SNOW CANCELLATION! The Hudson County Genealogical Society Meeting of January 10th 2009, tomorrow, has been cancelled due to the forecasted weather. We are rescheduling the event for saturday, January 24th, 2009, at the Secaucus Public Library at 11:00am. Our speaker, Dan McDonough, will present his talk on the Snake Hill Burial Grounds that day. See www.hudsoncountynjgenealogy.org for more information.

Westchester County Genealogical Society (WCGS) Upcoming Meeting Former WCGS president Mary Hoar will present Return of the Ring to WCGS at our next meeting on January 10, 2009. Ms. Hoar will show a documentary that aired on Ulster TV (Northern Ireland) about the true story of a young Irishman who returned the wedding ring of a World War II US airman killed in a plane crash outside of Belfast to his widow who had remarried. Mary’s cousin is the columnist who found the widow of the downed airman. Mary Hoar taught in the Yonkers Public Schools for more than 30 years in their elementary and middle schools and retired from teaching in 2002. Ms. Hoar is very active in community services such as the Mayor’s Community Relations Committee, the Red Cross, the March of Dimes, the Yonkers Historical Society and many others. Mary has recently been elected as President of the Yonkers Historical Society, an office she previously held for 5 years, and is committed to preserving the history of Yonkers. Among the many awards Mary has received for her community service are: Janet Hopkins Memorial Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service, the Untermyer Performing Arts Council Gryphon Service Award, the Key to History awarded by the Yonkers Historical Society, Jay-N-Cee of the Month, Yonkers Jay-N-Cees Distinguished Service Award, NY State Jay-N-Cees President's Award, City of Yonkers Bicentennial Award, the Key to the City of Yonkers, Westchester March of Dimes Outstanding Achievement Award, Red Cross Westchester Chapter Service Award and the March of Dimes Walkathon Committee Service Award. The meeting opens at 10:00 a.m. at the Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 600 Broadway, Dobbs Ferry, NY. Guests are welcome. Coffee and conversation precede the meeting at 9:30 a.m. MEETING INFO: TOPIC: Return of the Ring WHEN: Saturday, JANUARY 10, 2009 @ 10 a.m. WHERE: Aldersgate Methodist Church, 600 Broadway in Dobbs Ferry (across from Mercy College on route 9) For information about Westchester County Genealogical Society (Westchester Connection or Surname List), visit WCGS home page -- _http:// www.rootsweb.com/~nywcgs/_ (http://www.rootsweb.com/~nywcgs/) Hope to see you on Saturday! RESERVED THESE DATES FOR WCGS Future Meetings Feb 14, 2009 Hauntings of the Hudson River Valley Vincent T. Dacquino Mar 14, 2009 City Directories Toni McKeen Apr 11, 2009 Getting the Most Out of the US Census on Ancestry.com Gordon L. McDaniel May 9, 2009 Voyage to America Leslie Albrecht Huber June 13, 2009 NYC 1890 Police Census Debra Braverman

Hi listers and colleagues Oxfordshire FHS breaks new ground on Saturday 19 January 2009 when we will have a stall at the annual Family History Fair of the East of London Family History Society. We will be selling our CDs, microfiche and a selection of the titles available from our bookstall. In addition, we will have our "Search Services" available on computer, featuring an array of Oxfordshire and North Berkshire indexes to censuses, baptism registers, marriage registers, burial registers and monumental inscriptions. Those researchers wishing to plan their visit to our stall in advance can view our resources on the following webpages :- CD sales ; _http://www.ofhs.org.uk/CDsales.html_ (http://www.ofhs.org.uk/CDsales.html) microfiche sales ; _http://www.ofhs.org.uk/mfiche.html_ (http://www.ofhs.org.uk/mfiche.html) bookstall ; _http://www.ofhs.org.uk/books.html_ (http://www.ofhs.org.uk/books.html) Search Services ; _http://searches.oxfordshirefhs.org.uk/_ (http://searches.oxfordshirefhs.org.uk/) The Family History Fair of the East of London Family History Society takes place on Saturday 19 January 2009 at Eastbury School, Wilmington Gardens, Barking, Essex IG11 9TR. The doors open at 10.00am, and admission is free. Further details about the Fair itself from :- _http://www.eolfhs.org.uk/images/FamilyHistoryFair.jpg_ (http://www.eolfhs.org.uk/images/FamilyHistoryFair.jpg) Best wishes. Paul Gaskell Publicity Officer Oxfordshire Family History Society Web : _www.ofhs.org.uk_ (http://www.ofhs.org.uk/)

