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Name Origins
by Julie Helen Otto
ZEKE (m) – Nickname formed from EZEKIEL.
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Sale on Carl Boyer Titles
The NEHGS Sales Department is pleased to offer five titles by author Carl Boyer III at discounted prices, through January 31, 2008.
Medieval English Ancestors of Robert Abell: Who Died in Rehoboth, Plymouth Colony, 20 June, 1663, with English Ancestral Lines of Other Colonial Americans
This new book is a companion to Weis' Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists. It contains details of additional English ancestral lines for Robert Abell, who died in Rehoboth, Plymouth Colony, in 1663. It is also of real value to those researching many of the royal and noble English families published in Weis' work. Published in 2001, 344pp.
Normally $35.00, now $25.00
Medieval English Ancestors of Certain Americans
Mr. Boyer treats the baronial ancestry, roughly 1050 to 1300, that is shared by most Americans of royal descent. The accounts of wars, captures, castles ransacked, offices held, and abbeys founded introduces the reader to the wide panorama of Norman/English history from the Conqueror until the reign of Edward I. Published in 2001, 327pp.
Normally $35.00, Now $25.00
Medieval Welsh Ancestors of Certain Americans
This pioneering work responds to a tremendous need. So many genealogists trace lines to medieval England but give up on their Welsh lines. Unfamiliarity with the language, the naming system, the geography and history of Wales causes many to abandon the search. In addition to biographies and history, this book has a list of more than 95 key figures in Welsh history. Data cross references to the Medieval English Ancestors books. Published in 2004, 431pp.
Normally $40.00, Now $27.50
Ancestral Lines From Maine to Virginia
Nine years of research culminates in this work, which covers fifty-seven families in The Netherlands, England, Ireland, France, Germany, Ohio, Missouri, California and the Eastern seaboard. Published in 2003, 247pp.
Normally $25.00, Now $17.50
Ancestral Lines, Third Edition, 206 Families in England, Wales, the Netherlands, Germany, New England, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania
This massive work deals primarily with families centered on Rehoboth, Massachusetts (50); Portsmouth and Block Island, Rhode Island (31); Albany and early New York City, New York (26); and Chester Co., Pennsylvania (19). Some of the covered families have been the subject of much new research. It includes extensive citations, a bibliography, and name and place indexes. Published in 1998, 960pp.
Normally $70.00, Now $50.00.
To order, please call 617-226-1212 or visit us online at www.NewEnglandAncestors.org. Shipping is not included
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Research Recommendations: Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness
by Michael J. Leclerc
With more than 4,000 volunteers across the United States and around the world, Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK.org) is one of the most active free genealogical websites available. Volunteers have agreed to perform a genealogical task at least once per month in their local area. While the research is performed for free, users are required to reimburse any costs experienced by the volunteer, such as parking fees, postage, photocopies, printing, etc.
Users are asked not to request information if they live within traveling distance of the locality, described as within 50 miles of the location of your request. You may request one or two items concerning one or two ancestors. Volunteers may request prepayment for expenses expected to be incurred.
RAOGK volunteers do information lookups and document retrieval. They do not normally do in-depth research. Volunteers are only obligated to do one lookup per month, although many do more. You may be placed on a waiting list if that volunteer has other requests to fill before you. If you make more than one request per month of a researcher, they may request a research fee.
Find a volunteer by browsing a table of states, then towns. Foreign countries are listed in a separate table after the U.S. states. Clicking on a state (or country) name will bring you to a page listing localities covered, the names of the volunteers who will research in that locality, and the kinds of tasks that they will perform for you. Clicking on a volunteer’s name brings you to an easy-to-fill-out form. Enter your name, your email address (entered twice for verification) and your request, then press send. You should receive a response from the volunteer with 2 to 14 days.
If you use RAOGK regularly, consider making a donation to support the group’s efforts. Remember that it is entirely volunteer driven, and there are expenses to maintain the website and communications contacts. You can donate right on the website.
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Spotlight: Cemetery Databases
by Valerie Beaudrault
Elmbank Cemetery, Ontario
www.archtoronto.org/elmbank/index.htm
The Elmbank Cemetery is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Elmbank/Fifth Line Cemetery opened in 1833. It served as the final resting place for many early Catholic settlers living in rural areas northeast of Toronto. The cemetery closed in 1939. From the time the cemetery was closed, it was located within the secure zone of Pearson International Airport, which has the largest passenger volume in Canada and is among the busiest airports in the world. Plans were later made to expand existing airport facilities to reduce terminal and runway congestion. This would directly affect the old cemetery. An application was made to the Province of Ontario to permit the relocation of the Elmbank Cemetery to the consecrated ground of Assumption Cemetery in Mississauga.
The cemetery relocation was completed by October 2001. The new cemetery was set up as close as possible to the original. A genealogist, Brian Gilchrist, was given the responsibility of seeking out living descendants to inform them of the relocation and gather genealogical information and recollections of descendants. The genealogical research to identify descendants of the deceased still continues, even though the relocation is complete. The Elmbank/Fifth Line Mission cemetery is the largest historic cemetery in Ontario ever to be relocated.
