|
|
 Bucks County
Genealogical Society
July 2014 Newsletter
|
|
|
|
|
2014 MEETING DATES
August 2
September 6
October 4
November 1
December 6 |
|
|
You know that you are taking genealogy too seriously if...
Your house leans slightly toward the side where your genealogy records are kept.
You are the only person to show up at a cemetery research event with a shovel.
|
|
|
|
 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Greetings to all BCGS Members and Friends, I hope you're all enjoying the summer, going on research trips, doing some cemetery stomping, and hopefully finding the time for a little relaxing as well. At BCGS, there are no formal meetings in July, but the Board and some of our volunteers got together for a BBQ at my house - a great opportunity to stay connected, and a fun time!
At the August Board meeting, the Board will discuss appointing a nominating committee for the upcoming elections for next year's Board. Please see the article in this newsletter which further explains the process, and don't hesitate to contact me, or any of the Board members, if you have questions and/or are interested in serving.
Our membership and mailing list continues to grow, with 222 members now, and 532 on our mailing list. Our exceptional Board is working very hard to provide great programs, and increased online access to Bucks County genealogical records. It's very gratifying to see that this hard work is recognized and reflected in the membership growth. As a team, we can do more than we can do alone!
I'm really looking forward to our August meeting, especially since we haven't met since June. I will be speaking on overcoming the brick walls in your research, and I'm sure everyone who attends will learn something helpful. See you then!
Warm Regards, |
|
SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 2014
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
at the David Library of the American Revolution
1201 River Road, Washington Crossing, PA
(Park behind the building and use the Conference Center entrance.)____________________________ COLD CASE: BLASTING BRICK WALLS  All genealogists encounter a dead end, or "brick wall", at some point in their research. Often, these obstacles can be overcome using good detective work. This presentation will cover strategies to help you climb over, dig under, and blast right through those barriers in your family research. About the speaker:  Christine Roberts is the Founder and Charter President of the Bucks County Genealogical Society, and serves on the First Families Committee of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania. Christine is also a member of the National Genealogical Society, the New York Genealogical and Historical Society, the New England Historical and Biographical Society, and the Association of Professional Genealogists. In her non-genealogy life, Christine is a Certified Public Accountant, working in real estate finance and development. _______ The meeting is open to the public. Cost for members is $5 and for non-members it is $10.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SAVE THE DATE
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014
The Eighth Annual Bucks County Ancestry Fair will be held at the Bucks County Visitor Center, 3207 Street Road, Bensalem, PA. This year the event will be sponsored by the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania and the Bucks County Genealogical Society.
The schedule includes two tracks of speakers: general research including beginning genealogy, and military research. There will also be plenty of time to explore the tables of 20 vendors to gather information for your genealogy research.
This free event will be held from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. There is ample free parking. Although there will be no food vendors on site, there is a lunch room available for your use and there are many restaurants nearby.
Mark your calendar and plan to spend the day in Bensalem!
|
NOMINATING COMMITTEE TO BE APPOINTED
The BCGS by-laws state that a three-member nominating committee must be appointed in September to present a slate of officers at the October meeting. Elections are held in November. Below is a listing of the Executive Board - 6 Officers and 2 Directors - of the Society and a brief description of their duties. If you are interested in serving on the Nominating Committee or the Executive Board, please contact BCGS President Chris Roberts at [email protected]Some of the duties of officers and directors are: President: official representative of the Society, provides leadership and direction, presides at all meetings.
First Vice President-Membership: chairs membership committee, maintains membership records, manages newsletter.
Second Vice President-Programs & Eduction: chairs Programs & Education committee, coordinates monthly meetings and events including speaker and location.
Third Vice President-Projects & Research: chairs Projects & Research committee, identifies and implements projects which meet the Society's mission.
Secretary: keeps permanent record of of Executive Board, special meetings, annual meeting, maintains corporate files.
Treasurer: maintains financial records, provides monthly and annual reports to the Executive Board.
Director-Public Relations: ensures that all events are promoted online, in newspapers, and events calendars.
Director-Website: manages the Society's website, ensuring that the content accurately reflects activities of the Society.
|
NATIONAL ARCHIVES AT PHILADELPHIA UPDATE
The NARA Market Street location is closed as of July 3, 2014.
The NARA Townsend Road location is open for researchers wishing to use original records (that is, paper and photographs; not digitized or online). Researchers must make an appointment. NARA cannot accommodate researchers without an appointment at this time.
Public Access computers and microfilm will not be available at Townsend Road until sometime this fall.
14700 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Email: [email protected]
|
DATABASE UPDATE!