Understanding Legal Terms in Documents Subject for ETGS The East Texas Genealogical Society will hold its regular monthly meeting on Saturday, January 10, at 2:00 p.m. at the Tyler Public Library in the Taylor Auditorium. The featured speaker will be Michael J. Vaughn, a retired attorney, who has been engaged in genealogical research for 53 years. The title of his program will be “Legal Arcana for Genealogists (Who Said That Latin is a Dead Language.). Genealogists face the problem of encountering words in original records that are dated or obsolete, including legal terms in both English and Latin – French in some places, and even words not obsolete that are not used in everyday conversation. A researcher cannot really understand a document without understanding what the author of the document was trying to accomplish by the use of the terms in the document. The program is intended as a primer of legal terms that genealogists encounter in their research. Attendees will be given a handout of eleven pages of legal term descriptions to use in their research . Approximately thirty minutes following the conclusion of the regular program and refreshments, the Computer Interest Group of the East Texas Genealogical Society will meet. Tyler Jr. College Director of Distance Education Ken Craver will present a program titled “Understanding Adobe Acrobat Documents.” ETGS meetings are free and open to the public. For more information about ETGS go to our web-site: www.etgs.org or contact June Everheart, Publicity Director at 1stvp@etgs.org or (903)877-4501.

We have revived our "find the famous person in the census contests" for 2009. Our current prize is Elizabeth Shown Mills' "Quicksheet" for citations. The first three contests are: 1930 Hank Williams, Sr. 1870 Thomas Edison 1910 Bob Hope Details on our currently open contests are posted here: http://www.famouscensus.com/labels/contests.html More will be announced later in the week. Stay tuned! Michael -- ------------------------------------ Michael John Neill Genealogy Tip of the Day http://genealogytipoftheday.blogspot.com

The Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society is pleased to announce a new lineup of courses, both for beginners and for seasoned family historians. Here is a quick list of our winter/spring 2009 course titles and dates: * Basic Genealogy and Family History (5 February - 26 February) * Exploring the Baldwin Room's Manuscript Collection (7 February - 14 February) * Computer Programs for Genealogy (24 March - 14 April) * Introduction to Scottish Family History Research (21 April - 12 May) * Introduction to Family History Writing (8 April - 29 April) * Building an Online Family Tree Using Ancestry (6 May - 13 May) For full course details and registration information, visit the Toronto Branch website at www.torontofamilyhistory.org/courses.html. ________________________ Ontario Genealogical Society - Toronto Branch

Happy New Year! Please join us for our first meeting of 2009! Secaucus Town Historian Dan McDonough will be speaking on his passion, the Hudson County Burial Grounds and Snake Hill Cemetery. The meeting will be held Saturday, January 10, 2009, at the Secaucus Public Library, www.secaucus.bccls.org for directions. We start promptly at 11:00 am. A short business meeting will be held. Refreshments and good conversation are provided. Also please mark your calendars for our February meeting on February 14th, 2009, also at the Secaucus Public Library. We will be featuring Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, of Ancestry.com and Roots Television.com. Ms. Smolenyak will be speaking on "Tracing Your Roots with DNA". For this meeting, a $5.00 fee for non-members will be charged.

