19th Century U.S. Newspapers had a New Look!

19th Century U.S. Newspaper, one of our most extensive and well used databases has updated their website!  As its name suggests, 19th Century U.S. Newspapers is a massive repository of newspapers from all areas of the United States from the 19th century.  All of these newspapers are completely searchable.  And the new website makes searching easier!

The main page contains a single search field.  There are options to search newspaper text or keywords associated with the articles and to limit your search by date of publication.  We recommend navigating to the Advanced Search page for more options.

On the Advanced Search page you can search for multiple terms at once by adding each new term into a search field.  As on the main page you can limit the search by date of publication.  You can also limit the search by article type (obituaries, news articles, business news, etc.), location, and publication title.  You can either type the publication title or location you wish to search into the search field or browse the available titles and locations in the 19th Century U.S. Newspapers database.  A new option is the ability to turn on Fuzzy Search, which searches the database for words with a similar spelling to your search terms, allowing you to see spelling variations or possible misspellings of the search term.

From the search results page you can narrow down your results by article type and date of publication.  You can also search for a new term within the results of the original.

We've updated our instructions on using 19th Century U.S. Newspapers to reflect the changes.  These instructions can be viewed under the Helpful Guides area of the Newspapers category on the Godfrey Scholar.

If you are interested in checking out 19th Century U.S. Newspapers, it is available in our digital library to Premium level Godfrey Scholars.  Sign up online or over the phone to become a Godfrey Scholar today!

This Week on the Scholar

From author's to politicians, the subjects of this week's new biographies are four incredible men from the history of the United States!

The Genius and Character of Emerson was the first book published by the Concord School of Philosophy recording a collection of nearly all the lectures in their complete form from one of their semester long courses.  The course, like the book, was titled "The Genius and Character of Emerson", and focuses on precisely that.  Lecture topics range from Emerson's relation to various places and people to how different cultures view his work.  A fascinating read for anyone interested in learning more about the great author.  The collection was edited by F. B. Sanborn.

Speaking of F.B. Sanborn, we finally fixed the errors from the original scanning of the first volume of his autobiography and added it to to Scholar!  Franklin Benjamin Sanborn was an author and a member of the Transcendentalist movement.  His two volume autobiography gives insight not only into his history, but also the changing path of his life's philosophy and opinions.

Everyone knows Theodore Roosevelt the rough rider 26th president of the United States.  But did you know, before he was president he owned a successful cattle ranch? Roosevelt in the Bad Lands chronicles the years of Roosevelt's life he spent in the Bad Lands, first as a four eyed tenderfoot who was the butt of everyone's jokes then later as a respected ranch owner who worked just as hard as any cowboy in his employ.

Finally we have the biography of William Pinkney.  Pinkney, born in Maryland in 1764, had a long and illustrious career.  He held many positions of importance in his life, including Mayor of Annapolis, Attorney General of Maryland, a Major in the War of 1812, Congressman, Senator, and. U.S. Minister to Russia.  The book was written by his nephew, the Rev. William Pinkney, D.D.

Biographies
The Genius and Character of Emerson*
The Life of William Pinkney*
Roosevelt in the Bad Lands*
Recollections of Seventy Years: F.B. Sanborn, Vol. 1*

Church Records 
Middletown Second Congregational Church: Historical Outline

*Searchable

 Not a Scholar?  Visit our website to subscribe or call the library at (860) 346-4375 to join today.

This Week on the Scholar

Thank you everyone for bearing with us while routine server maintenance delayed our regular uploads.  This week marks the last batch of books uploaded from our backlog!  In this final large batch of new books there is a nice variety of biographies, genealogies, church records, funeral records, and even a few military books.  Indexes for two new cemeteries and one volume of funeral home records were also added. 

We will continue to add new content to the Scholar, though not at quite the same volume as before.  Our goal is to focus on adding unique content from our collection that cannot be found anywhere else, such as the variety of handwritten records and portions of Fremont Rider's original collection.  If you know of something at the Godfrey you would like to see on the Scholar please let us know!

Biography
Mary Austen's Scrapbook*
Sketch of the Life and Work of Charles Barnard*
Memories of a Rear Admiral: S.R. Franklin*
Random Memories: Ernest Wadsworth Longfellow*

Cemeteries
Old Harwinton Cemetery, Harwinton, CT*
Indian River Cemetery, Clinton, CT*

Church Records from the Cromwell First Congregational Church, CT
Records of the Second Ecclesiastical Society 1821-1902
First Congregational Church Inc. Meetings 1929-1947
Accounts
Miscellaneous History from the State Library
Mr. Redfield's Letter
North Society of Middletown Ledger
North Society of Middletown Records
Pastoral Relations from 1830
Sermon of Rev. Huntington
Sabath School Records 1829-54
Subscription Lists
Sunday School Records 1905-10
Untitled Record Book

Funeral Records
Index to the Coughlin-Lastrina Funeral Home Records December 1914 to October 1918*
Roberts Funeral Home Burial Records from 1956 to 1959

Genealogies
Genealogy of Benjamin Cleveland*
The Johnson Family Genealogy*
Genealogy of the Libby Family in America*

Revolutionary War
Collections of the CT Historical Society Vol. 12: Lists and Returns of CT Men in the Revolution*


Civil War 
Memoirs of P.H. Sheridan, Vol. 2*
Sketches of the War, Vol. 3*

*Searchable

 Not a Scholar?  Visit our website to subscribe or call the library at (860) 346-4375 to join today.

