Information on America's "Lost" Colleges

If your ancestor attended a college that was eventually closed or merged with another school, this database of 260 closed or merged colleges may by just what you need to further your research.

The colleges are listed by state, and each college name is a hot link to further information and history. The link to "Colleges by State" is found in the tab bar at the top of the landing page.

Check it out at:
America's Lost Colleges:

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Families in British India

The Families in British India Society gives us an online database of births, marriages and deaths for the years 1806-07. The data comes from the Asiatic Annual Register.

Each list gives you the name, rank or title, relationship, year and month of the event. Each column can be sorted, so although there is no search mechanism, the person is not really difficult to locate in the list.

Check it out at:
FIBIS Database - Powered by The Frontis Archive Publishing System:

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Lee County Genealogical Society Features Diana Crisman Smith on 19 October

PGS Meeting Features Annette Burke Lyttle on 21 October at Largo Public Library

Family History Assistance Day to Be Held 14 October at Largo Public Library

Pinellas Genealogy Society (PGS) and Largo Public Library are presenting a "Family History Assistance Day." This will be on Saturday, October 14 from 12:00 to 4:00 PM in Jenkins Room A on the first floor of the library. Bring what information you have about your family and receive free, one-on-one research assistance from a PGS consultant. Beginners are especially welcome. No appointment is necessary--first come, first served. Tours of the Genealogy Center will also be offered. 

Contact Bob Bryan at BBryan84@gmail.com, telephone 595-4521 if you have any questions.

Sherburne, Minnesota History Center- Research Resources Online

This is a great site to explore if you have Minnesota ancestors. It gives you several online resources such as birth/marriage/death, burials, obituaries, biographies, and more. The collections are indexes rather than digitized documents, and instructions are given if you want a record copy.

Check it out at:
Sherburne History Center- Research Resouces Online:

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PGS Events for the Week of 25-30 September 2017

Monday, 25-Sep-2017 at 6:00 PM--Female ancestors--locating and tracing the maternal line; tips and methods to finding maiden names. Bryan, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Tuesday, 26-Sep-2017 at 11:30 AM-- DNA Testing for genealogy—What you can and cannot do with DNA testing relating to your family history—an introduction Manning, Jenkins A, Largo Library.

Tuesday, 26-Sep-2017 at 1:00 PM--DNA Interest Group--Share your DNA knowledge and discuss your results with others interested in making DNA Connections.  This is a group for DNA novices to learn together. Manning, Jenkins A, Largo Library.     

Wednesday, 27-Sep-2017 at 10:00 AM--MAPS IN GENEALOGY RESEARCH (Part I) -- Maps can reveal much about the lives our ancestors led and the conditions under which they lived. They can also reveal hints on where to look for other important documents. There are many different types of maps available to the researcher, and this class deals with road, city, political, insurance, and migration maps. Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Thursday, 28-Sep-2017 at 1:00 PM--Introduction to Irish Genealogy & History-Part 1. This is the class scheduled for last week that was cancelled due to the aftermath of the storm. Designed especially for  those of you interested in a basic/beginner Irish genealogy class. Padgett, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Find and Translate Newspapers Worlwide

This is a fun and productive site to play around in...so allot some serious time to do so.

The landing page gives you a map of the world with push pins denoting the publication place of newspapers world wide. It is a rather busy display, so use your mouse scroll wheel to zoom in to give better visibility to individual pins.

Click on a pin to open a box that allows you to translate to any of a multitude of languages. To go to the newspaper, click on the title of the publication at the top of the box. This will take you to a modern, online version of the paper. Depending on the site, you can search for topics or browse recent editions.

To get to historical newspapers, click on the "hist" tab at the top of the landing page (the page with the map and push pins). Now when you click on an individual pin, you will see and image of the paper and publication information. click on the image and you will be taken to the Library of Congress, Chronicling America site where you can navigate to the issue  you are interested in.

Have fun.
Newspaper Map:

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Obituary Index from Lincoln Public Library, Lincoln, Massachusetts

The Lincoln Public Library of Lincoln, Massachusetts provides and obituary index from three newspapers: The Fence Viewer (1959-1975), The Concord Journal (1974-1984), and The Lincoln Journal (1985-most recent microfilm).

There is both a search  and browse capability. The index will provide the decedent's name, date of death, and the date and title of the newspaper where the obituary was published.

Check it out at:
Lincoln Public Library - Obituary Index:

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Various Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Online Resources

Give this site a look if you have ancestors from the Allegheny County, Pennsylvania area. Thanks to "Don's List" for this.

Pittsburgh:

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National Archives Guide on Finding Information on Civil War Ancestors

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has published a brochure titled "Finding Information on Personal Participation in The Civil War" that may be of values as you scout for your ancestors. It addresses both the North and the South, and covers such record sets as volunteers, burials, pension, draft, women, and mote.

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Greenville, Illinois Cemetery Databases

Here is a link to databases for the Montrose and Lansing Cemeteries of Greenville, Illinois. The listings give you cemetery name and grave location; name of the interred as well as the purchaser; dates of interment, purchase, birth, and death; and place of birth and last residence.

Each line begins with a "View" link that show the entire record.

Cemetery Database:

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Six World War I Records You May Not Have Considered

If you are doing research on a WWI ancestor, Diane Haddad, writing for the Genealogy Insider Blog, offers us a helpful article on six records the you may not have considered. This is of special significance since most WWI soldiers' records were victims of a 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis.

Check out Diane's article at:
Genealogy Insider - 6 Records to Trace Ancestors Who Served in World War I:

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West Pasco County Genealogical Society Offers a Seminar on 20 September 2017

Are you frustrated trying to find and interpret census information from foreign countries?  Most of us performing ancestry research occasionally hit a wall with foreign records.  

Join us at the September West Pasco County Genealogical Society (WPCGS)  seminar on Wednesday, September 20, 2017 from Noon to 1:30 pm and learn the ins and outs, tips and guidelines for researching foreign census records -- how and where to search for them and understanding census content.

The event is open to the public. Cost of the seminar is $7.00 for non-members; $5.00 for members. Following the lecture, the Society member meeting will be held from 2 to 4 pm. Non-members are invited to also attend the meeting where discussion on additional censuses – state, manufacturing, agricultural and mortality – will be presented.

Remember to register for the seminar by telephone: 727-271-0770 or email: debbehagner@yahoo.com to ensure that you will receive handout materials.

Civil War Slang

If you are doing Civil War research and run across a piece of slang that you do not understand, this post at "The In-Depth Genealogist" Blog is just what you need.


It’s All In How You Say It: Civil War Slang - The In-Depth Genealogist:

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PGS Educational Events for the Week of 3-9 September 2017

Tuesday, 5-Sep-2017 at 6:00 PM--COURTHOUSE RECORDS--types available, where and how to find them and their use in genealogy. Hostetler, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Wednesday, 6-Sep-2017 at 10:00 AM--Census Timelines--this class focuses on analyzing groups of similar questions asked in different census years, thus creating a time line of your ancestors' responses; it also looks at the instructions given to census takers--if you understand the questions, you can better understand the answers. Summers, Local History Room, Largo Library.

Saturday, 9-Sep-2017 at 2:00 PM--Intro to Genealogy, Bryan, New Horizons Women’s Group at Imperial Palm West Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Dr, Largo, FL.