The next meeting of the French-Canadian Heritage Society of Michigan will be held Saturday, January 10 2009 at the Mount Clemens Public Library, 150 Cass Avenue, Mount Clemens, Michigan. The meeting starts at 10:00 a.m. This is our annual "get-acquainted" meeting. Light refreshments will be served. There will be plenty of time after the meeting for networking/socializing. Bring your charts, your "brick walls", your exciting finds, and documents needing translation French-Canadian Heritage Society of Michigan meetings are open to the public. For additional information, please visit our website at http://habitant.org/fchsm. If unfavorable weather conditions exist (snow or storms), call the Mount Clemens Public Library at 586-469-6200 to check if the meeting has been canceled. We will also post meeting cancellations to this list.

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2009 Location: Lake County Public Library, Merrillville Branch located at 1919 West 81st Avenue (US Route 30), Merrillville, Indiana. Time: 10:00 a.m. until Noon Topic - "Sharing Day - Our annual sharing meeting is one of our most attended. Bring a document, photo or memento to show and discuss, or explain your genealogy research "brick walls" and see if someone in the group can help. Our meeting are free and open to the public and everyone is welcome. Bill Schu billsc@sbcglobal.net

Scots-Irish Family Research SPONSORED BY the California Genealogical Society & Library DATE: Saturday March 7, 2009 TIME: 9:00 am -4:00pm LOCATION The new Oakland Airport Holiday Inn and Suites 77 Hegenberger Road ( near airport HIlton) Oakland CA NOTE: shuttle from airport available WEBSITE www.calgensoc.org to download the form. NOTE: $10 off if you register by January 15 ( lunch included) EMAIL: calgen1898@calgensoc.org PHONE: 510 663-1358 ( leave a message and we willg et back to you during library hours) DESCRIPTION The California Genealogical Society and Library and the Ulster Historical Foundation present a full day Scots-Irish Family History Research Seminar on Saturday, March 7, 2009. Fintan Mullan, Executive Director of the Ulster Historical Foundation and Dr. Brian Trainor, former Director of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) and former Research Director of the Ulster Historical Foundation will present several lectures, including: Emigration from the North of Ireland to North America in the 18th Century, Records Relating to the Different Churches in Ireland, Irish and Scots-Irish Research: 'Not Always at the Bottom of the Pile' and The Ulster (See brochure on our website for complete information)

January 28, 2009 (Wednesday evening) 6:00 p.m. Philadelphia, PA Program: Genealogy Research in Germany The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania presents Thilo Agthe, who will discuss the challenges of researching family history in Germany. After an overview of records that may reveal your German origins, and of useful guides to resources in Germany and at the LDS, the talk will feature an in-depth discussion of what researchers need to know about German history and geography (including former German territories now part of other countries, such as Poland), the particulars of German laws (especially the data protection regime) that complicate genealogical research, and how to get the most out of trips to Germany for onsite research at archives and churches. Thilo will also translate and explain your German documents, including those written in the old German script, so bring your problem documents. Thilo has traveled extensively in Germany to visit archives and churches and has a great deal of hands-on experience in German research. He is the founder and webmaster of www.denkmalprojekt.org, a German-language website that collects names from German war memorials throughout the world, for use by genealogists. As of December 2008, the website has collected almost 950,000 names. Born in Germany and living in New Jersey, Thilo practices intellectual property law in New York. More Info: http://www.genpa.org (after Jan. 5) or contact Joyce Homan at 215-545-0391 or execDir@GenPA.org

Come join us for our quarterly meeting of the Pommern Special Interest Group. Brad Witt lives in the San Diego area but is fortunate to be able to travel yearly to Germany on business--and thus continue his research that will help us better understand the daily lives of our ancestors. His title will be "From Pomeranian Field to Chicago Factory: The Journey of an Itinerant Day Laborer to America." We meet at 2:00 PM in the Immigrant Society Library, 1310 West Magnolia in Burbank. The IGS Library will be open from noon to 5 PM so we hope you will join us for the program and discussion/study and refreshments afterwards. For information about the group and quarterly publication, DIE POMMERSCHEN LEUTE, please checkout our website, www.pomeranianews.com.

