Congratulations to our 2018 Award Winners!

Each year at our annual Family History Conference, we say thank you to those volunteers who have given extra time and energy to St. Louis Genealogical Society during the previous year. The StLGS president has traditionally presented the awards during the introductory remarks at the beginning of the busy conference day. As a result, the recipients are sometimes not able to be present, and the president often does not have enough time to explain why the award winners have been chosen.

This year, we decided to have a more meaningful celebration with our 2018 award winners. On Saturday, 24 March, award winners and office "regular" volunteers were treated to a tasty brunch in our large workroom at the society office. Thanks to the efforts of volunteer chair, Marilyn Brennan, and some extra helping hands, there was a festive table filled with fruit, pastries, and bagels. After everyone had a chance to fix a plate, StLGS president, Kay Weber, had something unique to say to each of the very special people being honored.

The StLGS board chose the following to receive appreciation certificates: Kelly Cato, Bob Cejka, Linda Draper, Donna Foelsch, Michelle Pearce, Sue Reiker, Jane Theissen, and Shirley Wadell.

The board chose three individuals to receive achievement certificates: Judi Donohue, Carol Kohnen, and Rich Stanton.

The president gave her Special Award to sisters, Dorothy Asinger and Mary Ryan, and she gave her President's Award to Margie Giblin.

We congratulate all the award winners and honor them for their willingness to continue giving so much to our society. You can see more photos of the winners on our Facebook and Twitter feeds.

A Deadline and Some Upcoming Meetings

German Special Interest Group Meeting: Wednesday, 21 March 2018

The second German SIG meeting of 2018 is coming up this week on Wednesday, 21 March at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium at St. Louis County Library Headquarters on Lindbergh Boulevard across from Plaza Frontenac. German SIG leader, Carol Whitton, CG, will discuss "Using Compgen (genealogy.net) Effectively." Much new information has recently been added to this important website for German research. Carol will introduce you to the new features, explain where things are located on the site, and show you how to use the website effectively. StLGS Special Interest Group meetings are free and open to the public. You do not need a reservation.

Early Registration for the Family History Conference Ends Saturday

This coming Saturday, the 24th of March, is the last day for early registration for the StLGS 2018 Family History Conference, Genealogy . . . Finding Your Way Online. Registering early means you save some money and you ensure we have a place for you. For those who want to purchase a lunch, it also guarantees you your choice of meal, especially important if you have gluten-free or dairy-free requirements.

Nationally-known speaker, Pam Sayre, CG, FUGA, our keynote speaker, will provide guidance as you navigate popular websites Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org. Missouri State Archivist, John Dougan, will talk about some of the wonderful material on the Missouri State Archives' website. Author and lecturer, Ann Fleming, CG, CGL, FNGS, will present a wealth of material about understanding and using DNA testing results, and StLGS projects director, Carol Whitton, CG, will show you how to organize those results using spreadsheets. St. Louis County Library research librarian, Mike Bridwell, will help you with Findmypast, and his colleague, Dan Lilienkamp, will discuss how to effectively use online family trees. Finally, from StLGS publications director, Ilene Murray, you'll learn how to access free books online for your genealogy research.

Now doesn't that sound like the perfect way to spend a spring day? The 2018 Family History Conference is Saturday, 7 April, at the Orlando Gardens Conference Center in Maryland Heights. You can get all the details and/or register on our website. Click here to go to the conference page.

 Two More Events for Early April

1. The Cherokee Trail of Tears in Illinois

The Missouri History Museum in Forest Park hosts Mary McCorvie, from the Shawnee National Forest, and Mark J. Wagner, from the Center for Archaeological Investigations, on Wednesday, 4 April, at 7:00 p.m. in the AT&T Foundation Multipurpose Room, for a talk describing the work being done to locate the original segments of the Trail of Tears used by the Cherokee people as they were forced to leave their homes in 1838. This is a free talk and does not require pre-registration. 

2. GI Jews: Jewish Americans in World War II

The Jewish Federation of St. Louis is partnering with the Nine Network for a preview screening and panel discussion of a new film about the half million Jewish men and women who served during World War II. The ninety-minute documentary will air on Channel Nine on 11 April at 9:00 p.m., but if you would like to see the film ahead of time, you are invited to attend the preview at Channel Nine's Monsanto studio (3655 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63108) on Sunday, 8 April at 2:00 p.m. This is a free screening, but registration (and a ticket) must be completed online, as space is limited.

If you would like more information, click here. To register online, click here. (Look for the green "Register" button in the upper right side of the screen.)

Thanks for Trivia Night; Looking Forward to the FHC in April

(Trivia Night chairperson, Karen Goode, sends this thank you note to those who participated and those who donated.)

Thanks to everyone who came to St. Louis Genealogical Society’s 9th Annual Trivia Night! We had another fun-filled, successful evening. 

