Finding the Hard-to-Find Ancestor in the US Census

The Godfrey Update
The Official Newsletter of the Godfrey Memorial Library
Log In
The Godfrey Update
Membership
Search
About Us
FAQ
Friends
Opportunities
Godfrey Memorial Library, 134 Newfield Street, Middletown, CT 06457-2534
Spring 2008
Finding the Hard-to-Find Ancestor in the U.S. Census
By Leslie Albrecht Huber
that forms the backbone of the family
story, particularly for researchers
working on families that lived in the
1800s. The census can give important
clues to birth years and places,
immigration years, and sometimes may
even unveil previously unknown
children.
W
hen doing U.S. research, there are
few sources as consistently
available and useful as the census. The
census often provides the information
When a person or family can’t be
located in the census, it can throw a
major stumbling block in the researcher’s
path. But with a little creativity and
patience, what appears to be a missing
person may turn out to be just a wellhidden person. Here are a few ideas to
help uncover the difficult ancestor in the
census:
Making the Best Use of Godfrey Search
By Christine LeFoll
1. Consider name variants. When
looking for the missing ancestor, think
broadly about how the name may be
recorded. Census takers often
misspelled names. Consider all similar
and phonetic spellings. For Nilsson, for
example, also try Nilson, Nilsen,
Nilssen, Nelson, Nielson, Neilsson,
Nelsen, etc. Foreign names may be
Americanized, so Schmidt may appear
as Smith. Along the same lines, be
flexible with first names. An ancestor
may have used a shortened name,
nickname, Americanized name, or
middle name on a regular basis. One of
my ancestors who was christened
(Continued on page 19)
Inside This Issue:
Finding the Hard-to-Find Ancestor ·············· 1
Making the Best Use of Godfrey Search······· 1
News From the “Friends of Godfrey” ··········· 2
Y
ou have a destination in mind,
some place you want to go. You
pull out your street map or jump on the
net to one mapping site or another. Your
goal is to find the best and possibly the
fastest or shortest route to get there. You
realize that the route may not be exact,
but you have confidence that with a little
help you can find your way.
Godfrey Search is like this map.
Two years ago Godfrey Director Richard
Black and I were meeting to discuss the
question, “How can we enable our
patrons to search through our digital
books and get to their results faster?”
We had looked into several potential
search engines to answer this question
and settled on the purchase of a Google
Mini appliance which we named
Godfrey Search.
The Director’s Note·································· 3
This appliance makes use of the
speed and power of Google’s search
technology and displays it in a familiar
Google search results format. There are
some limitations to it in terms of the file
size it can index, but otherwise it is a
remarkable device.
2008 Essay Contest Info··························· 7
All subscription packages have
access to Godfrey Search. To locate this
helpful tool, log in to www.godfrey.org
(Continued on page 4)
Online News Update ································ 5
Crossing the Ocean With the Internet ·········· 6
Melilli to Middletown································· 8
Book Reviews ·······································11
Our Patrons and Scholars Write ··········· 12-13
On the Calendar: Upcoming Events ···········14
Volunteer Opportunities at GML ················16
Annual Appeal Report ·····························18
Upcoming Genealogy Conferences············23
The Godfrey Update
Godfrey Memorial Library
Richard E. Black • Director
Nancy Thurrott • Acquisitions Librarian
Sharon Dahlmeyer • Membership Librarian
Christine LeFoll • IT Librarian
Kris Lindner • Reference Librarian
Sharon Sharpe • Technical Services Librarian
Board of Trustees
Bruce Tyler • Chair
Charles S. Beebe • Vice Chair
August DeFrance • Treasurer
Barbara Prymas • Secretary
Edward Browning Diana McCain
Joan Cohn Marcia Meyers
Ed Laput Allen Polhemus
Charles Levandoski Thomas Smith
Joanne Lukasik
Honorary Trustee
Harold R. Stevens
Volunteers
Charles Beebe
Ned Browning
Ellen Carlson
Ken Carson
Alice Charest
Carl Charest
Dave Chauvin
August DeFrance
Chris Downs
Winston Dunn
Ed Fenton
Sue Fenton
Michael Getchel
Joseph Giovannitti
Linnae Gould
Phyllis Greene
Millie Hunter
Barbara Kandetzki
Kristine Krechoweckyj
Helen Kuzina
John LaFramboise
Ed Laput
Elvira Lee
Raymond L’Heureux
Joanne Lukasik
Anita Lynn
Marcia Meyers
Barbara O’Rourke
Barbara Prymas
Jim Reardon
Diane Reid
Rose Scotti
Lois Smith
Jean Stearns
Bruce Tyler
Karen Tyler
Suzanne Welles
Janice Wilkie
The Godfrey Update
Newsletter of the Godfrey Memorial Library
A Library of Genealogy and History
Est. 1947
The Godfrey Update is published twice yearly;
Spring and Fall
Anyone wishing to send articles, letters, news items
or place an advertisement should contact:
Nancy Thurrott
Acquisitions Librarian
Godfrey Memorial Library
134 Newfield Street
Middletown, CT 06457-2534
Email: nancy@godfrey.org
Phone: 860-346-4375 Fax: 860-347-9874
The Library is open:
Monday 9:00 am to 8:00 pm
Tuesday through Friday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
and Saturday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
From the Friends of Godfrey Library
G
reetings to all and ‘Thank You’ to those who have joined or rejoined the
Friends for 2008 in their support of the Godfrey Library. Anyone
interested in joining us in this support may find an online application at the
Friends link on Godfrey’s homepage: http://www.godfrey.org.
The Friends continue to support the Library in many ways. Members
volunteer at the facility in a variety of capacities. Financial support is given
towards the repair of those older books that are in need of preservation. The
Board is also pursuing the opportunity of purchasing new audiovisual
equipment for the Library. An Internal Audit through December, 2007 was
recently completed by President David Rame and Board members Michele
FitzGerald and Linda Scialabba. The Board continues to do their best to keep
the administrative expenses to a minimum. The report will be available to all
at the Annual Meeting.
Several educational programs have already been offered by the Friends
this year. The first program on Jan 19th was titled “Making Effective Use of
Research Facilities” by Barney Miller, a member of the Jewish Genealogical
Society of Connecticut and a personal researcher for over 30 years. His talk
focused on CT facilities where his searches had met with the most success. He
gave many hints as to how to approach those facilities, emphasizing the
critical importance of preparation before entering research departments such
as the State Department of Health, Connecticut State Library, and Town or
City Clerk offices.
For the second program, on April 12th, Mr. Raymond Smith from R. W.
Smith Bookseller presented a workshop on “19th Century Family
Photographs and Their Use In Genealogical Research.” Members and the
general public were invited and encouraged to scour their attics for 19th
century photos—daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, cartes de visites, or family
photographs—and bring whatever they can find, especially albums, for
examination and evaluation. Raymond Smith was Assistant Curator to
Milton Wooding at the Barnes Museum in Southington in the 1970s and
author of a series of short articles on Southington professional photographer,
Emerson Hazard (1854-1928), in the local newspaper.
The Annual Meeting of the Friends will be held on May 17th 2008 at 1:30
p.m. After the business meeting, the program will be presented by a speaker
from the Indian and Colonial Research Center, http://www.theicrc.org/
vewebsite, an independent historical center in Old Mystic, CT. Formal
announcement of the meeting and further details of the program will be
mailed or emailed to members shortly—if you have not already received the
information. We hope to see as many members as possible at this meeting.
Again, thank you for supporting The Friends and the Godfrey Library.
The Board of the Friends
www.godfrey.org
Page 2
www.godfrey.org
Spring 2008
doesn’t expect to be all things to all people,
but we have found that the larger commercial
entities are unwilling to expend their
resources to scan or film smaller collections.
Godfrey does not share that philosophy.
The Director’s Note
near future but they doubt that their incomes
will follow suit.
Here at Godfrey we know that devotion
to their “hobby” is a trait we often see in our
patrons. The thought of making do with a
limited selection of resources will never
suffice. That is why we are looking to the
future, near and far, to determine how we can
best assist our patrons in finding the records
they’re seeking.
Richard Black
T
o quote Abraham Lincoln, “The things I
want to know are in books; my best
friend is the man who’ll get me a book I ain’t
read.”
In the world of genealogy, the
organization that has the book (or database)
containing your ancestor’s name is the place
you want to spend your time and your
research dollar. Given the state of the
economy right now, that may require a
second look for us all. Most people have the
sense that prices will continue to rise in the
Recently, we had our book binding
company representative in to pick up a load
of books in need of some attention. He was
demonstrating to us the way he determines
how best to repair a given book. He found
that a lot of the books in this batch were very
brittle. This hits home to us when we attempt
to weigh out the priority of making
preservation copies of our collection. Let me
suggest that those of you who are record
keepers for your churches, historical
societies, clubs and groups may find your
records in similar condition. What will you
do to protect your data?
Godfrey Library will push in the coming
year to reach out to organizations and groups
such as these, aggressively looking for
content for our website collection as well as
providing the reciprocal benefit of furnishing
electronic preservation copies to those who
would share in our efforts. Now Godfrey
On the contrary, we have successfully
formed agreements for data sharing in many
areas across the U.S. This leads us to further
consider the little church in the center of your
town or the historical society on the edge of
it with storage space not much larger than a
7-Eleven. Are they climate controlled? What
will happen to their records over time? How
can we help keep their records from
disappearing while providing people all over
the world an opportunity to know what these
collections hold?
