Orphanages, Newspapers, and Congregations: Some Updates

As we mentioned to you a few weeks ago, we are in the process of reviewing many outdated blog posts in preparation for moving to our new website. Although many of the oldest posts were short and restricted to events occurring at specific times and places, some are still quite relevant, and we want to share some of those this week.

In Memoriam: Ann Carter Fleming

We say a heartbreaking farewell this week to our friend and one of the backbones of StLGS, Ann Carter Fleming, who passed away on 22 March 2026. Ann’s accomplishments as a genealogist were legendary, and, perhaps more importantly, she was a patient mentor to a generation of us who were always learning from her skills as a researcher, writer, and editor. Ann was a perfectionist, and she demanded it from others. Her attention to detail and her ability to organize were apparent in everything she did.

September Genealogy Meetings and Classes

And just that quickly, summer is almost over! As we look forward to pumpkin spice everything, shorter days, and, hopefully, cooler evenings, we are gearing up behind the scenes for next year. We will soon have an StLGS election for officers and will be booking our featured speaker for the 2025 Family History Conference, taking our annual research trip to Salt Lake City, and finalizing next year's busy program of meetings, special events, and classes. Meanwhile, here's what's on tap for September.

Missouri, St. Louis, and Irish Offerings at our Family History Conference, Saturday, 4 May 2024

Last week, we told you about the FamilySearch part of the program for our annual Family History Conference, Successfully Navigating Websites for Your Genealogy, coming up on Saturday, 4 May 2024. (Did you miss last week’s post? You can read it here.) But, in addition to the three lectures that our featured speaker, Chief Genealogical Officer for FamilySearch David Rencher is presenting on the library and its catalogs, we have five more exciting talks scheduled for the big day. You can learn more about important resources at the State Historical Society of Missouri, the brand-new Clark Family Branch library here in St. Louis County, our own StLGS website, and fantastic sources for online Irish research. PLUS, all participants will have access to the full slate of eight lectures and an electronic version of the syllabus via our website for three months after the conference. Excited? Read on for more information . . .

March 2024 StLGS Genealogy Meetings and Events AND Family History Conference Registration Opens!

Spring is in the air early this year, and we are looking forward to welcoming you to an enticing array of genealogy events. We will, of course, continue to offer you the option of attending remotely, but we hope with the warm weather, you will return to attending in person. It's always so good to see all of you! We want to remind you about our Open House on Saturday, 23 March, and we are also excited to announce our 52nd annual Family History Conference featuring noted genealogist David Rencher. Here is the upcoming schedule.

Looking for an Ethnic St. Louis Newspaper?

As you probably know by now, the old headquarters building of St. Louis County Library is closed and the demolition process has begun; a new structure will take its place in a year or so. As the History & Genealogy Department prepared for its move to temporary quarters at the Daniel Boone branch, they had to reassess their holdings and make some decisions on what to keep and what to discard. Accordingly, since many of their newspapers were already digitized and online, they offered StLGS a variety of newspaper microfilms.

St. Louis County Library and Public Library Will Update and Share Their Catalogs

As many of you know, St. Louis has two unique library systems, one for the City of St. Louis and one for St. Louis County. Up until recently, each system maintained its own catalog, but all of that is about to change. Both library systems have announced that they are ready to merge their catalogs, improve their technology software, and make checking out materials between systems possible, and it’s about to happen!

Library Resources, German Brick Walls, and Irish Research on Tap for March Genealogy

Snow, sleet, and ice may have been falling in February, but we know that spring is on the horizon. The recording of our February monthly meeting featuring archivist Mike Everman on probate records is now on the Monthly Meetings page and our Ask Louie January panel discussion will remain up until the end of March. Coming up next, via Zoom, is the March monthly meeting on using the St. Louis County Library History and Genealogy Department for your research. Plus, we have a German Special Interest Group (SIG) meeting planned for you, and it's not too late to register for the Irish research class coming up this weekend.

StLGS November/December Genealogy Meetings

  

We hope everyone had a safe and healthy Halloween, even if it wasn't exactly the same as years past. It looks like November will be off to a sunny, mild start in our part of the Midwest, and, as we begin the countdown to the holiday season, which also will look and feel quite different this year, we want to remind you that our genealogy calendar still contains several exciting virtual events. We have one more class online, free to StLGS members, as well as an interesting monthly meeting, open to all, a Jewish SIG meeting, and our virtual Fall Speaker Series, "Often Overlooked St. Louis Resources," which is now available online as digital recordings. Here are all the details.

Looking for Hard-to-Find Genealogy Records in St. Louis?

