A Day with Genealogy Experts -- October 1st

Click to enlarge

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

"Next Stop: Cincinnati Public Library"

Looking for a way to celebrate the opening of Cincinnati's new streetcars? Get off at the stop near the main library for two presentations that feature the history of transportation in Cincinnati:

Saturday, September 10, 1 pm, "It's a Family Affair: Cincinnati's Early Streetcar Drivers, Conductors and Mechanics" will be presented by Patricia Van Skaik in the main library Atrium. This talk includes an HCGS board member's ancestor.

Sunday, September 11, 2 pm, "Moving Cincinnati: A History of Trolleys, Cable Cars, Inclines and Streetcars" will be presented by Rob J. Wimberg in the main library Atrium.

Transportation touched our ancestors lives in ways difficult to anticipate. My first cousin twice removed made the front page of the Cincinnati Enquirer when she was involved in an accident in 1923. Her death was one of many that spurred changes in Cincinnati's traffic safety laws. "Sepia Saturday 98: Chaos in the Streets" gives more details. This is not the same ancestor that Patricia features in her talk. To learn who is a descendant of a transportation worker, you'll have to attend on the 10th!

Fall Events for HCGS

We have an amazing line-up of fall programs and activities! Check these out, save the dates or pre-register to be certain you don’t miss a thing.

Celebrate the Cincinnati Streetcar Opening, September 10 and 11

Pat VanSkaik will present “It’s a Family Affair: Cincinnati’s Early Streetcar Drivers, Conductors and Mechanics” on September 10, 1 pm, at PLCH Main Library, Reading Garden Lounge. Lives of early drivers, conductors and mechanics will be explored. All of the people featured have descendants living in Cincinnati—one of the descendants is an HCGS board member. You’ll have to attend to learn which one!

On September 11, 2 pm, at PLCH Main Library, Reading Garden Lounge, hear local historian and author, Robert J. Wimberg talk about “Cincinnati Transportation: Past, Present and Future.”

Family History Month Kicks Off with Amie Bowser Tennant

On October 1, 10 am to 3 pm at Main Library, the annual “Ask the Experts” Day will take place. Amie Bowser Tennant, nationally acclaimed speaker and content creator for the podcast Genealogy Gems will present Have You Seen Me? Missing Persons and Proof of Parentage at 11 am and Using Social Media to Break through Brick Walls at 2:00 pm. From noon to 2:00 pm, there will be free one-on-one consultations provided by over 20 experts, with specializations ranging from ethnic genealogy to court records.

Finding Your German Ancestral Origins

Monday October 3, 7 pm, Madeira Branch Library

Bob Brodbeck will present a review of the basic research steps and types of data typically needed for finding the origins of your German immigrant ancestors, along with a couple of research examples.  Talk is one hour including Q&A. For beginners to intermediate.

Finding and Using Genealogy Resources

This session is perfect for the genealogist just getting started doing research or who wishes to learn more about genealogical resources that are available locally. The same program is available at multiple branch locations:

October 3, 6 pm, Mariemont Branch Library

October 12, 6 pm, Westwood Branch Library

October 24, 7 pm, Blue Ash Branch Library

Pre-registration is Now Open—Land and Estate Series

Pre-registration is now open for the popular land and estate education series on November 5, 19 and December 3 in PLCH Main, 3^rd Floor Computer Lab. Space is limited so preregister early to ensure you have a space. Further information and a link to the registration form can be found on our website:

Land Class information and preregistration: http://goo.gl/WBFEup

Estate Class information and preregistration: http://goo.gl/SYmsbn

You can also register by calling 513-443-2708. If there is no answer, please leave a message with your preferences for dates, times and classes. Provide a phone number so that your registration can be confirmed.

Advanced Genealogy Forum (AGF)

AGF is a peer-led discussion group that meets bi-monthly to discuss journal articles, advanced methodology and complex records. The forum is open to anyone willing to read the articles and contribute to the discussion. Articles and more details are on the website: http://goo.gl/a9oxcC.

September 17, 9:30 am-11:30 am, PLCH Main, Room 3A, Kentucky Research

November 5, 9:00 am-10:45 am, PLCH Main, Room 3B, Ancestral Origins—Focus on Germany

SW Ohio DNA Interest Group

A new regional DNA interest group for southwest Ohio will have its first meeting at 7:00 pm on October 17 at the Mid-Pointe Library in West Chester, OH. More information about this group is in August Tracer on the website. Those who have registered for this Interest Group will receive a letter soon with details. To register, email programs@hcgsohio.org.

2016 Heritage Luncheon: Whitewater Shaker Village 

Clovernook Country Club, 2035 West Galbraith Rd., North College Hill 45239, October 22, 10:45 am

Save the date. Check the HCGS website Events for more information on the annual Heritage Luncheon, including a link to the flyer and registration form.