Gathering books and records from
smaller entities such as these may lead us to a
“boutique” sort of designation. Perhaps this
is a good thing. Becoming specialized in
preserving smaller collections of data for
groups, churches, clubs, fraternal
organizations, etc., will—we are certain—
prove beneficial to many people trying to
locate their kin at a certain place in time.
A good example of this idea is our
growing collection of record books from the
First Church of Christ Congregational here in
Middletown, CT. Augie DeFrance, Treasurer
of Godfrey’s Board of Trustees, began a
dialog with Reverend John Hall of the First
Church in an effort to find information on
parishioners that was lacking in the local
cemetery. After their conversation, a meeting
was arranged among the three of us. Shortly
(Continued on page 10)
Acquisitions
By Nancy Thurrott
The Godfrey Memorial Library has long been the
beneficiary of the generosity of our patrons. They bring us
books and materials that they no longer need for their research,
as well as copies of their completed projects. We are also
delighted to receive materials from people who, for one reason
or another, were unable to complete their projects. These
materials are inventoried and cataloged so that some other
researcher can pick up the reins and carry on.
Recently we received a whole trunk full of books and
periodicals from folks who were cleaning out a house. Alice
Grady and Margaret Ayer sent us boxes of books and
periodicals dealing with the areas of Western Pennsylvania
(and Pittsburgh in particular), Maine, Alabama, as well as
some miscellaneous items on the British Isles. Most of these
things were new to us and have been immediately cataloged
and put on the shelves.
Since we announced that we were gathering the vital
records pages from family bibles, people have been
photographing their bible pages and sending the copies to us.
We have even received entire bibles. Because we will not rip
out the pages from the bibles, many people have entrusted
family bibles to our care.
These kinds of gifts add greatly to the depth of our
collection, and make Godfrey Memorial Library a unique place
in which to do research.
Call us 9am to 9pm (Mon. through Sat.) at (860)346-4375
Page 3
The Godfrey Update
Making the Best Use of Godfrey Search
Unique Resources folder and they can be searched with
Godfrey Search.
(Continued from Page 1)
with your barcode number. In the first column of folders on the
left, five folders down from the top is the Godfrey Search
folder with its link inside. Clicking on the link will take you to
the search page and there you’ll find the directions for its use.
When Godfrey Search returns a results page there is a title
and a couple of lines of text surrounding the keyword. To view
the book in its entirety, click on the heading and the book will
load on the screen. Some of these files are quite large and take
a few moments to load.
You will also notice that Adobe Acrobat Reader is
launched at this time to allow you to view the PDF of the book.
Adobe has a search function of its own. The word Find appears
in gray along the top of the Adobe menu bar. If you have a
more recent version you can click on the binocular icon on the
left of the screen to open a keyword search. Type in the name
you are searching for and the instances where it appears will
display in a list on the left. The occurrences on the displayed
page will be highlighted in blue. Adobe allows you to toggle
through the list one at a time, or to click on a particular
instance you are interested in viewing.
Godfrey Search Page
You will find eight categories to narrow your search:
Books, Funeral Sermons, Special Collections, Military Records,
New England States, Church Records, Cemetery Records, and
City Directories. You will also have the option of searching
through the “Entire Database,” which means all of the
categories at once. We plan to enter a complete list of the
resources indexed and searched by Godfrey Search into our
online catalog and also submit them to the WorldCat, making
them even easier for patrons to locate.
Remember, that if you select a result from the Godfrey
Search list which loads but is not a PDF (no Adobe Reader
loads to enable viewing), you may go to your browser’s toolbar
and click on Edit then click on Find on this Page (Ctrl + F). This
will bring up a Find box where you can type in the keyword
To be clear, it should be mentioned that Godfrey Search
does not search through the Godfrey Scholar Premium
Databases folder or any of the organized web links available in
many of the folders inside the portal. However, much of the
data in the Unique Resources folder is searchable in this way.
Those in this group that are handwritten records must be
accessed by clicking on their link and viewed as you would
view a book.
It also should be mentioned that Godfrey Search is not the
same or connected at all to the yellow Search For box that
appears above the columns of folders inside the portal. This
search engine was included in the package that our
authentication software providers, AutoGraphics, built for us
and other libraries world-wide.
When new printed text materials are added to our
holdings, they will be retrievable using Godfrey Search. We are
adding new items regularly. Recently, we have added Family
Bible Collection I as well as St. Nicholas Cemetery (Norwich,
CT), to name a couple. These are accessed through links in the
Page 4
Edit: Find On This Page
and press enter. It also allows you to move to the next instance
or the previous instance at will; all instances are highlighted in
blue as you move through them.
As Godfrey Scholars the Godfrey Search page will put all
of our electronic resources right at your fingertips. Just as your
map and your car give you the opportunity to travel to your
destination, so does your Godfrey Scholar Program
subscription and Godfrey Search help lead you to your
ancestral destination.
Christine LeFoll is the IT Librarian at Godfrey Memorial
Library.
www.godfrey.org
Spring 2008
Online News Update
By Bruce Tyler
Books Published by
The Godfrey Memorial Library
Call 1-860-346-4375 to order your choice of books today!
Godfrey Library has begun the process of digitizing all of
its material not under copyright. Ultimately we will have over
20,000 titles online. Though we are just in the beginning stages
and the organization is a bit messy, we hope you see the
potential in this vast source of online material.
After you log in on the Godfrey site, take a look at the
upper left corner of your screen. There will be three folders,
numbered two through four. The titles are “Unique
Resources,” “Godfrey Collection,” and “Godfrey Search.” Let’s
take a detailed look at each folder.
•Unique Resources. With one exception that we know of,
none of this material appears anywhere else on the internet.
Most of it has not been published in any form. The current
materials focus on Connecticut and Italy. The reason for this
emphasis is a long story that we will save for another time. We
own the ledgers for a couple of local funeral homes, for
example, and one of these is in this section. As time and money
permit we will expand our search and include other materials
from a number of sources. In any event, we believe it would be
very difficult to find this material anywhere else.
•Godfrey Collection. With the cooperation of World Vital
Records, we plan to place all of our published public domain
material in this collection. We have so much that it will have to
be done in phases. Phase one includes our funeral sermons,
genealogies, biographies and memoirs. If you look in this
folder right now all the titles are in two categories: funeral
sermons and other collections. But they are really mixed
together, and we will have to fix that. Phase one includes about
2,200 titles, though you may see only several hundred right
now. We are planning to move quickly on this. We add titles
every day, so before long this phase will be complete.
Phase two will depend on what we learn from phase one.
Not all of our genealogies are included in phase one, but will
be added in phase two. We also have large holdings of local
histories, military records, city directories and yearbooks, for
example. So time will tell on this collection, but it will be very
large.
•Godfrey Search. This small collection has a variety of
owned and purchased materials in many categories. We used
this collection to fill in gaps in our own holdings and to
practice how we might put things online. This collection is
small and probably will stay small. Still, it is worth a look.
Check in on each of these folders from time to time. You
may find something of great value.
Bruce Tyler is the Godfrey Memorial Library’s Chairman
of the Board of Trustees.
Renew your Godfrey Scholar subscription for 3 years, and receive your
choice of any one of the featured books below, FREE!
Richard M. Nixon:
A Bibliography
By John Robert Greene, Ph. D.,
and Allan Metz
John Robert Greene is one of the nation’s leading
scholars of the American Presidency.
Hardcover: $45.00
A Noble and Glorious Cause:
The Life, Times, and Civil War Service
of Captain Elijah W. Gibbons
By Thomas E. La Lancette
“… a classic history of a small unit in
the Civil War.” John W. Schildt
Hardcover: $39.00; Paperback: $27.95
Jewish Cemeteries of
Western Massachusetts
By Rabbi Edward Cohen
and Lewis Goldfarb
The definitive index to thousands of Jewish
burials in Western Massachusetts
Hardcover: $35.00
Godfrey Participates
In Lifelong Learning Program
Godfrey Memorial Library has been invited to participate in
the Shoreline Institute of Lifelong Learning, an Elderhostel
Institute Network Affiliate. The Institute is sponsored by the
Guilford Parks, Recreation & Seniors and the Madison Senior
Services. On Thursday morning, May 1, 2008, John LaFramboise,
a Godfrey volunteer, will present an introductory class on how to
begin the search for one’s family ancestry. As a follow-up, there
will be a field trip to the Godfrey Memorial Library on Thursday
morning, May 8, 2008, for a tour of the Library and a
demonstration of our online Scholar program. The tour will be
conducted by Kris Lindner, Reference Librarian.
Call us 9am to 9pm (Mon. through Sat.) at (860)346-4375
Page 5
The Godfrey Update
Crossing the Ocean With the Internet
By Leslie Albrecht Huber
Y
ou’ve been tracing your family tree for
some time, moving along generation
by generation in the U.S. records, linking
people together and making progress in
extending those branches. Then all of a
sudden, you hit an enormous stumbling
block. It’s the Atlantic Ocean.
Sound familiar? If it does, you’re not alone.
The journey across the ocean poses some
serious problems for many researchers.
