The Newberry Library Genealogy News

The Cook County Clerk's office has launched its new website indexing marriage, birth and death records:
http://www.cookcountygenealogy.com/

Some of these records have never been indexed before, so the site will be a great new tool for researchers. Users will still need to pay to view the full records, though. The year range of the current indexing isn't clear to me- it appears that records are still being added.

6/24/2008

Rudolph J. Vecoli, 1927-2008

Historian and curator Rudolph J. Vecoli passed away this week. He was a pioneer in the study of immigrant culture in the United States and the long-time director of the Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota. The New York Times has an obituary here. Vecoli's 1963 history of Italian immigration to Chicago is available here at the Newberry Library.

6/20/2008

Family Tree Magazine on ChicagoAncestors

Our ChicagoAncestors project is mentioned Family Tree Magazine's "Now What" blog. The blog also examines Boston Streets, an online geo-historical project from Tufts University.

6/17/2008

Digitized County Atlases from the NYPL

South Part of Brookhaven. [Tow... Digital ID: 1602991. New York Public Library

The New York Public Library has digitized a number of historical county atlases from New York and New Jersey.
See the list of titles here.

6/13/2008

Puerto Rican Genealogy Resources at the Newberry

The Newberry has an new exhibit on Puerto Rican history curated by students from Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School. To accompany the exhibit, we compiled a pathfinder of Puerto Rican genealogy resources available at the Newberry:

CENSUS
Puerto Rico is included in the U.S. censuses of 1910, 1920 and 1930. These are available in The Newberry through Ancestry.com. Fully indexed by name, or browsable by municipality and barrio.

CHICAGO RESOURCES
Cruz, Wilfredo. Puerto Rican Chicago. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2004.
Call No. On Order.

Padilla, Felix. Puerto Rican Chicago. Notre Dame, Ind.: Notre Dame Press, 1987. Call No. F548.9.P85 P33 1987

DEMOGRAPHIC OFFICES
In Puerto Rico, municipal demographic offices keep vital records. Ask at the 2nd floor reference desk for the set of instructions for contacting a demographic office. There is also a list of offices and contact information on the website of the Puerto Rican Hispanic Genealogy Society.

DIRECTORY
Official Commercial Directory of Cuba, Porto Rico and the entire West Indies….(New York, 1901.)
Call No: H 7097 .64 1901

FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY MICROFILM
The Newberry Library allows researchers to borrow microfilm from the Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City. The FHL has collected microfilms of many original records from Puerto Rico, especially Catholic church records. To find out what the FHL holds, researchers can search their catalog on the Internet.

By selecting a “place” search for a particular town or municipality, researchers can see what the FHL holds for that locality. Borrowing microfilm costs $5.50 per reel; orders usually arrive two weeks after the order is placed. For questions about the microfilm loan process, visit the 2nd floor genealogy reference desk, or call 312-255-3512.

GUIDEBOOKS
Byers, Paula K. Hispanic American Genealogical Sourcebook. New York: Gale Research, 1995.
Call No. Local History Ref E184.S75 H563 1995. (2nd floor open shelf)

Ryskamp, George R. Tracing Your Hispanic Heritage. Riverside, CA: Hispanic Family History Research, 1984. Call No. Local History Ref CS16 .R97 (2nd floor open shelf)

Family History Library, Latin America Research Outline (Web site). This document is available at www.familysearch.org in the “Research Helps” section.

ONLINE FORUMS AND MAILING LISTS
GenForum Puerto Rican Genealogy Forum.
Rootsweb Puerto Rican Genealogy ListServ.

SOCIAL SECURITY DEATH INDEX
The Social Security Index records death information about individuals in the Social Security System, primarily covering the period from 1965 to the present. It includes residents of Puerto Rico. Freely available online.

6/6/2008

Time Out for Genealogy

This week's Time Out Chicago magazine has a nice article about our monthly genealogy orientation.

The next orientation will be tomorrow, June 7 At 9:30. Newberry genealogy staff member Teresa Sromek will introduce novices to the basics of research with an informal orientation. No reservations are necessary. The session will meet in the Reader's Lounge on the first floor of the Newberry Library.