Holiday Book Sale!

The Godfrey has the perfect holiday gifts for the genealogists and historians in your life: books!  More than 300 used Genealogy and History books are available for purchase.  

Topics include from Family Genealogies, Vital Records from across the United States, State and Local Histories, accounts of Military Histories, and much more!  Many of these books are out of print and incredibly difficult to find, even through online markets.  Don't miss this opportunity to give the genealogists and historians in your life a gift they won't forget, or pick something up for yourself!

Click on the links below for descriptions of books in each category.

Genealogies and Biographies

Genealogical Resource Books

Connecticut

New England

States other than New England

United States History

Immigration and International

Military

For convenient online buying we've listed many of our books on ebay.  Click the link in the book list and make your purchase.  Or call us at 860-346-4375.

Volunteer Highlight: Ruth Ann Downer and the Bible Project

The family Bible is a mainstay of genealogical research.  For some families, the Bible is where essential information about births, baptisms, marriages, and deaths are recorded for current and future generations.  Family photos, Mass cards, and other keepsakes are also sometimes inserted between the pages.  For the amateur or professional genealogist, getting hold of a family Bible can be a mother lode of family facts.

Over the years, the Godfrey Library accumulated a significant number of Bibles in its collection.  Most were purchased on eBay, the online auction service.  These Bibles may have gotten separated from their original owners for a variety of reasons:  some were lost, some were sold when elderly relatives died, or some simply were given up by a branch of the family that had no interest in keeping them.

In 2008, our librarian, Sharon Dahlmeyer-Giovannitti, came up with the idea of trying to reunite these Bibles with their families.  Ruth Ann Downer, who started volunteering at the Godfrey in 2009, was enlisted to work on the project.  We spoke to Ruth Ann about her experiences with the project.

To find a Bible's “lost” family, Ruth Ann does the reverse of what most genealogists do:  rather than searching the past for ancestors, she looks toward the present for descendants.  This involves selecting the name of a family member noted in the Bible and tracing that person’s descendants until (hopefully) she can find someone living today.  It is a painstaking process.  Ancestry.com is a helpful tool in her research, not only for tracing the Bible owner's descendants, but also for determining which, if any, of these family members are interested in genealogy.

Ruth Ann does extensive research to confirm that these people are, in fact, related to the family that owned the Bible.  She then weighs several important factors:  Which descendants are interested in genealogy?  Where are they currently located?  How closely related are they to the Bible owner in question?

After careful consideration, Ruth Ann writes the best candidate a letter, stating that the Godfrey has information regarding their family history and asking the candidate to contact us if they are interested.  She deliberately does not mention the Bible at first.  The goal is to reunite the Bible with a descendant who wishes to use it for genealogical research or simply have it as a family keepsake.  It would be pointless to give the Bible to someone who wishes to resell it for profit.  Ruth Ann gives the person a year to respond to her letter.  If the person does not respond, Ruth Ann returns to her research and tries to identify another good candidate.

To date, the Godfrey has reunited about 30 Bibles with their families.  Most people are excited to find out that we have their family's Bible and often make a small donation to the library as thanks.  Some people just want the information in the Bible, not the book itself.  In such cases, we send them scans of the relevant pages.  Other people are thrilled to be reunited with a Bible that had been lost, as was the case of John Leonard.  The Bible was owned by an elderly relative, who had no children, and he did not pass it on to another family member before his death.

We have had people travel from as far away as England after learning we had their family's Bible!  For those who cannot travel, we ship the Bible to them instead.  Just this year we shipped a Bible to a woman who was unable to make the trip.  The Bible in question last belonged to her mother, who died as the result of an awful tragedy many years prior.

Guiding a Bible home is a rewarding experience for all involved.  We at the Godfrey take pride in our efforts to reunite families with a piece of their lost history.  For the families, these Bibles not only contain valuable genealogical information, some of which cannot be found anywhere else, but also hold incalculable sentimental value.

If you don't know where your family Bible is, the Godfrey Library might just come knocking on your door someday!

This Week on the Scholar

This week we added quite the variety of records to the Scholar.  It won't be long before we can say that our backlog of scanned books is no more! Most of these records come come from Connecticut in the 1800s and early 1900s, so if your ancestors lived in Connecticut around that time these new works are well worth a look.  It won't be long before we can say our backlog of scanned books is no more!  Don't forget to check back next week to see what new books we've added.