Genealogy Lock-In at the Main Library

Join fellow genealogists on October 29, 6:30 – 11:30 pm, PLCH Main, for an after-hours research event. During the lock-in, optional mini-tech instructional sessions will be offered. Pre-registration is required. http://goo.gl/iTNdFo

Sincerely,

Hamilton County Genealogical Society

P.O. Box 15865

Cincinnati, OH 45215-0865

Voice mail: 513-956-7078

Email: info@hcgsohio.org

Website: http://hcgsohio.org/

Blog: www.hcgsohio.blogspot.com

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/hcgsohio

Twitter: www.twitter.com/hcgsohio

Hamilton County Genealogical Society Adds 11,400 Civil War Veterans to Website

Monument at Spring Grove

As we celebrate our independence this July 4th, the Hamilton County Genealogical Society thanks all veterans for their service to our country and helping to preserve the freedom that we celebrate and enjoy all year long. This holiday weekend marks the completion of our Make A Difference (MAD) project that was begun over two and a half years ago. It was undertaken to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and the sacrifices that our veterans made during this four year struggle. 

The main goal of the project was to document the more than 11,400 Civil War veterans who are buried in Hamilton County, Ohio, create memorials for them on Find-A-Grave (if they were not already documented), and to then explore the various cemeteries within Hamilton County and photograph the grave stones of these soldiers if they still had a marker. This huge effort was completed in June 2016 by several dedicated volunteers. The names of these Civil War veterans have been compiled in a spreadsheet along with their birth and death dates, the name of the cemetery and place of burial, and the name of the company and regiment that they served in.

This PDF file is sorted in alphabetical order by veteran name. To view this information please visit the Cemeteries page under Local Records on our website at: http://www.hcgsohio.org/cpage.php?pt=63#CivilWarVets

 Also be sure to check on Find-A-Grave for additional information and a possible picture of the veteran’s grave. You also have the ability to include additional information about the veteran and family if known to share with others on the Find-A-Grave website.

Submitted by Jeff Herbert

Jewish Genetic Genealogy

Jewish Interest Group

Presentation Announcement

by Rick Cauthen

Israel Pickholtz

The Hamilton County Genealogical Society is extremely excited to announce that author, Israel Pickholtz, who resides in Jerusalem, Israel, will be presenting “Jewish Genetic Genealogy – A Study in Endogamy.” Mr. Pickholtz is the author of the book entitled “Endogamy: One Family, One People.” This book explores the topic of Jewish genetic genealogy and how it relates to the topic of endogamy.

            

Endogamy, for those readers who are not familiar with the term, simply means marrying mainly with in the tribe. In other words, Jews married and consequently reproduced only within the limits of the local community. As many of the fans of Jewish genealogy already know, Eastern European Jews spent their lives living in small little villages refer to as shtetls. Thus Jews reproduced within a very tight gene pool. When reviewing your DNA results in terms of countries of origin, when you spot European Jewish, you found a very accurate feature of your genetic history. This is unique for Jews of Eastern European descent. This is all the result of endogamy since the Jewish bloodlines have been kept very finite.

This presentation will take place on Thursday, August 4, 2016 at the public library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Main Library, third floor. The presentation will begin at 12:00PM to 2:00PM. The library is located at 800 Vine St., Cincinnati, OH 45202. Please make plans and mark your calendars now to join us for what promises to be a very exciting presentation.

Announcing a New DNA Interest Group

Southwest Ohio DNA Interest Group

For the last several years, more and more genealogists have shown an interest in learning how DNA could be used to confirm traditional genealogical research. This is referred to as Genetic Genealogy. In response to this need, I am proposing a new DNA Interest Group that would be regional in nature and serve, not only Hamilton County, but the surrounding region. I have contacted other DNA leaders in this region and have their support.

My vision is that we would present everyone with the “basics” and move on as rapidly as possible to some of the more advanced application topics.  At the initial program, the major companies that do DNA testing for genealogical purposes would be discussed, as well as the types of available tests. Participants would be strongly encouraged to purchase an autosomal test. Programs would be “stand-alone” with members choosing those that would be of interest to them. Introductory programs would consist of two parts:  1) an introductory lecture, and 2) the opportunity to work with your own data with the assistance of other participants.

Some of the proposed topics include:

      1)      Overview of companies and available tests

      2)      Autosomal tests

      3)      Y-DNA tests

      4)      MtDNA tests

      5)      Understanding Ethnicity Estimates

Applying Your Results

 1)      Gedmatch
 2)      Genome Mate Pro
 3)      DNAgedcom
 4)      Don Worth’s Visualizing Your Autosomal DNA Segment Analyzer
 5)      DNA Land

These are just suggestions. Topics and their order of presentation are open for discussion.

Please feel free to forward this email to anyone you think may be interested. Pam White (Butler Co.) Nan Harvey (Bloomington, IN) and I (Hamilton Co.) are all attending the Advanced Genealogy Course to be held in Pittsburgh at GRIP in July. I’m sure we’ll have more ideas after that.  Thoughts? 

Please email me, Kathy Reed, at programs@hcgsohio.org if you would like to be on a mailing list for this Interest Group or have any questions.

Please feel free to distribute this to others you think would be interested.