Howard County Genealogical Society Meeting

HCGS will meet Saturday, November 6th at 10:00 am-12:00 pm, at the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library - Meeting Rooms A&B. The speaker will be Ron Tetrick with a presentation on Lindley Cemetery. The public is welcome and for more information, call 457-3242.
Visit the Genealogy & Local History Department online at www.KHCPL.org/glhs.

Open for Business

The Kokomo-Howard County Public Library has moved back to its renovated building after being in temporary locations for just over a year. The Genealogy & Local History Department is happy to be back "home" in the Lower Level of the library after a year out on its own. GLHD has new hours which are not the same as the rest of the library. Be sure to note that we are open: Monday-9:00 a.m to 8:00 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday-9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday-9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. We are closed on Sundays.
Our new (old) address is now 220 North Union Street, Kokomo, Indiana 46901-4614. The new (old) phone is 765-457-3242.
Be sure to visit our beautiful remodeled building. You won't believe your eyes.

We Are Moving Back

The library has already started the task of moving back into its renovated building at 220 North Union Street, Kokomo, Indiana 46901. This picture is of our new patron entrance off the library parking lot. The Genealogy & Local History Department will close down September 22 and will begin to also move back "home". We have enjoyed our year in our temporary location, but it will be nice to be back together with our colleagues. While the department is closed for the move, be sure to visit our online resources at www.KHCPL.org/glhs and also the Howard County Memory Project at http://www.howardcountymemory.net/ . While we are closed, you can access Ancestry Library Edition by visiting our branch libraries - KHCPL South and KHCPL Russiaville. The public is invited to attend our Grand Opening Sunday, October 10 from 2:00-5:00 p.m. See you there.

Paper and Document Preservation Workshop

Sign up for this new class to learn how to clean, store, and display your family's keepsakes as well as how to repair and preserve books, documents, and photos. This class will be held at KHCPL South on Tuesday, September 21, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. For required registration, call the Genealogy & Local History Department at 765-450-5885.
Visit the Genealogy Department online at www.KHCPL.org/glhs

Renovations are Progressing

As the library completes its renovations downtown and gets ready to move back, be sure to continue to visit us at our temporary 4053 S Webster Street location. We are still open and eager for your business. We will let you know when we will be closing down for the move. During the move back, be sure to take advantage of our extensive online resources at www.KHCPL.org/glhs. View pictures of the building renovation at www.KHCPL.org.

Increase in Genealogy Patrons

GLHD has noticed an increase in the number of patrons making use of the research facility. Could it be because of the television program “Faces of American” with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. which was on PBS in February & March? The show highlighted 12 renowned Americans. Could it be the current television program “Who Do You Think You Are?” with Lisa Kudrow? This show is on NBC on Friday nights. The show was recently picked up for another season, so it will have new and fresh faces this fall. Could it be Brigham Young University’s “Generations Project” at http://www.byu.tv.edu/ where they present average, everyday people and their family history stories? Could it be the Genealogy & Local History Department’s new BLOG at http://khcplgenealogy.blogspot.com/ (or link to it from the Genealogy page at www.KHCPL.org/glhs )? This makes it easy to keep up with the events and news from the department and the Howard County Genealogical Society. Could it be that people heard me on the WWKI radio program “MaleCall” at 100.5 fm talking about the resources here in the department? If you missed it, you can replay the pod cast by going to http://www.wwki.com/ . There could be many reasons why there is a noticeable increase in the interest in genealogy, but it is probably because people are realizing that they want to learn about the lives of their ancestors and in turn where they themselves come from. Remember, your genealogy research is never done, so come in and visit the Genealogy & Local History Department and see what we can do for you.

GLHD Open House Invitation

Who: Genealogy & Local History Dept & the Howard County Genealogical Society
What: Open House & Information Event
When: Saturday, April 17, 2010 - 12 Noon - 3 p.m.
Where: 4053 South Webster St, Kokomo, Indiana
You are cordially invited to join us for tours of our temporary facility, to view demonstrations of our databases, and to learn how and where to start your genealogy research. HCGS members will be on hand to answer questions about the society. You will receive a free Genealogy Beginner's Packet and door prizes will be given away. No registration required.
See you Saturday.

Genealogy Podcast

Last week, I was invited on the WWKI radio program MaleCall to talk about genealogy & what we have available in the Genealogy & Local History Department.

You can listen to the podcast at http://www.wwki.com/.

Howard County Genealogical Society Meeting

During the winter months the HCGS meets on Saturday mornings, but spring is here so we have switched our meetings back to the first Monday night of the month. The next HCGS meeting will be Monday, April 5 from 6-8 pm at the South Branch library. Our speaker will be Renny Simmons with a program on "The Interurban in Elwood and Surrounding Areas". Don't forget to pay your dues so you can keep informed and enjoy the fun.

Local Author Norman Bridwell

Norman Bridwell, author of the popular Clifford the Big Red Dog books was born in Kokomo and has never forgotten his roots. Several family pictures can be viewed as our most recent addition to the Howard County Memory Project at

http://www.howardcountymemory.net/default.aspx?id=9356

2010 Census

Now is the time to stand up and be counted. We as genealogy enthusiasts sometimes forget that the Census was not created just so that we could find our ancestors.

Census data affects more than $400 billion per year in federal funding for public health, transportation, school classrooms and teachers, libraries, water and sewer services, electric lines, natural gas service, computer broadband, roads and highways, fire and police protection--and much more. The head count alone determines the number of representatives your state will have to Congress, and that your local district will have in your state legislative bodies. If enough people in your area avoid the census, then you could lose representation in your government.

