CATHOLIC TELEGRAPH FROM 1831-1885 NOW ONLINE

The Hamilton County Genealogical Society and the State Library of Ohio provided grants which are bringing an exciting project online…all issues of The Catholic Telegraph from 1831–1885, some 2,726 issues, are now available online at TheCatholicNewsArchive. 

If you have Catholic ancestors who lived in Cincinnati, you will be interested in this valuable collection for both genealogy and social history research. 

The Catholic Research Resources Alliance (CRRA) has been working with the archdiocese to post the digitized issues. The project to digitize Catholic newspapers of regional and national import was begun by the CRRA in 2011.

In a separate project, HCGS and the Public Library of Cincinnati (PLCH) are working to make the remaining issues in the public domain from 1886 through 1922 available through the PLCH Digital Library.

The Catholic Telegraph began publishing in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1831. One of the oldest diocesan papers in the United States, it is, according to archdiocese Archivist Sarah Patterson, also one of the most heavily used.[1] 

For more information about the CRRA project, go HERE and HERE.

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[1] “All Issues of the Catholic Telegraph from 1831–1885 Can Now Be Read Online,” The Catholic Telegraph (www.thecatholictelegraph.com : accessed 28 June 2018), article, 13 June 2018.

Plots, Twists, Character Development, Suspense, Action!

We all want to write engaging ancestral biographies. Getting started is often the most difficult part. The "Writer's Workshop--Memoir Writing" may provide the motivation you need. The workshop will tell you how to craft life stories into creative non-fiction.

Jeff Hillard will lead the workshop. Jeff is the Writer-in-Residence of the Library Foundation. This workshop is not sponsored by HCGS. We wish we had thought of it!

• When: 24 September 2016 at 1 p.m.
• Where: PLCH Main Library, Huenefeld Tower Room
• For further information, see https://goo.gl/ZVEhkn.

Submitted by Liz Stratton

Presentation on Land Records and Practicum #1 Scheduled for Saturday, March 15th

We are trying to offer topics that have not been addressed in recent years. Thanks to the expertise of Liz Stratton, we are excited to offer sessions about the use of land records to enhance your genealogical research. Liz is passionate about this area and has participated in several classes related to this topic.

So I guess we shouldn't have been surprised at the response to this topic by our members. This Saturday at 11:00 AM on the Third Floor of the Main Library, Liz will do a presentation on "Surveying Land Records for Genealogical Gold." The discussion will not be limited to Hamilton Co. Land Records. This talk is open to everyone, and we encourage everyone to come. No registration is required.

This session will be followed by a Practicum Session in the Computer Lab located near the Genealogy and Local History Department. The first Practicum will address the topic:  "Who Owned Land and Where Are the Records?" Case studies will demonstrate how to identify likely land owners and how to locate property records on-line, on microfilm or in person. Due to the space limitations, the 1:00 PM session filled quickly. Thanks to the generosity of Liz Stratton, we worked with librarian Chris Smith to add an additional session beginning at 3:00 PM. Twelve people on the waiting list were informed by email of this additional session. There are a few remaining spots. If you are still interested, come on Saturday and we'll hope for the best.

Practicum #2 scheduled for March 29th will address the "Intricacies of Land Indexes." Discover different types of indexes and learn to identify land records likely to answer specific genealogical questions from the index alone. Strategies for overcoming index limitations will be explored.

The first session, scheduled for 1:00 PM, is full. An additional session has been added that will begin at 10:00 AM. Those on the Waiting List will be notified by email that they have been accepted and can arrive at 1:00. There are a few additional spaces available. 

Practicum #3 scheduled for April 5th will discuss "Reading and Interpreting Deeds." Several deeds will be reviewed to familiarize participants with deed terminology and structure. Learn how to eliminate ‘boilerplate,’ and extract family relationships from deeds even when they are not directly stated.

Again, the first session, scheduled for 1:00 AM, is full. An additional session has been added that will begin at 10:00 AM. Those on the Waiting List will be notified by email that they have been accepted and can arrive at 1:00. There are a few additional spaces available. 

Practicum #4 to be held on Saturday, April 19th is an "Introduction to Property Maps." This practicum begins with a brief introduction to the myriad ways to create or find property maps. Using the land description on deeds, participants will use online resources to locate a period map of the property or find it on Google Earth. 

The first session, scheduled for 1:00 PM, is full. An additional session has been added that will begin at 10:00 AM. Those on the Waiting List will be notified by email that they have been accepted and can arrive at 1:00. There are a few additional spaces available. 

Participants must attend the initial presentation on Saturday the 15th at 11:00 AM. The lab experiences stand alone by topic, and those who preregistered were able to pick and choose from among them.

If you have any additional questions, please contact Kathy Reed at khreed@cinci.rr.com. We appreciate being able to collaborate with the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Hope to see you Saturday.

