Today Debbie Gurtler of FamilySearch.org gave a presentation for the New Mexico Genealogical Society titled "Maximize your FamilySearch Experience". Below are her notes for the presentation, which includes helpful hints and website links. Enjoy!
Showing posts with label Past NMGS Presentations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Past NMGS Presentations. Show all posts
09 August 2014
20 January 2013
List of NMGS Programs through July
Yesteday, NMGS presented Lisa Kindrick, the Librarian for the Albuquerque Genealogy Center, who spoke to our membership about ways to best utilize the center. Afterwards, many of us met up to the second floor Genealogy Center where Henrietta Martinez Christmas, Joe Salazar and I helped out people with their genealogy questions.
Whether or not we formally schedule a "genealogy brick walls" workshop after a program, we will always have someone there who can help you with your genealogy questions. So feel free to bring your charts and information, and we'll help you with your genealogy questions.
Thank you to everyone who participated yesterday. See you at the next program in February! - Robert J. C. Baca, President of the New Mexico Genealogical Society.
New Mexico Genealogical Society Programs for 2013
The New Mexico Genealogical Society
proudly announces its first programs for the New Year!
Unless otherwise noted, our programs will be at a new location this year:
The Community Room
In the Lower Level of
The Albuquerque Main Library
501 Copper St. NW
Albuquerque, New Mexico(on the northwest corner of 5th and Copper)
You may park in the Very Special Arts Garage on the southeast corner of 5th and Copper for 2 hours free if you validate your ticket in the library. After 2 hours, you will need to pay additional fees.
Unless otherwise noted, our programs will be at a new location this year:
The Community Room
In the Lower Level of
The Albuquerque Main Library
501 Copper St. NW
Albuquerque, New Mexico(on the northwest corner of 5th and Copper)
You may park in the Very Special Arts Garage on the southeast corner of 5th and Copper for 2 hours free if you validate your ticket in the library. After 2 hours, you will need to pay additional fees.
Saturday, February 16, 2013, 10:30
AM
Francisco Sisneros - "A
Difficult Birth: The Re-Settlement Families of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores de
la Joya de Sevilleta, 1800-1819"
Saturday, March 16, 2013, 10:30
AM
Andrés Armijo -
"Historical Family Images and Artifacts: A Creative Approach to Visualizing and
Narrating Your Family History and Genealogy"
Saturday, April 20, 2013, 10:30
AM
Miguel torrez -
"The Espinosa DNA Quest"
Saturday, May 18, 2013, 10:30 AM -
12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
"Family Finder and
FamilyTreeDNA", an all-day workshop presented by
FamilyTreeDNA of Houston, Texas.
Presented in the auditorium in the Lower Level of the Albuquerque
Main Library. Bring a sack lunch!
Saturday, June 15, 2013, NO PROGRAM
SCHEDULED
- Enjoy the Genealogical Society of
Hispanic America Conference in Albuquerque instead. Click on this link for more
information: http://www.gsha.net/Events.html.
Saturday, July 20, 2013, 10:30
AM
- "Genealogy Brick
Walls" workshop. Bring your charts and your questions!
16 April 2011
New Mexico Villages Handout
Did you miss our April 16th presentation: "Genealogy of a Village: The How and Why of Researching New Mexico Villages"? If you did, you missed a good presentation. Francelle Alexander explained how using histories, memoirs and other written material, a genealogist may create a family or local history.
Since she focused on the Rio Abajo, she wrote up a selected bibliography for that area. It is a great resource for material on central and southern New Mexico. Click on this link to view her "Selected Bibliography of New Mexico Hispanic Villages".
Enjoy.
Since she focused on the Rio Abajo, she wrote up a selected bibliography for that area. It is a great resource for material on central and southern New Mexico. Click on this link to view her "Selected Bibliography of New Mexico Hispanic Villages".
Enjoy.
19 October 2010
NMGS Conference - a smashing success!
The 50th Anniversary New Mexico Genealogical Society Conference was a smashing success! Nearly 200 people attended the conference, with 145 people attending our banquet. Many others attended the banquet presentation, but did not eat at the banquet itself.
