November/December Genealogy Meetings and a Reminder to Vote for StLGS Officers

Happy Halloween! We are coming to the end of another busy year of genealogy meetings, classes, and special events, and our StLGS volunteers have been hard at work planning next year's exciting calendar of events for you. Since the beautiful Clark Family Branch of the St. Louis County Library opened this summer, we have been welcomed by our friends in the Emerson History and Genealogy Center to a comfortable meeting room in the new building. Our November monthly meeting will be in our main floor meeting space but will also be livestreamed for those who can't attend in person. We have our last Jewish SIG meeting in early December, and one more class remains on the fall schedule. Also, StLGS members, Thursday, 31 October, is the last day to vote in our annual election of officers! More information about everything is below.

Learn More About Symbols on Tombstones

Are you familiar with the term "iconography"? Pronounced "eye-con-og-ra-fee," it means, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, "symbolic representation, especially the conventional meanings attached to an image or images." Even if you've never heard of the word, as a genealogist, you know how important it is to understand the meaning of what we see on tombstones. Among many other things, we may learn whether an ancestor was in a fraternal order, what his/her occupation may have been, or if he/she had life cut short too soon.

Funeral Rituals and Traditions: Part II

In our last post, we talked about the importance of understanding some of the rituals and traditions surrounding funerals. We looked at coffins, caskets, and common practices that many associate with burying our loved ones. This week, we'll explore floriography, the symbolic meaning of plants and trees, so we can better understand some of what we see at funerals and cemeteries.

Some Hints on Photographing Tombstones

Summer is the perfect time for visits to cemeteries, and this summer in particular, after being cooped up indoors for months, many of us have wanderlust. Cemeteries are peaceful, outdoors and away from crowds, and potentially, the source of much-needed information on our ancestors. Before you visit a cemetery, you will want to plan ahead and think about how you can get the very best photos.

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.