It's That Irish-y Time of Year

Kathy Gallagher will be at the Godfrey tomorrow morning (Saturday, March 16) to share her expertise on researching Irish ancestors. We hope you can make it. 9:30-10:30.
Also, if you or anyone you know has been hesitating about doing a DNA test because of the cost, two of the major test-providing companies are currently offering  special pricing to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

March coming in like a lion

Egad, another snow day! We have had to reschedule the Irish genealogy program we had planned for March 3rd. Luckily for us, Kathy Gallagher is available on Saturday, March 16th to present her popular program. I'll be right there with you, taking notes--I sorely need some hints as to how to make headway on my "John Plant" brick wall. Hope to see you there!--Carol

WEATHER ALERT -- Tomorrow, Wednesday February 20th, we will be closing at 4:00 and the BU Genealogy group will not meet as originally scheduled. Curse these wintry mixes!

Link to a post about Photos of Ancestors

If you have a subscription to Genealogy Bank, you may have received their recent newsletter. Here is a link to a piece by Gena Philibert-Ortega about three free websites where you can look for ancestor photos. I had heard of "Dead Fred" (I love the name!) but was not familiar with "Ancient Faces." Has anyone had any luck with either of them? If so, let us know below. (It seems like a long shot, but stranger things have happened, right?)

 Case in point: Here is a photo of my great-Uncle Ray (a sweet, painfully shy man and life-long bachelor) with a young woman named Edna Simpson. I stumbled upon this photo on Family Search and contacted the man who posted it. It turns out Edna was his grandmother. Apparently Raymond was her beau, but a year or two later she was married to another man. Edna's grandson also told me that he has a heart-shaped locket that had belonged to her, and inside is a picture of my Uncle Ray! The details of the story, we are left to imagine.

Tuesday's Tip: War of 1812

The War of 1812 ... You probably have heard the name, but do you know anything about the conflict? 

The War of 1812 is one of America's forgotten wars. Fought between the British and the newly formed United States, the war pitted family member against family member in debates over the role of the federal government, the states, and more. 

We love knowing what our ancestor did in a conflict, but, even more importantly, why they did it. What were their motivations? How did they understand what was happening around them? To know that we need to know more about the War itself.

 The 200th anniversary of the start of the War was in 2012.  To celebrate, a number of websites were created about this history. While most of them are designed for middle school students, they provide an excellent historical overview. Here are a few of our favorites: 

1) War of 1812 Interactives was designed for use in the classroom. It introduces War of 1812 artwork, covers the various political opinions about the war, and includes a map so that you can understand what was happening when and where. 

2) The War of 1812  is the online version of the PBS television program of the same name. You can learn about events in different sections of the country, major historic sites, and more by visiting their classroom page at http://www.pbs.org/wned/war-of-1812/historic-sites/. 

3) A Sailor's Life for Me introduces you to life aboard ship, particularly aboard the USS Constitution. You can explore "Old Ironsides," review the personal histories of shipmates, and even pretend to enlist.

USS Constitution, aka "Old Ironsides"

4) A Guide to the War of 1812 introduces artifacts from the War available online.

Now that you understand a little more about the War, the next step is to find your ancestors! 

Connecticut's Role in War at Connecticuthistory.org

To understand our ancestors' lives, we need to understand their experiences. That means knowing what was happening in the world around them.

CT Humanities webpage

That's especially true when trying to learn about an ancestor's experience during wartime. But how do you find a history that tells you what happened during wartime where your ancestor was living?

For Connecticut research, the website ConnecticutHistory.org can help. A project of Connecticut Humanities, the website contains small profiles of historic places, people, things, and events written by experts. These include everything from a description of Middletown to a mini-biography of Benedict Arnold.

To find military histories, click on "Topics" and then look for the word "War." Topics include the War of 1812, Civil War, World War I, World War II, Vietnam, and War and Defense. Happy hunting!

Tuesday's Tip: Military Headstones

Where can you find help understanding the abbreviations on a military headstone?  For example, what does "Regt." mean?

Military Headstone

The National Cemetery Administration has made it easy. Its website (part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) includes a list of abbreviations commonly used on government-furnished headstones and markers. The abbreviations include branch of service, war service, awards, and rank. 

Find this helpful list at http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/hmm/abbreviations.asp.