Biography
Incidents in the Life of Arba Lankton*

Church Records
Northford, CT Congregational Church Reports of the Annual Meetings, 1949-1956*

Directories
Geers Hartford, CT City Directory: Record of Colored Persons 1850-1866*
Wells Hartford, CT City Directory: Record of Colored Persons 1848*

Funeral Home Records
Roberts Funeral Home Records 1952-1955

Genealogies
Family of Roland Wayne Lee*

Vital Records
Vital Records from Hartford City Directories: 1882-1926*
Vital Records from Middletown and Portland Directories: 1887-1897*
Vital Records from Winstead and Torrington Directories: 1890-1891*

 Not a Scholar?  Visit our website to subscribe or call the library at (860) 346-4375 to join today.


 

Another Major Milestone Reached!

We did it!  We now have 1000 digitized books on Godfrey Scholar⁺!

Over the last year we've added:

• 293 Biographies

• 132 volumes of original Funeral Home Records from 1882 to 1980 including records from the Hallahan Funeral Home featured in the movie A Haunting in Connecticut

• 234 Genealogies

• 146 volumes pertaining to the Revolutionary, Civil and Spanish American Wars including regimental histories and biographies of officers and soldiers 

• 86 State and Local Histories for 11 states and New England

• 68 volumes of original Church Records in 9 different Connecticut towns, Indiana, NY and Italy from 1668 to 1908

• 20 published volumes of Vital Records for Connecticut and Massachusetts and 42 volumes of original records including a record book kept by a midwife from Melilli Italy of babies born in Middletown, an account book of deaths in Wallingford from 1827 to 1900, Wolcott CT vital records (1783-1849) found among land records and not included in Barbour's, and multiple volumes of transcriptions from church and vital records by Lillian Kruger Brooks of Haddam Neck and surrounding towns for her own research

• 13 volumes of New Jersey Archives Newspaper Extracts, 1704-1782

• 11 volumes of original Cemetery Records (sexton returns, gravestone inscriptions and burial returns) from 7 different Connecticut towns

Keep following us on Facebook and our blog "Genealogy from the Godfrey" for weekly updates on new Scholar content.  

This Week on the Scholar

We have quite the eclectic mix of additions to the Scholar this week!  Of particular note are records from the now closed Roberts Funeral Home in Middletown, Connecticut.  The current owners of the records, the Doolittle Funeral Home, gave the Godfrey exclusive permission to host the records on the Scholar, so you will not find them anywhere else. 



Biographies
Mrs. Leicester's School
Prison Life and Reflections: Alanson Work, James Burr, and George Thompson
Samuel Sewell: The World he Lived In
Frederick Seward: Reminiscences of a War-Time Statesman
William Henry Seward: American Statesman
Work of William Seward Vol. 1
William Sharp: Memoir Vol. 1
William Sharp: Memoir Vol. 2
Memorial Addresses of James Schoolcraft Sherman
Memoir of H.B. Soule
Memorials of Joseph Sumner

Church Records
Portland, CT, Evangelical Lutheran Zion Church Record Book 1872-1888
Portland, CT, Evangelical Lutheran Zion Church Record Book 1888-1903

Foreign
A Significant Emigration Introduction
A Significant Emigration Vol. 12



Funeral Home
Robert Funeral Home Record Cards 1941-42
Robert Funeral Home Record Cards 1943
Robert Funeral Home Record Cards 1944
Robert Funeral Home Record Cards 1945
Robert Funeral Home Record Cards 1946
Robert Funeral Home Record Cards 1947
Robert Funeral Home Record Cards 1948
Robert Funeral Home Record Cards 1949
Robert Funeral Home Record Cards 1950

Genealogies
Seldens of Virginia and Allied Families
Memorials of the Descendants of William Shattuck
Sprague Family Memorial
Stiles Family in America
Symmes Memorial

Military: Civil War
Nurse and Spy in the Union Army: Emma Edmonds

State and Local Histories
Early History of New England

Iowa

Iowa Historical Record: July, 1890 Iowa Historical Record: January, 1891 Iowa Historical Record: October, 1891 Iowa Historical Record: April, 1892 Iowa Historical Record: July, 1892 Iowa Historical Record: January, 1893 Iowa Historical Record: April, 1893 Iowa Historical Record: July, 1893 Iowa Historical Record: October, 1893 Massachusetts Indian Names and Places in Worcester County Worcester County MA Warnings 1737-1788 Pennsylvania Reminiscences of the Early History of Scranton Vital Records: Massachusetts Abstracts of Early Woburn Deeds 1649-1700 Woburn Records 1640-1873: Part 2 Deaths Woburn Records 1640-1873: Part 3 Marriages

 Not a Scholar?  Visit our website to subscribe or call the library at (860) 346-4375 to join today.

Volunteer Highlight: Wendy Berlind and the Ed Laput Cemetery Project

Interested in Volunteering?  Read this volunteer's story to learn about interesting projects you can help with.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the Godfrey could not function without our dedicated volunteers.  From greeting patrons and helping them find their ancestors in our resources to adding books and documents to the Scholar+ Online Library, volunteers are essential in nearly every aspect of our operation.  Wendy Berlind is one such volunteer who began offering her services at Godfrey in 2011 when she retired after 30 years of teaching.  She has worked on indexing information from a number of our collections to make it searchable online.