The census consists of 10 questions which will take you about 10 minutes. Census questionnaires will be delivered to each household in March. Between April and July 2010, Census takers will visit households that did not return the census form by mail. For more information and to see the questions go to http://2010.census.gov/

"Who Do You Think You Are?"

This is the title of a new prime time series to air Friday, March 5 at 8/7 Central on NBC. Ancestry.com and NBC will bring us the stories of seven notable people, Sarah Jessica Parker, Emmitt Smith, Lisa Kudrow, Mathew Broderick, Brooke Shields, Susan Sarandon and Spike Lee. This program also highlights the ideas and research strategies that will benefit our own search for family stories.
Also, don't forget the last in the series "Faces of America". This inspiring series ends tomorrow night on PBS at 8 p.m. with the last installment. I hope you are enjoying it as much as I have.
We are very fortunate to have these programs. What a plus for the genealogy world. Enjoy.
Visit the Genealogy Department online at www.KHCPL.org/glhs

Genealogy Program on TV Tonight (Again)

Just a reminder to tune in to the genealogy program Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr at 8 pm on PBS tonight. This is the second of the series. See Blog post below for more details.

Visit the Genealogy Department online at www.KHCPL.org/glhs

Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial

Betty Jane Hylton, Co-cordinator, Washington Co. TN - TNGenWeb Page has announced that the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development has launched a Civil War Sesquicentennial Site. The site will honor the five-year commemoration of the war from 2011 through 2015. It includes History, Timeline, Trails, Events, Attractions, and Teaching Tools.
Check this out.
http://tnvacation.com/civil-war/

Genealogy Program on TV Tonight

With it snowing and blowing outside, it is a good time to watch a little extra television. So get that hot cup of cocoa, a nice warn afghan and tune in to PBS at 8 pm tonight. The genealogy program Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr will be on. This series will be on Wednesdays, February 10-March 3. Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. uses the latest tools of genealogy and genetics to explore the family histories of 12 renowned Americans. His guests include Yo-Yo Ma, Queen Noor, Malcolm Gladwell, Eva Longoria Parker, Mike Nichols, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Meryl Streep, Stephen Colbert, Louise Erdrich, Kristi Yamaguchi, Elizabeth Alexander, and Mario Batali.
Visit the Genealogy Department online at www.KHCPL.org/glhs

HCGS Feb Meeting Cancelled

Because of the weather, we are going to cancell the Howard County Genealogy Society meeting scheduled for tomorrow and the speaker will be rescheduled. Our next meeting will be Sat, March 6 at KHCPL South. Our newsletters are now available for pick up at the Genealogy Department on South Webster St. Stop by anytime this week to receive yours, after that they will be mailed.

Genealogy Basics Class

Are you new to genealogy? Do you wish you knew how to start and where to start your research? Taking a class is the answer to your questions. Saturday, Feb 20 - 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. we will offer our Genealogy Basics Class for you first time genealogy researchers. Learn where to begin your research, methodology & organizational tips. The class will be held at the KHCPL South. For required registration call the Genealogy & Local History Department at 765-450-5885.
Visit us online at www.KHCPL.org/glhs

All You Need is Friends

Everyone needs friends and the Genealogy and Local History Department is very fortunate to have a whole group of friends called the Howard County Genealogical Society. This group provides support by way of volunteers, financial support, and moral support. This group helps out in the department, helps with events that we offer to the community, and even purchases books for the collection. This year’s officers are President – Marcia Ford; 1st Vice President – Patty Callahan; 2nd Vice President – Cindy Stover; Secretary - Tracey Morris; Treasurer – Janice Blanchard. You do not need to have ancestors from Howard County to join the Society, just an interest in family research. Dues are $15 a year and include the quarterly newsletter. Meetings are held at 10:30 a.m. on the first Saturday of the month November through March and at 6:00 p.m. on the first Monday of the month April through October. Call the Genealogy and Local History Department at 450-5885 for more information.
Visit us online at www.KHCPL.org/glhs

Funeral Notices Now Online

Our very latest addition to the Howard County Memory Project just went live a few hours ago. This collection is local Funeral Notices. Funeral Notices were published and delivered to people in the community as handbills. Locally, this custom began in the 1800’s and continued into the early 1900’s. The information in a Funeral Notice usually included name of the deceased, family names, date of death, date and location of services, clergy in charge of services, place of interment and sometimes pall bearers, and served as an invitation to the funeral. This method of communication was used before the telephone, the Internet and the other methods we use today. See this latest collection and enjoy our other local history offerings at http://www.howardcountymemory.net/. Click on Collections > Local History > Funeral Notices. Special thanks to Janet, our Digitization Coordinator.

Visits us online at www.KHCPL.org/glhs/

Newspapers in Genealogy Research class

The GLHD offers classes throughout the year and our next class will be "Newspapers in Genealogy Research". You will learn the value of the information found in newspapers from your ancestral community. These are the very newspapers that your ancestors may have read. The types of information that can be found and how to access various newspapers will be discussed. This class will be held Tuesday, January 19 from 6-8 pm at KHCPL South. For required registration call the Genealogy Department at 450-5885.

Visit us online at www.KHCPL.org/glhs/

A New Temporary Home

The Genealogy & Local History Department is now located in our temporary home at 4053 South Webster Street, Kokomo, Indiana 46902. Phone: 765-450-5885. Our hours are Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri: 10am-5:30pm -- Thurs: 10am-8pm -- Sat: 10am-3pm.
Join us at our new temporary location for your genealogy needs.

Visit us online at www.KHCPL.org/glhs/