There is good news though! There are more
sources coming online all the time that can
make this cross-continent leap easier. Below,
I’ve described some of most important
online sources for tracing your ancestor’s
ocean voyage.
Passenger Arrival Lists
Passenger lists can contain a variety of
information depending on which port and
which years they cover. You can often find
names, relationships, ages, occupations, and
destinations. But, the most important piece
of information in the list may well be your
ancestor’s origin. Sometimes, you’ll only
find a country of origin – but sometimes
you’ll find that all-important hometown.
There are many possibilities when it comes
to U.S. ports, but your ancestors were much
more likely to land in certain ones. I’ve
included some important websites that can
help below. You’ll find links to most of
these when you log in at the Godfrey
Memorial Library website at
www.godfrey.org. Spend some time
exploring links in the “Immigration/
Passenger Lists” folder to see the wealth of
information available.
For later arrivals, check the Ellis Island
website at http://
www.ellisislandrecords.org/. This site
includes 22 million immigrants arriving
from 1892 until 1924. If you click on
“Passenger Search” and scroll down to
“Search Tips” you’ll find some useful advice
to help you find your ancestor more easily.
There are also other places to look for New
York arrival information. Ancestry.com has
an index for the years 1851-1891 and 19351938 and lists for the period 1820-1850
online. Try the “What Passenger Lists are
Online?” section of Joe Beine’s German
Roots website (found at http://home.att.net/
~wee-monster/onlinelists.html) for more
links to some other online New York
collections.
Boston. Although Boston arrivals can’t
compare to New York arrivals, a sizable
number of immigrants did land there. You
might want to start with Massachusetts’s
archive site online at http://
www.sec.state.ma.us/ArchivesSearch/
PassengermanifestSearch.asp. The state of
Massachusetts kept records of arrivals in
Boston from January of 1848 until July of
1891. One million people arrived during this
time period. Currently, volunteers are in the
process of making this information available
online.
Ancestry.com also has, among arrival
records for many other U.S. ports, Boston
ship arrival records and an index available.
Because their information was taken from
the NARA lists, the records have a gap for
the years 1855-1856 and 1875-1882.
Other U.S. Immigration Information. Our
ancestors arrived at many other ports. A
number of important resources for colonial
immigrants are available. Those with
Mayflower ancestors should try http://
www.mayflowerhistory.com/Passengers/
passengers.php, while researchers with
ancestors who came as indentured servants
from 1607 to 1820 (75% of immigrants who
came south of New England were indentured
servants) should see if their ancestors are
included at http://
www.immigrantservants.com.
Finally, check “What Passenger Lists are
Online?” available at http://home.att.net/
~wee-monster/onlinelists.html for more
information.
Departure Lists
Describing the records available online for
European ports of departure is more difficult
than describing the U.S. arrivals. The main
reason is that there are so many possibilities
since our ancestors left from a variety of
countries and ports. I’ve described some of
the major online collections below.
Hamburg. Hamburg, Germany was one of
the most important points of departure for
European immigrants to America. Almost a
New York. Arrivals in New York dwarf the
other U.S. ports. During the period from
1855 until 1890, immigrants landed at Castle
Garden. After this, they came to Ellis Island.
If your ancestors arrived in New York from
1830 to 1892, try the Castle Garden website
online at www.castlegarden.org. The search
available here includes names of ten million
people. Everyone who arrived during this
time period isn’t included, but it’s certainly
worth a try.
Page 6
Crossing the ocean—yesterday, and today.
www.godfrey.org
(Continued on page 22)
Spring 2008
Godfrey Memorial Library
Family History Essay Contest—2008
Submissions need to be postmarked by Tuesday, 15 July 2008
Hey Kids!
It’s that time again! Time to think about creating a new essay about your family for the
Godfrey Memorial Library’s Annual Essay Contest. It’s fun and you can win a $50.00 Savings Bond
as well!! Your essay will also become a permanent part of the Library’s collection AND be published
in our Fall Update.
One of the easiest ways to start an essay is to interview a family member—parent, grand-parent, uncle, aunt , etc.,—and
then write up a story from what your subject said.
Now we can’t all be lucky enough to have war heroes or adventurers in our family, but sometimes the nicest stories are
about the quiet everyday heroes in our families who never made headlines. Maybe you have an aunt who makes the best pies in the
county, or at least it seems so to her family. Or perhaps there is an uncle who always has great stories or jokes to tell everyone. Ask
him where he gets them all.
So choose your favorite relative, write out some questions to ask, and go get that interview! Then, just write up your story
and send it in to us. Make sure that you identify how you are related to your subject. Use full names, not just Aunt Sally or Uncle Joe.
Give us a little information about the family connection. For example, “Aunt Sally Jones is my mother’s sister. Her last name before
she got married was Magillicuddy. Her parents, my grandparents, were Samuel and Mary (Smith) Magillicuddy. Aunt Sally married
Uncle Joe Jones.”
There Are Two Levels
▪Level 1 is for kids in grades 4—8. These essays should be about 800 words long and include at least 1 exhibit.
▪Level 2 is for kids in grades 9—12. These essays should be about 1000 words long and include at least 2 exhibits.
The Rules For The Contest Are Pretty Simple
1. The essay must be about someone in your family. You need to document it with an exhibit or two.
(Exhibits are simply pictures or documents about the person in your essay.)
2. Type up your essay. (Hand-written ones will be accepted if they are easy to read.)
3. Go to our web page at www.godfrey.org to get an application.
(You can also call us at 860-346-4375 and we will mail you an application packet.)
4. Complete the entry form and mail it to the Godfrey Memorial Library by July 15, 2008.
The winning essays will be published in the Godfrey Memorial Library’s Fall 2008 Update.
All entries will become part of the permanent collection of the Godfrey Memorial Library.
They will be cataloged and listed in the Godfrey Memorial Library’s Online catalog as well as the OCLC WorldCat,
which is a listing of the holdings of libraries all over the world.
Call us 9am to 9pm (Mon. through Sat.) at (860)346-4375
Page 7
The Godfrey Update
Melilli to Middletown
O
ne of the unique things about Godfrey Memorial Library
is our extensive collection of privately printed, limited
edition books, charts and articles created by our friends and
patrons. These materials are generously donated by their
creators so that the wealth of information inside can be shared
with other researchers.
To demonstrate how all these gifts can tie together, take the
subject of Melilli to Middletown.
Middletown, CT (the home of Godfrey Memorial Library) has
a large percentage of the population with Italian roots going
back to Melilli, Sicily. We have been fortunate to receive
materials from patrons who celebrate these roots.
One donation from a local resident,
Carmello Mazzotta, Jr., is a book on
his family and experiences called
This
Notes of My Memories.
marvelous book not only is filled with
stories and pictures of his life and
times, but also gives a lot of
information about his family’s travels
and stories from Melilli, Sicily to
Middletown, CT
Another book, Arrivederci Melilli …
Hello Middletown, was donated by the
author James Vincenzo Annino (an
American grandson of Melilli). This
book is “a concise history of the first
families from Melilli, Sicily, to settle
in Middletown, Connecticut, U.S.A.”
Green Street, the Americanization of
a Siciliain Village, donated to the
Godfrey by the author, Joseph G.
Lombardo, was created by a student at
Wesleyan University in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree of Master of Arts in Liberal
Studies. It is a study of the first and
second generations of SicilianAmericans who made their homes in
Middletown.
Page 8
www.godfrey.org
In th e Connecticut oversized
collection, we have another Wesleyan
creation – the transcripts of interviews
used in the production of a radio play
called Over There: A Play Honoring
the Italian American Influence in
Middletown. The interviews were
conducted by students of Wesleyan
University as part of a two-year St.
Sebastian project, which
commemorated the 350th anniversary
of Middletown. The play “Over There”
was the final product and was a
collaboration of efforts from Wesleyan
Theater Department—Center for the
Arts, The City of Middletown, and the
Godfrey Memorial Library.
Sebastiano & Angelina Perruccio
(Pirruccio): A Family History,
celebrating the 98th anniversary of their
arrival to the United States of America
from Melilli, Sicily.
William J. Corvo gave us his work
done for the Historical Conference,
Melilli, Sicily on November 8-9, 2002:
Between Two Worlds: A Synopsis of
the Life and Times of Max Corvo
1920-1994. Max Corvo was Chief of
Operations for the Secret Intelligence
Division of the American O.S.S.
(Office of Strategic Services) in Italy
during World War II. He created this
book at the urging of Professor Paolo
Magnano of Melilli, which brings us to
another book:
Melilli: Discovering the Territory.
This book was done by Paolo Magnano
as a kind of tourist guide to reference
the treasures of the town and territory.
Continued on Page 20
Spring 2008
Call us 9am to 9pm (Mon. through Sat.) at (860)346-4375
Page 9
The Godfrey Update
Inventory Project
By Sharon Sharpe, Technical Services Librarian
Our “Inventory Project” at Godfrey Memorial Library is a little similar to library
detective work. It requires patience and an eye for detail. Essentially what we’re doing is
examining each book and journal in the collection, making sure that each has been
catalogued, properly labeled with the correct barcode number and shelved appropriately.
Once all the books are labeled with a barcode number, we’ll be able to know exactly what
is in our collection, track usage patterns, and determine the monetary value of the
collection simply by scanning the barcodes.