Wendy has worked on the Ed Laput Cemetery project from the beginning, typing information from the Charles Hale Collection of Connecticut Cemetery Inscriptions (a record of headstone inscriptions from every Connecticut cemetery that existed in 1932) to be used in creating the searchable database we provide on Godfrey Scholar⁺.  The Cemetery Project appeals to Wendy because she can work on it from home, allowing for greater time flexibility.  She typically takes on a single cemetery at a time, typing all the names and appropriate data from the Hale into excel spreadsheets.  The amount of data she types varies from cemetery to cemetery.  Inscriptions for a cemetery she is currently working on take up more than 100 pages of Hale.  At approximately 30 headstones per page she will be adding about 3000 entries to our cemetery project database. 

While time consuming, Wendy enjoys spending her spare moments working on the project. The tidbits of information she learns from the headstone inscriptions help her to imagine the lives of people whose names she is preserving.  One cemetery had a staggering number of children and young women, illustrating  how precarious life was for our early ancestors.  She also discovers stories in burials of family groups which may show a number of children dying in infancy, remarriages, or longtime widowhood.  Sometimes inscriptions carry a message, a place of birth or indication of relationship.

Wendy has found equally fascinating information when she has indexed church records for us.  Often these contain causes of death such as phthisis, dropsy, and old age.  Once in awhile there are unusual or suspicious reasons for deaths.  Unique to one  Middletown church, there were a large number of people who drowned in the nearby Connecticut River.  "Negro servants", their families and the families they worked for are documented in these records and possibly nowhere else.   Wendy says the fact that this is all local history makes it that much more interesting and intimate.

Wendy's interest in genealogy began when she was young, visiting a family home in New Hampshire every summer which was filled with artifacts that belonged to her ancestors.  Her grandmother readily told stories about the family members in pictures and to whom some of those artifacts belonged.  Since then she has always loved collecting and preserving family history.  She had the good fortune to have older relatives who were also avid genealogists and were happy to pass their research on to her.  One aunt in particular was an incredible researcher who loved genealogy and, even before the advent of the internet and digital research, was able to find a huge amount of information.



Wendy Berlind and her quilt showing five generations of her family.

Wendy combines her love of genealogy and quilting to make unique family heirlooms.  The first was a present for her husband's father, a quilt that included pictures of his family.  In February, she created this wonderful piece.  Eschewing the traditional family tree motif, Wendy instead showcased five generations of her and her husband's family on a five shelf bookcase, using 
family photos and symbolic decorations for each 
generation. 

This Week on the Scholar

It has been another great week for adding content to the Scholar!  This will most likely be the last large installment of new genealogies and biographies added to the Scholar from our current backlog.  There will certainly still be more, but they will be interspersed with a little more variety as well.  Next week you can look forward to a set of history books from Iowa as well as much more!

We are also very pleased to announce that the Midwife Records of Sebastiana Misenti from Middletown and Ansonia Connecticut have been completely indexed!  These indexes are available on the Scholar and the records are now completely searchable searchable!  Sebastiana was the go to midwife for Italian immigrants from Mellili Italy who lived in Middletown and Ansonia Connecticut.  If you have Italian ancestors from the area they are well worth a look! 

Biographies
A Memorial of William Rice*
Sketch of the Life and Public Services of William Richardson*
Pen-Portraits: A Collection of Personal and Political Reminiscences by William S Robinson*
An Autobiography of Theodore Roosevelt*
Theodore Roosevelt: An Intimate Biography*
Theodore Roosevelt and His Time Vol. 1*
The Man As I Knew Him: Theodore Roosevelt*
Memorial of Horace William Rose*
Papers of Thomas Ruffin Vol. 1-4*
William Goodwin Russell*
Memorials of John Towill Rutt*
Memorial of Stephen Salisbury*
Recollections of Seventy Years by F.B. Sanborn*
Memoirs of the Life of Nathaniel Stacy*
III Score and X or Selections, Collections, Recollections of  Seventy Busy Years by Silas Comfort Swallow*

Genealogies
Perkins Arms in England*
Reynolds Family Association: 12th Annual Reunion*
Reynold Family Association 15th Annual Reunion*
Roberts Family of Simsbury CT*
Robinson Family Genealogical and Historical Association*
Genealogical Memoir of Nathaniel Rogers*
Ropers of Sterling and Rutland*
Ryerson Genealogy*
Genealogical Record of the Descendants of David Sage*
Sampson Family in America: Genealogical Memoirs*
Stanleys of Knowsley*
Yeager, Buffington, Creighton, Jacobs, Lemon, Hoffman, and Woodside Families: A Brief History*

Vital Records
 Index for the Midwife Records of Sebastiana Misenti from Middletown and Ansonia Connecticut*

 Not a Scholar?  Visit our website to subscribe or call the library at (860) 346-4375 to join today.

*Searchable

Please Consider Donating to the Godfrey's Annual Fund

It's fall.  Here in New England, that means getting out the winter clothes, bringing in the plants, stacking the firewood.  Some of us carry on the tradition of canning and putting up preserves.