The silent auction we have each year helps make our trivia event more profitable. We get tickets to different venues around town and awesome handmade items. These auction items not only benefit the society, but give bidders an opportunity to purchase something they would like to have at a great bargain.

We would like to recognize some of our members who donated items for our silent auction this year:

• Ruth Ann Arado: Floral centerpieces
• Mary Berthold: Cardinal tickets
• Kathy Dickey: Crocheted lap blanket
• Ed  Dolata: Landscape paintings/posters
• Judi Donohue: Items to fill our our baskets
• Viki Fagyal, Carol Hemmersmeier, and Kay Weber: A basket of gluten-free goodies
• Kris Fleming: Cardinal tickets
• Karen & Bob Goode: Items to complete our baskets
• Trish & Jim Gormley: Jewelry, plus items to complete baskets
• Valerie Burks (via Peggy Greenwood): Scented household & aromatic therapy
• Jean Marie Meyer: Handmade totes and artist sculpted items
• Andrew Webb (via Ken Webb): Handmade Cardinal plaque
• Erin Weber (via Kay Weber): Donated hours from her business
• Kay Weber: Handmade greeting cards
• Carol Welsch: Donated a basket from her business 

If you have something we could add to our auction, please keep us in mind for next year. And do mark your calendar for our 10th Annual Trivia Night on Saturday, 2 March 2019. Hope to see you there!

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 Family History Conference, 2018
Genealogy . . . Finding Your Way Online!

Do you use Ancestry.com family trees and ignore the records available on the rest of the Ancestry site? What about FamilySearch.org? Have you only done a search in records and not in the catalog? Have you looked at the website for Missouri Digital Heritage? FindMyPast? Do you regularly use the Internet to find digitized books? If you said no to any of those questions, it's time to sign up for the 47th Annual Family History Conference,
Genealogy . . . Finding Your Way Online! on Saturday, 7 April 2018 at Orlando Gardens, 2050 Dorsett Road, Maryland Heights, Missouri. Also, on the program for the day is DNA research and organizing DNA results and to lighten the day, have you ever found a tree on a website that showed a woman giving birth at age 75 or having children after her death date? If so, you will enjoy a talk on “Does That Even Make Sense?”

Pam Sayre, cg, fuga, is the featured speaker for the day. Rounding out the program are Mike Bridwell, St. Louis County Library; John Dougan, Missouri State Archivist; Ann Fleming, cg, cgl, fngs; Dan Lilienkamp, St. Louis County Library; Ilene Murray, and Carol Whitton, cg. Don’t forget the exhibitors as an added bonus. And if you have questions about your DNA, Ann Fleming will try to provide some answers during the afternoon.

Early registration ends 24 March 2018. Early registration is $50.00 for StLGS members and $60.00 for non-members. Lunch is $12.00 per person. After 24 March 2018, registration for StLGS members is $60.00 and non-members is $70.00.
 

Learn more about the conference, get directions to Orlando Gardens, and/or register on our website. Click here to go to the conference page.

Come and join us! You won’t want to miss this stimulating and enjoyable day.

Genealogy News: State Historical Society, St. Clair Co., Bellefontaine Cemetery

The State Historical Society of Missouri operates research centers throughout the state: Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Kansas City, Rolla, St. Louis, and Springfield. Recently, they announced new hours for some of the research centers.

Columbia, Kansas City, Rolla, and St. Louis centers will now be open from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. The Columbia research center will also be open from 8:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. Cape Girardeau's center will continue to serve patrons from 9:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and Springfield's center remains as is from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Learn more about the State Historical Society's Research Centers on their website: http://tinyurl.com/y7rxphpz .

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Our friends at the St. Clair County (Illinois) Genealogical Society have announced their newest cemetery book for Prairie Du Long and Smithton Townships. The 118-page book "encompasses more than 3,200 burials through 2016 in thirty-one cemeteries." The Prairie Du Long section of the book contains all new material, whereas the Smithton Township section is an update of a 2003 edition. Burials began in both townships in the early 1800s. Both sections include maps: Higgins-Phillips, Wiskamp, Stehfest, and St. Augustine Catholic in Prairie Du Long and St. John the Baptist Catholic, High Prairie, and Franklin/Smithton City cemeteries in the Smithton section. The cost of the book is $15.00, which includes shipping. If you are interested in purchasing a copy, you can find an order form and more information on the society's website at https://www.stclair-ilgs.org/stcpub.htm .

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 With spring in the air, perhaps you are looking for a chance to get out and smell the flowers? How about a few hours in the beautiful grounds of Bellefontaine Cemetery, where you can also learn about some of the famous women buried there? On Saturday, 24 March, hop on a trolley for a two-hour tour, led by a master guide, who will highlight both the landscaping and the interesting women on the grounds. The tour, from 10:00 until noon, is free but pre-registration is required and donations to the Friends of Bellefontaine Cemetery are welcome. You can register and learn more on the website: http://bellefontainecemetery.org/event/trolley-tour-womens-history-2/.