Here are the latest additions to the BCGS database as of July 19, 2014:
- Cemetery transcriptions from St. James Lutheran Church, Chalfont
- Cemetery transcriptions from Tullytown Cemetery, 1810-1988
- Baptisms and marriages from the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Durham, 1813-1939
And as of July 19, 2014 the BCGS database contains:
20,675 birth and baptism records
13,105 marriage records
52,503 death and burial records
187,618 total searchable names
To begin your search, go to www.bucksgen.org and click on "Search the BCGS Database."  Your feedback is welcome! Please email me, Nancy Heath, at [email protected] with your comments.
|
|
HELP WANTED!!
Joann Cosgrove, VP - Projects
|
What happens to your Ancestry.com family tree
after you cancel your subscription?
When your subscription is cancelled, Ancestry.com will allow you to have access as a Registered Guest at no cost and will keep your tree on the site even though you no longer have a subscription.
You will be able to sign in to the account with your username and password. As a registered guest, you will be able to do add/remove people and photos, change names and dates, and change the name of your tree. You will be able to search any of the free databases and attach information from them to your tree. The Ancestry.com Learning Center will also be available with tutorials, articles, and videos free of charge.
There are some things that are not available. For instance, you will not be able to view the original image or transcription of records, and you will not be able to attach the records from the hints or search results. For more information, click on the Ancestry.com "Help" button, type in the title of this article, and click "Search Online Help".
What happens to your tree when you die? It remains on the Ancestry.com site in perpetuity.
|
|
"EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY"
AUGUST 7th WALKING TOUR IN QUAKERTOWN, PA
The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania (GSP), in conjunction with McCoole's Red Lion Inn, the Quakertown Historic Society, the Upper Bucks Chamber of Commerce and the Richland Library Company, will sponsor "Eat, Drink and Be Merry" Thursday evening, August 7, in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. A walking tour will begin at 5:45 at McCoole's Arts and Events Place, which will include the Burgess Foulke House, McCoole's, Liberty Hall, and the Richland Library Company, and offer a rare opportunity to explore the sites and learn the histories of the repositories. Following the tour a buffet dinner and beer tasting will be offered at McCoole's.
Tickets are $50 in advance, $60 at the door. To register for the event, visit www.genpa.org. For more information on the event, please contact Nancy Janyszeski at [email protected].
|
Bucks County Libraries Online Survey
The Bucks County libraries want your thoughts on music, genealogy, banking, shopping online, etc. using the library services. The county library system is working with the University of Washington to conduct a survey on Internet and computer use. Here is the link if you would like to take the survey:
If you haven't used the Bucks County library online sources, take a look at the A-Z Resources available on the library website, www.buckslib.org. You have free access to genealogy sites (Ancestry.com and HeritageQuest), lots of classes, and instructional information. Some resources require a library card and PIN and may be available only at the library computers. Check with your local branch for more information.
|
TECH TIP
Do you know about Google Docs and Forms? Check out this 10 minute video for something that you might use for your genealogy records:
|
COMPREHENSIVE EVENTS CALENDAR
 Click the link for a listing of upcoming genealogy events for our organization and others in our area:
|
|
Have you looked at our Facebook page?
Cathy Ivins, BCGS Director of Publicity, posts great genealogy information almost every day. Click here and take a look...
www.facebook.com/bucksgen
|
Membership Fees for One Year Membership
Individual: $20 Dual/Household: $35 Organization: $75
Our membership fees help to pay for speakers, facility rental, website costs, insurance and more. Membership in BCGS is on a rolling basis and lasts one year from the month you join. Won't you join and help us continue to grow?
Member Benefits - with more to come: - Discount on Society educational programs and events.
- Members can have their surnames posted on our website with a link to the member's email address.
- Members-Only section of the BCGS website. Participate in discussion forums, share files, photos, and information with other members; see members' favorite genealogical websites and contribute your own.
- Meeting handouts are available to members unable to attend the Society's regular monthly meetings.
- GenealogyBank: 20% ($14) discount - members may subscribe for $55.95 per year.
- Fold3: 37% ($30) discount - members may subscribe for $49.95 per year.
- Saving Memories Forever: 12% discount - members may receive a one-year premium subscription for $35.00.
- Dell Purchase Program: provides discounts on products sold through the Dell website to FGS member societies' members, their families, and their friends. BCGS is a member of FGS (Federation of Genealogical Societies) and the discounts are available to our members.
Join or renew by mail using our membership application/renewal form, on line on the Society's website via PayPal or by paying with cash or check at our next meeting. And, we now have the ability to accept credit card payments at our monthly meetings! If you have questions, please contact: [email protected]
|
|
More information about us:
|
|
|