Conference highlights:
* Dr. Paul Hutton was our keynote speaker. He talked about the "genealogy" of the Billy the Kid story. He showed us how the story of Billy the Kid evolved over the years through books, comic books and movies, and how accurate, or more often inaccurate, these stories were. Some memorable items about his presentation: 1.) Billy the Kid was played by a whole slew of actors including Audie Murphy, Paul Newman and Emilio Estevez. The better looking the actor, the more likely his character was a "good guy". 2.) "The Cisco Kid" is based on the Billy the Kid story; and 3.) There is one comic-book version that has Billy the Kid as actually a woman, pretending to be a man.
* Al Regensberg showed us how our ancestors migrated throughout New Mexico's history. For the most part, our ancestors stayed on the Rio Grande at it tributaries. When the Americans came, people began spreading out more.
* Former New Mexico state historian Robert J. Torrez read excerpts from his new book "Rio Arriba: A New Mexico County". He talked about the times he describes as "mucho mas antes", or New Mexico pre-history, and "mas antes", the Spanish colonial era. He also explained that this is "a" history of Rio Arriba, not "the" history of the county. He said that if any of the readers found that anything was left out, they should write about it themselves. Good advice!
* Krysten Baca, from the Ancestry.com Public Relations and Conference Team, explained how we could get the most out of Ancestry.com. The next day she had a workshop on "Best Strategies for Researching using Ancestry.com". Conference attendees were seen taking copious notes, and asked Krysten many questions.
* Jim Greene of FamilySearch.org showed us new features of beta.familysearch.org, the beta search engine that the organization is using while it updates its website. He explained that the website was free, and requested that our members help in indexing the site. He also showed us a couple of short videos about the digitization that they are doing of the 2.4 million microfilms that they have in their vault. The videos also showed the vault itself, something that the average person would not be allowed to see in person.
* Robert J. Torrez spoke again, this time about the Rio Abajo - specifically about "Rich and Powerful Hispanic Leaders". Although these families were not "millionaires" by any stretch of the imagination, they were definitely the wealthiest people in New Mexico.
* Richard Melzer spoke about "Hispanic Profiles in Courage Since Statehood". His presentation, modeled after John F. Kennedy's "Profiles in Courage", demonstrated how five individuals went against the political and social grain to stand up for what they believed in.
* Rick Hendricks spoke about "Research In and About Durango and Parral". He explained how many of these records had been preserved through his and others actions. Many of these records have been microfilmed and can be found at New Mexico State University. One photo that he showed us sent shock waves through the crowd: that of irreplaceable Spanish documents that were haphazardly boxed up and strewn across the floor of a mold infested room.
* Our banquet speaker was Bennett Greenspan, president of FamilyTreeDNA. His entertaining presentation described how he came about starting FamilyTreeDNA. He also spoke about the controversy over whether Crypto-Jews existed in New Mexico's history. He gave facts that, although did not conclusively prove the possibility of Crypto-Jews, did at least open up the conversation once again to this possibility. He also described the new autosomal DNA test that allows one to find family on across all lines up to 6 generations back.
Thanks again to everyone who helped make this conference a success: from the volunteers to the speakers to the attendees themselves. Thank you.
Photos of the conference can be seen at this link.
Conference highlights:
* Dr. Paul Hutton was our keynote speaker. He talked about the "genealogy" of the Billy the Kid story. He showed us how the story of Billy the Kid evolved over the years through books, comic books and movies, and how accurate, or more often inaccurate, these stories were. Some memorable items about his presentation: 1.) Billy the Kid was played by a whole slew of actors including Audie Murphy, Paul Newman and Emilio Estevez. The better looking the actor, the more likely his character was a "good guy". 2.) "The Cisco Kid" is based on the Billy the Kid story; and 3.) There is one comic-book version that has Billy the Kid as actually a woman, pretending to be a man.
* Al Regensberg showed us how our ancestors migrated throughout New Mexico's history. For the most part, our ancestors stayed on the Rio Grande at it tributaries. When the Americans came, people began spreading out more.
* Former New Mexico state historian Robert J. Torrez read excerpts from his new book "Rio Arriba: A New Mexico County". He talked about the times he describes as "mucho mas antes", or New Mexico pre-history, and "mas antes", the Spanish colonial era. He also explained that this is "a" history of Rio Arriba, not "the" history of the county. He said that if any of the readers found that anything was left out, they should write about it themselves. Good advice!
* Krysten Baca, from the Ancestry.com Public Relations and Conference Team, explained how we could get the most out of Ancestry.com. The next day she had a workshop on "Best Strategies for Researching using Ancestry.com". Conference attendees were seen taking copious notes, and asked Krysten many questions.
