Bitten Again

Now, I've done it. I've been bitten again by the volunteer genealogy bug.

One of the groups that I lurk and contribute to had recently alerted everyone of some new newspaper archives to search online. After many hours of looking, which were accompanied by massive eye strain and few nuggets of gold, I realized that I couldn't be the only family searcher who had invested in massive quantities of Visine. Those old newspapers sure can be hard on the eyes!

I wondered aloud to the list to see if anyone was interested in taking the names of the dead found on the pages they had searched and making an index. I even volunteered to compile the list if the information was sent to me.

This thought has caught on like wild fire. Now, my box is full of lists of different dates and loads of names. I've made a spreadsheet and now, I just type and type.

Me and my big idea. It could be of value to seekers of the past and I hope I find some nuggets too. Sigh.

Volunteer Shots in Hopewell Cemetery

Deciding to brave the cold freezing temperatures this morning, I ventured out to do a bit of genealogy volunteer work. After checking the email which had come in during the bitter cold (as opposed to just freezing cold) for a volunteer to go to Hopewell Cemetery in Tyrone, GA, for a photo, I bundled up and thought, "Hey, why not? It's downright balmy here at 25 degrees today."

Have I done everything?
Found the map to the cemetery. Check.
Looked online for a way to contact the cemetery- no such luck. No problem as it is a sunny day.

I easily found the cemetery next to the government building for the town of Tyrone. Since the way into the cemetery was through the official town driveway, I thought that this would be easy. I assumed the cemetery belonged to the town. As it was a weekday, I strolled in and asked about the cemetery records and a plot map.

Well, it seems the cemetery is not owned by the city. It's owned by the Hopewell UM Church which is several miles away. Huh? Ok. They used to be here. Makes sense.

I got the number to the church and called. Cemetery records? Hmmm. Why, they think the town of Tyrone has them. It was suggested I call back on Monday morning when the church secretary is in. Ok, will do.

As long as I am here, I might as well look around. Crunching around on the morning frost, the cemetery appears peaceful. There are even numerous graves of Confederate Soldiers to see. You just have to admire about those young men who were willing to fight for their way of life so long ago.

While strolling around and waiting for the sun to start to warm me up, I found it. Yes, the family plot for which I was searching. There looks to be three people buried here- a man, a woman and a child. The man and woman have their headstone, but the child's is blank.

Who was this child?

After coming home and grabbing some hot coccoa, I started looking online. The GA Death Index holds the clue.

The child appears to be Thomas A GOSNELL who died at the age of 2 months on January 6, 1942, in Fayette County.

There also appears to be some spots in the plot which have no markers at all.

Perhaps I'll have more to share soon. In the meantime, giving someone else a genealogy gift is quite satisfying on a cold day-- or any day.

Search at the DAR Library from the Comfort of Home

Just thought I'd pass this on.

In case you haven't dug in the Daughters of the American Revolution online library lately, genealogy buffs really should. Now you can search for Patriots (while keeping in mind this is not an all inclusive list) and for descendants who have joined under the known patriots.

New patriots are always being added to the DAR files as new members prove patriotic service of a beloved ancestor.

Check it out here: http://www.dar.org/library/online_research.cfm

And, yeppers, my fingers have logged in many an hour working as a volunteer on parts of this project!

Look It Up, Dano!

I was wandering around today and came across the site "Books We Own.". It is manned by a group of volunteers (my favorite people) who are willing to provide complimentary lookups in books they own.

This site has been active for over 12 years. Reimbursement may be requested for copy or snail mail services.

Check it out.