A PUBLICATION OF THE MOBILE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, INC. P.O. Box 6224 • Mobile, Alabama 36660-6224 • (251) 414-1995 www.MobileRoots.org • [email protected] Volume XXVII Number 10

ISSN 1061-012X

October 2014

Alabama Mosaic Saturday, October 11th, 10:30 a.m. Presented by Dr. Midge Coates

This October 11th, MGS is excited to host Dr. Midge Coates, from Auburn University Libraries, and learn more about her presentation “AlabamaMosaic.” AlabamaMosaic is an online collection of digitized materials sponsored by the Network of Alabama Academic Libraries. These materials are contributed by libraries, museums, and historical societies located around the state. Some of the materials available include photographs, church records, newspapers and newspaper clippings, college yearbooks and catalogs, letters and diaries, oral histories, scrapbooks, funeral programs, and government records. Dr. Coates has been the Digital Projects Librarian

at Auburn University since October 2009. At Auburn, she manages the University’s own unique digital collections and is the statewide coordinator for the AlabamaMosaic project. From 2005 through 2009, Dr. Coates managed the online literary map project “This Goodly Land: Alabama’s Literary Landscape.” She earned a BA in Historical Studies from SUNY Empire State College and an MLS from University at BuffaloSUNY. Prior to her career as a digital librarian, Dr. Coates worked for Occidental Chemical Corporation as a research chemist. She earned a BS from University of Richmond, an MS from University of Virginia, and a PhD from University of California Riverside.

Programs and meetings are held the second Saturday of each month at 10:30 a.m. in the Vitale Room, located immediately behind Holy Family Catholic Church, 1400 Joyce Road, off of Overlook Road, east of University Blvd. Parking is close to building.

Visitors are always welcome!

[email protected] • (251) 414-1995 • www.facebook.com/MobileGenealogy In the header: Hand drawn map of 1780’s Mobile; author: Carlos Trudeau;1courtesy: Alabama Dept. of Archives and History.

GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS

A typical meeting of the Mobile Genealogical Society is made up of two parts. Well, three parts, really, if you count the wonderful opportunity for members to get together and re-connect each month. Part one is the program and opportunity to keep learning. Part two is the business of running the society: minutes are read, a financial report given. Why do we need to do this stuff? Can’t we just move on to the program? The business part may not be interesting, but we do operate under a set of principles, a constitution, bylaws, and therefore have requirements, such as minutes and financial reports. At our September meeting, the members present voted to approve a nominating committee to select a slate of officers for 2015. In the weeks to come, that committee will be making some very important phone calls. We are tremendously fortunate to have a current group of board members with the skills and interests to guide our genealogical society. Several members will be staying on and others will be rotating off the board. This presents opportunities for new people to get involved. Yes, the Mobile Genealogical Society is a business. And, like any successful corporation, we must have a strong, competent and forward-thinking board. There are many non-profit societies similar to ours, and not all of them are on a healthy footing. Everything that goes into the running of this organization – setting up meetings, arranging for speakers, writing and editing our publications, connecting with members, fundraising and more – is done by

volunteers, who are motivated by the rewards of being engaged in a team effort to inspire and educate the public about genealogy. If your interest in genealogy is growing, and your schedule allows it, consider becoming more involved at MGS. In the weeks to come, if you are contacted by the nominating committee about serving on our fantastic board of directors, consider taking that step. I’m excited about 2015 and the new ideas for our members to get involved.

GONE TO TEXAS – BACK FROM TEXAS!

The Federation of Genealogical Societies’ annual conference “Gone to Texas,” held in San Antonio this year, was an amazing event. MGS Director Michelle Woodham and I both attended. Michelle has gone to many, many genealogical conferences. It was my first. For four days, thousands of people from organizations all around the country were in constant motion, moving from room to room, trying to hear as many of the overwhelming selection of speakers as possible. Fortunately, the supplemental materials of all the speakers were included in a syllabus of over 300 pages. A copy of that syllabus and a schedule guide are now at the MGS library. If you think you are facing a brick wall, come by and take a look. These materials might be just what you need to spark up a dormant line of research. Ever strive, and I hope to see you in October!