* Jim Greene of FamilySearch.org showed us new features of beta.familysearch.org, the beta search engine that the organization is using while it updates its website. He explained that the website was free, and requested that our members help in indexing the site. He also showed us a couple of short videos about the digitization that they are doing of the 2.4 million microfilms that they have in their vault. The videos also showed the vault itself, something that the average person would not be allowed to see in person.
* Robert J. Torrez spoke again, this time about the Rio Abajo - specifically about "Rich and Powerful Hispanic Leaders". Although these families were not "millionaires" by any stretch of the imagination, they were definitely the wealthiest people in New Mexico.
* Richard Melzer spoke about "Hispanic Profiles in Courage Since Statehood". His presentation, modeled after John F. Kennedy's "Profiles in Courage", demonstrated how five individuals went against the political and social grain to stand up for what they believed in.
* Rick Hendricks spoke about "Research In and About Durango and Parral". He explained how many of these records had been preserved through his and others actions. Many of these records have been microfilmed and can be found at New Mexico State University. One photo that he showed us sent shock waves through the crowd: that of irreplaceable Spanish documents that were haphazardly boxed up and strewn across the floor of a mold infested room.
* Our banquet speaker was Bennett Greenspan, president of FamilyTreeDNA. His entertaining presentation described how he came about starting FamilyTreeDNA. He also spoke about the controversy over whether Crypto-Jews existed in New Mexico's history. He gave facts that, although did not conclusively prove the possibility of Crypto-Jews, did at least open up the conversation once again to this possibility. He also described the new autosomal DNA test that allows one to find family on across all lines up to 6 generations back.
Thanks again to everyone who helped make this conference a success: from the volunteers to the speakers to the attendees themselves. Thank you.
Photos of the conference can be seen at this link.
18 April 2009
Visigoths Invade Botts Hall
On April 18, 2009, the Goths, the mighty tribes that sacked Rome, and the Visigoths, the Western Goths that ruled early Medieval Iberia, ransacked the normally sedate Botts Hall at the Albuquerque Special Collections Library.
Well ... not really.
What really happened is that we had an excellent presentation by Angel R. Cervantes titled "The New Mexico DNA Project: The Visigoths' Connection to yDNA Haplogroup I". He showed us a History Channel video about the Goths. These people were terrorized by the Huns, sought the protection and were practically enslaved by the Romans, rebelled against this mighty empire and sacked Rome, and eventually invaded and ruled Iberia before they themselves were conquered by the Moors. These first Christian rulers of Spain would bring Latin to Iberia, which would eventually be the basis of the Spanish language. They also started the re-conquest of Spain, which lasted nearly 800 years.
Angel showed us that many New Mexican Hispanics have inherited Visigoth DNA. He also explained how DNA testing proves that many surnames that we take for granted are incorrect due to illegitimacy, adoption, and other factors. He explained that DNA testing is a good tool to use with conventional genealogical methods in order to prove correct family lineages.
If you wish to find out more about Angel Cervantes' project, check out the New Mexico DNA Project at this link. You may also contact Angel Cevantes personally at angelrcervantes@yahoo.com.
Well ... not really.
What really happened is that we had an excellent presentation by Angel R. Cervantes titled "The New Mexico DNA Project: The Visigoths' Connection to yDNA Haplogroup I". He showed us a History Channel video about the Goths. These people were terrorized by the Huns, sought the protection and were practically enslaved by the Romans, rebelled against this mighty empire and sacked Rome, and eventually invaded and ruled Iberia before they themselves were conquered by the Moors. These first Christian rulers of Spain would bring Latin to Iberia, which would eventually be the basis of the Spanish language. They also started the re-conquest of Spain, which lasted nearly 800 years.
Angel showed us that many New Mexican Hispanics have inherited Visigoth DNA. He also explained how DNA testing proves that many surnames that we take for granted are incorrect due to illegitimacy, adoption, and other factors. He explained that DNA testing is a good tool to use with conventional genealogical methods in order to prove correct family lineages.
If you wish to find out more about Angel Cervantes' project, check out the New Mexico DNA Project at this link. You may also contact Angel Cevantes personally at angelrcervantes@yahoo.com.