I find that every time I locate a book and make a match with the barcode and catalog,
I get a little bit of a “thrill”—similar to what I would imagine a forensic medical examiner
feels when they come up with a perfect DNA match. Without the willingness, able help,
and dedication of our volunteers, we would never be able to complete this project.
Lost But Not Forgotten
Submitted by Sharon Dahlmeyer
It was brought to a gentleman’s attention at a genealogical talk by Richard Black
that Godfrey Library would love to have old bibles or simply a copy of the handwritten
pages.
The Director’s Note
(Continued from Page 3)
after deciding on a mutually beneficial
agreement, I made the offer to digitize the
church’s record books. The agreement stated
that Godfrey would provide for the cost of
rebinding their books as well as give them
both a hard copy and an electronic copy of
those books during the rebinding process.
We have already been approached by a
few organizations who have posed the
question, “Can you come to us to scan our
records?” Where occasion warrants, we
anticipate filming records on location in
cases where books or documents are too
brittle or delicate to be shipped to Godfrey.
I would like to again extend my personal
thanks to those who have trusted their
personal books, collections, and projects to
Godfrey and for those who have supported
the library in so many other ways. Our
library and website content continues to grow
because of you. If your group or family is
considering making a donation to Godfrey,
whether it is a yearbook, a family bible, or
something on a larger scale, I invite you to
call or email me or one of my staff to discuss
it. We’ll welcome the opportunity.
Bible Donated To Our Library
Tad Sanford jumped at the opportunity and showed up last week with three of his
family bibles. We were elated to copy those pages and to hand those bibles back. One
particular bible went as far back as 1777. Vertical files were formed for the Field, Couch
and Poucher families. Also in his possession was a family tree chart on the Feld, Field or
Field of Horton, Ardsley, Shipley, Heaton and North Ouram, in the West Riding of
Yorkshire, England dating back to 1480, consisting of hundreds of names. When patrons
come in from all over the country they have a chance to make a connection with these
people. Our goal is try to make that connection for people.
~ Keep us in mind ~
Godfrey Scholar Program
FREE OFFER!
A Legacy is a gift you leave for
generations to come.
If you would like to remember
Godfrey Memorial Library in your will,
please contact your trusted financial
and legal advisors today.
Sign up or renew any subscription package
for two years and receive our
Godfrey Library Brief Case Bag as our
“Thank you” gift to you.
If you would like Brochures
or Godfrey Updates for your event,
we will gladly send them to you at No Charge!!!
Just tell us when you need them
and how many.
Be sure to give us the address where
you’d like to have them sent.
Library@godfrey.org
Phone (860)346-4375 • Fax (860)347-9874
PennsylvaniaResearch.com
———————
Family & Home History Specialists
(717) 754-0283
info@PennsylvaniaResearch.com
Formerly HomeHistories.com
For more information about
leaving a tax-deductible Legacy donation,
call (860) 346-4375.
Page 10
Are You Planning
A Genealogy Class or Conference?
www.godfrey.org
Spring 2008
Book Reviews
Notes of My Memories, Mazzotta, Carmelo Jr.; Published by Carmelo, John Mazzotta, Jr., 2007
This new acquisition of Godfrey Library has made many of us from the Middletown
Connecticut area quite excited. It is the story of one family’s move from Melilli, Italy to
Middletown, Connecticut. It not only follows the family, but also the history of the town of
Middletown as well. There are also many anecdotes about the St. Sebastian Church, which plays a
large part in the life of the family. There are excellent pictures and illustrations as well as copies of
news articles. Anyone doing research in Middletown will find this book a true gem.
Italians to America, Glazier, Ira A., editor; Published by the Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2008.
This is volume 22 of a set that lists passengers arriving at U.S. Ports from March 1903 to
April 1903. This series “is the first indexed reference work devoted to Italian Immigrants in the
United States.” The series covers the last two decades of the nineteenth century as well as the
beginning of the twentieth century. It has a wealth of information—not just personal details like
age, sex, and occupation, but also village of origin, destination, port of embarkation and date of
arrival. It is fully indexed so researchers will find this invaluable.
Emigration from the United Kingdom to America, Glazier, Ira A., editor; Published by the
Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2006.
We now have the first 3 volumes of this reference series which “provides both historians
and genealogists with a database of English, Welsh, Scottish, and Irish immigrants who arrived at
the port of New York in the last quarter of the nineteenth century.” This series follows a similar
format to the Italians to America and Germans to America. (Both of these series are also found in
Godfrey Library.) It, too, is fully indexed making research an easier task.
Kingdom of Bavaria IV Oberpfalz—Map Guide to German Parish Registers, Hansen, Kevan M.;
Published by Family Roots Publishing Company, 2007.
This is volume 17 of a series “compiled to make accessing German records easier. Its
purpose is to aid in identifying what church records to search if a specific town is known.” The
maps provide graphical views of districts and their parishes with a listing of the towns in the
districts. It also includes Family History Library microfilm numbers for the districts. The maps
cover the time from mid to late 1800s.
History of Bradford County Pennsylvania: 1891-1995; Published by Curtis Media, Inc. 1996.
This large, oversized book is filled with history and photographs of Bradford County. But
of even greater interest to genealogists is its extensive pages of family stories, complete with
pictures. Created by the Bradford County Historical Society, led by co-chairs Henry G. Farley and
Doris W. Hugo, this book is intended to be an authoritative documentary of the 1891-1995 era. It is
an impressive work written “totally by the individuals living in the closing years of the twentieth
century.”
Call us 9am to 9pm (Mon. through Sat.) at (860)346-4375
Page 11
The Godfrey Update
Our Patrons and Scholars Write
These are messages from Scholars who use our online
subscription service as well as from patrons who come to the library or
call in for an AGBI or Quick Search request.
which filled in so many of the blanks and confirmed many of the
theories I had over the past few years. It was like showing a child a
bowl of candy but just letting him look at it without having a piece!
Thank you. Jim
I
was out of town last week and when I got home there was a nice
big envelope with my acceptance into the Mayflower Society! So
all the hard work was successful—and of course the reference I
obtained with your help. So many thanks. And I know where to write
if I need more references for additional ancestors. Many thanks.
Cindy
Subject: Thank you for Bradford Research—Boston Transcript
T
hank you for the copies of records. They arrived today. I
especially appreciate the “over and above” research done on
ancillary lines. I have always heard good things about the Godfrey.
Now I can speak from my own experience, too.
There was no reference number for the search and no billing amount.
Should I send along something?
Dave Bradford
J
ust wanted to follow up on your telephone call of this morning. I
am finally getting down to using the computer this evening and
will try the World Vital Records site. Thank you so very much for
helping with my problem. I truly appreciate the speed and the courtesy
you and other staff members have always given. I will continue to
recommend membership in the Godfrey to my group and other
genealogists I know. It is a bargain!!! Keep up the good work.
Mary
L
ately I’ve been going through serious withdrawals. I spend most
of my time since retirement on genealogy, and you sort of get in
a rhythm of places you check with each new surname or event, and
over the last few months NewpaperArchive.com had been moved up
on that list. Every time I got to the point of wanting to check the
archives, I ended up getting flustered. Loosing it a day here or a day
there is expected, but when you lose a good source for days, it gets to
you.
I have had the Godfrey subscription for a few years now but never
found anything in the past on my lines in NewspaperArchive.com.
Then a couple months back, a cousin of mine sent me an article on
one of our common ancestors, and I asked her where she got it. She
said NewspaperArchive.com and asked if I knew of it. I told her I did
and that I thought I had a subscription at one time but was not sure
which subscription I had access through or even if I still had access.
Well I spent the rest of that afternoon and eventually found that I had
access through Godfrey. I then proceeded to search and spent a few
weeks after that doing nothing but downloading obituaries and articles
on my relations as the counties in the states I needed had apparently
been added since I last looked. I have found so much info on relations
Page 12
D
avid Culverwell recently renewed from England. He finds our
site very useful, especially the Oxford Dictionary of National
Biography. He has been encouraging his friends to check into using
Godfrey.
Thank you. David!
T
hank you so much for the look-up on Jonathan Irvin. We got it
today in the mail. I probably told you, but my g-g-g-ggrandfather’s name was Jonathan Irvin. He died about 1824 in
Washington County, Maryland. His will lists three sons and a
daughter. This Jonathan, listed as head of family in West Caln
Township, shows the same number of children that would fit that
except for the youngest son, Allen, who might have been born after
1790. Is there any information in any other references at your disposal
that might show info on Jonathan Irvin or any of his sons, John,
Andrew, Allen; daughter Susannah, or wife Easter (possibly Esther)?
By the way, Jonathan was listed twice on that page with the same
number of family members, and I was wondering why that would
occur.
Lastly, I want to send you a souvenir as a token of our appreciation.
Do you have any special interests in anything we might find over
here? If so, let me know. Thank You.
Daniel Irvin
I
spent this entire day sitting through a seminar on good customer
service in the library. (I work for the Central Library in Dallas,
TX.) Now this is what I call service with a smile and going the extra
mile! I was so pleased to discover that some of my old favorites are
still there and some really great new databases as well. Thanks so
much.
Sherry Johnson
T
hanks so much for info on Philadelphia—I never in the world
would have found that. It is exactly what I needed. I will now see
what I can find out about her Mom and Pop. This will be a bonus.