 

As I go through this yearly ritual, I am reminded of going with my grandmother to check on her root cellar, a climate controlled, secure space filled with squash, pumpkins and other root vegetables.  It was like discovering treasure.  All winter long these vegetables would stay fresh because they were chosen and cared for in a special way.

 

It occurs to me that in many ways Godfrey is like a giant "root cellar" filled with books and documents, containing treasured information, preserved to help genealogists find their roots.      

A lot of time, effort and money goes into maintaining the library and our prized collection.  Our work now requires increased technology expertise and equipment as we continue to make materials available to our remote patrons.  We are especially proud of how much we added to our Godfrey Scholar online access this year. (see below for a list)

 

Please consider making a gift to the Godfrey Annual Fund.  We receive no public funding.  We thrive on the day to day efforts of our volunteers and donations from patrons like you.  Your contribution goes directly to the care and maintenance of the library and our collection.

-Beth Mariotti, Executive Director

For information on donating the the Annual Fund please contact the library at 860-346-4375.

Content added to Godfrey Scholar over the last year

 

AGBI

All 226 volumes of the AGBI organized alphabetically by surname and Finding Aids which can be used to determine the abbreviated citations and link right to the digital books on the Scholar.    

• more than 4 million names from over 800 books from our original collection and

• more than 2 million records from the Boston Transcript weekly genealogy column

Cemeteries
157 cemeteries with 45,880 burials listed

Funeral Home Records

31,322 records from index cards and 93 volumes from five funeral homes spanning 1882-1974

Church Records

28 volumes of Connecticut church record books containing 12,195 baptisms, marriages, deaths and admissions from 1668 to 1874

Vital Records

15797 Central Connecticut vital records entries from early 1700s to 1900

Digital Books

534 total new books browsable in page viewer and searchable

139 books previously on the Scholar were converted from PDF format to the page viewer and made searchable

This Week on the Scholar

We hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween this year!  Over the holiday weekend we added more biographies and a few more genealogies to the Scholar.  If you've been following our blog you also know we've finally indexed the church records in our collection from Congregational churches in Groton, Voluntown, Sterling, and Waterford.  We are working on indexing more funeral records from the Doolittle funeral home and also on scanning records from the Roberts Funeral Home from the 1940s!  Look for these new records in the upcoming weeks!

Biographies
Diary of Ebenezer Parkman*
Journey to Arant by Friedrich Parrot*
Life and Character of Cornelius R. Parsons*
Memorial Addresses of Sereno Elisha Payne*
Tina and her Husband Salvatore Pennuto*
Memorial Addresses on James Breck Perkins*
Memorial of John D Philbrick*
Andrew Wheeler Phillips*
Life of Timothy Pickering Vol. 1*
Life Romance of an Algebraist: George Winslow Pierce*
Memorial Addresses on Austin Pike*
Sketch of the Life of Samuels F. Pratt*
Life of William Hickling Prscott*
My Day, Reminsicences of a Long Life by Mrs. Roger A. Pryor*
Israel Putnam*
Life of William Quarter*
Life and Correspondence of John A. Quitman Vol. 1*
Life and Correspondence of John A. Quitman Vol.  2*
American Statesmen John Randolph*
Memoirs of Robert Rantoul Jr.*
Memorial of Alexander Hamilton Rice*
Memorial Addresses on John B. Rice*
Life Work of Cora L.V. Richmond*
Memoirs of Major General Riedesel Vol. 1*
Memoirs of Major General Riedesel Vol. 2*
American Men of Letters: George Ripley*
John Codman Ropes*
Memorial of Horace William Rose*

Genealogies
Paine Ancestry*
Penn Family of Virginia*
Pepys Family Genealogy*
Ancestry of John Pratt*
Prentice of Prentiss Family History and Genealogy*
Genealogical Memoir of the Prescott Families in America*
Preston Family of Willington, CT*
Quinby Family Genealogical History*
Robert Randall and his Descendants*
Robinsons, Saffords, Harwoods, and Clarks Genealogical History*
Genealogical Memoir of Nathaniel Rogers*
Runnels and Reynolds Families Genealogy*
Rutherford and Darwin Genealogy*

Not a Scholar?  Visit our website to subscribe or call the library at (860) 346-4375 to join today.

*Searchable

Upcoming Presentations

We just wanted to remind everyone that the Godfrey's director, accomplished genealogist Beth Mariotti will be hosting two presentations in the next week.

"A Step by Step Guide to Researching Your Ancestors"
          October 28, 6:00pm at the Blackstone Library- 758 Main Street, Branford, CT

• The name of this presentation is pretty self explanatory!  Join Beth as she goes over her easy step by step research process for digging in to your family history.
• A perfect introduction to genealogical research: great for people who are just starting out or want to learn what it's all about.
• No fee!
• Handouts will be provided.
• Questions are welcome!

