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Bucks County
Genealogical Society
February Newsletter
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President's Message
To all BCGS Members and Friends:
Hope you are all warm, cozy and safe. We finally got that winter that was waiting in the wings. Brr!
Recently, I read about a practice used in Zen temples after their morning meditation. It is called
Soji.
The Zen master gives everyone a chore to do to help clean the Temple and a timer is set for 20 minutes. Your job is to do the task, whether it is one you like or not, and do it silently and without ambition to finish. At the end, you stop and go onto your next thing whether you are finished or not. The article used this concept to get you to do the most boring, hated chores. It is supposed to make you mindful of the moment, as well.
So, what does this have to do with genealogy? It occurred to me that I spend much of my time attending webinars, reading about genealogy and going to meetings, and not so much time doing genealogy. This may help you and me. So what if you use the list of your research goals or write each thing you want to accomplish in genealogy on a piece of paper and put it into a "Honey Do" jar. Put your hand in and pick a task, set the alarm for 20 minutes and put your mind to the task.
I don't know about you, but during the winter I hibernate and find it difficult to get things done. Twenty minutes is not all that long and you might be surprised in what you can accomplish. Maybe you will actually get some genealogy done and you won't find yourself spending hours trolling the web for random information. Just an idea. Tick Tock...
Mary C. Butash, President
Bucks County Genealogical Society
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Join us for our next meeting on
Saturday, March 5, 2016
10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon
at the David Library of the American Revolution
1201 River Road, Washington Crossing, PA
(Park behind the building and use the Conference Center entrance)
SCRAPBOOKING YOUR FAMILY TREE
Presented by Marge Farbman
How do you get those boxes of photos under control, and then, what do you do with them? How do you do it? And why bother? Some how-tos, some advice and some solutions for getting your family photos under control and easily shared with all of your family.
About the speaker:
Marge Farbman has a varied and concurrent career background: 30 years in interior design, 15 years as a fundraiser, and 15 years as a scrapbooking teacher, consultant and screpbook designer for clients.
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The meeting is open to the public. Reservations are not required.
Cost is $5 for BCGS members and $10 for non-members.
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HELP! REFRESHMENTS ARE NEEDED!
Bring coffee from Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts (you will be reimbursed at the meeting) or supply a snack...cookies, small muffins, donut holes, etc. (your meeting fee will be discounted).
Did you know there is a Dunkin' Donuts shop in Washington Crossing PA?
It's on the right on Rt 532 just east of the Taylorsville Rd traffic light in a small strip mall. Getting coffee has never been easier. Call them on Friday at 215-321-3700, place your order, and pick it up on the way to the meeting. Remember to get the receipt and our treasurer will reimburse you.
Please call Marilyn Cook at 215-348-8956
to volunteer for our next meeting.
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Steve Lemken has been a member of BCGS since 2014. He lives in the Newtown area and frequently arrives at BCGS meetings wearing his terrific hat!
While at a meeting a few months ago, Steve mentioned that he has a 10' x 3' wall chart at his home in Co Sligo, Ireland, listing about 800 names of people who are linked to two ancestors - Steve's great, great grandparents who were born before the Great Famine - John (1837- 1910) and Mary (nee Donagher) Egan (1842-1917) of Cletty townland. T
he wall chart is on the back of wrapping paper, and Steve commented that he will have to get better paper!
Steve is enthusiastic about the Ballymote Heritage Group (BHG) in Ireland which holds annual 4-day conferences in the first weekend of August - with lectures each evening and day tours to historical sites. BHG publishes an annual newsletter,
The Corran Herald.
Steve has attended the conferences since 1998.
The above photo shows a plaque next to Steve which he donated to honor his ancestors in Knockbrack Cemetery, the local graveyard for the parishes of Keash and Culfadda.
He gave enough details in the space provided so that anyone could find the folks listed on it - or find Steve by the information at the bottom of the plaque.
There is an interesting article about Steve in the July 2015/2016 issue of
The Corran Herald.
Read
Case Study: Steve Lemken
on the third page of this link
:
The Corran Herald
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HELP DESK FOR BEGINNERS
Are you a beginner and want some help or suggestions for your
research?
Come early to the BCGS meeting on Mar. 5th and look for the Beginners Corner. Mary Butash will be there from 9:30 to 10:00 to answer your questions.
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Save the date - Nov. 12, 2016
10th Annual Bucks CountyAncestry Fair
We are working to engage speakers for the Ancestry Fair. The speakers have many topics on which they can lecture, and they usually ask us to choose.
We want your input.
What topics would you like to hear at the Ancestry Fair?
Send your suggestions to Joann Cosgrove, Chair of the Ancestry Fair Speakers Committee, at
[email protected]
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OFFICE SPACE IS NEEDED!
We're looking for small (200 sq. ft.) and affordable office space in Central Bucks area...ideally in Washington Crossing but other locations might work.
BCGS has lots of papers, books, and equipment stored at the homes of various members. We would like to have a central place to store these items and make them available to members.
If you know of anyone who has a small office to rent, or can think of a location where we might look, please contact Pat Gessner, VP-Membership, at
[email protected]
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We're still working on the Database!
We have
321,084 searchable names on our free database. Volunteers are working on other records to put them in a format that can be posted.
Keep checking and you may find a record for your ancestor. Here is the link:
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BCGS NEWSLETTER CHANGES
We've changed the template for the BCGS newsletter and are now using one that is "mobile responsive".
Some changes are for your easy access. There are links at the top of the newsletter to our website and Facebook page; and our logo is a clickable link to our website.
Other changes might help those of you who look at the newsletter on a smartphone or tablet. If you experienced distortion in the past with fonts or photos, that should no longer occur.
If you have any difficulty viewing our newsletters and meeting reminders, please let me know. Also, if you have suggestions for the newsletter, please send them to me. I'd love to hear from you. Pat Gessner, VP-Membership, at
[email protected]
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Research Tip
Have you looked at USGenWeb Project? There are links to free genealogy sites for almost every county and every state in the United States.
Here is the link:
usgenweb.org
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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?
See this list of the 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.
- Free scanning of documents is available by appointment.
- 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.
- FindMyPast: 50% discount on annual membership
- 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 and to get access to the above discounts, contact Pat Gessner, VP-Membership at
[email protected]
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Bucks County Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 826, Washington Crossing, PA 18977
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