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Society Membership Renewals

January 3, 2025

With the holidays over, many genealogists are ready to dive back into their genealogical research. This might include resolutions to organize their files or scan heirloom photos. These are great goals, but don’t forget your local genealogical society when you’re making plans for the upcoming year.

 

Membership in local and regional genealogical societies is an often-overlooked genealogical bargain. Most local memberships range from about $15 to $30 annually. That’s a measly figure for the benefits that membership in these societies brings.

 

For example, membership in the Larimer County Genealogical Society costs $25 annually for a single membership. That membership includes access to monthly meetings featuring guest speakers on a variety of genealogical topics. In addition, the Society presents a dozen or more Saturday workshops during the year covering topics such as Beginning Genealogy, Research in using various websites such as Ancestry and My Heritage, and even specialty topics such as DNA.

 

As if all of that weren’t enough, the Society also sponsors one-on-one genealogy help sessions each Thursday afternoon at the Old Town Branch of the Poudre Valley Public Library and at the Loveland Library. In addition, LCGS also features several special interest groups such as DNA research, Colonial Genealogy and a group devoted to genealogical writing.

 

Finally, membership includes access to the members only section of the LCGS website where locally produced genealogical videos are available. Finally, membership includes a semi-monthly newsletter to help you keep up to date with all LCGS happenings.

 

If you’re thinking that all of this sounds great, but you don’t live in Larimer County, remember that most of these benefits of membership are available via Zoom. That means that membership is worthwhile even if you live across the country or on the other side of the world.

 

Don’t be dissuaded because you don’t have ancestors from Larimer County. Most of the content of the various workshops and classes is not specific to Larimer County. Membership is also a great way to network and make new genealogy friendships.

 

During these last few days of the holidays, why not sit down at your computer and access the LCGSCO.org website. Take a few minutes to download a membership form and join the Society. You’ll be glad you did.

 

While you’re at it, check out a few genealogical societies in other areas where you may be researching. Investigate some specialty societies such as the Swedish Genealogical Society of Colorado or the W.I.S.E (Welsh, Irish, Scottish and English Society) headquartered in the Denver area. Nearly all of them offer programs via Zoom so they’re worthwhile wherever you live. Whatever aspect of genealogy you’re interested in, there’s a society for you. None of them are expensive, and membership will be a great way to start the new year.

 

Carol Stetser

Researcher

Larimer County Genealogical Society

Going to the Movies

December 27, 2024

You may be wondering what movies have to do with genealogy. Turns out, it’s a lot. Generations of Americans went to the movies routinely during the 20th century. During happy times, the movies were a place to have a good time with your friends. During sad times, movies were an escape from the traumas of day-to-day life. They influenced a lot of lives.

 

My family loved the movies. My mother was one of seven sisters, and they all loved going to the movies. Mom grew up during the depression, and her large family was poor. Somehow, though, Mom and her friend Muriel were able to scrounge a dime, or if they were very lucky, a quarter, so they could see the latest movie in town.

 

According to Mom, tickets for kids under twelve were a nickel. Candy bars were also a nickel. Mom and her friend lived several miles from town, so if they only had a dime, they had to walk to and from the show. If they had a quarter, they could ride the Bamberger (the local tram) to and from town and still have another nickel for penny candy. They thought they were rich on quarter days.

 

I guess a love of movies is passed down since one of my best memories is of going to the movies when I was young. Mom and Dad liked to go to the movies and usually took all four of us kids along. We watched whatever shows my folks wanted to see. Even though Disney children’s movies like Bambi and Snow White came out during my childhood, I never saw them. I did, however, see The Bridge Over the River Kwai when I was nine years old. So did my younger siblings, even my two-year-old sister.

 

All the theaters then had what they called “cry rooms” which were separate from the main auditorium. If the littlest movie attendees were restless, parents could still watch the show and not bother anyone else. However, my family prided themselves on not needing to take anyone to the cry room. From our earliest childhoods we were engrossed by whatever movie was showing – no matter how inappropriate it might have seemed for children.

 

When I started doing genealogy, I learned that some of my mother’s relatives had moved to the Los Angeles area in the early 1920s. As I researched them, I learned that one of them, Edwin Bennett, spent decades as a projectionist at the Strand Theater in Pasadena. In those days, being a projectionist was a skilled job which required several people to be in the projection booth to make sure that reels got changed smoothly. Films often broke and had to be spliced. The film was flammable and sometimes caught on fire. Projectionists had a lot of responsibility.

 

I knew all of this, but my first thought when I learned about the projectionist in the family was,
“Wow, he got to see all the movies. I bet his family did too. What a great job.”  I don’t know if Edwin and his family watched the movies; my family lost touch with his long before I was born. I hope that he loved the movies and watched them all. I’m sure I would have.

 

Carol Stetser

Researcher

Larimer County Genealogical Society

Using Local Libraries for Newspaper Research

December 20, 2024

Newspapers are widely used by genealogists to add context to family stories. Obituaries are particularly sought after since they are often the only biographical sketch available for many ancestors.

 

Many of us take newspapers’ online availability for granted. Free sites such as Chronicling America (https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ ) allow access to newspapers from all over the United States. Many states also have historic digital newspaper websites. Pay sites such as Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/ ) and Genealogy Bank (https://www.genealogybank.com/ ) offer even more access to newspapers.

 

Because of these huge newspaper databases, genealogists sometimes assume that all historic newspapers have been digitized. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Many historic newspapers are not online. Some will eventually be digitized, but there will likely always be newspapers that aren’t.

 

The good news is that a newspaper that isn’t online is usually available somewhere. Many historic newspapers were microfilmed. These microfilms are often found in local repositories such as libraries and regional archives.

 

Microfilmed newspapers are often not indexed. This can be a problem if you don’t know when an event that might have been newsworthy occurred. Since researchers can often find a death date from cemetery records, obituaries are usually one of the easiest types of articles to find. They’re also genealogically valuable since they contain information such as a wife’s maiden name, daughters’ married names, and names of siblings and other survivors.

 

Local libraries typically maintain microfilms of newspapers published in their area. Googling “public library” plus the location where an ancestor lived is a good way to find a website for a local library. Most library websites have a way to contact them. An email or phone call are both good ways to determine which newspapers the library may contain and whether they will do lookups.

 

In my experience, libraries are usually happy to do a search for an obituary or other article for which you have a specific date. Some libraries have indexed their local newspapers, and they may be willing to do lookups even if you don’t have an exact date. Most of the libraries I have contacted about obituaries haven’t charged for emailing me a copy. A few asked for a small donation, but it was rarely more than a couple of dollars.

 

However, libraries are not set up to do numerous lookups. If you have lots of ancestors in a specific area, it is probably better to contact a local genealogical society which may have a researcher who can help you. You will likely need to pay for this service.

 

Finally, if you’re not sure what newspapers might have been published in a specific area, check the Directory of American Newspapers in U.S. Libraries (https://www.loc.gov/collections/directory-of-us-newspapers-in-american-libraries/ ). This database is part of the Library of Congress’ digital collections and is free to search.

 

Newspaper articles, especially obituaries, can help add color to your family history. They can even give details about an ancestor’s life that you can’t find elsewhere. If you can’t find the newspapers you need online, check the local library where your ancestor lived. You may get the help you need.

 

Carol Stetser

Researcher

Larimer County Genealogical Society