The St. Louis County Library Foundation has received a $250,000 grant from Monsanto for its new Center for Family History to be located in Chesterfield.
Borough police received two reports last week from residents who received phone calls from a person claiming to be a grandchild who was in trouble outside the country and needed money fast to make the trouble disappear.
Lynne Dyer of Framingham always knew she was related to Rebecca Nurse, who was hanged as a witch in Salem in 1692.
Lynne Dyer of Framingham always knew she was related to Rebecca Nurse, who was hanged as a witch in Salem in 1692.
Lynne Dyer of Framingham always knew she was related to Rebecca Nurse, who was hanged as a witch in Salem in 1692.
I’ve always loved Halloween. The candy. The silly costumes. The candy. The great Autumn decorations. Did I mention the candy? Maybe I love Halloween because my birthday is the very next day. Maybe it’s because I’ve always had a fascination with dead people.
I was raised in California where many of our Mexican friends and neighbors celebrated a holiday called The Day of the Dead. It is celebrated in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints’ Day (which is my birthday – coincidence?) and All Souls’ Day (November 2nd). During this holiday family and friends gather together to pray for and remember those who have died. One of the traditions associated with this celebration is the decorating of grave sites. Families will spend the entire day in the cemetery, eating picnics of their deceased relatives’ favorite foods, playing their favorite music and watching the children run and play among the tombstones.
Taken in the Ashland (Ohio) City Cemetery
These celebrations stem from the belief that during this time of year the veil between life and the after-life is thinnest. Each of these activities is designed to welcome the spirits of deceased ancestors to reveal themselves to loved ones. I think I identify a little better with these traditions than with the fear-inducing traditions of American Halloween celebrations (no haunted corn mazes for me…but I’ll still take the candy).
As a genealogist who wouldn’t want to hear from deceased loved ones? I would love one more chance to ask my grandfather to share his memories of his paternal grandmother. I would enjoy meeting the great-grandmother I am named after and would love to know if we share anything else – hair color, eye color, personality traits. It would be great to hear from my great-great-grandfather, John O’Brien. Maybe he could help me figure out which of the thirty-seven John O’Briens I’ve narrowed it down to is really him. Was he born in Ohio or Ireland? Was he really 99 years old when he died or only 85? Of course, as often as he lied in life, could I really expect things to be much different in death?
It’s not a trick.
What ancestor would you find it a treat to sit down and visit with if you could?
I may not be able to sit down with my deceased ancestors but I have learned that their death records can tell me a lot about their lives. If you missed my broadcast last week about death records you can watch a replay here. You can also watch a replay of Lorraine’s Halloween Day discussion of obituaries and cemeteries here. Then enjoy digging into a few of the 1,869 databases on Ancestry.com that contain death records!
Until next time – Have fun climbing your family tree…
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Headstones and cemeteries can hold valuable details but visiting them in person isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Join ProGenealogist’s Lorraine Bourne as she shows you how to dig up details ranging from where your ancestor is buried to what his or her tombstone looks like – all without leaving your house! You’ll get the skinny on where to find photos, transcriptions, and more both on Ancestry.com and elsewhere on the Web during our Halloween cemetery special.
The event will be happening today @ 1 pm EDT (10 am PDT).
The broadcast will be aired on the Ancestry.com Livestream channel, as well as from our Livestream Tab on Facebook.
And if you can’t make it? Don’t worry, you’ll be able to watch the event recording right after it’s over on the Ancestry.com Facebook page.
About our experts:
Lorraine Bourne is a professional genealogist and family history instructor with specialties ranging from American roots to conducting research online. She currently works with ProGenealogists, the research division of Ancestry.com.
Watch the Livestream broadcast below:
Join us on Wednesday, November 9th at 8:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time) for a free webinar that will teach you about the new features in Family Tree Maker 2012. You’ll learn about TreeSync—the ability to link and synchronize your desktop tree with an online tree at Ancestry, how to use the new blended families display option, create new charts and reports, and more. You can even get questions answered by the developers who work on the software. Information will apply to both PC and Mac users. To attend the Family Tree Maker 2012 webinar, click here to register.
And if you have questions you’d like answered, please enter them in the Comments section below. We’ll try to respond to them during the webinar or on the blog. (Please limit your questions to functionality available in Family Tree Maker 2012.) We appreciate your questions and look forward to talking to you soon. Thanks!
Have you missed past webinars? You can view them any time at FamilyTreeMaker.com.
The headstone of Clara Nielsen, who died before she was 2 months old, was found at a yard sale 1,000 miles from her grave.