"Tips for Advanced Online Research" for the November meeting of the Godfrey Genealogy Club
           November 1, 9:30am at the Godfrey Memorial Library

• Delve into the intricacies of the ofttimes confusing realm of online research with Beth as your guide.
• Discover which documents are available online and where to find them.
• Investigate which databases offer the information you need and how to use them effectively.
• Learn how to conduct successful Google searches.
• Get guidance on managing online documents.
• Questions are welcome!
• Club members are welcome to stay and research after the program, so bring your laptops and research materials!
• Presentation open to Godfrey Genealogy Club members only: annual membership fee is $25.  Not a member yet?  You can join at the library before the presentation!

We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Last Week on the Scholar

Last week was another busy one on the Godfrey Scholar!  We're well on our way to getting through our backlog of scanned books, with over 800 already on the Scholar and just about 300 left to go.  This time we're happy to bring you a selection of genealogies and biographies regarding people and families whose last names start with M, N, O, and P.  Be sure to check them out when you have a chance!

Biographies
Memorial Addresses on Edmond H. Madison*
Papers of John Madison Vol. 2*
Memorial Addresses on George R. Malby*
Memorial Addresses on Stephen Russell Mallory*
Memorial of General J.F.K. Mansfield*
Charles W. March: Reminiscences of Congress*
Life and Labors of E.M. Marvin*
In Memory of John Joseph May*
Reminiscences of Justin McCarthy Vol. 1*
Reminiscences of Justin McCarthy Vol. 2*
Life, Campaigns, and Public Services of George McClellan*
Sunday School Man of the South: John McCulllagh*
Authentic Life of William McKinley*
Autobiography of Dwight L. Moody*
Life Story of J. Pierpont Morgan*
Life and Work of William Augustus Muhlenberg*
Memoir of Asahel Nettleton*
Life of Ethelbert Nevin*
Marshall Newell: A Memorial for his Classmates and Friends*
Autobiography of Chas Nichols*
Life, Character, and Public Services of Samuel Frederick Nixon*
Memoir of Abner Kingman Nott*
Sketches of the War by Charles C. Nott*
Memorial Addresses on Newton W. Nutting*
Memorial Addresses on Michael P. O'Connor*
Memoir of James Oglethorpe*
Life, Character, and Public Services of James Oliver*
A Memorial of Charlotte Amelia and Carrol Hanford Olmstead*
Memorial of Hugh Henry Osgood*
Memoirs of Margaret Fuller Ossoli*
Memories of the Professional and Social Life of John E. Owens*
Catharine J. Packer*
Memorial of Albert Gallatin Palmer*
American Men of Letters: Francis Parkman*
Memorial Addresses on Sereno Elisha Payne*
Memorial Addresses on James Breck Perkins*
Memorial of John D Philbrick*
Andrew Wheeler Phillips*
Arthur T. Pierson*
Orville H. Platt: An Old Fashioned Senator*
Life of William Hickling Prescott*
Israel Putnam*

Genealogies
Miller Family Magazine Vol. 1*
Mitchells from Kittery*
Moore-Jenkins Family Tree*
Genealogical, Biographical, and Historical Account of the Mudge Family*
Descendants of William Noyes*
Nye Family Genealogy*
Richard Otis: Genealogical Memoir of the Family*
Genealogy of Arthur Parke*
Genealogical Record of Samuel Pond*
Thomas Pope Genealogy*

Not a Scholar?  Visit our website to subscribe or call the library at (860) 346-4375 to join today.

*Searchable

New Church Records Indexed!

The indexing of the Groton, Voluntown, Sterling, and Waterford Church records book is finally complete!  This book is a treasure trove of information from the Congregational Churches in all four towns between the years of 1720 to 1839.

These records include admissions:

815 Baptisms
      419 from the Groton First Congregational Church
      396 from the Voluntown and Sterling First Congregational Church

978 Admissions
      436 from the Groton First Congregational Church
      347 from the Voluntown and Sterling First Congregational Church
      188 from a Waterford Church

And 245 Marriages from the Voluntown and Sterling First Congregational Churchs

For a total of 2038 unique entries that cannot be found anywhere else!

A large portion of the admissions records also include the method by which the admitted may have left the church: most often by death or generic removal (changing churches, moving away from the area, etc.), and, in the case of Wealthy Nooka from the Voluntown and Sterling First Congregational Church, excommunication.  For those church members who died a date of death is always given along with their date of admission to the congregation.  A brief timeline of several pastor's careers is also included in the records: when they were instated, when they retired, and when they died. 

Best of all, with these indexes we were able to make the original record book completely searchable!  If you have family from the Groton, Voluntown, Sterling, and Waterford area definitely make checking out these records a top priority!

Last Week on the Scholar

We apologize for being late on this week's Scholar update.  With the annual appeal in full swing and the increase in patrons visiting the library we've been utterly swamped!  Last we we uploaded a huge amount of biographies and genealogies to the Scholar, for the most part drawing from the store of scanned K, L, and M books in storage.  We are also thrilled to report that the collection of meeting records from the Mason's Hiram Lodge in New Haven Connecticut is also available for viewing on the Scholar!  The records are not indexed yet, but they are certainly a priority.

