Another Goodbye to a Friend, Some More Upcoming Events, and an Update to the Photo Scanning Day

In Memoriam: Jim Bresnahan, Former StLGS Webmaster

As many of you know, the StLGS website is one of our society’s most valuable assets. Developing and maintaining the site has taken thousands of volunteer hours and an incredible amount of expertise. We have been very lucky to have knowledgeable people design and create our website pages over the years, and this week we lost one of them. James “Jim” Bresnahan was our webmaster for almost twenty years, and it is with great sadness that we announce his passing on 26 January 2024 after a long illness.

StLGS to Host Photo Scanning Event with Missouri State Archives

Do you have photographs documenting Missouri history tucked away in your attic, closet, basement, or even on your cellphone? Are you interested in safeguarding these treasures and helping to grow the photographic history of the state? You can help the Missouri State Archives preserve the Show-Me State’s now 200+ year history by submitting images to the Missouri Bicentennial Photograph Drive. Attend a photo-scanning open house at the St. Louis Genealogical Society office in January 2024, and help preserve some of our state's history. Learn how you can be part of an important ongoing project by reading on!

Ready to Volunteer? StLGS Needs You!

Have you ever thought about volunteering for your local genealogical or historical society? There are so many different volunteer opportunities available, and right now at StLGS we are actively looking for new volunteers. Do you have IT or Windows Server experience? Do you have writing, editing, or graphics and layout publishing skills? Do you have experience working with printing or copying? Do you have the knowledge and expertise to teach a class on a specific topic or topics? Would you enjoy indexing church or synagogue, funeral home, or cemetery records? Are you willing and able to translate Spanish, French, or German?

Understanding QR Codes

Perhaps you have noticed the recent proliferation of those QR code squares that are popping up on your TV screen? They used to be restricted to print but now they seem to be showing up on televisions and billboards too. Are you confused by what they are or how to use them? Are you a bit concerned that maybe they aren’t safe or whether you should even bother with them? Well, here’s the scoop on QR codes so you don’t have to wonder any longer.

StLGS Introduces New Genealogical Records from Webster Groves Historical Society

In our blog from 24 May 2021, we wrote about an area of our StLGS website that had helped one of our members break through a genealogical brick wall. This week, we’d like to showcase another set of records on our website that might be helpful to those of you with St. Louis ancestors, our “Neighborhoods” section. 

The first heading under the Research tab at the top of the home screen is “Community,” and there you will find a link for “Neighborhoods.” (Or go directly to the page here.) The page contains a list of helpful books and a box on the right side containing links to several St. Louis neighborhoods for which we have genealogical records. (See graphic below.) The newest entry on that list is for Webster Groves, and we are very excited to be unveiling the first of dozens of new resources for that historical community in the near southwest of St. Louis County.

A bit of background . . .

Webster Groves was not incorporated until 1896, but it was populated long before then. By the time the Civil War ended, there were enough people in Webster to sustain four churches; many inhabitants had arrived because of the growth of the Pacific Railroad, which stopped in the community. Over the years, as the city grew, many of the oldest parts were being lost, and the Webster Groves Historical Society (WGHS) incorporated in 1965, first to save the historic Hawken House and then to collect and preserve important parts of the city’s history. Over the years, WGHS amassed a huge amount of archival material that required preserving. Luckily, they learned about StLGS, through the efforts of our publicity director, Laura Mackinson, and volunteers from the two organizations began making plans to digitize and index as much of the fragile material as possible.

During the pandemic, some members of the StLGS board, led by our Projects Director Carol Whitton, met via Zoom with Shawn Greene, president of WGHS, and a few of that society’s volunteers to discuss the contents of their collection and how best to share it with members of both societies and the general public. After Laura and Carol visited the collection on site to determine where to start, the joint project began in earnest. Books of vital records, family bibles, and business ledgers were chosen for the first phase of this ongoing project. Real estate tax books, which are too large for our current scanning equipment, will have to wait. 

Webster Groves, Missouri, Historical Records

Now on our website (see below) are scanned images and indexes for lists of births and deaths, some family bibles, some business ledgers, and a Webster Groves/Kirkwood telephone book. Names in the indexes are linked to scanned register pages with valuable family information.

• Because the state of Missouri did not require birth or death registration prior to 1910, the births and deaths from Webster Groves, dated 1903–1909, fill an important gap.
• Genealogical information from two family bibles goes back into the 1700s for birth, marriage, and death. 
• Business ledgers contain names, dates, and accounts, providing an interesting glimpse into the lives of Webster Groves residents in the first part of the twentieth century.
 
• Ledgers from Holekamp Lumber and the White Rose Service Station might seem unimportant, but they invite speculation on whether your ancestors owned a motor vehicle or were in the process of doing some sort of construction on their homes or outbuildings. 
• A third unidentified ledger appears to be an organization that met fairly regularly in the community and may serve as a “Who’s Who?” particularly of young adult residents during the two years (1896–1898) that it covers. 

Waiting in the wings are more family bibles, tax lists, and town water records. Once they are scanned and indexed, you will be able to use the StLGS website to access these important records as well. Working in conjunction with WGHS, StLGS is making these historical records accessible to all. There are no restrictions on who may view them on our website.

You can see in these photos that the materials are quite fragile but contain precious information.

(Photos by Ilene Murray; used with permission)

Even if you don't have Webster Groves ancestors, you might be interested in viewing these records to see the kinds of information that can be added to your ancestors' life stories.

We are grateful to WGHS for sharing the records with us. To learn more about the society, be sure to visit their website.

Do you or the neighborhood in which your ancestors lived or worked have similar records that need preserving? StLGS would be delighted to scan and index more genealogical community records and make them available on our website. Contact Projects Director, Carol Whitton, at projects@stlgs.org, if you know of similar records available for preservation.

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.