17 January 2009
Former Special Collection's Librarian Gives Talk at NMGS Meeting
Librarians and rioters: two types of people that you wouldn’t think would mix well together. And actually, they don’t. However, Joe Sabatini was able to discuss both types of people in his presentation “Genealogical Ramblings and Cross Cultural Adventures”. The program was put on by the New Mexico Genealogical Society on Saturday, January 17, 2009 at the Albuquerque Special Collections Library.
Sabatini is the former branch manager of the Albuquerque Special Collections Library. We invited him to speak to our organization about his experiences in the library system. He has had plenty of experience, too. He had worked in New Mexican libraries for 41 years, many of those years in Albuquerque. He was a librarian at the University of New Mexico Law Library from 1968 – 1973, and then was the head of reference and then head of the main Albuquerque city library until June, 2000. From 2000 – 2008 he worked at the Special Collections Library.
Joe began his presentation by giving his own genealogy. He admitted that it was very limited, going back only a couple of generations. His father’s family was Italian. His mother was a Sephardic Jew. Her ancestors were exiled from Spain after 1492 and lived in the Ottoman Empire. Joe explained that his mother spoke a different type of Spanish: one that could be easily understood by Northern New Mexicans, but not well understood by others. As we know, Northern New Mexicans were isolated from Spain and Mexico for hundreds of years and tend to retain 16th Century Spanish words and phrases. Apparently Sephardic Jews from the Ottoman Empire had the same type of isolation from mainstream Spanish and therefore also kept the old language.
Joe also talked about the building that houses the Special Collections Library. When he began working there in 1973, it was the main library. At the time, it was too small to serve the city’s main library. In 1975, a new Main Library was built that five times the size of the old. The city shut down the old library to the chagrin of the heirs of the couple that donated the building. According to the will of the family that donated the building to the city it was supposed to be used in perpetuity as a library, or else revert back to the estate. The heirs threatened to tear down the building unless it was used as a library again. The city agreed and reopened it, eventually turning it into a genealogy library.
Sabatini is the former branch manager of the Albuquerque Special Collections Library. We invited him to speak to our organization about his experiences in the library system. He has had plenty of experience, too. He had worked in New Mexican libraries for 41 years, many of those years in Albuquerque. He was a librarian at the University of New Mexico Law Library from 1968 – 1973, and then was the head of reference and then head of the main Albuquerque city library until June, 2000. From 2000 – 2008 he worked at the Special Collections Library.
Joe began his presentation by giving his own genealogy. He admitted that it was very limited, going back only a couple of generations. His father’s family was Italian. His mother was a Sephardic Jew. Her ancestors were exiled from Spain after 1492 and lived in the Ottoman Empire. Joe explained that his mother spoke a different type of Spanish: one that could be easily understood by Northern New Mexicans, but not well understood by others. As we know, Northern New Mexicans were isolated from Spain and Mexico for hundreds of years and tend to retain 16th Century Spanish words and phrases. Apparently Sephardic Jews from the Ottoman Empire had the same type of isolation from mainstream Spanish and therefore also kept the old language.
Joe also talked about the building that houses the Special Collections Library. When he began working there in 1973, it was the main library. At the time, it was too small to serve the city’s main library. In 1975, a new Main Library was built that five times the size of the old. The city shut down the old library to the chagrin of the heirs of the couple that donated the building. According to the will of the family that donated the building to the city it was supposed to be used in perpetuity as a library, or else revert back to the estate. The heirs threatened to tear down the building unless it was used as a library again. The city agreed and reopened it, eventually turning it into a genealogy library.
In 2001, the city celebrated the centennial of its library system. Joe was given the task of researching the history of one of the library’s enigmatic librarians: Stella Dixon. Mrs. Dixon was the librarian from 1918 – 1935. At the end of her career, she was forced out as librarian by a group of angry female activists. They believed that she was responsible for the poor condition of the library’s collection. At the time the library had only 200 children’s books. However, Joe believes that it wasn't her fault for the condition of the library. The library had been under budget constraits, mostly due to uncollectible overdue book fines.
Joe shared some of the displays that he put on for the library. These included presentations on Route 66, Ernie Pyle’s papers, and local postcards. For the postcard presentation, Joe was able make copies of over 2,000 postcards that had been donated by very enthusiastic local postacard collector’s club. He ended up using only 700 postcards in his display.