Biography
D.L Moody and His Work*
Ambassador Morgenthau's Story*
Memorial Addresses of Justin S. Morril*
Memorial Addresses on Oliver P. Morton*
Memorial Addresses on William Mutchler*

Genealogies
American Ancestry Volumes 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 11*
Descendants of Ambrose Kasson*
Descendants of Benjamin Keith*
Kelloggs in the Old World and the New*
Kelloggs in the Old World and the New: Index*
Kollock Family Genealogy*
Lawrence Family Genealogy*
Genealogical Notes on Jacob Leisler*
The Linzee Family of Great Britain and the United States of America Vol. 2*
Livermore Family of America*
A Brief Genealogy of the Loughry Family*
Marsh Family Genealogy*
Lineage of Richard Mather*
Mauran Family Memorials*
A Genealogical Memorial of the Connecticut McLean Family*
James McNaughton*
A Genealogical and Historical Sketch of John Meader*
History Genealogcal and Biographical of the Molyneux Family*
Moore-Jenkins Family Tree*
Ancestry and Descendants of Gershom Morehouse*
Family History of Richard Mowry*
Mudge Genealogical, Biographical, and Historical Account*
Mumford Memoirs*

State and Local Histories
Connecticut
New Haven Master Lodge: Hiram 1762-1805

Massachusetts
Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County MA*

Not a Scholar?  Visit our website to subscribe or call the library at (860) 346-4375 to join today.

*Searchable

October Marks the Start of the Godfrey's Busy Season

In spite of this warm spell hinting otherwise, New England's vibrant foliage is letting everyone know that autumn is most certainly here!  With the change in the season comes an upswing in the number of visitors to the Godfrey: we're already noticing a marked increase in the number of patrons we see each day.  Since genealogical research is, for the most part, a hobby to be undertaken indoors this makes fall and winter the perfect seasons for genealogists to visit libraries or stay home and research online.

As if to commemorate the onset of research season, October is Family History Month!  Since it's institution in 2001 family history enthusiasts, archives, and research institutions have celebrated Family History Month in a variety of ways.  Be sure to take a look at organizations near you to see if they offer any special programs or deals.    

If you've even had a passing interest in genealogy Family History Month is a great time to get started.  You can attend presentations and seminars, sign up for membership to online databases, and visit libraries and archives.  If you live near or happen to be traveling by Middletown, Connecticut we'd love it if you stopped by the Godfrey!  Our knowledgeable staff and volunteers are experts at helping both new and experienced genealogists.  You may also consider ordering microfilm from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, which can be viewed at the Godfrey's Family History Center. 

The fall and winter months are also an ideal time to do some volunteering!  Since this is our busy season the Godfrey needs volunteers now more than ever.  Everyone is welcome and there is always lots to do!  You can try your hand at indexing old records from funeral homes and churches, take photographs of old books, help behind the scenes of the Ed Laput Cemetery Project, or guide others in their use of the library by becoming a docent.  If any of this strikes your fancy please be sure to give us a call. 

For questions regarding visiting the library or volunteering please contact us by phone at (860) 346-4375 or email at bmariotti@godfrey.org.

This Week on the Scholar

It's been a great week for adding new content to the Scholar!  We're back to genealogies and biographies, working through the Is and Ls, as well as adding some new handwritten family charts and trees.  Next week you can look forward to a new batch of genealogies as we continue to work through our backlog of scanned books. 

Biographies
Ingraham Estates*
Life, Art, and Letters of George Innes*
Lines in Memoriam for Sarah Gibs Wheaton King*
Memorial Addresses Delivered to the House of Representatives by George Washington Kipp*
Harold Britton Klingerman*
A Memorial of Arthur Mason Knapp 1838-1898*
Memorial Addresses of James Laird*
In Memory of Edwin Channing Larned*
Life of Sylvester Larned*
Discourse Commemorative of William A Larned*
Memorial Addresses of James Polk Latta*
Life and Times of Jesse Lee
Memorial Proceedings of the Senate Upon the Death of John A. Lemon*
Memorial Addresses of William Lilly*
Memorial Addresses of Marcus Clariborne Lisle*
Mrs. Edward Livingston*
Early Memories by Henry Cabot Lodge*
Final Memorails of Henry Longfellow*
Life of James Milnor*

Genealogies
Ancestors and Descendants of Henry Gregory*
The Journal of American Ancestry Vol. 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11*
Whitakr Austin Family Chart
Barball Family Chart
Bowman S. Beeman Family Tree
Bennett Family Chart
Brewster, Beers, Smith, Edwards, and Wetmore Family Tree
Sylvester Butler Family Tree
John Drake Family Tree
 
State and Local Histories
Genealogical History of Connecticut Vol. 2, 3, and 4*

Not a Scholar?  Visit our website to subscribe or call the library at (860) 346-4375 to join today.  

