Learning + Research Guidance + Fellowship VILLAGE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER. Title. Hot Springs Village, Arkansas DEC 2014

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1 Learning + Research Guidance + Fellowship Newsletter VILLAGE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER Title Hot Springs Village, Arkansas Newsletter Date Volume 1 Issue 1 Calendar of Events I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E 1 Calendar of Events 2 Ongoing VGS projects 3 VGS Officers 3 VGS Writing Contest 4 15 Genealogy Books 5 Christmas Presents 6 Family History Questions 6 Book review 7 Helpful Websites 8 Local Resources December 4, 2014 Thursday VGS Monthly meeting - Thursday 2 p.m. Coronado Center, Room 6 Please join the Hot Springs Village Genealogical Society for their December 4, 2014 Munch, Discuss and Learn meeting at 2pm in Room 6 of the Coronado Center. In addition to opportunities to rotate through four roundtable discussions there will be refreshments, door prizes and casual visit time with fellow genealogists. The round table discussion topics include Lineage Societies ; Church Records - Research That You Can Use to Track Your Ancestors in Methodist, as Well as Other Denominations ; Writing Your Memories and Your Family s Stories ; and How to Use a Portable Scanner for More Efficient Data Capture on Your Travels. The Village Genealogical Society meets the first Thursday of each month from September through May at Coronado Center, Room 6, at 2 p.m. There is also a breakfast meeting at 9am the third Thursday of each month at Debra s Restaurant on Carmona Road where topics of interest are informally shared and discussed. Please call President Celinda Chapman at or Program Vice President Nancy Holder at for details. April 18, 2015, Saturday Please Reserve this date in 2015 and plan to attend VGS Family History Workshop presented by Diane L Giannini. CG Visit her website at May 7-10, 2014 National Genealogical Society 2014 Family History Conference Virginia: The First Frontier Richmond, Virginia

2 Ongoing VGS Projects Members Helping Members There will not be a class in December General Meetings 1st Thursday of each month at 2:00 p.m. Coronado Center 150 Ponderosa Way No Meetings June, July, and August except Breakfast meetings Breakfast Meetings 3rd Thursday of each month at 9:00 a.m., including the summer months. (Door Prize given) Debra s Restaurant 198 Carmona Membership Fee $20 single or family. If you can t attend a meeting, please send a check for $20 made out to VGS to Joe Gillespie at 3 Collado Way, HSV, AR VGS Website Please visit VGS Look Up Service This service is listed under VGS Resource Room on the VGS website. You will find a list of the personal book resources of the VGS members. If you wish information from a listed book, please contact the noted member. There are many books listed now and you might find the right one to help you through your brick wall. VGS Find A Grave Project To be updated soon by Bill Patterson VGS Writing contest - See article in this newsletter VGS Dues Are Due $20 single or family Please pay at a meeting or If you can t attend a meeting, please send a check for $20 (made out to VGS) to Joe Gillespie at 3 Collado Way, HSV, AR Transportation to Meetings If any of our members need transportation to chapter meetings, please call Celinda Chapman at We do not want the lack of transportation to deprive us of your fellowship! Don't hesitate to make that call. 2

3 VGS officers VGS Officers for President Celinda Chapman V. P. Programs Nancy Holder Asst. V.P. Programs Barbara Pinkney V. P Membership Joe Gillespie Secretary Mitzi Hunter Asst. Secretary Jill Botkin Treasurer Kay Creighton Newsletter Editor Dawn Barnett Asst. Newsletter Editor Jeanette Frahm Webmaster Dan Barnett Past President Bill Patterson VGS Writing Contest The Village Genealogical Society is sponsoring a writing contest to be awarded at the Workshop next April. The writings will be judged for first, second and third place winners who will receive $100, $75 and $50 respectively. The topic is I Finally Found. This gives the author lots of leeway to write about a person, place where the family lived, a wife s maiden name, proof of military service, a census record, a court document or relationship. The list can be endless. Length of articles may be from 1000 to 1500 words. Winners will be published in the VGS Newsletter. The work will be judged in three categories: Rules: 1. Accuracy with no genealogical or historical errors and the sources cited correctly. 2. Creativity and writing includes clarity, organization, correct spelling and grammar 3. Overall impact and interest the article s interest and possibly providing clues for other researchers to use. 1. Provide a cover sheet with the title of the article and name of submitter. Please do not include these on any of the other pages. 2. All entries must be double-spaced. 3. Footnotes are recommended. 4. Submit to Judy Robbins by or printed form. 5. Entries will be accepted until March 10,

4 15 Genealogy Books You Can Read for Free on Kindle Unlimited Posted by Family History Daily Amazon has a fairly expansive selection of genealogy books and a surprisingly large amount of them are available free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers. For the monthly price of $9.99, Kindle Unlimited subscribers can read an uncapped amount of books from the more than 700,000 choices available. While some of these books would cost only a few dollars if purchased outright, others cost enough to justify paying for an entire month of the service by themselves. Kindle Unlimited can be especially valuable if you like to have access to a large variety of research material, but don t want to commit to spending hundreds of dollars at once to build your library. We ve put together a list of the most popular and interesting reads in the family history category, as well as some helpful information on how to access these books for free with a new or existing subscription. How do I access books for free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription? - See more at: 4