Also, there is a meeting of the Chicago Genealogical Society at the Newberry tomorrow. The free public meeting will be held in Towner Fellows Lounge on the 2nd floor of the Library. This week's program features Larry Olson speaking on "Smart Practices for Sources and Citations." Doors open at 1:00 PM. Program will start at 1:30 PM. For more information, visit the Chicago Genealogical Society website.

5/23/2008

Ancestry.com and Alexander Street Press Offer Free Access to Military Records

From now until May 31, Ancestry.com is offering free searches of its Military Collections, containing data from the Revolutionary War through World War II: http://www.ancestry.com/military After May 31, you can still access the records for free by visiting the Newberry Library.

From now until June 30, you can access Alexander Street Press's extensive online Civil War collections: http://alexanderstreet.com/resources/civilwar.access.htm The username is "american" and the password is "bicentennial".

Local and Family History Staff Events in June and July

Here's a list of public events of the Newberry LFH staff in June and July:

Saturday, June 7
What: Local and Family History Orientation (free)
Where: The Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton, Chicago
When: 9:30 am
Who: Teresa Sromek
More information.
In this free orientation, Newberry reference assistant Teresa Sromek will introduce novices to the basics of research with an informal orientation. No reservations are necessary.

Saturday, June 7
What: Printers Row Book Fair (free)
Where: Lake Claremont Press Booth
When: 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Who: Grace Dumelle
More information.
Grace Dumelle will be dispensing genealogical advice and selling her book, Finding Your Chicago Ancestors: A Beginners Guide To Family History In The City Of Chicago.

Thursday, June 12
What: “Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places”
Where: Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 404 N. Green St., McHenry
When: 7 pm
Who: Ginger Frere
More information.
Contact: McHenry County Genealogical Society: mcigs@mcigs.org
You've looked through civil records; you've looked through church records. What else should you do if you simply can't find your ancestor’s marriage records? In the United States, the requirements for a valid marriage have changed over time and varied from state to state. Today couples in a hurry might rush off to Las Vegas. During the late 1800's and early 1900's, numerous towns across the nation were known as "marriage mills" or "Gretna Greens".
Come learn about some of these locations and find out why you might be looking for marriage records in the wrong place.

Saturday, July 12
What: Local and Family History Orientation (free)
Where: The Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton, Chicago
When: 9:30 am
More information.
In this free orientation, the Newberry reference staff will introduce novices to the basics of research with an informal orientation. No reservations are necessary.

Saturday, July 12
What: 60 Minutes to Better Genealogy - Non-Population Census Schedules
Where: The Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton, Chicago
When: 2:30 - 3:30 pm
Who: Matt Rutherford
More information.
Note: Advance registration required, fee
Non-population census schedules: Non-population census schedules are often overlooked, but they can provide us with a wealth of information about our ancestors. Come join Newberry librarian Matt Rutherford as we review farm schedules, Indian schedules, mortality schedules, manufacturing schedules, and unemployment schedules for genealogical data.

Saturday, July 19
What: 60 Minutes to Better Genealogy – Adoption Searches
Where: The Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton, Chicago
When: 2:30 - 3:30 pm
Who: Matt Rutherford
More information.
Note: Advance registration required, fee
Searching for an adoptee's birthparents or an ancestor's birth child can be one of the most frustrating challenges in genealogy research. It seems that either adoption records weren't kept or are legally closed. Come join librarian Matt Rutherford as he discusses ways of unearthing details of an adoption when they aren't readily available.

Sunday, July 27
What: “Mining the National Archives”
Where: Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie
When: 2 pm
Who: Ginger Frere
More information.
Contact: Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois - (312) 666-0100
What’s in the archives that I can’t find online? Why make the trip? This session will explore some of the lesser known holdings of the National Archives — at the Great Lakes Region and in Washington, D.C. Post Office records, Great Lakes Maritime records, passport applications and much more. Come learn about the ways you can find and access these genealogical gold mines.

Thursday, July 31
What: “Going Straight to the Source: Pointers on Oral Histories”
Where: Ela Area Public Library, 275 Mohawk Trail, Lake Zurich
When: 7 pm
Who: Grace Dumelle
More information.
Contact: Ela Area Public Library - (847) 438-3433
Learn to preserve the crucial stories of family members on audio tape. Grace Dumelle, local author and genealogist shares examples and provides tips on how to prepare, interview and follow through on a project that could be one of the most meaningful you'll ever do.