Plus, I need to know if there is a fee for what you sent me. If so, let
me know and I will take care of it by “snail mail.” If not, I will say
“thank you” and wish anyone and everyone the success you gave me.
Janet
I
signed up for access at the conference in Columbus. I have my
card but forgot your instructions. I was able to get in without it, but
I would still like to know the right way to use it.
I found over 30 Valleau marriages in Grand Traverse County, MI
between 1888 and 2002. Not bad for the first try! Thanks,
Gary
www.godfrey.org
Spring 2008
Our Patrons and Scholars Write (Page 2)
T
T
hanx for getting back with me about the database. Tonight I went
into it and everything worked fine. A page did pop up and ask for
identification and password or a card number. I put in the Godfrey
number and it worked!!! … Looked at some very interesting info from
Civil War era.
hanks for the quick response and early access. It’s been worth the
$35 already! This morning when I received your email, I did a
quick try-out using the Pennsylvania Gazette. I plugged in a seldomused variation of my paternal surname: “McQuead” (for McQuaid)
and up came this lovely tidbit:
The Godfrey website is so much fun to browse around in. When
Heritage Quest was there, I found a lot of wonderful information on
my grandpa from the 1700s and his experiences during the
Revolutionary War as a soldier and Indian fighter. Would love to have
met him. Thanks again.
ITEM #18795 October 2, 1755 The Pennsylvania Gazette,
Willistown, Chester county, September 21, 1755.
Whereas, Patrick McQuead, son of John McQuead, living in
the county of Antrim, in the parish of Derrylichin, in Ireland,
came to some part of America about twelve years ago from
England; if the said Patrick be alive, he is desired to send a
letter directed to the care of Mr. Nathaniel Grub in Chester
County, to be left at the Printers hereof, and the favour will be
thankfully acknowledged by ARTHUR McQUEAD. [Accessed
Doris Stever
T
hank you for the lovely leather computer bag! My old one is
quite worn out, so this will be great for taking my laptop when I
go to Florida. The calendar and pen are also very much appreciated!
I am now working on an article about a Boston family of mine. I don’t
quite know where to send it when it is finished as I don’t think I am
publishable in the NEGHS Register at this point. However, I’ve a long
way to go before I finish. I like the writing part; it is the footnoting
that is the pain and what takes so long to get just right.
I am about to put my new code number in and get to work on seeing
what you might have on the Grant family of Boston. Again, thank you
for the perfect gifts. I am so happy to have a friend at the Godfrey!
Mary Ellen
T
hank you so very much for this information. It is good to know
that Godfrey is working to “keep costs down,” and I really do
sincerely appreciate you and your help. I realize you have many
subscribers, but you always seem to let us know we are important.
By the way, here is a little feedback on Reference: I love to use it for
their maps and driving directions. It is fast and much quicker than
doing it on Google or Yahoo or Mapquest on the net. I believe it is
powered by MapQuest, but it is still so much easier and faster. And
once you get to that screen, you can change the addresses and still use
it. Again, Thanks a lot.
Jan A.
T
hank you for your quick response! I tell all my students that
research librarians are Gods and Goddesses!! You live up to the
standard! … I think there may be MANY Bates out there. He was
born about 1799. I found a Nicholas Bates, Sr., and a Nicholas Bates
in Exeter in the 1820 census. They could well be father and son, in
which case info on both would be fantastic. I do understand if you can
only process a request on one. My Nicholas, born in 1799, went on to
Ohio where I find him in a subsequent censuses (plural is censi??? ha
ha)
Thanks a million. I can’t believe how overwhelmed I sometimes get
thinking about all the relatives I must have out there somewhere!
Cathy Lawrenz
through Godfrey Library Scholar subscription (16 Sep 2005) via
Accessible Archives database: Pennsylvania Gazette]
Other than in a county history stating our William McQuaid
came from “Ireland” circa 1764, I have had NO success in
narrowing down the family origin. Due to some other
circumstances, I have reason to believe that this Patrick (who
ends up in Washington County and then Westmoreland County,
Pennsylvania) may be connected to our McQuaid line; and also
that there may be a connection to Chester County. (One of
William’s daughters may be in Chester County by 1810.)
Between that and William naming his eldest son JOHN (i.e., the
possibility of William’s father being a John, also) is a lead that
seems too good to be true. Now, if only my search on the
internet for “Derrylichen” would give some result. Will have to
work on that! Anyhow, I thank Godfrey for the first real lead to
my Irish origins! I look forward to exploring the Godfrey
databases.
Carolyn
I
received your photocopy of the page from the 1790 US Census,
Chapter State Censuses 1782, specifically the 1783 Shenandoah
County, Virginia Tax List showing on page 65 the Aron Henry
household. I very much appreciate your taking the time and making the
effort to send that to me. It was extremely helpful. Thank you again.
And very happy Holiday wishes to you and yours.
Gary Halsey
We want to hear from you!
Send us your research adventures, success stories,
comments, suggestions and opinions.
Email us at:
Library@godfrey.org
Call us 9am to 9pm (Mon. through Sat.) at (860)346-4375
Page 13
The Godfrey Update
~ On the Calendar: Upcoming Events ~
Saturday, May 17, 2008: 1:30 pm
Friends of Godfrey
Thursday, May 1, 2008: 10:00 am to 11:30 am
Genealogy 101
John LaFramboise, an amateur genealogist and volunteer at
Godfrey Memorial Library, will present an introductory
workshop for the Shoreline Institute of Lifelong Learning.
This is sponsored by the Guilford Parks, Recreation & Seniors
Department and the Madison Senior Services.
Additional phone contact is 203-245-5627
Web sites are www.madisonct.org/Depot/depothome.htm and
http://www.guilfordparkrec.com
Location: Memorial Town Hall, Madison
The Friends of Godfrey Memorial Library will be meeting at
1:30 pm at the Library. The Program will be: Indian and
Colonial Research Center.
Sunday, May 18, 2008: 1:30 pm
Jewish Genealogical Society
The Jewish Genealogical Society of Connecticut (JGSCT)
will be meeting at 1:30 pm at the Godfrey Memorial Library
Topic will be “Newsletters and Web Sites.”
Saturday, May 3, 2008: 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm
TMG User’s Group
Saturday, May 24, 2008: 1:30 pm
Beginner’s Genealogy—Getting Started
The TMG (The Master Genealogist) Users’ Group will be
meeting at the Godfrey Memorial Library. All users of this
computer program are welcome to come to the discussions.
John LaFramboise will be presenting a class at the Godfrey
Memorial Library, “Beginners Genealogy: Getting Started.”
Please contact Chris LeFoll at the library if you wish to
attend. Phone: 860-346-4375.
Thursday, May 8, 2008: 10:00 am to 12:00 noon
Genealogy Field Trip
Saturday, June 7, 2008: 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm
TMG User’s Group
Contact: Shoreline Institute of Life Long Learning
Phone: 203-453-8086; Email: sill8899@gmail.com
The TMG (The Master Genealogist) Users’ Group will be
meeting at the Godfrey Memorial Library. All users of this
computer program are welcome to come to the discussions.
As a follow-up to the May 1st Genealogy 101 workshop for
the Shoreline Institute of Lifelong Learning, participants will
have the opportunity to visit Godfrey Memorial Library in
Middletown. Kris Lindner, Reference Librarian, will conduct
a tour of the library and demonstrate the use of the library’s
online scholar program. Time will also be provided for use of
the library facilities after the tour.
Additional phone contact is 203-245-5627.
Web sites are www.madisonct.org/Depot/depothome.htm and
http://www.guilfordparkrec.com
Page 14
Saturday, August 23, 2008: 1:30 pm
Guide to Free Genealogy Software
John LaFramboise will be presenting a class at the Godfrey
Memorial Library, “Guide to Free Genealogy Software.”
Please contact Chris LeFoll at the library if you wish to
attend. Phone: 860-346-4375.
www.godfrey.org
Spring 2008
Call us 9am to 9pm (Mon. through Sat.) at (860)346-4375
Page 15
The Godfrey Update
Volunteer Opportunities
At Godfrey Memorial Library—Spring 2008
The Godfrey Memorial Library is always looking for people
interested in contributing their time and talents to a variety of
ongoing projects. Some projects benefit from the regular
commitment of time, and some projects occur on an irregular
basis. Volunteers can commit to a regular time or day each week,
or just pop in spontaneously when time permits. There are always
things to do, such as:
Shelving:
Digitization:
When books or materials are catalogued, they then need to be
properly labeled so that they can be found on the proper shelves.
Each type of material has special needs. Each item requires some
form of barcode label, spine label, or bookplate. How they are put
on may be different for each type of material. Because of our
inventory project, colored dots are also being used to identify
those items that have been inventoried or catalogued in OCLC.
We are in the process of digitizing much of the unique
materials that the Godfrey Memorial Library has. The process
requires photographing pages, editing the images and often some
transcription work.
Cataloging:
The Godfrey Memorial Library does a great deal of original
cataloging by analyzing parts in books and creating new entries in
our catalog. These entries are done in OCLC and can then be
viewed in the WorldCat. (The WorldCat is an internet-based
resource for libraries where people can search libraries all over the
world to find where certain materials may be located.) Volunteers
who are interested in this kind of work may be trained to work
with a template, entering data that will eventually be added to the
catalog.