Click on ‘the people’ link, which will open the Genealogical Research Program. Then, click on Existing List of Burials link to access the database containing the alphabetical list of known burials in Elmbank Roman Catholic Cemetery and any information learned about these individuals in the course of the genealogical research carried out by Mr. Gilchrist.
Milwaukee Catholic Cemeteries, Wisconsin
www.cemeteries.org/home.asp
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee Catholic Cemeteries website contains a Burial Records database. The database contains the records of its eight Catholic cemeteries—All Saints, Mount Olivet, Calvary, Resurrection, Holy Cross, Saint Adalbert, Holy Trinity, and Saint Joseph—within four counties in Southeastern Wisconsin. As noted on the website, it does not contain the more than 100 parish-operated Catholic cemeteries located within the ten counties of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
Click on the Genealogy link to access the burial records database. It is searchable by last name, first name and date of death. Search results are returned in the form of the deceased’s complete name. Click on this link to view the detailed record. The data fields include name, date of death, date of burial, age at death, marital status, last address, funeral home, cemetery, and location of the grave. Beneath the detailed record is a link, which will enable you search for nearby graves using block, section, row, lot and grave number indicators. This is feature can help you to identify the individuals buried in the vicinity of your family member.
There are also short biographical sketches for selected famous people who are buried in the eight Archdiocese of Milwaukee Catholic Cemeteries.
Famous Economists
http://web.uvic.ca/~rutherfo/mr_grvs.html
Did you ever wonder where all the famous economists were buried? If so, you should check out Famous Economists' Grave Sites. This website is maintained by Malcolm Rutherford, Department of Economics at the University of Victoria. British Columbia. This web page contains information on the gravesites of famous economists. Where possible original photographs are included.
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Stories of Interest
Ancestral Allure
This week’s New York Times magazine included an interesting article by columnist Virginia Heffernan. Heffernan says that “The dewy and innocent milkmaid at the center of Thomas Hardy’s tragic novel 'Tess of the d’Urbervilles' is destroyed not by rape or heartbreak; what does her in is genealogy.”
Family Album: Following the Trail
Violinist Daniel Hope was born in South Africa to an Irish father and a mother with German roots. The world-renowned musician has written a book that “folds his personal history into an epic of families displaced to South Africa by famine in Ireland and the Nazis in Germany.”
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From the Online Genealogist
Question
I am looking to obtain an obituary from a newspaper in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada from 1979. Since my local library does not have these papers, can I order these online?
Answer
I contacted the Victoria, B.C., library regarding your request. The newspaper you will need is the Victoria Times. The paper is not currently online for the year you need. You can make a request for the obituary via your public library through InterLibrary Loan. The Victoria public library will supply you with a photocopy from their microfilm as an Interlibrary Loan request. You simply need to request your own public library to send a note on your behalf to bvi_ill@gvpl.ca. They request that your library's name and address is on your request so staff do not assume the request is coming from an individual.
David Allen Lambert is the Society’s Online Genealogist. If you would like to ask him a question, contact him at onlinegenealogist@nehgs.org or visit his blog at www.davidlambertblog.com. For more information about the Online Genealogist visit www.newenglandancestors.org/research/main/online_genealogist.asp. Please note that he will make every effort to reply to each message, but will respond on a first-come, first-served basis.
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Upcoming Education Programs
Each year the Society presents a number of dynamic lectures, seminars, and tours for genealogists and the general public. Programs are held at 101 Newbury Street unless otherwise indicated. For more information, please contact Ryan Woods at 617-226-1226 or rwoods@nehgs.org.
The following programs will be held January 2008:
By Faith Alone
Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 6:30 pm
Join NEHGS for a special evening with distinguished journalist and CNBC anchor Bill Griffeth as he discuses his new book, By Faith Alone: One Family’s Epic Journey Through American Protestantism. The lecture will be followed by a book signing and reception. A minimum $15 donation is requested. Please RSVP at 617-226-1226.
Lafayette in America 1824 and 1825
Monday, January 28, 2008, 6:30 pm
In conjunction with members of the French Heritage Society, Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati, the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Hampshire, the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Connecticut, and the Consulate General of France in Boston, NEHGS will co-host a talk by author Alan Hoffman on his new unabridged English translation of Auguste Levasseur’s Lafayette en Amérique en 1824 et 1825. A book signing and reception will follow. A minimum $20 donation is requested. Please RSVP at 617-226-1226.
New Visitor Welcome & Library Tour
Wednesday, February 6, 2008, 10:00 am
New visitors will participate in an introduction and orientation to the Society, including the opportunity to describe their research and have staff genealogists offer general advice on how to proceed. The free thirty-minute introductory lecture will be followed by a tour of the library.
