🦉 Sunday Owls

Greetings!  We at KHCPL in the Genealogy and Local History Department are hoping to recharge this blog.  Be on the lookout for new posts at this site in the coming weeks.  We hope to have everything from quick tips on doing research, information on events and sources, as well as articles on Howard County history and the people who lived here.  

Do you have the after-the-holidays January blahs?  KHCPL comes to the rescue with Genealogy for Sunday Owls on January 21st from 2 pm - 5:30 pm in the department.  You will need to register on the library's Events page to participate.  Spaces are filling quickly, so don't delay!  There is no charge.  All experience levels are welcome.  You will have access to our knowledgeable staff as well as all of our databases and physical materials.  

Come see our display Binding Wounds, Pushing Boundaries: African Americans in Civil War Medicine.  This exhibit comes from the US National Library of Medicine and will be on display until February 9th. 

Genealogy for Night Owls

Our 43rd lock-in for researchers of any experience level.  Genealogy for Night Owls!  We stay here in the library until midnight.  Midnight, I'm telling you.  We welcome researchers of any level.  No experience necessary.   There will be staff on hand to help anyone find out more about their family.  OR if you don't want to look for family, come see our large Howard County history collection.  We know of one person who is going to bring her boxes of photos to scan.  We have something for everyone.  A buffet dinner will be served at 5:45.  Cost is $15, payable in advance.  You must be here no later than 5:30, because that is when the doors are locked to the general public.  Did I mention door prizes?  And late night snacks?

Genealogy for Night Owls
Friday, April 26, 2019
5:15 P.M. - midnight
Register in the Genealogy & Local History Dept by April 23.
Kokomo-Howard County Public Library
220 N. Union
Kokomo, IN 46901
arussell@khcpl.org

Genealogy Short Classes

Have you heard about our Genealogy Short Classes?  Well....let me tell you about them.  GSC are being scheduled for Thursday evenings in the Genealogy & Local History Dept. from 6:00 - 7:00.  Currently, the classes are every other week.  The idea is to focus on just one topic per class and provide time for questions.  The schedule for April and May  2019 is as follows:

• Thursday, April 11 - Travel into History (Take a tour of the Genealogy & Local History Department. Learn about the book collection, the surname files, microfilmed newspapers, and the online resources available)
• Thursday,  April 25 -  Civil War in Howard County (Howard County’s involvement in the Civil War)
• Thursday, May 9 - Tell Your Stories (learn to write a narrative or give a presentation about your ancestor).
• Thursday, May 25- Scanners (earn how to use scanners to preserve your documents).

It is with great sadness that I post to this blog to tell you that Marcia Ford passed away March 12, 2019.  Her loss will be deeply felt.

Genealogy Humor

• What do you mean my grandparents didn't have any kids!
• Your idea of a fun vacation includes a library, a courthouse and a couple of cemeteries.
• You introduce your children as your descendants.
• Sure a real job would be nice, but it would interfere with my genealogy.

KHCPL Will Close at 5:30 p.m. on Mon, Dec.31 & Will Be Closed on Tue, Jan. 1

All library locations will close at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 31 & will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 1 for New Years.  Visit the library and the Genealogy and Local History Department online at www.KHCPL.org

KHCPL Will Be Closed, Sunday, Dec. 23 through Tuesday, Dec. 25

All library locations will be closed Sunday, Dec. 23 through Tuesday, Dec. 25 for Christmas.  Visit the library and the Genealogy and Local History Department online at www.KHCPL.org

Genealogy Short Class - Newspaper Databases

The next Genealogy Short Class will be on Newspaper Databases Thursday, December 13, from 6 to 7 p.m.  With KHCPL, you have access to the Newspaper Archive database, which provides millions of digitized pages of content from more than 6,000 newspapers throughout North America, the UK, and other selected countries.  Learn how to use it in your research.  Registration is required.  Register online at www.KHCPL.org

KHCPL Will Be Closed, Friday, Dec. 14

All library locations will be closed Friday, December 14 for Staff Training Day.  Visit the library and the Genealogy and Local History Department online at www.KHCPL.org

Genealogy Short Class - Howard County Memory Project

The next Genealogy Short Class will be on the Howard County Memory Project Thursday, Dec. 6, from 6 to 7 p.m.  KHCPL began digitizing local high school yearbooks in 2002 and has since added church, cemetery, Bible info pages, court, and marriage records, and more.  Learn how to use the Howard County Memory Project  in your family research.  Registration is required.  Register online at www.KHCPL.org.