*Searchable

The Godfrey at the Annual CSG Seminar and an Update to the Book Sale

October is Family History Month so it's not surprising that some of the most anticipated events of the year for genealogists will take place this month!  Among those is the Annual Family History Seminar organized by the Connecticut Society of Genealogists.  There are three very interesting presentations scheduled and it looks like it's going to be a great event!  The seminar takes place at Best Western Plus, 201 Washington St., New Haven CT from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.  Lunch will be provided.  Registration ends on October 10, so if you have not already signed up be sure to do so soon. 

The Godfrey will have a small table set up at the Seminar.  There you can subscribe to the Godfrey Scholar, buy books, and speak with knowledgeable staff about what the Godfrey has to offer.  If you are curious about the Godfrey or just want to stop and say hello, please swing by our table!  We look forward to meeting everyone!

The CSG conference will be a great time to purchase books from the Godfrey's book sale, but if you cannot wait or want something that we are unable to bring, you can always purchase them online or over the phone.  With 320 books divided into eight different categories we will almost certainly have something for everyone.  Take a look at our current inventory lists below.  

Genealogies:  We have genealogies and biographies from A-Z including many out of print and hard to find items.

Resource Books: Sometimes everyone needs a little help with their research and these books are just the thing!  From general research tips to more specific guides to using various resources, you can find it here.

Connecticut: Connecticut genealogy and history is our specialty, so we have just about everything you can think of available for sale: town histories, vital records, and more!

New England: Due to our location we also come into possession of quite a few books regarding other parts of New England.  If you're looking for general histories, vital records, or books on more specialized topics we may very well have it for sale.

Other States: Of course we cannot ignore the rest of the United States!  Here is where to look if you are interested in town or state histories from places outside of New England.

US History: The United States has an incredible history and you can read all about it, or at least parts of it, in books offered for sale here.

Immigration: If you have ancestors who immigrated to the United States or are interested in foreign genealogical research be sure to take a look here and see if any of these books can help!

Military: We have general books on the military as well as histories regarding the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and World War I. 

Links to ebay are provided in the inventory lists if you wish to buy online.  For books unavailable online please call the library instead at (860) 346-4375.

This Week on the Scholar

Do we have some neat things to tell you about this week!  First we've added more record books from Middletown's First and Second Congregational Church, the Cromwell Congregational Church, and the First Congregational Church of Jeffersonville Indiana!  Also new to the Scholar is a selection of supplementary materials from the Brooks Collection: excerpts from vital records of towns around the Haddam Neck Connecticut area.  Be sure to take a look!

Church Records
Cromwell, CT First Congregational Church Members of the Parish 1956
Middletown, CT First Congregational Church American Register 1811-1889
Middletown, CT First Congregational Church Catalogue A: 1668-1876
Middletown, CT First Congregational Church Catalogue B: Members Index
Middletown, CT First Congregational Church Pilgrim Register I: 1857-1923
Middletown, CT First Congregational Church Pilgrimg Register II: 1878-1922
Middletown, CT First Congregational Church Minutes 1896-1920
Middletown, CT Second Congregational Church Members 1809
Jeffersonville, IN First Christian Church Records

Vital Records
Brooks Collection
Amzi Notes
Arnold Family Charts
Brooks Family Charts
Clark Family Charts Notebooks 1
Clark Family Charts Notebooks 2
Clarke Genealogy
Congregational Church of Middle Haddam Records by Rev. David Selden
Congregational Church of Middle Haddam Marriage Records 1740-1937
Family Charts Brooks Collection
Haddam Cemeteries
History of the Haddam Neck Covenant Church 1886-1969
Muster Roll of the Company H: 21st CT Volunteers in the Civil War
Names from Volume 1 and 2 of the Vital Records
Old Burying Ground Haddam, CT: Inscriptions


Not a Scholar?  Visit our website to subscribe or call the library at (860) 346-4375 to join today. 

Far Flung Travelers Visit the Godfrey

While people from all over the world subscribe to the Godfrey's online database most patrons who visit the library itself hail from Connecticut or nearby New England states.  When someone from further away drops by it's quite exciting!  We always love to take a minute to chat with some of our long traveling visitors and see what it was that brought them to the Godfrey.

In these last few months we've had an influx of visitors from outside the New England area.  Some still hail from the northeast, like several individuals from New York.  Others come from further south, such as our visitors from Virginia and Florida.  Very rarely do we get visitors from farther west: but in September we had four!  Two from Illinois, one from Texas, and one all the way from California.  Everyone came seeking information about their New England ancestors.  It is incredible how large a distance some people's family trees can reach, especially when one considers how recently it became possible to travel great distances with relative ease.

Last month the Godfrey welcomed perhaps our furthest traveling visitors ever: Godfrey board member Marsha Meyers' daughter and her family all the way from Fiji!  Everyone had a great time as Marsha, Sharon, and Beth conducted an impromptu tour of the Godfrey and all the resources we offer.

Art and Marsha Meyers with their daughter's family from Fiji.

 No matter where you're from, if you happen to be passing by Middletown Connecticut you are welcome to stop by!  We'd love to hear your story and offer any help we can with your research.

Library hours are Tuesday: 9-4, Wednesday: Noon-8, Thursday: 9-4, Friday: 9-4, and every first and third Saturday of the month: 9-1.