Locating Your Ancestor's Land on Modern Maps

If you have been working with land records as part of your family history research, you know that it is not always easy to discover the exact location of the land your family owned. First, you have to know how “chunks” of land were divided and where your family’s part fits in. Then, you have to understand the terminology: sections, townships, and ranges. A further problem is situating the property on a modern map as opposed to what the countryside looked like a hundred or so years ago. Wouldn't it be nice if there were a website that allowed you to see where your ancestor's property was in a modern setting?

Use City and County Directories in Your Genealogy Research

Long before the popularity of telephones and telephone books, urban communities listed their residents in city directories and rural communities often had county directories as well. For many areas, publication began in the early to mid-1800s and continued well into the twentieth century. City directories are especially helpful in tracking city dwellers, who often did not own property and may have changed residences more frequently than those who lived in the country. Like phone books, both city and county directories have multiple sections in which you can find listings of people, non-profit organizations and businesses, and many interesting paid advertisements. Best of all, directories were often issued yearly, so they can help fill in the gaps between censuses.

January 2021 Genealogy Meetings and Classes

Well, we made it! Finally, 2020 is over and there is a glimmer of hope for a much happier, healthier new year. Now that the holidays are behind us and it's feeling like winter outside, it's time to get back to genealogy! We enter an especially important year in Missouri as we celebrate the state's 200th birthday! Look for special focus in our meetings, extra events, and our Quarterly journal on early Missouri history. Because it is still not safe to meet in person, we are continuing our virtual meeting schedule for the foreseeable future. We have had such positive feedback from so many of you, we can't wait until you see some of the exciting plans we have for 2021. Here's a start—stay tuned for a lot more!

A Little New Year's Eve History as We Welcome 2021

This coming Friday, we will gratefully usher in 2021, hoping for a much brighter, less tragic year, one in which we can see each other again without fear and collect those long overdue hugs and handshakes. As you Zoom-celebrate with your friends and family, you may adhere to some tried-and-true traditions. Many of us will sit in front of our televisions and watch the ball drop in Times Square. We may have a glass or two of something bubbly and sing either the Scottish or the English version of the song we most closely associate with ending an old year and beginning a new one, “Auld Lang Syne.” Do you know the origins of these beloved New Year’s traditions?

Bunches of Thanks Coming Your Way!

(StLGS president, Kay Weber, who will hand her gavel to Karen Goode on 1 January 2021, has written the first part of this week’s post. Kay has provided four years of excellent leadership to StLGS and has held us together with her calm efficiency and unfailing good humor through this most challenging of years. With Kay’s guidance, we have come out of the pandemic as strong and solid as we were when it started, and we owe her a huge debt of gratitude for steering us through this storm!)

Looking Forward to the StLGS Winter/Spring 2021 Schedule

We hope you are having a healthy and happy holiday season and staying safe. After you are finished celebrating Chanukah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa, it will be time to get back to genealogy! In a more normal year, StLGS would have the whole 2021 schedule ready for you by now, but due to the uncertainty of the times, we are taking it a bit more slowly this year. We have no idea when it will be safe to gather in person, but we are looking forward to bringing you the very best experience possible by continuing our successful livestreamed and digitally recorded virtual meetings and classes. Take a look at what's coming up . . .

2020 Holiday Gift Ideas for Genealogists

As the holiday season gets into full swing for this strangest of years, we are repeating one of our annual traditions: our list of gift suggestions for your favorite genealogist or historian. Luckily, you don't have to venture outside to purchase any of these items, as all are available online. So, go fill your coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or hot toddy cup, grab your credit card, and have fun working on the following ideas to make your genie-buddy's holiday just a bit brighter (or to gift yourself!)