So many of us have ancestors who wound up in orphanage care or migrated, at least in part, via the railroads. We all have searched cemeteries, and perhaps many of us have attempted to find obscure records in library collections. What if we could spend several hours taught by local experts in the safety and comfort of our homes, learning more about what genealogy records might be available? Wouldn't that be just perfect? Well, the opportunity is here! 

Announcing the StLGS 2020 Fall Speaker Series!

Because so many people have been enjoying our online programs, we are especially excited to offer our new, virtual Fall Speaker Series! We are focused on bringing you unique webinars that will enhance your research skills, and this lineup of speakers and topics is sure to hit that sweet spot! We hope you will join us for the livestreamed event, but even if you can't, you will have access to the digitally recorded talks and can watch them at your leisure for three months! Here's what you need to know to register:

June StLGS Meetings and Special Events

For several years, the first News Flash blog of each month has been about upcoming StLGS and other genealogy events. In March of this year, however, we went into quarantine, and all aspects of our lives began to change. Now, thanks to so much hard work on the part of many people, we can, at last, bring you a revised schedule for June featuring a variety of exciting events, all of which will take place online. No matter what the weather or where you are, you can grab a cup of your favorite beverage, get comfy in your tee shirt, shorts, and flip flops in front of your computer or tablet, and enjoy learning from some of our most experienced genealogy lecturers throughout the month. Here is what is coming up:

February Genealogy Meetings, Classes, and Events

February is off to a mild start, just right for attending all of the special events scheduled for the month. Of course, StLGS has plenty for you to do, but so do many of our friends and partners in the St. Louis area. If you have been waiting for classes, tours, or lectures on a wide variety of topics, this month is filled with dates to add to your calendar.

Upcoming Meetings

StLGS Monthly Meeting: Saturday, 8 February 2020

"Preserving Family Documents and Photos," by Ilene Murray, St. Louis County Library Headquarters Auditorium, 10:00 a.m.; free, open to all, no pre-registration needed. More information available on the StLGS website.

 

Cliff Cave Library Genealogy Presentation: Wednesday, 5 February 2020

"Genealogy: Where's Grandma? Tracing Female Ancestry," by Judy Belford, St. Louis County Library Cliff Cave Branch, 6:30 p.m.; free, open to all, no pre-registration needed. More information available on the library's website. 
  

Czech Genealogical Researchers Monthly Meeting: Saturday, 15 February 2020

"Czech Research Time," general discussion, St. Louis County Library Headquarters History and Genealogy Dept., 1:30 p.m.; free, open to all, no pre-registration needed. More information available on the group's website.
 

Upcoming StLGS Classes

• "Intermediate RootsMagic" (PC only) by Ted Steele, 8 February 2020

• "Foundations of Genealogy, Parts I and II," by Ilene Murray; Saturday, 15 and Saturday, 22 February 2020, 

Classes are held at the StLGS Office from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. Free to StLGS members; fee for non-members; pre-registration required at 314-647-8547.

 More information on these and more StLGS classes on our website.

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February Classes at St. Louis County Library

• 6 and 29 February: "History and Genealogy in Newspapers," Cliff Cave and Headquarters
• 11 February: "Who Were My Ancestors? Beginning Family History Research," Thorn Hill
• 18 February: "Finding Ancestors in U.S. Census Records," Oak Bend
• 22 February: "Tracing Your African American Ancestors: Advanced Techniques," Florissant Valley
• 22 February: "Tracing Your African American Ancestors: Records of Slave Owning Families," Florissant Valley
• 25 February: "Getting More out of FamilySearch," Daniel Boone
• 26 and 27 February: "Family History Online: Databases for Genealogical Research," Headquarters and Mid-County

All library classes are free but require pre-registration. More information available on the library's website.
  

Upcoming Special Events

"Father of Waters: Early Explorers on the Mississippi River"
Lecture at the Missouri History Museum, Thursday, 13 February 2020,

AT&T Multipurpose Room, 6:00 p.m. Free; but pre-registration is required at this link.

African American History Tours at Bellefontaine Cemetery

Celebrate African American History month with two special trolley tours in this historic and beautiful cemetery. The tours last approximately two hours; they are free but pre-registration is required.

• Tuesday, 4 February at 10:00 a.m. Registration at this link.
• Thursday, 20 February at 1:30 p.m. Registration at this link.  

  StLGS Trivia Night: Saturday, 7 March 2020

Richmond Heights Community Center, 8001 Dale Avenue (just south of I-64 between Hanley and Big Bend); doors open at 6:15 p.m.; questions begin at 7:00 p.m.

Questions on all topics. We'll provide snacks, fun, and an awesome silent auction!

Check out our website for more information and/or to register.

