GenealogyClassBlog

On Monday, 27 April 2009, I will be presenting a mini workshop for the Tulsa Genealogical Society. The topic will be “How To Be a Power Hitter,” which is all about how to be successful in online or database searching. I will explain the basic problem of trying to find what is in the record when an initial search doesn’t work.

If you cannot find your ancestor’s name, does that mean that your ancestor didn’t appear in the record? Maybe the name wasn’t entered correctly. I will describe many possible reasons and several possible solutions.

I will present the same topic as a one-hour lecture at the Federation of Genealogical Societies’ National Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Wednesday, 2 Sep 2009. The conference will last from Wednesday through Saturday, 2 – 5 September, and will be a great opportunity for attending high-quality lectures (with as many as nine offered each time slot), doing some serious genealogy shopping, and meeting new genealogy friends with only a short drive for those of us in the Tulsa area.

For the TGS mini workshop, I will be expanding the basic lecture into a workshop the second hour, for the attendees to have the opportunity to try some of the methods introduced during the first hour.

To attend, come to the Tulsa Genealogical Society’s facility in the Briar Village Shopping Center, on 31st Street west of Mingo. The Society suggests a donation of $7.50 for this mini-workshop. I hope to see you there.

For those of you ladies with an interest in scrapbooking, here is some news about an upcoming scrapbook camp. While this is not exactly genealogy, those who have an interest in preserving their family’s photos and keepsakes have a lot in common with those who have an interest in preserving their family’s history. It is because of that connection, this will be the second time that the retreat’s hostess, Becky Luster, has asked me to come present a program on genealogy to those attending the scrapbook camp.

My sister, Becky Becker Luster, is a Creative Memories consultant and she has put together her third scrapbooking getaway, called SAY Retreat III. SAY stands for “Scrappin’ and Yappin’. She has a large building at Camp Christian (near Chouteau) reserved for the event. Each attendee has a large, clear table to spread out her personal photographs, her own scrapbooking supplies from home, and she can use Becky’s tools and shop for new papers, albums, embellishments, and more, right on the spot. Becky provides yummy meals and gives out prizes (I hope that wasn’t a secret), and gives a presentation the first evening to explain the latest news from Creative Memories. I’ll be giving a very basic talk on researching in the federal census on Saturday. She’ll be promoting Creative Memories products, but she isn’t an arm-twister, so you don’t need to worry about high-pressure sales tactics. Having the products there just makes it convenient for the attendees to buy what they need as they work. I must admit, though, that the “store” is very tempting.

The ladies at the last SAY Retreat I attended were very fun and had a friendly competition going to encourage each other to get some very cute scrapbook pages completed. This is limited to ladies because one of the attractions of the retreat is being able to wear pajamas while scrapbooking. They share sleeping quarters and bathrooms, too. Many stay for the entire weekend, but there are registration rates for those who elect to come for only part, as well as for the whole 55 hours.

Visit Becky’s website and click on “My Files” for details. There is an online registration form that you’d mail in with your registration fee (listed on the form), but since the retreat will be so soon, I’d suggest contacting Becky to let her know you’re interested, too. There is a Contact Me link on her website.

I hope to see you there!

One of my very favorite professional genealogists is Christine Rose, CG, CGL, FASG. Christine presented a workshop for the Tulsa Genealogical Society in 2005. She has served on the faculty at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University, and has presented numerous lectures at national conferences. You can read more at her website. She will presenting lectures at the Federation of Genealogical Societies’ 2009 Annual Conference to be held in Little Rock, Arkansas, 2-5 September.

A knowledgeable and experienced researcher, Christine specializes in courthouse research, spending several months on the road every year with her husband Cecil, doing professional research and studying Rose families all over the country. She is fun and positive, yet takes genealogy and the study of evidence very seriously. She co-authored Complete Idiot’s Guide to Genealogy, with Kay Ingalls, CG, an excellent how-to genealogy book. She also wrote, Genealogical Proof Standard, which I described in the mini-workshop I presented to the Tulsa Genealogical Society last May. It explains the process genealogists should use to reach conclusions. The Tulsa City-County Library is purchasing copies which library card-holders will be able to check out — one for Martin Regional Library and the other for Hardesty Regional Library.

Mark your calendar for 28 March, 2009, from about 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. The presentations will be free and open to the public, at the Hardesty Regional Library near 93rd & Memorial in Tulsa. Christine will be presenting four lectures, two before and two after a long lunch break, but the exact timing or order has not been set:

• Addicted to Courthouses!
• Estates:  a Goldmine!
• Court Records:  The System and It’s Records.
• Solving the Problem in 25 hours or less

CG, for Certified Genealogist, and CGL, for Certified Genealogical Lecturer, are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists. She is also a Fellow, American Society of Genealogists.

Kathy Huber, MLS, Genealogy Librarian for the Tulsa City-County Library, will present a mini-workshop for the the Tulsa Genealogical Society on Monday, February 23 at the TGS Library, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. The mini workshop, “Early Oklahoma Records,” will include land run records, marriage records, Indian Territory records, and Native American records.

I had mentioned in an earlier post that Janice Meredith, FTGS was scheduled to present a mini-workshop on 26 January, but on that date Tulsa was hit by icy weather. That event has been re-scheduled for Monday, 20 May. Her topic is, “Tracing Your Ancestor Using Land Records.”

The suggested donation, for either of these fundraisers for the society, is $7.50. TGS is located just east of 31st and Mingo in Tulsa. For a map to the library, or to read more about the Tulsa Genealogical Society, visit their website.

OSU Rodeo Association?

Jennifer Hall provided the information for this post. She first told me the story, and then agreed to scan the photo and give us the details.

“I was shopping in an antique store and this photo caught my eye. The photo appealed to me because of the vintage western clothing the people are wearing. It never occurred to me to look for family members, so it was quite a surprise when I recognized my great-uncle, Leo, in the picture! I quickly bought the photo and showed it to other members of the family. They pointed out that it wasn’t just Uncle Leo in the photo, but also Uncle Bob and his wife, as well as a cousin. Family members say this is a photo of the roping club my uncle started. It just goes to show that genealogical sources can be found in unexpected places.”

Jennifer wrote later,

“I think the photo was taken in the late ’40s to early ’50s. My Uncle Robert tells me he’s certain this is the roping club Leo started in Stillwater. I did a little bit of searching on the web and found some information.

There is an article about the 60th anniversary of the OSU Rodeo Association. It says Uncle Leo formed the club with his friends in 1946 when they enrolled at OSU. The group started with 6 members. They won first place at their first intercollegiate rodeo in 1948. The trophy now belongs to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

The article names Larry Kilgore as one of the founding members of the group and he is also pictured in the photo I have. My mom knew him and recognized him in the picture.

I found another article on OSU’s website about the scholarship my cousins created in Leo’s honor. It tells a lot about Uncle Leo’s. See this OSU website article.

I’m not looking at the photo right now, but Uncle Bob is seated on the front row, a little to the left of center. There’s a blond woman to the left of him. She was his wife, Bert. Uncle Leo is almost in the center of the photo, a little to the left. He his wearing a light colored cowboy hat that is tilted toward the back of his head so that it almost forms a circle around his face. He didn’t want to flatten his hair, I guess. Uncle Leo passed away last year, but Uncle Bob (not the Uncle Robert I emailed, I have 3 Uncle Roberts on the same side of the family, so confusing!) is still living. I don’t have an email address for him, so I’ll be sending him a letter. He should be able to give me more info.”
Jennifer Hall, Boston Avenue UMC Genealogy Class Student. Fall 2008