Saturday, February 14, 2009 10 AM - 12 Noon The Point of Pittsburgh: Production and Struggle at the Forks of the Ohio By Charles McCollester, Ph.D. Pittsburgh industry made it one of the most productive places in the world, impressive in diversity and amount of goods. It was also a center of intense labor struggles such as the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 and the Pressed Steel Car Strike of 1909. In his new book, Charles McCollester explores the role of labor in the region's development over the past 250 years. Dr. McCollester is a professor of industrial and labor relations at Indiana University of PA and a former president of the PA Labor History Society. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Lecture Hall 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (Oakland Area) Free and Open to the Public/Reservations not required For more information - visit www.wpgs.org or 412-687-6811 Parking fee at Carnegie Library - $5.00 Next Meeting - March 14, 2009 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Saturday, March 14, 2009 10 AM - 12 Noon History of the US Bureau of Mines in Western Pennsylvania By Leonard C. Marraccini For most of the 20th century, the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) was the primary US Government agency conducting scientific research and disseminating information on the extraction, processing, use, and conservation of mineral resources. From 1910 through 1995, employees of the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) provided information to many people and organizations throughout the world. Its Pittsburgh Research Center will be the subject of this talk by Leonard Marraccini, an employee of the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the Mine Safety and Health Administration for more than 30 years. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Lecture Hall 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (Oakland Area) Free and Open to the Public/Reservations not required For more information - visit www.wpgs.org or 412-687-6811 Parking fee at Carnegie Library - $5.00 Next Meeting - April, 2009 Spring Seminar

10th Annual Research Trip to Allen Co. Library in Ft. Wayne, IN Date:  March 25 - 29, 2009   Sponsored by the St. Charles Co. Genealogical Society and the St. Charles Community College History Dept.   The annual Family History Research Trip to the Allen County Library features experienced guidance from members of the Society to asist you in developing your research strategy and using the resources of the Library. We will help you get the most out of your trip through individualized attention.   Your trip includes: Pre trip planning Bus transportation to and from St. Charles and Illinois along Rt. I-70, or driving your own car Bus transportation to and from the library Banquet Saturday night For information about cost and hotel registration go to:   http://www.rootsweb.com/~mosccgs or contact Joan at 636-946-2820 or email gateway426@aol.com  

Our registration deadline for our 4th annual research trip to Salt Lake City's Family History Library is 15 December 2008. We spend a week in Salt Lake City, using the wonderful resources of the Family History Library. Attendees get help with pre-trip planning, on site consultations, morning presentations and more. Michael Neill is the trip coordinator and genealogist. More information is available at: http://www.rootdig.com/slctrip.html Questions can be sent to me offlist. Thanks! Michael ------------------------------------ Michael John Neill May 2009 Group Trip to Salt Lake City http://www.rootdig.com/slctrip.html

Saturday, January 10, 2009 Resources at the Rivers of Steel Museum & Archives Tiffani Emig Curator of Collections Tiffani Emig guides us in an introduction to resources at the Rivers of Steel Museum & Archives. Created by Congress in 1996, the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area is committed to preserving, interpreting, and managing the historic, cultural, and natural resources related to Big Steel and its related industries. Encompassing over 5,000 square miles in the eight counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Greene, Fayette, Washington, and Westmoreland, Rivers of Steel is building on this area's remarkable transition from heavy industry to high technology and diversified services as well as bolstering the new regional economy by promoting tourism and economic development based on this region's historic industrial saga. A multifaceted program, the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area's mission includes: historic preservation, cultural conservation, education, recreation and resource development. Learn more at their website: http://www.riversofsteel.com/ 10 AM - 12 Noon Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Lecture Hall 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (Oakland Area) Free and Open to the Public/Reservations not required For more information - visit www.wpgs.org or 412-687-6811 Parking fee at Carnegie Library - $5.00

