Accessible Archives Inc.

I knew that Henry Hait lived his early life in Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut, and that he ended up in the village of Coram, Suffolk County, New York. His headstone in Coram reads as much. Yet his headstone does not reveal much else about his journey from Stamford to Coram.

Enter the American County Histories Collection.

Searching for “Henry Hait,” I discovered that he appears in the History of Sullivan County, Embracing an account of its geology, climate, aborigines, early settlement, organization; the formation of its towns, with biographical sketches of prominent residents, Etc., Etc., by James Eldridge Quinlan (W.T. Morgans & Co., 1873).
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There will be a lot going on next week at the NGS 2012 Family History Conference in Cincinnati.  With all the sessions, workshops, lectures, etc.. it will be hard to keep track of the highlights, let alone the nitty-gritty.

Click to Read the NGS Bloggers Now

National Genealogical Society has published its list of Official Bloggers at their conference blog. Conference bloggers provide a wonderfully valuable service in their role as reporters and distillers of information.  Following the official bloggers when attending a large event like #NGS2012 is like recruiting a couple dozen personal assistants and note-takers to be in all the places you cannot.

If you cannot be there at all, the bloggers can give you an inside look at what you are missing as it happens and maybe inspire you to set aside time and resources to attend next year.

To make it easier to follow the bloggers at this year’s NGS annual conference we have created a Google Reader bundle.  This allows you to easily follow the official conference blog and the many other bloggers. (more…)

The NGS 2012 Family History Conference brings together genealogists and family historians–people who have done research all of their lives and those who have only recently become interested, professionals, and nonprofessionals–who have a common desire to learn how to find more information about their ancestors.

This year’s conference includes programs for all skill and experience levels and includes tracks on military records, methodology, ethnic research, migration, photos, and more.

The exhibit hall, lectures, workshops, and social events provide networking opportunities with other genealogists.

This year the NGS Family History Conference will have four morning hands-on workshops, a Friday night reception instead of a banquet, and identification of audience level for lectures.

Bookmark the NGS Conference Blog for news, updates, and information relating to the conference at http://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/.

We will be at booth 436 at this event. Be sure to swing by to chat or check out a demo of our full text searchable databases.

Exhibit Hall Hours

Social Media at NGS 2012

If you cannot make it to the conference you can follow along via social media. The official Twitter hashtag for the conference is #ngs2012 and you can follow the official Twitter account at @ngsgenealogy. Follow along on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ngsgenealogy.

Dear Sir:

Last evening I was much gratified by receiving and reading your letter of the 30th of March. There is no longer any doubt that your uncle Abraham and my grandfather was the same man. His family did reside in Washington County, Kentucky, just as you say you found them in 1801 or 1802. The oldest son, Uncle Mordecai, near twenty years ago removed from Kentucky to Hancock County, Illinois, where within a year or two afterward he died, and where his surviving children now live. His two sons there now are Abraham and Mordecai; and their post-office is “La Harpe.”

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The Pennsylvania Genealogical Catalogue primarily is a listing of marriages, deaths and obituaries between 1818 and 1870 from the Village Record, published in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Also included, however, is information about emigration patterns, customs and traditions, important events, medical history, biographical data, and more.

The Pennsylvania Newspaper Recorddocuments the move to industrialization from a predominantly agrarian culture established by Quaker farmers in the 18th century. The collection contains full-text transcriptions of articles, advertisements and vital statistics, providing insight into technology, business activity and material culture in a down-river milling and manufacturing community at the height of the Industrial Revolution.

It includes material from the following newspapers:

• Delaware County American, Media, PA (1851–1871)
• Delaware County Democrat, Chester, PA (two issues)
• Delaware County Republican, Darby & Chester, PA (1833–1870)
• The Post Boy, Chester, PA (few issues)
• The Upland Union, Chester, PA (1825–1835; 1850–1852)

The Carolina Gazette contains a wealth of information on colonial and early American History and genealogy, and provides an accurate glimpse of life in South Carolina and America, with additional coverage of events in Europe, during the early days of this country.  The material is taken from the following 5 newspapers:

• The South Carolina Gazette (1732-1775)
  South Carolina’s first successful newspaper was begun in 1732 and released its final issue in December, 1775. A “middle of the road” paper, the Gazette printed news of Europe, what the royalty had worn at the last formal event, news of the colony, notices of births, deaths, marriages and estate auctions, and advertisements, including those for runaway slaves. It contains a wealth of information on colonial/early American history and genealogy, and provides an accurate glimpse of life in South Carolina and America prior to the advent of the American Revolution.
• The South Carolina & American General Gazette (1764-1775)
  Begun in 1764 by Robert Wells, it had many subscribers in other colonies by the mid-1770s, and was the only paper in the state to publish the full text of the Declaration of Independence. Ironically Wells, a loyalist, eventually was forced to leave the state.
• The South Carolina Gazette & Country Journal (1765-1775)
  This publication was heavily pro-American and nearly always included scandalous stories of European royalty. While it tended to be “stuffy,” it was the only paper to discuss citizens who would not be considered among the elite in society.
• The Gazette of the State of South-Carolina (1777-1780)
  One of several newspapers published in Charles Town, this paper was concerned primarily with regional happenings. It was established in 1777 by Peter Timothy, and was published by him and Nicholas Boden. Publication was suspended temporarily January 15–June 17, 1778, because the printing office was destroyed by fire.
• The Charlestown Gazette (1779-1780)
  Printed weekly between 1778 and 1780 by Mary Crouch and Co., it was founded in special opposition to the Stamp Act, but also excelled at local news coverage while providing extensive listings of both marriages and deaths. Mary Crouch later moved to Salem, Massachusetts, where she continued publication for several years.