Joe ended his presentation by discussing what he described as the “John Houser Riot”. John Houser is an artist who created a sculpture of conquistador don Juan de Oñate. Native American groups found this sculpture in bad taste because of Juan de Oñate’s alleged and actual abuses of conquered Indians. Houser had allowed protesters to stand behind him while he was giving a presentation at the library. Joe Sabatini tried to keep the crowd under control, disbuting the library's code of conduct to the protestors. However, Joe said that once the discussion turned to the conquistador's legacy, the protesters became unruly and he had to throw them out. For our presentation today, Joe displayed a few of the protestors' signs that he had collected for the library’s archives.
Joe Sabatini’s talk was very informative and entertaining. He gave a good history of the library under his care. The New Mexico Genealogical Society is very appreciative of Joe's tenure with the library and we were glad to see him once again within its doors. Thank you, Joe.
21 September 2008
NMGS Visits Las Vegas, New Mexico
A building is a terrible thing to waste.
On September 20th, the New Mexico Genealogical Society visited the Committee for Historical Preservation in Las Vegas, New Mexico. This organization helps preserve historic buildings in the area and collects local history and genealogy.
The Plaza Hotel, Las Vegas, New Mexico
Pat Patrick gave a talk about Las Vegas' history. He is a volunteer for the CCHP. Twenty-two people attended his presentation. Audience members were from both Albuquerque and Las Vegas.
Pat Patrick speaking
Afterwards, Pat gave us a tour of old town in which he told us about history of many of the buildings on the plaza.
Pat Patrick pointing at the Plaza Hotel
If you would like to view more photos about our visit, please visit my Facebook photo page at this link.
On September 20th, the New Mexico Genealogical Society visited the Committee for Historical Preservation in Las Vegas, New Mexico. This organization helps preserve historic buildings in the area and collects local history and genealogy.
Pat Patrick gave a talk about Las Vegas' history. He is a volunteer for the CCHP. Twenty-two people attended his presentation. Audience members were from both Albuquerque and Las Vegas.
Afterwards, Pat gave us a tour of old town in which he told us about history of many of the buildings on the plaza.
If you would like to view more photos about our visit, please visit my Facebook photo page at this link.
20 July 2008
Recap of July 2008 NMGS Program
Yesterday, July 19, 2008, I did a presentation for the New Mexico Genealogical Society titled "Swiss Family Zimmerly: A Socorro, New Mexico Story." The program began at 10:30 A.M. in Botts Hall at the Albuquerque Special Collections Library.
The story was about Samuel Zimmerly, a Civil War soldiers, and his New Mexican wife Maria Paubla Torres. Samuel and Paubla are my 2nd great grandparents.
I began the presentation by talking about my maternal grandmother Maria Paublita Zimmerly, and how her father, Estevan Zimmerly, named her after his mother. I then told the story of Samuel Zimmerly, and how he came to New Mexico as a member of the California Column. I then spoke about his wife Maria Paubla Torres. I traced her ancestors back to Belen, New Mexico, and explained how they arrived in Socorro sometime after 1816. I finished by talking about the hardships that Samuel and Paubla had to endure, how they had a family and ran a milling business, how Samuel died in 1887 only three weeks after the birth of his final child, and how Paubla continued raising and supporting her family into the 20th Century.
Robert Baca, speaking before an audience at Botts Hall Audience, Botts Hall, 19 July 2008 Zimmerly documents on display
I dedicate my speech to my second cousin, Michael Chavez. On Friday, he collapsed unexpectedly while attending a function. On Saturday, July 19, 2008, he passed away. My family found out that he was in the hospital while I was finishing up my presentation.
The story was about Samuel Zimmerly, a Civil War soldiers, and his New Mexican wife Maria Paubla Torres. Samuel and Paubla are my 2nd great grandparents.
I began the presentation by talking about my maternal grandmother Maria Paublita Zimmerly, and how her father, Estevan Zimmerly, named her after his mother. I then told the story of Samuel Zimmerly, and how he came to New Mexico as a member of the California Column. I then spoke about his wife Maria Paubla Torres. I traced her ancestors back to Belen, New Mexico, and explained how they arrived in Socorro sometime after 1816. I finished by talking about the hardships that Samuel and Paubla had to endure, how they had a family and ran a milling business, how Samuel died in 1887 only three weeks after the birth of his final child, and how Paubla continued raising and supporting her family into the 20th Century.
I used a Powerpoint presentation for my speech. The slides included family photos, charts, and images of documents. I also put speaking points on the slides to help the audience follow along since my story tended to bounce around from time period to time period. I even did a review after speaking about Paubla Torres' ancestors since many of the names were similiar.
