom Session--Hancock Co. Hist. Soc. Feb. 8

 Register now at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hancock-county-historical-society-webinar-civil-war-love-story-tickets-247721219837

1950 Census Preparation

 

Getting Ready for the 1950 Census.

The release of the U.S. Census this April is a momentous occasion for family history fans. Sara Gredler from AncestryProGenealogists® has a few tips to prepare you for these never‑before‑available records. Note which family members will be in the census. Any U.S. resident living in 1950 should be in the census. Make sure your family tree is up to date! Find out where they lived in the ’50s. Birth, Marriage, and Death records are a great place to find addresses for ancestors and family. But also check city directories, phone books, and local newspapers. Flag anyone who lived abroad during the census. Though this census recorded Americans abroad, correctly capturing this data was hit or miss, since it relied on family members still living in the U.S. Records for military families and U.S. government employees will be reliably accurate. Browse the 1940 U.S. Census first. Explore records from the last census release to get familiar with the information they contain. Exploring them also presents a great opportunity to add new details to your tree.

 

New Indiana Marriage Resource

 Indiana Marriage licenses from 1993 to present can now be searched for free at the following government website-https://public.courts.in.gov/mlpl/Search/   [Site is labeled "Beta"]

                Court Technology, the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) and the Indiana State Library (ISL) have automated the process for issuing Marriage Licenses at local Circuit Court Clerks' offices. The goal is to collect all the information required just one time and store records electronically so information is easy to retrieve and transmit for state agencies as required by Indiana Code.

                Every year, about 45,000 couples marry in Indiana and each must go to the clerk’s office for a license. When the project began, the couple’s names were each handwritten three times in a cumbersome, paper record book.  That means names were written 270,000 times a year, equal to one name being written every other minute, every day of the year. That doesn’t include the time it took to enter the records into IDOH or ISL databases.

                The Marriage License E-file System is a web-based application available free of charge through INcite (Indiana Court Information Technology Extranet). Clerks use the system to automate and expedite functions previously done by hand. All 92 counties are using the system and have issued over 420,000 marriage licenses.

                The electronic Marriage License Application captures the information entered by the Clerk, who then prints an application for the couple to sign, attesting to the accuracy of the personal information. A Marriage License form for the Officiant to complete and sign upon solemnization is also created. The officiant simply returns the license after the ceremony, and the Clerk electronically enters the officiant’s information, date and location of the marriage.

                Certified copies of recorded marriage licenses required for a Real ID from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) or other reasons can be obtained from the Circuit Court Clerk's office where the marriage license was issued.

[Thanks to Barry Levitt for this heads up.]

Free Zoom Lectures by Michael Lacopo Jan. 29

 Registration is open for two lectures by Michael Lacopo,

professional genealogist, writer, and popular speaker.

 Date: Saturday January 29, 2022

Lecture one – 11 a.m. (EST) Incorporating Social History into Your Research

There will be a 15-minute break at noon.

Lecture two – 12:15 p.m.  (EST) German Genealogy on the Internet: Beyond the Basics

             For more information about the program see the article on page 112 in the December Tracer or see it here.  These two lectures will be presented live via a Zoom webinar, and you must register in advance. You will receive an email from Zoom immediately upon registering with a personalized link to the webinar and the passcode (password). 

            During the week prior to the January 29 session, you will receive an email from HCGS with a link to download the handouts as PDFs and guidance on the use of Zoom webinar features such as Q&A, chat, and the ending poll. 

            One day prior to the webinar (January 28) you will receive a reminder email from Zoom, again containing your personalized webinar link and passcode.  HCGS will record the lectures and registrants will have the opportunity to watch the presentations again online for 30 days after the webinar.

 There is no cost for the two 60-minute lectures

but registration by January 22 at 9 p.m. is required.

The link to register is https://hcgsohio.org/cpage.php?pt=217.

 Hamilton County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 15865 Cincinnati, OH 45215-0865

Email: digitalresources@hcgsohio.org Website: https://hcgsohio.org/

 

Check Out New State Archives Research Index

             The Indiana State Archives recently launched a new index site called the Research Indiana Indexes, where users can search a variety of indexed collections, including naturalization records, court records, and military records. The new site replaces the existing Indiana Digital Archives, which, while a huge accomplishment at the time of its creation, was in need of replacement. Unfortunately, Archives staff had lost the ability to add collections to the site several years ago. As Archives volunteers finish indexing a new project, there was no way to add the new information to the site.

            In fact, one of the indexes included on the new site was created more than fifteen years ago when ISA’s conservator, Elizabeth Hague, was a volunteer at the Archives. While working on indexing the Marion County Coroner’s Inquests, she came across the case of William Cluck, and was fascinated by the letters found in his file. Cluck was jailed for the murder of his wife and killed himself while in jail.

            The testimony of one of the doctors attending him included the line “I saw death stamped upon his countenance.” The eloquent letters stuck with Elizabeth for years, but she couldn’t remember Cluck’s name. Once the new index site was created, she was able to search by keyword and find the case. Searching by keyword is just one of several increased search capabilities that the staff are excited about.

            The previous Indiana Digital Archives site was made primarily with genealogists in mind – a user could perform a basic name search, but there were not any other search avenues. With the Research Indiana Indexes, users can browse through entire indexes, search by keyword, or use the filters to see all of the results from a particular county.

            The new site includes all of the collections that had been completed after the launch of the old site. In addition to the Marion County Coroner’s Inquests, some other collections included are Marshall County Court records, Foster Parent Applications, and Veterans’ Grave Registrations and naturalization records from several additional counties.

            Some index projects, like the Supreme Court cases, are always being updated and additional cases will be added as they are indexed. The Indiana State Archives staff are really excited that this project is finally live, and look forward to seeing what kinds of discoveries users make.

[Thanks to the Society of Indiana Archivists Newsletter]

Start Your Research On A Firm Foundation

GSMC Librarian Ron Darrah will present a Zoom program for Newby Researchers 

concentrating on a low-tech introduction to genealogy. 

 Advanced registration is required and once registered, participants will receive the link through email to join the program online. The program is open to anyone and registration can be found at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/217917405827

It's Cold Outside! Stay in and study DNA.

Go virtual and stay warm. See you there.

 

Dr. Gates Is Back! Tonight at 8 on Ch. 20 WFYI

 

GSMC Presents First DNA Update For 2022