New St. Louis County Historian AND Genealogy TV News

Genealogists and historians have good news to celebrate this week, as Tom Ott, director of St. Louis County's Department of Parks and Recreation, announced that the position of county historian has been filled. Beginning today, Monday, 14 October 2019, Guinn Hinman will be the Historic Sites Manager of St. Louis County Parks. In a press release, Mr. Ott said that Ms. Hinman has a "strong background of both management and historic preservation."

Ms. Hinman comes to St. Louis from North Dakota where she was the northern region sites manager for the North Dakota State Historical Society in Bismarck. During her five years there, she managed twenty-seven historical sites. Working with government and civic groups, she was an integral part of the restoration of the state's oldest courthouse in Stutsman County.

Ms. Hinman arrived in St. Louis this spring and has been working for the Missouri State Park system. We join with the Parks Department and other history/genealogy groups in our area in welcoming her and wishing her much success in her new job.

 

Genealogy TV Series Returning!

Two genealogy-themed television shows are returning to network television in 2020.

Finding Your Roots on PBS

Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s "Finding Your Roots" teased its sixth season on Tuesday, 8 October, with a new episode on PBS (locally KETC, Channel 9) featuring Mia Farrow, Angelica Huston, and Isabella Rossellini, and will air another new episode, with Melissa McCarthy and Eric Stonestreet, tomorrow, Tuesday, 15 October (KETC, 7:00 p.m., Central Time). Expect some older episodes to rerun before the show returns with a whole new season in January. No schedule has been posted yet, but one episode features one of St. Louis's own.

StLGS's "Ask Louie" volunteers were excited to help with an upcoming segment on Olivette native and Mary Institute/Country Day School graduate, award-winning actor, Sterling K. Brown. Be sure to watch for the start of Season Six, featuring twenty-seven celebrities in eight episodes during the winter and then six more episodes in the fall. Read more about the new season here. And, if you missed last week's episode, you can catch it on Channel Nine's website. It's free!

Who Do You Think You Are? on NBC

An American take on a British original, "Who Do You Think You Are?" ran on NBC for a few seasons before the network dropped it. Picked up by cable station, TLC, it had a successful run for several more years. A few months ago, NBC announced the popular show would return to its network for its eleventh season. The network has ordered thirteen new episodes but has not announced a debut date or time slot. You can read more about the return of this long-running genealogy show in Dick Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter from May 2019.

June Genealogy Meetings and Events

Update to St. Louis County Historian Vacancy

Thanks to StLGS member, Carol Waggoner, for letting us know that she has communicated with St. Louis County Executive, Sam Page, who told her that "Tom Ott is now the acting county historian and he [Sam Page] emailed this morning that he intends to fill the position this summer." Great news for St. Louis County!

Upcoming StLGS Meeting

StLGS Monthly Meeting
Saturday, 8 June 2019

"Migration from the Eastern U.S. to Mid-America," by Carol Whitton, CG, St. Louis County Library Headquarters Auditorium, 10:00 a.m.; free, open to all, no pre-registration needed.

More information on the StLGS website.

    
Upcoming German Special Interest Group (SIG) Meeting

  Wednesday, 19 June 2019

"German Parish Records in Archion and Matricula," by Carol Whitton, CG; St. Louis County Library Headquarters Auditorium, 7:00 p.m. Free, open to all, no pre-registration needed.

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

Other Upcoming Meetings/Events

Czech Genealogical Researchers Monthly Meeting
Saturday, 22 June 2019

"The Irish in Bohemia," by Mary Petersen, St. Louis County Library Headquarters East Room, 1:30 p.m.; free, open to all, no pre-registration needed.

More information on the group's website.

St. Louis County Library Classes
Saturday, 22 June 2019

"Digital Archiving Day at the Library" St. Louis County Library Headquarters, 2:00 p.m.; free, but pre-registration is needed and there are limited spaces.

More information on the library's website.

Thursday, 27 June 2019

"Who Were My Ancestors? Beginning Genealogical Research," St. Louis County Library Headquarters, 2:00 p.m.; free, but pre-registration is needed.

More information on the library's website.

St. Louis County Historian: A Post Currently Unfilled

(Politics has become a hot-button issue and we do not wish to enter the fray. However, the post of St. Louis County historian is currently vacant, and the lack of a historian is a concern for all genealogists with roots in the area. Thanks to StLGS liaison to local historical/genealogical societies, Mary Lee Chivetta, for this week's post.) 

The office of St. Louis County preservation historian in the Department of Parks and Recreation has been unfilled since April of 2018. The position was most recently held by Danny Gonzales, who moved out of town. Before that, it was held for a number of decades by Esley Hamilton. Due to budgetary cuts by the most recent county administration, the position has not only remained unfilled, but it has been removed from the budget. Many of the county council members are young and/or new to the job and may be unaware of the position and the functions of the office.

Why do we need a county historian? According to an online history of St. Louis County Parks and Recreation, St. Louis County "now owns one of the most wide-ranging and significant groups of historic buildings and museum collections of any county park system in the country."

A county historian can coordinate historical information sources for the county he or she serves and handle inquiries from within and without the county. He or she can promote cooperation between local historical organizations—of which we have a wealth—and can organize workshops for local societies to promote and sustain their work. A historian is well acquainted with and interested in the county’s heritage and will take stock of the historical needs in the county and address them as they develop.

Most counties have preservation historians because they are good for the local economy. Cultural heritage is a demonstrated economic asset and an essential component of any thriving location, providing part of the framework that attracts talent and enhances business development. A vibrant community has an awareness of its history and works to enhance it—and the community benefits.

If we are going to restore this position in St. Louis County, our elected officials need to know how their constituents feel. You can help by going to  https://www.stlouisco.com/, and then clicking on "Your Government," and then on "County Council." If you know who your council member is, you can click on the district and find their email. If you don’t know who your council member is, scroll through the districts and select the map to find your district. Let your council member know you think it’s time to budget for the position and fill it for our future good.