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Kathy

- Kathy Richardson, President

UPFRONT WITH NGS Diane L. Richards Posted: 22 Jul 2013

Free October Webinars from Legacy Family Tree:

Writing in Style – the Genealogy Way

10/01 The Fair Court: Records of Chancery Courts

(Archived free through 10/7)

10/03 Overcoming Destroyed or Missing Records

As family historians we do a lot of writing! Whether it’s as simple as entering names and dates and places into a family tree program, writing e-mails to colleagues and family members, blogging to the world, creating a published volume of your research, writing for a genealogy journal, and much more, it’s important that we do it with style! I, as many, may remember that in high school and/or college we were required to use a “certain style guide” as we wrote.  Of course, not all teachers/professors required the same one and these guides never agreed on everything ... Trust me when I say that after dealing with a few of those, I knew that I would never be an “editor!”  And, that I have learned to very much appreciate what editor’s do to help writers! Unfortunately, not everyone has access to their very own editor. That said, there are many of these older style guides and some newer style guides which might help make your writing more accessible.  I was reminded of this when earlier this year I came across, Writing For the Digital Age: 5 Free Writing Style Guides Online. ( http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5free-writing-style-guides-online/ ) It was a bit of a nostalgic trip since the last guide mentioned is The Elements of Style, William Strunk, Jr.  I remember that one! Even if I do not necessarily “follow” every element of these guides, they actually do help one write better. There are also style guides that have been created and are specific to our genealogy community. Some of these are:

(Archived free through 10/9)

10/08 Welcome to FamilySearch Indexing! 10/15 Researching Your War of 1812 Ancestor 10/22 Tracking Migration Using the Draper Manuscripts

To register, go to: www.familytreewebinars.com/upcoming-webinars.php

October Anniversaries

Ken & Cassandra Day • Katherine P. Hill Barbara Mastrone • Mary Nowell Arthur E. & Iras Fearn Smith John William & Joy Klotz Urquhart • Yvonne M. H. Vrouwenvelder - Edeker bc

Numbering Your Genealogy: Basic Systems, Complex Families, and International Kin ( National Genealogical Society, http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/publications/ngs_special_ publications/current_publications )

We appreciate our members renewing their memberships! Your support means so much to us! Your volunteerism, your attendance at our programs and your compliments sustain us all in our mission to promote genealogy. We hope you enjoy receiving our newsletters, quarterly publications and expanding your knowledge with our monthly speakers. We encourage you to submit a 5-generation pedigree chart to MGS as part of your membership. If you have already renewed your membership, thank you very much! If you haven’t yet, we hope you consider another year with us. We look forward to sharing the next year with you as we continue forward delving into the past!

Genealogical Writing in the 21st Century: A Guide to Register Style and More, 2nd edition ( American Ancestors aka NEHGS, http://www.americanancestors.org/Product. aspx?id=14714 )

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Copyright © National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370. www.ngsgenealogy.org

MOCAVO BLOG - MICHAEL J. LECLERC’S GENEALOGY NEWS – 1 OCTOBER 2013

Five Tips For Celebrating Family History Month

This is the favorite time of year for genealogists. October is Family History Month. It is a time dedicated to remembering our ancestors and celebrating them. Here are a few ideas for ways you can commemorate your own family history.

ries of the past generations, or stories of the current ones. And set your digital recorder to capture the stories, so you can share them with others who can’t attend. 4. VISIT CEMETERIES Generations past used to visit the cemetery all the time. They would go and tend the graves. The entire community would sometimes be there. It was a festive occasion to honor family members who have passed. Nowadays we seem to be too rushed to take the time to visit. As genealogists, we may be the only ones there. But it is still important. Go and visit. Make sure the stones are still in their proper places and need no extra attention. Do some weeding. And bring the younger generation so you can not only share the experience, but share their stories.

1. WRITE UP SOME FAMILY STORIES Time to take your research and start writing it up. Look at one of your ancestral families and start writing up the research you have conducted on them. One of the reasons we do genealogical research is to preserve their memories, but all too often we get tied up in the thrill of the chase, and never share what we find. Put together a biographical sketch of the family and post it on your blog, email it to family members, or print it out and mail it to them through the postal service. 2. TELL THE STORY BEHIND A FAMILY PHOTOGRAPH We all have piles of family photographs with no identification on them. Take some time this month to go through some of your pictures and label them. And don’t just put the names of the people in the picture. Tell the story behind it. Was it taken at a wedding? At a birthday party? A family vacation or outing? Were you doing something special at the time? Knowing those stories is just as important as knowing who is in the pictures.

5. COMPOSE PART OF YOUR OWN STORY The time has come to tell your story. If you don’t tell it, who will? You are the only one who knows what you think, what you feel, how you experienced things. What do you want future generations to know about you? Sit down and start writing your life. You don’t have to write an entire novel in a month. Focus on a particular event or two in your life. Put down your memories. You don’t even have to share them right away, but knowing that you have got some of them written down ensures that someone should see them someday.