About 50 people attended the presentation. Half were either descendants of Samuel and Paubla (Torres) Zimmerly, or their significant others. After my presentation, I took questions from the audience, in which we discussed such topics as where Samuel Zimmerly was born. I argued that he was born in Switzerland, while others took the traditional family view that he was born in Germany.
During the program, I displayed and referenced certain documents. These included Civil War soldier and widow pension records for Samuel and Paubla, Regimental Descriptive Book and Muster Roll for Samuel Zimmerly, a copy of a history of the Zimmerly Family that was published in the El Defensor Chieftain (Socorro, New Mexico newspaper) in 1966, marriage records for all of the Sam and Paubla's children, and other documents.
After completing my presentation, I donated these documents to the Albuquerque Special Collections Library. They will be placed in a file for anyone to access. I only ask that you make copies of these documents rather than taking them from the library. This allows for others to access them later. To find the Zimmerly file, please ask the librarian to show you where the family surname files are located.
Please check with the library before visiting, as it has limited hours of operation. Click on this link for more information about the library.
I dedicate my speech to my second cousin, Michael Chavez. On Friday, he collapsed unexpectedly while attending a function. On Saturday, July 19, 2008, he passed away. My family found out that he was in the hospital while I was finishing up my presentation.
22 June 2008
Field Trip to the Sandoval County Historical Society
On Saturday, June 21, 2008, NMGS visited the Sandoval County Historical Society in Bernalillo, NM. This was the second time this year that we've traveled to another organization's site to have a meeting.
Our featured speaker was Bertille Baca, long-time resident of Pena Blanca, NM. She began her speech by giving us a history of the Baca family going back to Spain. She then discussed her own genealogy going back to Luis Maria Cabeza de Baca, a settler of the Las Vegas, NM area in the late 1700s. He and his large family of over 20 children later settled in Pena Blanca.
Bertille told stories of her youth in the 1930s and 40s. They were funny and entertaining. She offered audience members the chance to make copies of her handwritten stories. Members of the audience encouraged her to publish her stories so that future generations may enjoy.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
There were about 30 people who attended the meeting in Bernalillo on Saturday. About half were NMGS members, while the others were from SCHS. After Bertille's speech, Martha Liebert talked about other families of Sandoval County. She introduced a number of people in the audience who were descendants of prominent county families and encouraged all of us to talk to them about their families.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
SCHS holds monthly meetings, except usually during the summer. These meetings include lectures, dramatizations and field trips. The next meeting will be on Sunday, July 13, 2008 at 2 PM, at which Benny Goodman's famous 1938 Carnegie Hall concert will be played on CD.
For more information about SCHS, check out their website at this link.
Our featured speaker was Bertille Baca, long-time resident of Pena Blanca, NM. She began her speech by giving us a history of the Baca family going back to Spain. She then discussed her own genealogy going back to Luis Maria Cabeza de Baca, a settler of the Las Vegas, NM area in the late 1700s. He and his large family of over 20 children later settled in Pena Blanca.
Bertille told stories of her youth in the 1930s and 40s. They were funny and entertaining. She offered audience members the chance to make copies of her handwritten stories. Members of the audience encouraged her to publish her stories so that future generations may enjoy.
There were about 30 people who attended the meeting in Bernalillo on Saturday. About half were NMGS members, while the others were from SCHS. After Bertille's speech, Martha Liebert talked about other families of Sandoval County. She introduced a number of people in the audience who were descendants of prominent county families and encouraged all of us to talk to them about their families.
The Sandoval County Historical Society holds their meetings in the DeLavy house in Bernalillo, NM. This museum/library houses hundreds of books, and contains a large photo archive. Many of the rooms are covered with poster boards that show the history of the county and the families that lived there. It is very impressive. One could spend days just looking at the boards themselves.
The DeLavy House is at 151 Edmund Rd., Bernalillo, NM. Follow this link, and click on "How to Find Us" to get detailed directions.SCHS holds monthly meetings, except usually during the summer. These meetings include lectures, dramatizations and field trips. The next meeting will be on Sunday, July 13, 2008 at 2 PM, at which Benny Goodman's famous 1938 Carnegie Hall concert will be played on CD.
For more information about SCHS, check out their website at this link.