5 Genealogy Christmas Presents & Stuffers I don't know a genealogist who doesn't have a love affair with their office supplies. Keeping things organized is instrumental when researching your family history. Getting organized and staying organized can be a full time task. Here's10 gifts for the organized genealogist on your shopping list or the disorganized genealogist who is in need of some help. 1. Sentry Safe ( Guardian Storage Box - I introduced genealogists to this fantastic product back in October, with my post Reality Check ( It makes an ideal gift for your favorite genealogist. Part file box, part fire and water protection, this is the best protection on the market for your primary documents. 2. Label Maker - Ok, I know this was on the Tech Toys list ( but really I'm not lying when I say we all want a label maker. 3. Evernote Premium Subscription ( Because Evernote is hot, hot, hot as the go to digital file system for genealogists. A premium subscription with all its bells and whistles would be a bomb. 4. Whiteboard - Why a whiteboard? A great visual tool for mapping out family lines, thinking through analysis and brainstorming brick walls. It also works well in storyboarding your family history stories. 5. Dry erase markers and post it notes - in lots of colors to go with that whiteboard. 6. Moleskin Journals - because pen and paper is always in vogue and when you buy an Evernote Moleskin Journal you get the Evernote Premium subscription free for 3 months. 7. Field notes - love these little notebooks to carry with you when you're out on an archival field trip or family history travels. They make a great stocking stuffer. 8. Archival sheet protectors and binders- you can never have enough of these to organize your primary documents and pictures. 9. Business cards - if your genealogist is setting up shop, give them a gift certificate for business cards, especially if their attending Rootstech in Wall organizer - this is a great visual tool to organize your current research and writing projects. It just might help clear up some of the piles on the desk. 5

6 17 Family History Questions to Ask Your Relatives at a Holiday You can use the holiday and the food as an opener, then delve deeper into family history. Here are some questions to get (and keep) the conversational ball rolling: How did your family celebrate Thanksgiving and/or Christmas? What was your favorite part of the holiday meal? What was your childhood home like? How did you get along with your brothers and sisters? What did you do for fun as a child? Did you have any pets? What did you want to be when you grew up? What was your school like? What was your favorite subject in school? What was your first job? How did you get it? How did World War II (or the Great Depression, or another significant event) affect your family? Was your family religious? Where did you go to church (or synagogue)? How did your parents meet? What do you admire about your parents? How did you meet your spouse? Tell me about getting your first (insert any technological innovation radio, telephone, television, dishwasher, computer). Who's the oldest relative you remember (and what do you remember about him or her)? Book Review If a family mystery is solved, the Heritage Association will receive a generous donation. Ellen O'Donnell, a retired police detective and genealogist, follows the clues from San Francisco to the Midwest and New York City, then travels to Germany. In the picturesque villages of Wuerttemberg she discovers another secret which the family never discussed. Ellen's investigation solves the family mystery and reveals their Silent Legacy. Buy At Amazon.com 6

7 Helpful Websites FamilytreeDNA On sale DNA More DNA NC Land Grants AZ Death certificates free Free FamilySearch Scans How to take a tombstone picture Have you ever seen anything like this? AncestryInsider+%28The+Ancestry+Insider%29 Contact officers if questions or suggestions regarding VGS. If your address, home address, or phone number changes, please let one of the officers know so that you will continue to receive the Newsletter. 7

8 Melting Pot Genealogical Society Library 649-B Ouachita Ave. Hot Springs, AR Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday & Friday, 2nd Saturday Call to confirm that the library is open before going to visit. Family History Center Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 2765 Malvern Ave. Hot Springs, AR (during open hours) Hours: Tuesday 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Thurs 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Friday 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Closed Holidays Family History Center Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Quail Run Drive Little Rock, AR (during open hours) New Hours: Tuesday 1:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wed 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thurs 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Sat 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Closed on 5 th Saturdays Closed Holidays Garland County Library 1427 Malvern Avenue Hot Springs, AR (501) Hours: Mon., Fri., Sat. 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tues., Wed., Thurs. 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Sun. 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Visit the Genealogy Room D Saline County Library Bob Herzfeld Memorial Library 1800 Smithers Dr. Benton, AR (501) (800) Mon., Wed., Thurs. 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tues. & Fri. 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sat. 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Visit the Genealogy Room Arkansas Genealogical Society P.O. Box Little Rock, AR New web address: Village Genealogical Society Established in 1987 Arkansas History Commission One Capitol Mall Little Rock, AR Hours: (call to confirm) 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday On your first visit you must register and obtain an admission card. Directions: Take I-30 to I-430 north Take the I-630 east exit Take the 2B exit Turn left toward the Capitol Turn left on the 1st street At the next street turn right At bottom of hill park in the large parking lot Enter through door on ground level. The History Commission and State Archives are on the 2nd floor. Memphis Central Library 3030 Poplar Ave., Memphis, TN Hours: Mon.-Thu. 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Fri.-Sat. 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sun. 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. 8