Temples of the Arts and Sciences: Stories from British Historic Houses
Monday, February 11, 2008, 6:00 pm
Join NEHGS, the Royal Oak Foundation, and the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA for an engaging look at the rich legacy of British historic houses. Curt DiCamillo, Executive Director of the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA, will present his award-winning work on the importance of English country homes and their roles in diplomancy, scientific discover, and cultural advancement. To register, please visit www.royal-oak.org/lectures/index.htm or call 800-913-6565, exta. 201.
Researching in Scotland
Wednesday, February 13, 2008, 10:00 am
David C. Dearborn, FASG, will present a free lecture offering tips and techniques for Scottish reseach based on his recent trip to Scotland and England.
The Corpse in the Cellar
Wednesday, February 20, 2008, 10:00 am
Join NEHGS and Marilynne K. Roach, author of The Salem Witch Trials: a Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege, for an engaging tale of two sheriffs, the law, and what do with the corpse of debtor. A preview of Ms. Roach’s talk can be found in a previous issue of New England Ancestors magazine, Fall 2007, vol.8, no. 4 “The Corpse in the Cellar”
Seminars and Tours
For more information or to register for any of these events, please contact Ryan Woods at 617-226-1226 or rwoods@nehgs.org.
Weekend Research Getaway
#1 Thursday, February 7–Saturday, February 9, 2008
#2 Thursday, April 10–Saturday, April 12, 2008
Weekend Research Getaways in Boston are among the most popular NEHGS programs in recent years. Escape to 101 Newbury Street and experience a guided research program, with one-on-one consultations and special access to the collections. Whether you are a first-time participant or have participated in a guided research program before, an on-site visit to NEHGS with our expert staff is sure to further your research. Bring your charts and expect some breakthroughs!
Registration fees: $300 for the three-day program; $100 for a single day.
For more information visit www.newenglandancestors.org/education/main/winter08_main.asp
Technology and Genealogy Seminar
Friday, February 22–Saturday, February 23, 2008
NEHGS is proud to offer a two-day in-depth seminar exploring the important relationship between technology and genealogy. NEHGS staff experts will provide lectures, demonstrations, and discussions focusing on key aspects of technology in family history research. Topics will include internet search techniques, evaluations of genealogical software, use of PDAs in genealogical research, how scanning can improve your data collection, organizing your research with Microsoft, and digital assistance in the publishing age. Participants will also have an opportunity to enter a drawing for software packages, including Adobe Photoshop Elements and ACDSee PhotoManager.
Registration fee: $150
For more information visit www.newenglandancestors.org/Technology_Genealogy_Feb_2008.pdf
Quebec Research Tour
Sunday, June 15–Sunday, June 22, 2008
Celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec by joining NEHGS staff experts Michael J. Leclerc and Pauline Cusson for a research week in Montreal, Quebec. This unique opportunity will allow participants to take advantage of two premier Canadian repositories, the Société Généalogique Canadienne-Française (SGCF) and the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ). These archives hold documents from the earliest settlement of Quebec through the English period, down to the twentieth century. Participants will receive one-on-one consultations, providing guidance and suggestions for research. Whether your ancestors spoke French or English, the archival records will help you to break through your brick walls and discover where they came from.
Registration Fees (includes seven nights lodging at the Hôtel Les Suites Labelle): Single, $1,550; Double, $1,350; Double with non-participant, $1,850; Commuter, $775 (no lodging).
For more information visit www.newenglandancestors.org/Quebec_Tour_Jun_2008.pdf
Great Migration Tour to England
Tuesday, August 5–Friday, August 15, 2008
Based in Chelmsford, England, this inaugural Great Migration tour with Robert Charles Anderson will visit the historically significant locations in Essex and Hertfordshire associated with the families who migrated to New England in 1631, 1632, and 1633. The primary focus of the tour will be the migrations and activities connected to four influential ministers of the period: Thomas Hooker, John Eliot, Thomas Weld, and Roger Williams.
Registration fees: Registration is full. To be added to the wait-list, please contact Ryan Woods at rwoods@nehgs.org.
Other 2008 Tours
Massachusetts Archives Research Day
Thursday, March 27, 2008
For more information visit www.newenglandancestors.org/Mass_Archives_Mar_2008.pdf.
National Archives Research Day
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Come Home to New England
#1 Monday, June 23–Saturday, June 28, 2008
#2 Monday, August 11–Saturday, August 16, 2008
Salt Lake City Research Tour
Sunday, November 2–Sunday, November 9, 2008
For more information about NEHGS programs, visit http://www.newenglandancestors.org/education/main/ or email tour@nehgs.org.
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NEHGS Contact Information
We encourage you to email this newsletter to others who might be interested. To subscribe or view back issues of eNews, please visit http://www.newenglandancestors.org/education/articles/NEXUS_eNews/enews_homepage.asp.
NEHGS eNews, like all of our programs, is made possible through the generous contributions of our members. For more information about giving to NEHGS visit http://www.newenglandancestors.org/giving/.
To view the website of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, please visit http://www.newenglandancestors.org/.
To become a member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, please visit http://www.newenglandancestors.org/membership/levels/default.asp.
Copyright 2008, New England Historic Genealogical Society
101 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116
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