When patrons come in they are encouraged to leave the books
and materials they use on the tables or book carts. Volunteers then
come in and properly shelve the items later. It is an ongoing task
that some days has much to do and other days very little.
Book Processing and Inventory:
Docents:
These volunteers come in to help the patrons make use of the
Library’s resources, helping them find materials or work on the
computers.
Mailings:
Each month renewal letters are sent out to our online patrons
whose memberships are about to expire. Volunteers are needed to
help fold, stuff, and mail these letters.
Research:
Newspaper Obituaries:
Godfrey Memorial Library is not a lending library, meaning
we do not let our books leave the premises. However, we do let
information leave. For this purpose we have two types of research
forms: AGBI requests and Quick Search requests. Our volunteers
take these forms and go to our shelves to search for the
information. They make copies of the materials they find, which
then gets sent to the person making the request.
The library collects obituary pages from several local
newspapers, which are being scanned as one of our in-house
digitizing projects. Volunteers help by cutting out the pages and
filing them in acid-free boxes. These boxes are kept on our
shelves where they are available for in-library use even after they
have been digitized.
Looking for a unique gift idea for any occasion?
Why not try a Gift Subscription to the Godfrey Scholar Program .
Tell us which special person in your life you’d like to surprise with the
gift of a subscription to the Godfrey Scholar Program.
We’ll arrange everything and even send along a special gift notification card.
————————————-————————————
Godfrey Memorial Library, 134 Newfield St., Middletown, CT 06457-2534
Phone: (860) 346-4375 • Fax (860) 347-9874
www.godfrey.org
Page 16
www.godfrey.org
Spring 2008
Volunteer Projects
Attention To All Our Scholars:
We Need Your Help!
W
e have a wonderful and devoted group of volunteers who come to
the library regularly to assist us with special projects. Below is a
picture of five of the ladies who come on Mondays. Ellen Carlson has
assembled a crew to work on boxes of microfiche that have long been
neglected. She and her assistants are reviewing what we have. Then they
are putting the fiche in sleeves and organizing them into boxes that will
be made available for use by patrons.
Year Books
Family Bibles
REQUEST FOR YEAR BOOKS
Do you still have your old high school or college
year book? Please consider donating it to us. The names and
photos they contain would be a wonderful addition to our
library!
REQUEST FOR BIBLES
Rose Scotti, Sue Fenton, Linnea Gould, Ellen Carlson and Helen Kuzina
All of our volunteers are adept at a number of tasks. They are
willing to take on any job necessary.
When not working on special projects, Ellen works as a docent,
assisting patrons coming into the library needing help with their
research.
If you have an old family bible that contains a
section for recording birth, death, and marriage information,
please consider making a copy of the information written
there and mailing it to GML, Attn: Bible Project. (PDFs also
accepted at chris@godfrey.org. Re: Bible Project.) This
information will be made available to search online as the
project continues.
Helen Kuzina, during the warmer months, is our volunteer
gardener. She is responsible for all the lovely landscaping that
surrounds the Library.
Sue Fenton collects the obituary pages from our local newspaper
and volunteers in the Family History Center, providing assistance to
those using the microfilms borrowed from Salt Lake City.
Rose Scotti works on processing books for the shelves. She puts on
the security tags, the inventory barcode labels, and the shelf labels that
indicate where each book should go.
Linnae Gould, standing in the back of the picture, is one of the
library’s volunteer analytic catalogers. She works on analyzing books,
creating records for the online catalog, which will tell patrons exactly
what can be found in the book. These are just some of the special people
who come to the library regularly to assist wherever necessary.
Call us 9am to 9pm (Mon. through Sat.) at (860)346-4375
Page 17
The Godfrey Update
Annual Appeal Report—2007-2008
Put your hands together and give yourself a round of applause!
Thank you to all the wonderful people who contributed to the 2007-2008 Annual Appeal.
We would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge, and express our gratitude for the many generous memorial donations that were contributed to
the Godfrey Library. From this point forward, we would like to gratefully recognize their contributions.
Supporters
Beebe, Charles S.
Fuss, Ruth Park
Prymas, Barbara and Stan
Tyler, Bruce and Karen
Donors
Cummin, G. Jeremy
Haughton, Beverly B.
Purnell, Karen Brown
Sage, Donald Atkinson
Smith, Thomas & Antonia
Associates
Ainsworth, Wayne
Alexander, Lynne
Anonymous
Bialas, Doris
Carson, Kenneth
Choquette, Anne
Cole, Janace D.
Coyle, John
Curtis, Laurie
Cutshall, Patricia
Dean, David J.
Dohrman, Arthur
Fennelly, Thomas J.
Fort, Lillie
Freeman, Cynthia & Joseph
Frye, Eleanor
Fuller, Bill
George, Julia B.
Gerdts, Janice
Graves, Richard
Hablitzel, Donna
Harper, Janice & Denver
Harvey, Elaine
Hill, Karen A.
Hoffman, Thomas R.
Holley, Melvin J.
Jenssen, Margery
Jordan, Joan
Kearns, Donald & Ruth
Klehn, Victoria
Koroghlanian, Carol
Lavender, Vickie
Lawrence, Jane F.
Lerea, Joan
Lombardi, Guy & Patricia
Malcarne, Don
Marino, Anthony S.
Marsh, Mary A.
Martin, Cornwell
Maynard, Marilyn K.
McBride, Donald III
McCain, Diana R.
McClung, Barbara
McGuire, Georgianna
McNish, Linda
Melton, Vicky A.
Meyers, Martha & Arthur
Morton, David & Rosemary
Myrick, Jack V.
Nelson, Cheryl
Page 18
Rame, David
Rickey, Addie Dyal
Rinner, Linda A.
Sivigny, Arthur
Stafford, Robert B.
Stanley, Sharon C.
Stevens, Harold R.
Steves, Myron Sr.
Stoddard, Richard A.
Thetford, Norman
Turner, Larry
West, Lyle H.
Westphal, Joyce
Wilmot, Candace
Contributors
Adams, Karen
Allen, Melvin N.
Anonymous
Atkins, Barbara Schanne
Austin, John
Banerjee, Virginia
Bauer, Virginia
Biebesheimer, Judith
Bills, Jeanne H.
Bradbury, Susan
Brookshier, Joe
Brown, Barbara
Butler, Roger
Campbell, Steven & Joan
Cappello, William O.
Cardinal, Judith
Carlson, Janet
Carlson, Joan
Carlson, Natalie
Clemems, Patricia
Cook, Helen G.
Cota-Anderson, Kim M.
Crawfors, Denise
Dahl, Judy
Dimmick, Charles
Doten, Ramona
Dudley, Albert
Eisenmann, Judith
Eisenstaedt, Lynne
Esteves, Alfred & Isabelle
Fedde, Julie
Fink, Mary
Flater, Delight H.
Foster, Nancy
Fouraker, Jane L.
Frohn, Henry G.
Fullam, Dianne B.
Gill, Diana
Ginter, Lucia & Donald
Glick, Robert
Good, Gregory G.
Grubbe, Deborah
Hablitzel, Donna
Hasha, John L.
Hathcock, Jennifer
Hawkes, Isabelle and Ray
Hawley, Phyllis N.
Healy Nackley, Mary T.
Henderson, Charlotte
Hill, Nicholas & Barbara
Hopfenbeck, Linda
Hughes, Robert C.
Hugo, Catherine
Jenkins, Roberta
Johnson, Dean T.
Johnson, Mary E.
Kanawyer, Carol
Kesinger, Jean
Kiley, Mary P.
Knobel, Mary
Koelbl, Mary Jo
Lamb, Rosalie
Langford, Michael J.
Lapchynski, K.
Larsen, Dwayne E.
Lawrence, Carol R.
Lawson, Colleen Briggs
Leland, Robert K.
Leonard, Brad
Levesque, Jeannine
Longwell, Margaret A.
Lucchesi, Ruth A.
Marsh, Sandra
Martin, Barbara F.
Massey, Karen
McMichael, Joyce
McVean, Deborah
Metzler, John
Moore, Michael R.
Morrison, Emily S.
Morton, Frank
Neal, Barbara P.
Neville, John & Alice
Parsons, Dale
Perusse, Gerard
Pompano, Jim
Prusz, Margaret
Quigg, Gloria
Ramsdell, Karen
Rand, Kathy
Reitt, Barbara B.
Rigney, Alice
Sanders, Robert L.
Sans, Bob
Scheer, Christine L.
Schofield, Alice G.
Shannon, Mary
Sheehan, Richard
Sievers, Bruce
Smidt, Susan
Snyder, Doris
Sparks, Larry L.
Speirs, Carol L.
Standley, Peter G.
Stever, Doris
Stone, Susan C.
Swanson, Phyllis K.
Talbot, Marilyn
Taylor, John L.
Taylor, Patricia
Thompson, Arthur
Tuttle, Jane L.
www.godfrey.org
Vanderwall, Jan
Ward, Eleanor R.
Washington, Carrie
Westfall, Cheryl
White, Janet
Whittington, Nancy
Wilcox, Wenda
Williams, Dorothy J.
Williams, Louis
Wilson, Keith
Allies
Anderson, Lee Nina
Anderson, Sherwood
Baker, Elizabeth
Bancroft, Cathleen L.
Bancroft, Nancy L.
Barnes, Shirley M.
