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CVGS Past Meetings 2005-2009
3 Jan 2005. Wally Huskonen, CGRS, will speak on "Learn
about Grandpa’s Neighborhood
Using Sanborn Maps." One way to learn about urban neighborhoods in the late
1800s and
much of the 1900s is to consult the maps created and maintained by the Sanborn
Map Co.
for use by fire insurance agencies. These maps were created by neighborhood and
showed
all existing buildings, including residential buildings. Commercial and public
buildings,
schools, and churches all were labeled. Wally Huskonen will discuss how to
access these
resources on-line and at local repositories.
7 Feb 2005. "Why Attend a Genealogical Conference?" will
be the topic. Members will
discuss the benefits of attending various national and regional genealogical
conferences
scheduled during 2005. One example is the Ohio Genealogical Society 2005
conference that
will be held April 14-16 at Quaker Square in nearby Akron, will feature several
interesting
topics, such as British Isles research, Ellis Island research, military
research, and court
house research. A no-charge genealogy trade show will be held in conjunction
with the
conference. We’ll also discuss organizing car pools to visit the OGS conference
and show.
7 Mar 2005. The program will be "How to Research at the
County Archives, A Volunteer’s
Insight." CVGS member Don Kozlowski regularly serves as a genealogical research
volunteer at the Cuyahoga County Archives. He will share with us some of his
experiences
helping genealogists find what they need among the resources at the Archives on
Franklin
Ave., Cleveland. If you want to know more about what is available at this
repository--and how
to find it--be sure to attend this meeting.
4 Apr 2005. The program at the monthly meeting of the
Cuyahoga Valley Genealogical
Society will be "Photographic Treasures from Early Independence" with Wes Gaab.
The
CVGS Publishing Committee will preview a selection of historic photographs
collected for its
latest book publishing project: A Photo Review of Early Independence Township
and Village.
2 May 2005. The program will feature CVGS member John
Dailey discussing "Land Records
and the Ohio Surveys." As a professional surveyor, he will bring a special
insight and
perspective to this important topic involving land records beginning in the 19th
century.
6 Jun 2005. The program will include our annual Dinner
Meeting and Installation of Officers.
Our featured speaker will be Jana Sloan Broglin, who will present "Hooker's,
Crooks, And
Kooks: Or Aunt Merle Didn't Run A Boarding House," a light-hearted look at
searching for the
black sheep in the family, which she will present in costume.
12 Sep 2005. The program will be "Genealogical Research
Resources at the State Library of
Ohio," by Paul Immel, Genealogy Librarian. He will discuss the genealogical and
family
history holdings of this repository in Columbus and how to use them.
3 Oct 2005. The program will be "Do's and Don't's of Deed
Research," by Wally Huskonen"
Deeds and other land records can yield a wealth of genealogical information.
Because deeds
are used to transfer property from one owner to another, they have been recorded
in county
courthouses since county governments were formed. Some counties are putting
their deeds
on-line in searchable databases.
7 Nov 2005. The program will be "Searching for Your
Ancestors at Ellis Island," by Robert
Jerin. Our speaker will share tips for finding immigrants on the database of
www.ellisisland.org. An experienced researcher in Eastern Europe, He is
affiliated with the
Croatian Heritage Museum, Eastlake, Ohio.
5 Dec 2005. The program will be "Polish Christmas
Customs." Mitchell Viena and the Piast
Polish Folk Dancers will demonstrate in music and dance, various Polish
traditions. Mr.
Viena's collection of rustic to elaborate Polish nativity sets will also be
described and
displayed.
9 Jan 2006. Meeting held on the 2nd Monday due to the
holiday. The program will feature
Bill Barrow, Special Collections Librarian, Cleveland State University Library,
who will
discuss The Cleveland Memory Project, and some of its recent additions, such as
its growing
collection of e-books about Cleveland, its people, and its history; and other
new features
available on-line and on-site at Cleveland State University.
6 Feb 2006. The program will feature Martin Hauserman,
Chief City Archivist, who will speak
on "Cleveland's City Archives", an ever-growing record of the life of the City
of Cleveland, its
residents and its endeavors. The legislative records, correspondence, maps and
photographs contained in the Archives offer a blueprint of the city and its
changes over time.
The records date from 1803, chronicling Cleveland Township, to present time. The
City
Archives offer rich historical information organized into special collections
and legislative
files, including A History of Cleveland Baseball from League Park to Jacob's
Field, Cleveland
Mayors, Cemetery certificates: 1836-1925, City of Cleveland Strip Maps,
1880-1975, among
others.
6 Mar 2006
3 Apr 2006. The program will be a presentation on
"Researching Your Slovak, Ancestors:
Available Resources" by Joseph Hornack, who will describe what is available at
the Slovak
Institute Reference Library on Buckeye Rd in Cleveland, as well as resources
available on
the Internet. Joe has done extensive research on his Slovak ancestors and will
share
information about resources he found most helpful. The meeting will be held in
the Willow
Room of the Independence Civic Center, 6363 Selig Drive, Independence, OH.