The Hudson County Genealogical Society, the only genealogy and family history group focused entirely on the study of Hudson County New Jersey, is pleased to announce that on Saturday December 13, 2008 Gary D. Saretzky, Archivist, County of Monmouth, Coordinator, Internship Programs, Rutgers History Department will provide an informative presentation titled "19th Century Photographers" to the Hudson County Genealogical Society. The presentation will take place at 11:00 am at the Secaucus Public Library, Secaucus, New Jersey and it is open to the public. Of the approximately 3,000 different photographers active in New Jersey before 1900, a substantial number worked in Hudson County, primarily in Jersey City. Gary Saretzky will profile these pioneers of photography and discuss them within the larger context of New Jersey Photography in the 19th Century. Directions to the Secaucus Public Library can be found at http://secaucus.bccls.org. This program is offered through the Horizon Speakers Bureau of the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information, visit us online at http://www.HudsonCountyNJGenealogy.org.

Colleagues The next computer meeting of the Oxfordshire Family History Society will take place on Monday 1 December 2008. It will be held at the usual venue at Exeter Hall, Oxford Road, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1AB. Doors open at 7.15 pm for a 7.30pm start. The subject of the talk at 7.30pm is "Ratcatchers to Royalty – new software for publishing your family history research", which will be presented by Jan Power and Sarah Mercer. Jan and Sarah are both OFHS members themselves, and will be demonstrating a family history package that Sarah has written herself ! I had a sneak preview of this a few months ago, and can confirm that it's a very user-friendly program which runs in a web browser. All members, potential members and their guests are welcome. For directions as to how to get to the Exeter Hall, please see :- _http://www.ofhs.org.uk/ExeterHall.html_ (http://www.ofhs.org.uk/ExeterHall.html) For a list of future OFHS meetings, please see :- _http://www.ofhs.org.uk/meetings.html_ (http://www.ofhs.org.uk/meetings.html) Any queries, please contact me off-list. Paul Gaskell Publicity Officer Oxfordshire Family History Society Web : _www.ofhs.org.uk_ (http://www.ofhs.org.uk/)

Colleagues The next meeting of the Oxfordshire Family History Society will take place on Monday 24 November 2008. It will be held at the usual venue at Exeter Hall, Oxford Road, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1AB. Doors open at 7.15 pm for coffee, help with both genealogy and computers, and the bookstall. The subject of the talk at 8.00pm is "Brothers In War – discovering one family’s extraordinary sacrifice in the Great War", which will be presented by Michael Walsh. Ninety years ago, widow Amy Beechey was presented to King George V as the "mother who gave five sons" in the Great War. Amy and the lost Beechey boys were soon forgotten. But the discovery of a small brown case in a Devon attic in 2002 revealed a remarkable legacy of one family’s extraordinary sacrifice... Our speaker Michael Walsh is a freelance journalist living in Ducklington, Oxfordshire. "Brothers in War" was his first book - you can read more about the book and its author at :- _http://www.rbooks.co.uk/product.aspx?id=0091908841_ (http://www.rbooks.co.uk/product.aspx?id=0091908841) All members, potential members and their guests are welcome. For directions as to how to get to the Exeter Hall, please see :- _http://www.ofhs.org.uk/ExeterHall.html_ (http://www.ofhs.org.uk/ExeterHall.html) For a list of future OFHS meetings, please see :- _http://www.ofhs.org.uk/meetings.html_ (http://www.ofhs.org.uk/meetings.html) Any queries, please contact me off-list. Paul Gaskell Publicity Officer Oxfordshire Family History Society Web : _www.ofhs.org.uk_ (http://www.ofhs.org.uk)

Michael - You ldidn't identify your group or where in the US it is from. I might be interested in going if you are local. I am in Michigan, and may be near you so I could ride with the group. Do you have a bus arranged for transportation? Is there a charge for the trip? Don Merrill **************Get the Moviefone Toolbar. Showtimes, theaters, movie news & more!(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1212774565x1200812037/aol?redir=htt p://toolbar.aol.com/moviefone/download.html?ncid=emlcntusdown00000001)