Griffith's Valuation - Beyond the Basics!

Saturday, March 14th, is going to be a great day for those of us with Irish roots or who just want to be "Irish for the day." Beginning at 10:00 AM in the Huenefeld Tower Room of the Main Library,Mary Ann Faloon, will help us understand The Primary Valuation of Ireland, known as the Griffith’s Valuation. The Griffith’s Valuation, was developed to provide a standardized taxation method in Ireland during the mid-nineteenth century. 

Because of the destruction of early census records, it has become a census substitute used to find Irish ancestors, especially those who left Ireland during the Famine of the 1840s.  However, there is much more to Griffith’s than a list of names.  By exploring the various documents used to create the final product, along with pre and post documents, we can discover many interesting aspects about our ancestors and the lives they lived.  Join us as we investigate how Griffith’s was developed and view some of the information contained in the various records.

Note the special time for this presentation. It was scheduled at this time so that participants will be able to attend the St. Patrick’s Day Parade that begins at noon. For detailed information on the parade click on this link.

Here is a description of the parade route:

 Mark your calendar and “think spring.”

Submitted by Kathy Reed

HCGS Heritage Groups

Do you think you have an ancestor who was here in Hamilton County in the early years of its existence?

Have a look at the index that has been developed from all of the First Families of Hamilton County lineage applications.  This index contains all of the names that appeared on the application, not just the person(s) who qualified as a First Families ancestor. The index is complete as of 2014. This index has been posted on the HCGS website. Click on the all-name index to bring up the file to search. To search the file click Ctrl + F and put the name in the box then press enter. This will show the application number(s) containing your surname.

The Cincinnati History Library and Archives (CHLA) has all of the original applications on file.  Contact CHLA to see the original applications. If you need the help of a local researcher, see the Hamilton County Genealogical Society ResearchServices page.

If you don’t find your ancestor in this First Families index go to the Pioneers and Early Settlers page and search that index.

We would like to encourage you to submit an application for one of our lineage groups – we know there are a lot of you out there who qualify. Now is a good time to work on an application and members of the committee are here to help. Copies of the application and the rules for membership are available on the website. Just respond in the comments section if you would like one of the members of the Heritage Committee to get in touch with you for assistance.

Submitted by Gail Burkholz

Hamilton County Online Deed Indexes Are Now Available

If you've never used deeds as part of your genealogical research, you may be missing out on a gold mine. In Hamilton County, searching for an ancestor's deed usually required you to go through several cumbersome steps that would then need to be followed up with a visit to the Recorders Office or the Cincinnati History Library and Archives.

The task is becoming much easier due to the efforts of Director-at-Large, Jim Dempsey, to digitize the deed surname indexes.This has received full support from Hamilton County Recorder, Wayne Coates, and Chief of Staff, Dave Pittinger. Since the original indexes are only by first letter of a surname, several HCGS members have volunteered to transcribe these indexes into Excel files so the indexes can be made completely alphabetical. This effort will continue throughout 2015. Indexes for 1859-1869 are already available. 

Information on these Hamilton County Recorder Deed Surname Indexes can be found on our website. If you missed the opportunity to participate in Education Director Liz Stratton's Land Classes, you may want to refer to the December 2014 Tracer for an excellent explanation of how to best utilize these records (pp. 116-121).

The task is becoming  much easier due to the efforts of Director-at-Large,  Jim Dempsey, to digitize the deed surname  indexes.This has received full support from  Hamilton County Recorder, Wayne Coates, and Chief of  Staff,  Dave Pittinger. Since the original  indexes are only by first letter of a  surname, several HCGS members have volunteered  to transcribe these indexes into Excel files so the indexes can be made completely alphabetical. This  effort will continue throughout 2015. Indexes for 1859-1869 are already available.

Updated 3/11/2015

Visit to the Norwood LDS Family History Center

LDS Norwood Family History Center

If you research family history in Cincinnati, you've probably heard about the Family History Centers located in this area. If you have German heritage in particular, there is a wealth of microfilms housed at this center that are on permanent loan. HCGS Treasurer and Past-President, Jeff Herbert, volunteers at the Norwood Center biweekly on Tuesday nights.

Jeff has agreed to provide an overview of the center and its resources on two dates: Tuesdays, March 10th and March 24th, at 6:30 PM. As you can see from the pictures above, space is limited. If you are interested in attending one of these two dates, please email Kathy Reed at programs@hcgsohio.org and list your date preference. We will take up to 10 visitors each night. You will be notified by return email of your reservation.

For directions and additional information, click on this link and search on Cincinnati Ohio Family History Center. You will then be able to access directions to the site. Please note that the library is accessed by a door at the far end of the parking lot. After pulling around the back, you will see an entrance with a door bell. Hope to see you there.

Submitted by Kathy Reed