18 May 2008
What You Missed at Yesterday's NMGS Program
Over 30 people attended the New Mexico Genealogical Society's May 17th workshop "How to Do Research at the Special Collections Library." The workshop took place at the Albuquerque Special Collections Library. Attendees include people just beginning their research to seasoned researchers who have hit brick walls and cannot find further information about their ancestors.
Nancy Anderson, Jeannette Gallegos and I served as workshop facilitators. We broke up into three groups. The groups searched computer and Internet databases, looked at books and microfilm, and took a tour of the library. Newcomers also took a short workshop on how to begin genealogical research. The workshop ended around 1 PM; however, many people continued doing research long afterwards. Library staff and volunteers helped them with their research.
We hope to do similar workshops in the future. If you have any ideas for workshops or programs, please send me an e-mail at abqbocat@nmia.com or post a comment to this blog.
Nancy Anderson, Jeannette Gallegos and I served as workshop facilitators. We broke up into three groups. The groups searched computer and Internet databases, looked at books and microfilm, and took a tour of the library. Newcomers also took a short workshop on how to begin genealogical research. The workshop ended around 1 PM; however, many people continued doing research long afterwards. Library staff and volunteers helped them with their research.
We hope to do similar workshops in the future. If you have any ideas for workshops or programs, please send me an e-mail at abqbocat@nmia.com or post a comment to this blog.
20 April 2008
Local Family Historian Speaks at April NMGS Meeting
Her family loved to diary and write letters. Today, when all we have are text messaging, e-mails and, yes, even blogs, it's nice to look back to a time when writing was a true craft, and even children could be craftsmen. Jan Bennett displays her family's writings in her book "The Making of a Family: The Pecos years 1916-1940." On April 19, 2008, she presented her book to the New Mexico Genealogical Society, and discussed with the group the process of writing and publishing a family history.
Click on the photos below to see larger views
The family always waited anxiously for the mail to arrive. Jan displays a mail bag that they used. The writing on the bag reads "D.A. MacPherson; Holy Ghost Canyon; Espirito Santo Canyon; Valley Ranch, N.M."
Jan shows the audience a photocopy of a family diary. The books on the table include diaries, letters, and the original manuscript of her book.
Some of her family's diaries.
Mrs. Bennett read excerpts from her book to the audience at Botts Hall, in the Albuquerque Special Collections Library. She and her cousin, Penny Storms, published the book independently in September, 2007. The text includes beautiful, vivid family stories written by Bennett and Storms, as well as original stories and diary entries written by their fathers. Their fathers, Robert and Daniel MacPherson, were encouraged by their own mother to write frequently in their journals, especially when they went on vacation.
The MacPhersons lived in Albuquerque, but every summer the family would vacation at their cabin in Pecos, New Mexico. The brothers, Robert and Danny, would fish, hike and ride horses all summer long. To the delight of the audience, Bennett read aloud excerpts from the brothers' writings which described their adventures in Pecos.
In addition to reading from the book, Bennett also discussed her writing process. She told the audience how she came upon a number of diaries and letters that her family wrote. In order to save these writing for posterity, she and her cousin decided to write this book. She knew her grandparents, and realized that her children and grandchildren needed to know them, too. How better to tell her grandparents' story than through the words of her father and uncle?
She was not able to find a publisher who wanted to publish her book. Luckily, her cousin Penny Storms had been in the publishing business for eleven years. Together, they published the book independently.
Many attendees of the lecture purchased Bennet's book, and she signed copies before leaving. You may find her book at the Page One Bookstore in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The family always waited anxiously for the mail to arrive. Jan displays a mail bag that they used. The writing on the bag reads "D.A. MacPherson; Holy Ghost Canyon; Espirito Santo Canyon; Valley Ranch, N.M."
Jan shows the audience a photocopy of a family diary. The books on the table include diaries, letters, and the original manuscript of her book.
Some of her family's diaries.
Robert MacPherson's drawing of the family's flight to Pensacola, Florida. A figure on the bottom right says "Adios, Folks"; while the figure on the left displays the Florida shore. Robert was apparently very detailed in his drawings: the airplane on top includes its call letters!
Biography:
Jan Bennett has lived in Albuquerque her whole life. She is a retired Spanish teacher from APS. She is married, and has two grown children. She is a photojournalist and a fine art photographer. She will be a featured artists at the Placitas Artist Series on May 25, 2008 in Placitas, New Mexico.
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