1 May 2006. The May meeting topic will be "Cemeteries, A
Nice Place to Visit." A video of
the history of cemeteries will be shown and Mary Boehnlein and John and Sandy
Stoika will
talk about cemeteries and genealogy research.
5 Jun 2006. The June meeting will be a Heritage Potluck
dinner to conclude the 2005-2006
year. Dinner will be at 6:30 pm in the Independence Civic Center White Oak Room
with
kitchen facilities available. Please bring a dish from your ethnic heritage and
be prepared to
tell about it. The evening's program will be "Preservation through Data
Imaging," presented
by Linda and Larry Bickham from the Family Life Center in Salt Lake City. They
will describe
the Morman Family Life Center project and how they are digitizing Cuyahoga
County wills
and land deeds for easy access when the project is complete.
11 Sep 2006. Alana Baranick, obituary writer for the
Cleveland Plain Dealer, will discuss her
work as an obituary writer and the research she conducts to learn more about her
subjects
and the times in which they lived. She is the chief author of the book Life on
the Death Beat:
A Handbook for Obituary Writers. (Note day change.)
2 Oct 2006. Manfred Mondt will speak on "The Business of
Selling Heraldry and Other
Genealogical Information to the Public." He will present information on various
companies
selling deceptive family name and heraldry information and will identify
websites where
accurate information can be obtained. The rules for use, the legal standing, and
ownership of
coats of arms in the United States will be discussed, also.
6 Nov 2006. Edith Prendergast will present "Booze and
Other Strong Drink: Who Drank
What, Where and Why?" She will explore the history of alcohol and its importance
to our
ancestors and some of the problems that evolved after distillation was
discovered.
4 Dec 2006. The December program will be A Memories
Exchange. Attendees are asked to
bring a holiday wrapped keepsake or memorabilia from their ancestors. The
packages will be
placed on a table, selected by someone who unwraps it. The person who brought
that "gift"
then will give a short presentation about the item and why it was significant to
him or her.
The meeting will be held at the Independence Civic Center Willow Room, 6363
Selig Drive,
Independence, OH.
8 Jan 2007. Wally Huskonen, CG, will present
"Naturalization Records: What They Are &
How to Find Them." The requirements for immigrants to become naturalized as U.S.
citizens
changed over the years, but generally included the filing of a declaration of
intent and a
naturalization petition. Later records are particularly rich with genealogical
detail. The lecture
includes a history of naturalization laws in America, courts where
naturalizations were
recorded, especially in Ohio, and information that can be found in
naturalization files.
5 Feb 2007. The program will be speaker Cole Waite presenting
"Finding Your Family With
DNA or What DNA Can Do for Your Family Research." The speaker presents
information on
DNA in clear and understandable language focusing on how to add DNA evidence to
your
5 Mar 2007. Jean M. Hoffman, CG , will present "Life of a
Postcard." Postcards were saved
more than other papers, preserved addresses, a person's handwriting and
interesting
information. Even if they were never mailed, the pictures really are "worth a
thousand
words." Especially as they often show a view unlike today. Learn where to look
for these
gems in the family antique marts, archives, and online Jean will show ways to
interpret and
make them an exciting part of your family history.non-direct family sources to
locate your
family members.
2 Apr 2007. Deborah A. Abbott, Ph.D. professor from
Cuyahoga Community College will
present "Talking to Your Ancestor's Relatives & Neighbors-Tracing Collateral
Lines." By
using sample case studies Dr. Abbott will teach the importance of collateral
lines to
discovering an ancestor that you thought was lost. Learn how to develop new
techniques
and strategies by using non-direct family sources to locate your family members.
7 May 2007. Our chapter vice president, Mary Boehnlein,
Ph.D., will present "Using
Newspaper Archives to Find Family Information." Newspapers are rich sources of
information about family participation in school and community activities, and
celebrations
and can corroborate proved genealogical information.
2 June 2007. Note the special date and time! This will be
our annual officer
installation dinner, but there will be much, much more. It also will be the
induction dinner for
the class of 2006 inductees into the Cuyahoga County Pioneers (1850) and
Cuyahoga
County Setllers (1880). CVGS has had the responsibility for conducting these
lineage
programs for the year 2006. In addition, Dr. John Grawbowski, history professor
at Case
Western Reserve University, and noted author on local history, will be the
featured speaker
for the evening. He will discuss Cleveland from 1850 to 1880.