3. HAVE A FAMILY GET-TOGETHER TO SHARE STORIES You don’t have to have a huge, fancy party. But invite some of the aunts, uncles, and cousins to come over. It is still warm enough in many areas to have a barbecue. Have some time during the get-together to share some family stories. They can be sto-

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Professional appraisals of antiques and collectibles

October 18, 2014 The Mobile Genealogical Society and St. Mary Parish are once again partnering with professional appraisers Charles Parmenter and Greg Reynolds, of Olde Mobile Antiques Gallery, to bring you our Antique and Collectibles Appraisals held in the Sister’s of Mercy building, on the St. Mary Catholic School campus. Bring your heirlooms, family mementos or anything you hope might be of value. Encourage your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers to come have their treasures appraised by professionals! (There is an elevator). If you’d like to volunteer with this fundraiser, call 414-1995 and leave a message for Marta or email [email protected] (attention Marta).

Marta Pierce

- Coordinator, Antique Appraisal Fundraiser

Date: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18TH Time: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Appraisals: by Olde Mobile Antiques Gallery Charles Parmenter and Greg Reynolds Sponsors: Mobile Genealogical Society and St. Mary Parish Price: $3.00 per item; $5.00 for 2 items (or, bring more items and pay just $2.50 per item!) Entrance: Sisters of Mercy Building, parking lot entrance (Just follow the signs!) Parking: Plenty of parking on the grounds; handicapped-accessible building.

SISTERS OF MERCY BLDG.

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Attention Members, Libraries and Other Organizations: Please send your correct email address to [email protected]

Visitors are always welcome at our meetings and to our library.

Programs and meetings are held at 10:30 a.m., the second Saturday of each month, in the Vitale Room, located immediately behind Holy Family Catholic Church, 1400 Joyce Road, Mobile, AL 36618 Parking is close to building. Contact us at:

Mobile Genealogical Society, Inc. MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Please PRINT all information (except your signature).

MEMBER’S NAME_________________________________________________ Date of Birth______________________________________________________ JOINT MEMBER’S NAME____________________________________________ Date of Birth _____________________________________________________ ADDRESS________________________________________________________ CITY / STATE / ZIP_________________________________________________ PHONE (with area code)_____________________________________________ EMAIL (for Newsletter)______________________________________________ INTERNET WEB ADDRESS(ES) OF YOUR FAMILY HISTORY INFORMATION: ________________________________________________________________ SURNAMES YOU ARE RESEARCHING (Up to 10) ______________________________

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[email protected] (251) 414-1995 www.facebook.com/MobileGenealogy

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MGS NEWSLETTER

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Editor Marta Pierce Co-Editor Yvonne Edeker

DEEP SOUTH GENEALOGICAL QUARTERLY

Editor Kathy L. Richardson Co-Editor Dot Thompson

MGS OFFICERS

President Kathy Richardson 1ST VP / Programs Ken Day 2ND VP / Membership Marta Pierce Recording Officer Monica Tapper Corresponding Officer Dot Thompson Treasurer Don Culberson Librarian Paulette Wilson Publications Officer Judy Culp Auditor Jackie Brazel Directors David Ditto Yvonne Edeker Jeffrey W. Krause Michelle Woodham The Mobile Genealogical Society is a 501(c)(3) Charitable Organization. Donations to MGS are tax deductible; receipt will be provided. Please consider making a donation to MGS as a memorial. A letter recognizing the donation will be sent to the family of the deceased, and a receipt will be provided to the donor.

Circle ALL areas of interest you might consider volunteering in:

Abstracting – Audit – Bulk Mail – Cemetery Abstracting – Editorial Facilities Management – Grant Writing – Library – Membership Newsletter – Programs Publications – Publicity – Quarterly – Research – Telephone – Website By signing and submitting this application, you grant the Mobile Genealogical Society, Inc. permission to use your data in our Surname Search Engine on the MGS Website, in our Membership Directory and other appropriate media generated by MGS. Along with your application, you are encouraged to submit a 5-generation pedigree chart for the Surnames Files in our library.

SIGNATURE _____________________________________________________ DATE ___________________________________________________________ Mail your SIGNED application and membership fee to: Mobile Genealogical Society, Inc. – P. O. Box 6224 – Mobile, AL 36660-6224 Be sure to include your check made out to Mobile Genealogical Society, Inc. The amount of your check should be:

$30.00 - 1-year Individual or Joint Membership (up to 2 family members at one address)

$40.00 - 1-year Organizational Membership $400.00 - Individual Life Membership (Age 60+) 6

_____ NEW MEMBER _____ RENEWING MEMBER