Submitted by:  Kathy Reed

From Slavery to Freedom and Cluster Genealogy

African-American Genealogy Seminar at the Main Library

This year the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton Co. and the Hamilton County Genealogical Society co-sponsored a two-session seminar featuring Deborah Abbott PhD. Anyone who has ever tried to do African-American genealogy knows the challenges faced when trying to trace ancestors who may have been slaves in pre-Civil War records. Using case studies, Dr. Abbott showed how she was able to identify her family by researching every possible line and neighbors, black and white, through multiple record sources. One of her main messages to the audience was the amount of patience and the years of searching that may be required to solve some of these genealogical problems. In addition, most answers are not going to be online and definitely not the result of "shaking leaves."

The afternoon session focused on "Cluster Genealogy." To quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, this method incorporates "FAN - Friends, Acquaintances and Neighbors." Our ancestors were not as mobile as we and tended to move in groups. If you can't track your ancestor, try looking at the neighbors. Through case studies, we discovered the circuitous route researchers must often pursue to put the puzzle together.

If you are now kicking yourself for not attending, there is good news. Dr. Abbott will be returning to Cincinnati in April and giving two presentations as part of the OGS Conference. Both talks are scheduled for Friday, April 26th. This was discussed in an earlier post. You can click on this link to read more about it.

Submitted by Kathy Reed

Using Online Historical Newspapers

Mark your calendar! The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County and the HCGS Tech Program Committee are co-sponsoring a half-day event on Saturday, January 26th from 10:00 - 12:45. Participants will come away with a better understanding of how to access historical newspaper databases to aid their genealogy research.

Patricia Van Skaik, Manager of the Genealogy and Local History Collection at PLCH will present the Pro Quest Historical Newspapers collection. This collection has full-text and full-image articles, including obituaries, birth and marriage announcements, and more. Of particular interest to genealogists researching in Hamilton County: Cincinnati Enquirer - 1841-1922 and Cincinnati Enquirer - 1999- current.

Steve Headley, Chief Indexer for the Genealogy and Local History Department at PLCH, will present the Chronicling America historic newspapers collection. This collection is a similar archive but with different newspapers, including The Daily Press -- Cincinnati, 1859-1859, Cincinnati Daily Press -- Cincinnati, 1860-62, and the Labor Advocate, Cincinnati, 1912-1937. Steve will also present Newsdex, the library's index to local newspaper articles.

Finally, Kathy Reed, HCGS Recording Secretary and Tech Programs team member will present Toppling Your Brick Wall Using Newspapers. Kathy will share how she utilized historical newspapers to break through a genealogical "brick wall" and discovered a thrice-buried ancestor along the way.

So join us on Saturday, January 26th from 10:00 AM to 12:45 PM at the Main Library in the Huenefeld Tower Room on the 3rd Floor. Refreshments will be provided during two breaks. No RSVP is needed.

Submitted by Jenny Davis and Kathy Reed

Find Your Ancestor's 1940 Address

As you know, next week the 1940 Census records will become available. Since an index to this census won't be available for some time, knowing your ancestor's 1940 Enumeration District will help you find them. An earlier blog post described how to find the Enumeration District. Knowing your ancestor's 1940 street address is an important first step to finding their Enumeration District.

A City Directory for 1941 will probably list your ancestor's address in 1940. (The information published in the 1941 Directory was collected in 1940). Some people have access to city directories through subscription databases such as Ancestry.com or through their local library.  However, the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County has uploaded their collection of Cincinnati City Directories to their Virtual Library and it's accessible from your own computer! So, avoid a potential line at the library and find your ancestor's 1940 address now:

• Go to the Virtual Library.
• Click on Downloadable City Directories.
• Scroll down to and click on 1941 Williams' Cincinnati Directory.

This 1941 Cincinnati City Directory is separated into three different files:

Each file will open in a separate window once you click on it. To help you find what you need quickly, I've listed the contents of each file here:

Each file is searchable by pressing CTRL + F.^*

Happy hunting!

Note:  If you are getting these posts through email notification, you cannot see the pictures that are a part of the post.  In order to see the pictures, click on the title of the post and view it within the blog.  If you're having trouble, leave a comment in the box below.


Submitted by:  Jenny Davis

^* Tech Tip:  A search box will appear. Enter your search word(s) and hit ENTER. Each time you press ENTER, it will take you to the next occurrence of your search word(s). Press your ESC key to close the search box, or just click on the little "x" on the search box.

Cincinnati and the Great Flood of 1937

From the Collection of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.  Used with permission.
Pictured is the Cincinnati Water Works on and St. Rose School on Eastern (Riverside Dr.)

If you have relatives who lived in Cincinnati in 1937 they were undoubtedly impacted by the Ohio River Flood of that year.  For about two weeks, much of the city was inundated with flood water.  Even the water supply was affected as the river rose to 80 feet.  

This year marks the 75th Anniversary of this event.  The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County has organized several events to commemorate the impact that this natural disaster had on the city.  

This Saturday, January 28th, there will be a multi-media presentation and discussion with local historian and author, Betty Ann Smiddy.  Entitled "Cincinnati's Great Disaster:  The 1937 Flood" the presentation is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. in the Huenefeld Tower Room at the Main Library.  As one whose family was directly impacted by this flood, I look forward to the new information that may help me put my ancestors in historical context.

       Picture of 2424 Eastern Ave. and Highland School during the 1937 Flood.  (This was my father's home).