Barth, Sarah
Bell, Nancy
Bertrand, Kathleen
Black, Virginia Roger
Bloodgood, John H.
Boursaw, Donnie
Bray, Gwen M.
Brooks, Joan
Brooks, Liz
Brown, William Morris, Jr.
Caliandri, Sarah
Campbell, Georgina
Carey, Amos
Chesnut, Graham
Christiansen, Joy & David
Colburn, Mary C.
Collins, Helen J.
Cooney, Jane
Cotter, Jacquelyn A.
Cummiskey, Robert J.
Dapkus, Mary Jane
Dion, Patricia A.
Dix, Dennis, Jr.
Doebler, Lizabeth
Dougherty, Gwen
Duy, Dolores Benes
Eastwood, Lily
Eller, Darla S.
Fiacre, Albert E. Jr.
Fielding, Marilyn
Fischer, Joseph
Fodor, Lynn
Fremut, Catherine
Gill, Lowell F.
Gillette, Melvyn
Goodson, Rita W.
Gray, Michael
Green, Arthur
Hale, Bruce & Donna
Hale, Julie F.
Harwood, Theresa
Hasbrouck, Julia
Hunter, David
Jackson, James F.
Johnson, Hazel S.
Jones, Betty
Katz, Tobie
Kennedy, Vondell
Kiley, Ruthann
Klein, Barbara
Krechoweckjy, Kristine
Larson, Nancy Homann
Lewis, Anna M.
Lingenfelter, Marjorie
Little, M. Irene
Lott, Barbara
Makai, Jeanne
Maloney, Rondal E.
Marshall, Shirley
Mattox, Jean
Mazeau, Mary I.
McCreedy, Shirley A.
McKiernan, Rose
Meeker, Linda
Meyer, Joan H.
Miller, Robert C.
Montero, Virginia
Morgan, Elizabeth J.
Murphy, Eva
Oblak, John
Osburn, Diane L.
Pash, Deborah
Peer, Marie
Pinyan, Eleanor
Prie, Janice D.
Rich, Betsy
Ricketts, Dorothy
Roberts, Adina & William
Robinson, Joyce
Rockaway, John
Russell, Beverly J.
Sattler, Janice E.
Savage, Marion
Schnieder, Sue
Schopp, Paul W.
Simpson, Doris E.
Smith, Nancy
Smith, Peter A.
Stearns, Jean
Stoner, Al
Syron, Virginia
Tepe, Susan L.
Thelen, Judy
Thompson, Constance C.
Tobin, Kathleen G.
Todisco, Mary
Trapnell, Donna
Trotter, Elsie
Upton, George C.
Van Dorn, Clara Ellen
Van Hoose, Madeline
Vislocky, JoAnn
Weider, Andrea M.
Wells, Beth & Wayne
Williams, Robert L.
Winslow, Alan
Spring 2008
Finding the Hard-To-Find Ancestor
(Continued from Page 1)
Kerstina in Sweden appears in U.S.
records as Karsti, Chasty, Chasta,
Christy, and several other variants.
Kerstina’s husband, Edmond John, is
listed as Edmund, E. John, or even John
E. in U.S. records. In addition, don’t
forget to check under the first initial of
the name. To find some ancestors, you
may need to use your imagination a
little. One coworker of mine found a
missing ancestor by looking under the
first name instead of the surname—the
name had been written backwards!
2. Overlook small discrepancies.
Most researchers know that the census is
riddled with errors—some small and
some not so small. Some census takers
simply didn’t take the time to verify
spellings, ages, or other information.
Other times, ancestors may have
provided information incorrectly either
on purpose or because they really didn’t
know. Carefully evaluate the
information as a whole to determine if
the person could still be the missing
ancestor, even if everything doesn’t
match up exactly. An age that is off by a
couple of years provides little reason for
concern, while a new wife with a
completely different name presents
more of a problem. Unexplained
members of the household, however,
aren’t always reason for dismissal. An
unexpected wife or child may be a
mislabeled sister or farmhand.
The situation can become tricky if
you are working with a common name.
You may find several listings that
partially match what you know about
your ancestor. Keep all of these in mind
as you continue. Often the correct match
will become apparent as you uncover
more information.
3. Skip the index. If you are
reasonably sure of where an ancestor
lived within a small area, don’t bother
checking the index. This just adds
another step and possibly some
confusion. For one thing, transcription
mistakes or difficult-to-read censuses
result in ancestors being left out of
indexes entirely. Besides, if you don’t
find the ancestor in the index in the
predicted place, the next step would be
to do a line-by-line search of the town
you think they lived in anyway. And,
while you may not recognize an ancestor
with information slightly incorrect in the
index, you probably will recognize the
family in the actual census.
4. Look around. Look through the
relevant pages of the censuses, paying
attention to page numbers to make sure
something isn’t missing. Verify that the
town your ancestor likely lived in is
included in the census. If it appears
pages or towns are missing, check
another copy of the census or contact the
National Archives to see if the pages are
missing in the original. Also, check in
surrounding towns, counties, or states
(relying on indexes) if feasible. Do you
know the family moved? Could they
have moved earlier or later than you
expected? Look for neighbors or
relatives living nearby in other censuses
and study their neighbors in the needed
census to see if your ancestor might be
living close by again.
What if you have tried all of these
ideas, and your ancestor is still missing?
There are a couple of possible
explanations. The information in the
census could be so incorrect that you
aren’t able to recognize the ancestor. Or,
the ancestor could be listed in a
completely unexpected place that has
not been thoroughly checked yet.
Perhaps an older parent went to live
with a child in another county or state,
or a husband went to find work
temporarily somewhere else. Finally, of
course, there is always the chance that
the ancestor was simply not included in
the census. This could happen if a
census taker overlooked the family
because they were not home when he
came by, lived in a multifamily dwelling
and therefore not noticed, or just
skipped because he was in a hurry.
Leslie Albrecht Huber is a
genealogical freelance writer and lecturer
based near Amherst, MA. Dozens of her
articles have appeared in twenty different
magazines and journals. Her website,
www.understandingyourancestors, provides
more information for people tracing their
Western European roots.
Library Seeking Genealogy / Local History Donations
Godfrey Memorial Library is always delighted to receive any
materials regarding genealogy or local history. We are actively
looking for school yearbooks, family bibles, and church histories.
City directories, particularly old ones, are a great resource that is
greatly in demand.
We also have been seeking out churches who would be
willing to share their unique resources with us. We will photocopy
and digitize the materials, then return to the church their original
materials as well as a preservation photocopy. Funeral parlor
books are another unique source. We can do the same with them
as with the church records.
We even accept research that is not complete. If someone is
unable to complete a project, but does not know what to do with
all that had been collected, then the Godfrey Memorial Library is
the place to go. We will inventory and catalog research materials
then put them on the shelves so that some other researcher can
have access to them and continue the work.
Call us 9am to 9pm (Mon. through Sat.) at (860)346-4375
Page 19
The Godfrey Update
Melilli to Middletown
To add to these wonderful books and materials, one of our
Board members, Joanne Branciforte Lukasik, acquired and
donated to the library, a collection of microfilms on vital records
from Melilli, Sicily. She described them for us:
(Continued from page 8)
We even have the wonderful
creation of Sydney Pugliares,
who wrote the book My Melilli
Nuna as part of a school
project. This handwritten book,
reproduced on card stock
pages, tells the story of
Emanuela Barone Branciforte,
her great-great grandmother.
The author submitted her work
to the magazine POINTers
(Pursuing Our Italian Names
Together, The American
Journal of Italian Genealogy)
which printed excerpts from it,
(vol. 18, no. 3, issue #67,
summer 2004, cover picture
and pages 5-7).
“We Leave No Stone Unturned.”
Submitted by Sharon Dahlmeyer
G
enealogists have very busy schedules and don’t have much time to hunt
everywhere. It’s difficult enough to try to stay focused, organized and
ahead in this fast-paced world we live in. This is where the three researchers
come in. We search high and low for websites that would be beneficial to our
patrons. Each link is tested twice to make sure it is working properly and then
reviewed by two of the researchers and finally added to the proper month/
folder. There is an influx of genealogical links added to Godfrey each month.
We have recently added some links which have a high rating. Remember to
check the current month to see what is new and available to you.
The Melilli Films are comprised of Birth (Nati), Marriage
(Matrimoniali) and Death (Morti) Civil Records from
1820 through 1929. There are Allegati, which are the
documents couples needed to produce in order to be
married. There are some other miscellaneous
records—Diversi and Memorandum—which contain
corrections to the above-mentioned records and
registrations of Births, Marriages and Deaths that
occurred in other places for people born in Melilli. The
records are mostly in Italian. Some of the Allegati
records are in Latin. Almost all of the records are
indexed.
The collection of the Melilli films is a valuable
acquisition to the Godfrey Memorial Library in that the
Italians, who are a large segment of the Middletown
area population, are mostly descendant from the
Comune of Melilli in Sicly, Italy. The people from Melilli
who came to America from about 1900 through the
1920s (and even through today) settled mostly in
Middletown CT. There are also groups that settled in
Lawrence MA and Newport, RI.
NY Buffalo and Its German Community
This site serves as a research notebook into the study of the history of
Buffalo, New York and the study of German Language and Literature. Buffalo
had a large German population in its earlier days, so the two fields of study
come together quite nicely.