 

Photographs and Memories: Two Special Upcoming Genealogy Events

The holiday season is a perfect time to share family treasures with relatives and recognize the importance of understanding and preserving fragile photographs and letters from the past. If you are lucky enough to have such unique documents from your family, perhaps you have wondered exactly what the letters say or how to identify and preserve those cracked, yellowing photos.

Two exciting genealogy events are on the horizon that can help you solve these dilemmas. Both are free but pre-registration is requested. We hope you will join us for one or both of these workshops.

Digitization Day: German Heritage in Letters

Saturday, 23 November 2019

1:00 p.m.–4:00 pm.

St. Louis Genealogical Society Office, 4 Sunnen Dr., Suite 140, St. Louis, MO 63143

If you have letters that were sent to your family from Germany before 1926, and you would like assistance with scanning and translating them, you are invited to participate in the German Heritage in Letters project under the auspices of the German Historical Institute of Washington, D.C. StLGS is partnering with St. Louis County Library's History and Genealogy Department and the German Historical Institute to sponsor this afternoon of scanning and translating at our office. StLGS volunteers will be on site to scan your letters and return them to you with a digital copy of each. Translators, library staff, and StLGS volunteers will be available to answer questions.

St. Louis County Library is handling registration. You can call 314-994-3300 or register on the event's registration page.

More information about the project is on the German Heritage in Letters website.

Kodak Moments and Technicolor Dreams:
Reading Immigrant Clues in 20th Century Photos

Featuring: Maureen Taylor, "The Photo Detective"

Sunday, 8 December 2019

10:00 a.m.–noon

Jewish Federation of St. Louis, 12 Millstone Campus Dr., St. Louis, MO 63146

This final Jewish Special Interest Group meeting of the year is free and open to everyone. Discover your family history one picture at a time. Maureen Taylor, internationally known for her expertise in historic photos and their preservation, will present tools and tips for photo identification, family history and research, and photo preservation. She will focus on twentieth-century photographs and immigrant ancestors in this special workshop co-sponsored by the Brodsky Library, the St. Louis Jewish Community Archives, and St. Louis Genealogical Society.

The Jewish Federation is handling registration for this event. 

You can contact Kathy Schmeltz at 314-442-3761 or at kschmeltz@jfedstl.org or register directly on the Center for Jewish Learning's website.  

• On the website, scroll down to class number 1919, "Kodak Moments . . ." and click in the registration box.
• Then continue scrolling down the page to the "Go to Checkout" button and click there.
• On the page that opens, you will need to fill in the starred items (contact information) and then click the "Finish Registration" button. There is no cost to attend.
• You will receive an email acknowledgment after you register.

August Genealogy Meetings and Classes

August StLGS Monthly Meeting

Saturday, 10 August 2019

"Finding the Civilian Conservation Corps," by Nancy Schuster, St. Louis County Library Headquarters Auditorium, 10:00 a.m.; free, open to all, no pre-registration needed

More information on the StLGS website.

Jewish Special Interest Group (SIG) Meeting 
Wednesday, 28 August 2019

"Interpreting and Caring for Jewish Tombstones," by Diane Everman, Ilene Murray, and Rabbi Jeffrey Stiffman; St. Louis County Library Headquarters East Room, 7:00 p.m. Free, open to all, no pre-registration needed.

 More information on the Jewish SIG page on the StLGS website.

Other Upcoming Classes/Meetings

StLGS Class: Saturday, 17 August 2019

"Foundations of Genealogy, Part I," by Ilene Murray; StLGS Office, 1:00 p.m. Free to StLGS members; fee for non-members; pre-registration required at 314-647-8547.

StLGS Class: Sunday, 18 August 2019

"Using FamilySearch," by Bob Goode; StLGS Office, 1:00 p.m. Free to StLGS members; fee for non-members; pre-registration required at 314-647-8547.

StLGS Class: Saturday, 24 August 2019

"Foundations of Genealogy, Part II," by Ilene Murray; StLGS Office, 1:00 p.m. Free to StLGS members; fee for non-members; pre-registration required at 314-647-8547.

View the entire summer/fall 2019 genealogy class schedule here.

St. Louis County Library Classes
Numerous classes at all branches in August. More on the library website.  

Click on the August calendar and scroll down the page.

Carondelet Historical Society Meeting
Sunday, 11 August 2019

Discussion of early French settlements by Dr. Terry Norris, 6303 Michigan Avenue, St. Louis, 1:30 p.m.; free, open to all, no pre-registration needed.

More information on the group's website.

Czech Genealogical Researchers Monthly Meeting
Saturday, 10 August 2019

"Serfdom in Bohemia," by Marcella Milcic, St. Louis County Library Headquarters East Room, 3:00 p.m.; free, open to all, no pre-registration needed.

More information on the group's website.