Come a day early, and explore the growing genealogy collection at the W. Dale Clark Library. 12 states complete through 1930 (including SD, ND, IA, NE, CO, WY, NV, ID, KS, MO, DE, NM and substantial portions of MN, OK & IN complete through that year as well...and 30 states complete through 1900) Over 8000 genealogy books, over 200 genealogy CDs, and over half of the released federal census collection. We're on our way to becoming a national caliber genealogy library. Come visit. (10-6 on Fridays) Family History Month Genealogy Workshop in Omaha October 30, 2004 9:00 - 4:00 John Philip Colletta of Washington DC, where he conducts workshops for the National Archives and teaches at the Smithsonian Institution and local universities will be our featured speaker. His topics: 9:00 Using Original & Derivative Sources: How to evaluate evidence Defining & discussing original sources, exploring the assets and drawbacks of each. How to resolve conflicting facts, how to weigh documentary evidence to arrive at the "most probable" truth, how to combine sources to see the "whole picture & test hypotheses to learn the true story of your own ancestors. 10:45 Only a Few Bones: The biographical facts we discover about our ancestors did not happen in a vacuum. Our ancestors were born, lived, & died under specific physical circumstances at specific times in history. Using 7 specific 19th centruy case studies drawn from my book, Only a Few Bones: A True Account of the Rolling Fork Tragedu & Its Aftermath, this lecture demonstrates how to turn biographical facts into the real-life experiences they were, by gathering together multiple documentary sources bearing on a particular ancestral event & individualizing it. The case studies include: locating the precise place in the backcountry where an ancestor was born; determining whether an ancestor built his house on his city land or his country land; learning the circumstances--time,place, weather, society, etc. of a wedding ceremony; exploring an ancestor's appointment to public office during reconstruction; examing a Freedman's experience as Justice of the Peace; locating the grave of a Jewish clerk who died young; reconstructing an ancestor's legal dispute with the captain of the Robert E. Lee. 1:30 Military Pension Bounty Land Records 1776 - 1912 What federal military pension & bounty land records are! How are they arranged at the National Archives, what information they contain and what you need to know to begin a search for an ancestors record. Using 2 specific sample cases, John demonstrates how to use resources available locally on microfilm, in books and on the Internet, as well as those in the National Archives to find and obtain the record of an ancestor's military pension or bounty land. 3:00 Breaking through Brick Walls: Use your Head: The path of genealogical investigation is strewn with many stumbling blocks, and every so often we even hit a brick wall. When that happens, it's time to use your head? This lecture offers some guidelines, some points of methodology, for how to proceed when you hit a brick wall using five or six solid, practical examples. The conference will be at the Paralyzed Veterans of America site 7612 Maple in Omaha. Email [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) for a flyer, pick one up at a meeting, or at a branch library. You can also call 344-2887 or 556-8875, or 706-1453 for more infor mation. This is a conference that people will have to pay for, due to expenses involved in bringing in a national speaker. There are discounts for those who are members of Greater Omaha Genealogical Society and/or pre-pay. (Inquire about a special local genealogy society offer for those who might want to car-pool in & aren't interested in qualifying for the G.O.G.S. rate. This offer will only apply to pre-registrations which must be mailed by Oct 12.) We are also going to offer sandwich box lunches on a pre-order basis for those who may not want to go out to lunch. We will have at least 2 vendors, as well as some fun genealogy stuff...tshirts, 365+1 Genealogy Tips, Handy Census Helper, and hopefully the new "No-Genealogy-Mythology-for-me" documentation guide. There will also be doorprizes.