Browning Genealogy Database
The Browning Genealogy Database is the lifetime work of Charles Browning,
who compiled the obituary records of Vanderburgh County and surrounding
southwestern Indiana from the Evansville newspapers: The Evansville
Courier, The Evansville Press, and now The Evansville Courier and Press.
Rare Books & Special Collections—Lincoln and His Circle
The project seeks to digitize and make available the letters to, from, and
about Abraham Lincoln that are held in the collections of the Department of
Rare Books and Special Collections at the University of Rochester.
Behind the Name—The Etymology and History of First Names
NY 117th Regiment Documents—The Civil War Collection
These are materials dating from the American Civil War era that were
selected for this Website because they relate to the people and history of
Oneida County, New York. The vast majority of these items are manuscripts,
but there is also a group of printed reunion programs, a group of reunion
ribbons and even a small group of photographs.
Page 20
Names. Everyone has one. Most people have a vague idea what their own
means, but few give them much more thought. When people refer to the
“meaning (www.behind the name.com/glossary/view/name_meaning) of a
name,” they are most likely referring to the etymology (www.behind the
name.com/glossary/view/etymology_meaning), which is the original literal
meaning. This website looks at the etymology and history or all types of given
names (www.behind the name.com/glossary/view/given_name).
www.godfrey.org
Spring 2008
Call us 9am to 9pm (Mon. through Sat.) at (860)346-4375
Page 21
The Godfrey Update
Crossing the Ocean With the Internet
(Continued from page 6)
third of immigrants from central and eastern
Europe who came during the period of 1850
to 1934 came through Hamburg.
Currently, the lists are only partially indexed
online. Ancestry has the lists from 1850 to
1913 as well as an index for the years 1890
to 1913. The year 1872 has also been
indexed. You can access this index for free
at http://www.progenealogists.com/germany/
hamburg/index.html. For others years, you
still need the microfilm. For more
information on the offline records, try the
LDS’s Hamburg Passenger Lists Resource
Guide online at http://
www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/rg/guide/
Hamburg_Pass_List.asp.
Bremen. Bremen was one of the most
important ports of emigration. However,
nearly all these records were destroyed either
to conserve space or during World War II.
You can find the major online source at
http://www.schiffslisten.de/index_en.html.
Here, the Bremen Chamber of Commerce is
seeking to make the records from 1920 to
1939 available online for free.
Copenhagen Police Records. People with
Danish emigrants who came from 1868 to
1908 should consult The Danish Emigration
Database at http://www.emiarch.dk/
search.php3?l=en put online by the Danish
Emigration Archives. The records in this
collection, originally kept by the
Copenhagen police, include nearly 400,000
emigrants. The database can be searched for
free.
British Departures. A relatively new
website found at www.ancestorsonboard is
now working to get the records for 30
million people who left the British Isles from
1890 to 1960 indexed online. The site
currently covers the years 1890 to 1949.
Images of the lists are available to download.
Scottish Emigration Records. http://
www.abdn.ac.uk/emigration/ This database,
put online by the University of Aberdeen,
has information on over 21,000 people who
left Scotland for non-European ports from
1890 to 1960.
Swedish Emigration Records. If your
ancestors came from Sweden, you should
look at the Emigranten database. This
Page 22
database contains names of 1.3 million
people leaving through various Swedish
ports, including Göteborg. You can find it
online through Ancestry.com or on CD.
Other European Ports. Most of the other
European ports don’t have records available
online to search. Not only that, but many
don’t have records available to search offline
either. They were not recorded, destroyed by
wars or other things, or just not filmed.
One possibility to try is the Immigrant Ship
Transcriber’s Guild’s website at http://
www.immigrantships.net/index.html. Here,
you can find a small but significant
collection of 8,000 lists from international
ports all over the world.
Other Emigration Records
Other records, besides passenger lists, were
created that document our ancestors’ voyage
across the ocean. These could include
permission to leave, proof of completion of
military service or other records. Some of
these have been indexed and are available
online.
Check out The Association of European
Migration Institution’s website at http://
www.aemi.dk/adr.php. Here, you’ll find
links to other sites that contain immigration
information. Some contain searchable
databases while others contain a variety of
other interesting records such as articles or
correspondence of emigrants.
If you have German ancestors, don’t miss
Joe Beine’s “Online German Emigration
Records, Lists & Indexes” at http://
home.att.net/~wee-monster/emigration.html.
This comprehensive site describes a variety
of wonderful resources, such as the
Wuerttemberg Emigration Index which
includes 60,000 people who left
Wuerttemberg from 1808 until 1900. Some
of the databases are available through
Ancestry.com, but there are also many
available through other places.
Immigration Research Help
Are you still feeling overwhelmed? You can
also find several guides on the web that will
give you the step by step information you
need to trace your family across the ocean.
www.godfrey.org
Genealogy.com provides an in-depth tutorial
from Genealogy Research Associates
designed to give you the information you
need to trace your immigrant ancestors. You
can access this for free online at http://
www.genealogy.com/uni-immi.html. In
twelve lessons, this tutorial covers
everything from identifying the immigrant to
reading place names to using immigration
passenger lists.
Joe Beine’s website, mentioned throughout
this article, is also a great place to start.
Access his directory to immigration and
emigration sources at http://home.att.net/
~wee-monster/ei.html. This will give you a
good idea of what’s available both online
and off.
Familysearch.org has a research guide online
entitled “Tracing Immigrant Origins”
available at http://www.familysearch.org/
Eng/Search/RG/guide/
tracing_immigrant_origins.asp. This guide
gives a step by step approach of how to
locate the origins of your immigrant
ancestors. It describes a variety of sources,
tells which are most likely to contain the
needed information, and gives instructions
on how to use them. It doesn’t provide the
specifics, such as explaining the passenger
lists available in different ports, though.
Finally, don’t forget about Steve Morse’s
One-Step Webpages available at
www.stevemorse.org. His website doesn’t
give new information, but instead provides
more effective ways to search existing
databases, particularly many U.S. passenger
arrival records.
If you’re ready to trace your ancestors across
the ocean, take a few minutes to try some of
the sites described here or do a search on
www.google.com for your ancestor’s
specific port or even ship. The internet has
an amazing and constantly expanding
collection of immigration records. However,
keep in mind that not all immigration
sources are available online even on the paid
subscription sites. Many are now available
on CD-Rom and for others you have to still
rely on the old microfilm method!
Leslie Albrecht Huber is a genealogical
freelance writer and lecturer based near
Amherst, MA.
Spring 2008
Premium Databases of the Godfrey Scholar Program
What are the Premium Databases of the Revised Godfrey Scholar Program?
(Core Databases – found in all four categories of membership.)
•Accessible Archives—American County Histories to 1900
•19th Century US Newspapers
•American National Biography
•Black Thought and Culture (African Americans from Colonial Times to Present)
•British and Irish Women’s Letters and Diaries
•In the First Person (An Index to Letters, Diaries, Oral Histories and Personal Narratives)
•North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories
•Oxford African American Studies Center
•Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
•Reference USA
•The American Civil War: Letters and Diaries
•The London Times Digital Archives (Gale)
•Accessible Archives (19th Century Newspapers; African American Newspapers; State Histories)
•African American Newspapers
•Columbia Gazetteer
•Early American Newspapers (NewsBank)
•Marquis Who’s Who
•OCLC WorldCat
Upcoming Genealogy Conferences
May 13-17, 2008
National Genealogical Society Conference & Family History Fair
Hyatt Regency Crown Center
2345 McGee Street
Kansas City, MO
Exhibitor’s table (Richard Black attending)
June 27-29, 2008
Southern California Genealogical Jamboree
Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel & Conference Center
2500 Hollywood Way
Burbank, CA
Exhibitor’s table (Richard Black attending)
August 1-3, 2008
Federation of East European Family History Societies
Pittsburgh Airport Marriott Hotel
777 Aten Road
Coraopolis, PA
August 17-22, 2008
28th International Association
of Jewish Genealogical Societies, Inc., Conference
Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile
540 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL
Exhibitor’s table (Richard Black attending)
September 3-6, 2008
Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference
Pennsylvania Convention Center
Philadelphia, PA
Exhibitor’s table (Richard Black attending)
September 20, 2008
Life In the Past Lane V /
Friends of the National Archives
Williams Inn
Williamstown, MA
Call us 9am to 9pm (Mon. through Sat.) at (860)346-4375
Page 23
Godfrey Memorial Library
134 Newfield Street
Middletown, CT 06457-2534
Join and Support the Godfrey Memorial Library Today
Sign Up for a Godfrey Scholar Library Card Today!
Godfrey Memorial Library, 134 Newfield Street, Middletown, CT 06457
Phone (860) 346-4375 Fax (860) 347-9874
Stop by, phone, FAX or mail in your application.
Membership:
New Registration
Red $35/yr
Blue $65/yr
Renewal
Green $80/yr
1 Year
Gold $110/yr
2 Years (Incl. Bag)
3 Years (Incl. Bag)
Name:
Address:
City, State, Zip:
E-mail:
Phone:
Credit Card # (MC/VISA):
Check #:
Expiration:
Cash:
Conference Registration / Location:
3-Digit Code:
Date:
OFFICE USE ONLY
AGT _______
ACT _______
CC ________
PSTG ______
BARCODE ____________________________