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title: The Weekly Genealogist, August 17, 2022
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Every Wednesday, The Weekly Genealogist provides readers with news and information about American Ancestors and the genealogical community.

| View in browser     August 17, 2022   Read past issues Feedback? Email us       Online Seminar Getting Organized: Research, Files, Findings   Staying organized is an important part of the genealogical process. In this three week seminar you will learn tips, tools, and best practices for organizing your research and results at every step of your family history journey. Members save 10%. September 7, 14, and 21 at 6 p.m. (ET). Register Now       End-of-Summer Sale Save $25 off Your New Membership   Now is the perfect time to trace your family history. Save $25 and access over a billion searchable names, family tree software, award-winning publications, and hundreds of online educational tools to help you along. Offer valid through the month of August! Join Now Use discount code: AUGUST22. Offer expires 8/31/22 at 11:59 PM EST. Not valid on current membership renewals (expiration dates of 6/30/22 onward).       Spotlight: City Cemetery, San Marcos, Texas by Valerie Beaudrault   The city of San Marcos is the seat of Hays County, Texas. The city's website provides a database of burial records for San Marcos City Cemetery, which was founded in 1874. Search by last name, first name, year of interment, and veteran status. Click on the deceased’s name to view their detailed record. From there, you can locate the grave on the cemetery map by clicking 'Locate on Map' at the top of the page. or choose 'Return to List' to view your search results again. Search Now       Still Time to Register! Tracing Ancestors on the Move in America This seminar will help you track your ancestors on the move and give you historical context for migrations across America. August 3, 10, 17, and 24 at 6 p.m. (ET).   Register Now Author Event Camper English with Doctors and Distillers From alchemy to mixology—join experts in spirits and law for a look at the linked history of medicine and liquor. August 22 at 6 p.m. (ET)   Register Now Free Online Lecture Reading the Gravestones of Early New England Hear from epitaph expert John Hanson on how to interpret early New England gravestones, and what they can tell us about our ancestors' lives. August 25 at 3 p.m. (ET)   Register Now       What We’re Reading   Then Again: Dying Man’s Note Nearly Turned History Upside Down A handwritten document that surfaced in Swanton, Vermont, in 1853 suggested that its author, “Johne Graye,” was the first European to see Lake Champlain and Vermont.   Great Moon Hoax of 1835 Convinced the World of Extraterrestrial Life “The Great Moon Hoax emerged from a series of newspaper articles describing newly discovered life on the moon, including winged humanlike creatures and never-before-seen species of flora and fauna.”   Archaeologists Rebury ‘First-of-Its-Kind’ Roman Villa “Ruins of a sprawling ancient Roman villa discovered in the United Kingdom have been reburied, just one year after their discovery was announced.”   Eating Like an Explorer Once Called for Plenty of ‘Portable Soup’ “[Portable soup] became a breakfast staple—often reboiled with celery and oatmeal, or mixed with hot water and green pea flour to create an edible porridge—among the ship’s officers and crew.”   From Lists to Love Letters, What Do People Leave Behind in Library Books? “A California librarian assembles forgotten objects in a heartwarming digital archive.”       The Weekly Genealogist Survey   Last week's survey asked about libraries. We received 3,703 responses. The results are: 25%, At least one of my ancestors or relatives was a librarian or worked in a library. 22%, I am or was a librarian, or worked in a library in another capacity. 30%, I volunteer, or have volunteered, for a library or library friends group. 79%, When I was a child, I regularly visited the library. 35%, I use my public library on a regular basis. 41%, I use my public library on an occasional basis. 52%, I have visited a library for research purposes in the last year, or plan to visit one in the next year. 69%, I use online resources provided by libraries at least once a year. 11%, I have a connection to libraries not mentioned above. 5%, I haven’t been in a library in years. 2%, I currently have no connection to libraries. This week’s survey asks if you have any ancestors who lived to be at least 100. Take the survey now   Want to share your thoughts on the survey with us? We are always happy to hear from our readers. Email us at weeklygenealogist@nehgs.org. Responses may be edited for clarity and length and featured in a future newsletter.       Readers Respond: Connections to Libraries By Jean Powers, Senior Editor   Last week's survey asked about libraries. Thank you to everyone who replied. Below is a selection of reader responses.   Sherill Baldwin, New Haven, Connecticut: My family knew that my great-grandfather, Orrell Inslee Hancock (1867-1915), was connected to the Lynbrook Public Library on Long Island, New York. On a 2000 visit to the library with my aunt, I learned that Orrell founded the library and died a few months after it formally opened. The tradition of libraries extended to my grandmother Florence (Avellar) Hancock and mother Lee Hancock Baldwin, who both worked at the Brooks Free Library in Harwich, Massachusetts, where I also volunteered. As a Trustee, my mother helped Brooks Free Library modernize while retaining the integrity of the historical building with an extensive renovation project in the late 1990s. *Editor’s note: I spent most of my free time as a child at the Brooks Free Library. I credit the children’s librarian, Rosemarie Mulcahy, for my lifelong love of reading. Imagine my delight when I read Sherrill’s entry!   Mary Alice Harvey, Duluth, Minnesota: While sorting through old family papers, I found a note addressed to my great-grand-aunt, who was the librarian in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The note asked her to allow the bearer—a member of the author’s circus—to use the library. It was signed by P. T. Barnum.   Mary Beth Norton, Ithaca, New York: As a high school student in Greencastle, Indiana, I worked after school two afternoons a week at DePauw University library, shelving returned books and "reading shelves" (the tedious job of ensuring the books are in order in the stacks). I worked longer hours at the same job during the summers and later for two years while in college. That experience has come in handy many times since, both while I was a grad student and when I started to teach history, for I gained a sort of “sixth sense” of where a book would be misshelved if it was not in its proper place and had not been checked out. I became an expert at locating “lost volumes” that no one else could find.   Carlene Williams, Laguna Hills, California: I grew up in New Salem, Massachusetts, which was a very small town in the 1950s. A Regional BookMobile used to visit our neighbor’s house, and my mother, sisters, and I would go to pick out books. When the operators saw how many books Mama would get, they added a stop at our house. I loved looking at all the books—and getting my share, too. Books are a wonderful thing.       Database News New Sketch: Early New England Families, 1641-1700   We’ve recently added one new sketch to Early New England Families, 1641-1700, featuring Isaac Jones and his family. Isaac arrived in New England at the age of eight, and his family largely settled in and around Dorchester. This study project, led by Alicia Crane Williams, highlights heads of families mentioned in Torrey’s New England Marriages to 1700. Access the database with your American Ancestors membership. Search Now       Your Legacy. Your Peace of Mind. Your Free Will.    As a family historian, you know that wills are important in your research—but have you created a will for yourself? Free Will, an easy and free online will creation tool, will guide you step-by-step through identifying beneficiaries for your assets, supporting the causes that are important to you, and planning for the preservation of your research. Learn More       Educational events brought to you by Vol. 25, No. 33, Whole #1116 Copyright ©2022 New England Historic Genealogical Society. All Rights Reserved,. American Ancestors, 99-101 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116, 1-888-296-3447 Unsubscribe Manage preferences |
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