10 Sep 2007
1 Oct 2007 John Daley, expert in land surveying, presented "Migration Routes."
He talked
about the importance of the historical migration routes and the
relationship of the
routes and their related geographic importance to tracking ancestors
5 Nov 2007 First Lieutenant Harold George presented
"Men of the 9th Ohio ... One Man's
Hunt for Civil War Gravesites." George is first lieut4enant and commanding
officer of the 9th
Ohio Civil War re-enactment unit. He is author of the 2003 Illustrated
History of the 9th Ohio
Independent Battery of Light Artillery and he played a character in the Ted
Turner
movie,
Gettysburg.
3 Dec 2007 Don Kozlowski, volunteer researcher at the
Cuyahoga County Archives will
presented "Where There's A Will ... There're Relatives!" Don guided us
through the sometimes
dead-end roads of the Wills and Estate Case files of Cuyahoga County. The
voluntary
"admission fee" was canned goods in any amount that would be
suitable for
distribution
to the
needy for a happier holiday.
7 Jan 2008
4 Feb 2008 Christine
Krosel spoke on "Early Catholic Cemetery Records in Cuyahoga County."
3 Mar 2008 Gary
Smith, covered LDS web sites and the availability of records and how to access
them.
7 Apr 2008 Our guest speaker was Jane Gramlich,
genealogist specialist from the Akron
County Summit
Library, who covered the genealogy holdings at the library. "While
our collections are focused
primarily on
Ohio and the states surrounding it, we also actively
collecting
materials for the states of the Eastern Seaboard,
New England and the South.
Whether you need a topographical dictionary of Scotland or an entry out of
Hinshaw's
Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, the collection should
serve you well," she said.
5 May 2008
2 Jun 2008
Our monthly meeting was held at the Kiwanis Pavilion starting with a Picnic
Pot Luck
Dinner at 6 PM.
Most of us have had the problem in genealogy commonly known as "hitting the
brick wall." Hitting
these research dead ends can make your hair stand on end
and drive you to drink. Well, perhaps
as a project for our summer genealogy
club "vacation"
during June, July and August, we worked to help
fellow club members
scale some of these brick walls that have stopped us in our
tracks. At the
meeting, our club members were given the opportunity to participate in a
"brick wall swap." The
object was
to have a fresh set of eyes and ears and a
different perspective trying to help find a relative
or an event in that
relatives life that
has eluded everyone who has all other information in that
particular person.
The participant rules were simple:
1. Only one relative "brick wall" per person.
2. Description of the information being blocked by the "brick wall."
3. Participant to supply as much pertinent information found about that person
to date.
4. Any information found will be given only to the people involved. We will
proceed on the honor system.
8 Sep
2008 (Note special date due to Labor Day)
Dr. Judith Cetina, Cuyahoga County Archivist,
took her audience on a
tour
through “200 years of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County history.”
6 Oct 2008
Edith Prendergast, a noted speaker on the early days of our American
society,
discussed “Frontier Medicine - And Some Even Survived.”
3
Nov 2008 Wally Huskonen, CG, presented “Some Wonderful Things I’ve Found on
Footnote.com.” He will talk about what Footnote.com is and why is it
important
to genealogists. He will present examples of records found in the following
record collection types: Cuyahoga County birth returns, naturalization
records,
WWI naturalizations, early 20th century military records,
passport applications,
Revolutionary War records, War of 1812 records, and Civil War records, and
others. Instructions on how to access Footnote.com for free or at home by
subscription will be given, and posting comments to existing records will be
discussed.
1 Dec 2008
Don Koslowski discussed naturalization through the years.
7 Jan 2009 Julie
Graf Skinner, Busch Funeral and Crematory Services, spoke about "Funeral
Home Records--Another Genealogical Resource." She presented views of typical
funeral home records over the years to show what information has been
recorded and saved. Busch, which now has six locations in the Greater
Cleveland area, has digitized its records. She recommended that
researchers check online databases Tributes.com and obituaries.com for
information about ancestors.
2 Feb 2009 John Stoika discussed the "Stephen Morse
website,
a One-Step Portal to On-Line
Genealogy."
2 Mar 2009 Norm Davis' presentation
was "Looked Everywhere?
Tried Everything? What's Next?" He presented several websites to check
for hard-to-find information.
Monday, 6 Apr 2009 7:30 pm
Marge Cheney presented: "Serendipity In Genealogy." She reported on several
instances in which she found information about ancestors simply by being in the
right place at the right time.
Monday, May 4 2009 7:30 pm. Marilyn Thompson presented
"Dating Old Photos By Costumes And Props." She talked about determining when or
where photos were taken to provide a place and time frame for genealogy
research.
Saturday 30 May 2009 Noon Cuyahoga Valley Genealogical Society hosted a luncheon for its Biannual
Induction of Officers and The Cuyahoga County Pioneers and Settlers Fifth Annual
Induction Ceremony. Remarks by John Stoika, President, CVGS and Jean Barnes,
retiring OGS District Representative. Featured speaker was Robert Keener who
presented a talk on “Cuyahoga County and the Western Reserve."
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