Genealogy Humor

• Aspire to Inspire before you Expire.
• Take nothing but ancestors, leave nothing but records.
• Genealogy: Where you confuse the dead and irritate the living.
• Research: What I am doing, when I don't know what I am doing.
• Cousins marrying cousins: A non-branching family tree.

Genealogy Short Class - Ancestry Library Edition

The next Genealogy Short Class will be on using Ancestry Library Edition, Thursday, November 29, from 6 to 7 p.m. at KHCPL-Main.  If you love Ancestry.com, but not the cost, you can use AncestryLibraryEdition free at any of the branches of the Kokomo Howard County Public Library.  Take the class to learn how.  Registration for the class is required.  Register online at www.KHCPL.org.

KHCPL Will Be Closed, Thursday, Nov. 22 and Friday, Nov. 23

All library locations will be closed Thursday, Nov. 22 and Friday, Nov. 23 for Thanksgiving.  Visit the library and the Genealogy and Local History Department online at www.KHCPL.org

Genealogy Short Class - Scanners

The next Genealogy Short Class will be on Scanners, Thursday, November 15, from 6 to 7 p.m. Learn how to use a photo scanner to save your photos electronically.  We will teach you.  Registration is required.  Register online at www.KHCPL.org.

100th Anniversary of the End of World War I

Today is the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.  This was called "The Great War" and it began in 1914 and ended November 11, 1918.  We honor those who served then and now.  We will always remember. 

Howard County Genealogical Society Meeting

The Howard County Genealogical Society will meet Monday, November 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. in Meeting Rooms A & B at KHCPL Main.  Amy Russell will present a program on our latest project.  The Indiana State Library has awarded the Kokomo- Howard County Public Library and the Howard County Historical Society a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services. KHCPL and the Historical Society will be digitizing local Civil War documents.
The public is welcome to attend the meeting and for more information call 765-626-0839.  Visit the Genealogy and Local History Department online at www.KHCPL.org.

Genealogy Short Classes

The Genealogy & Local History Department always has new and exciting programs to offer.  The latest is the Genealogy Short Class.  Various topics will be covered in these classes, so be sure to mark your calendar on the following Thursdays from 6-7 p.m. so that you don't miss out.  Registration is required.  Register online.

• Genealogy Short Class: Genealogy Charts - Nov. 8
• Genealogy Short Class: Scanners - Nov. 15
• Genealogy Short Class: Ancestry Library Edition - Nov. 29
• Genealogy Short Class: Howard County Memory Project - Dec. 6
• Genealogy Short Class: Newspaper Databases - Dec. 13

Genealogy Humor

• Searching for lost relatives?  Win the lottery.
• Genealogy: A haystack full of needles.  It's the threads I need.
• My family tree is a few branches short! Help appreciated.
• Genealogical Bonsai - Little Family Trees.
• It takes about five years for a walnut tree to produce nuts, but this is not true of a family tree.

Genealogy Silent Auction - Still Time

There is still time to get your bid in for the "Silent Auction" of duplicate or superseded genealogical and historical materials during the month of October.  See a list of what is available on the website at www.KHCPL.org or view the items in the department.  You can enter a bid by filling out the form on the website or in person at the library.  We may have the treasure that you have been looking for.  The bidding ends October 31 and you will be notified if your bid was the winning bid.  For more information call the department at 765-626-0839.

Research Trip to Ft Wayne

An all day research trip to The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library will be offered on Saturday, November 3, 2018.  Participants will carpool and leave the parking lot behind the Main Library at 7:30 am, arriving back in Kokomo at approximately 7:30 pm.  The group will stop at a restaurant in Fort Wayne before returning to Kokomo.  For required registration, call 765.626.0839.