NGS Day Two (Thursday the 10th)

Games conferencegoers play: Many vendors and groups have little ribbons that can be stuck on in layers so that they trail down from your NGS nametags. Some folks compete to get the longest string of ribbons. My friend Michael Hait doesn't go for that, but he does have two ribbons that you don't see the same person wearing very often: one identifis him as a speaker (two talks Saturday), the other identifies him as attending his first national conference!

Other things that came my way today:

Jana Sloan Broglin explained Ohio's fantastically complex systems of distributing land in the state. I believe sixteen different systems were tried out. She gave accompanying glimpses of the relevant American history and idiosyncratic Ohio pronunciations (Newark = Nurk, Putnam = Putman). In some counties you need to know both the metes-and-bounds land system AND the rectangular survey system (or an experimental variant) in order to research land records. In her home county of Fulton (as well as Williams and Lucas), early deeds in the northern part of the county have to be sought in Michigan, a result of the Ohio-Michigan War ("a cow died"). If you love land records -- and genealogists pretty much have to -- you'll love Ohio!

Stefani Evans carefully described an ongoing project under the title "Red Herrings and a Stroke of the Dead Palsy," which included a monumental red herring in which a Revolutionary War regiment's record somehow migrated 500 miles! I took away this quote: "If we don't look at each detail in each document, we're going to reach wrong conclusions." Stefani's reflective style itself was a reminder that, as researchers, we need to remain calm in the midst of conflicting and ambiguous records.

The Association of Professional Genealogists' "Gathering of the Chapters" had representatives from all over the US. Many chapters cover a wide area, and the new availability of GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar should make it easier to meet and greet without enduring long car trips. We even had a five-week-old "member" in attendance.

The "night at the library" -- the renowned Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County -- was in full swing when I left early, having located one of my coveted obscure articles. The genealogists outnumbered the staff, who were good-natured about the crowd, and in my case went the extra mile to find a periodical that the regular retrievers couldn't.

Tomorrow's my turn to do some talking instead of listening, with a talk in the 9:30 am slot (Indianapolis Orphan Asylum), so it's early to bed...


Harold Henderson, "NGS Day Two (Thursday the 8th)," Midwestern Microhistory: A Genealogy Blog, posted 11 May 2012 (http://midwesternmicrohistory.blogspot.com : accessed [access date]). [Please feel free to link to the specific post if you prefer.]

Williams County Ohio!

Pamela Pattison Lash, a new blogger but experienced and highly focused genealogist, has lived and worked in the far northwest corner of Ohio for a good long time. Her blog, "Williams County, Ohio Genealogy" is subtitled "helpful family history" and is just that.

It includes biographies of Williams County residents and more recently abstracts of early divorce cases. In case you don't know, Williams County (county seat Bryan) borders on Hillsdale County, Michigan, and Steuben County, Indiana, so there is plenty of tri-state interaction. The northwest was the last part of Ohio to be settled by European-Americans. If you ever drive what used to be called "The Main Street of the Midwest," AKA I-80/90, AKA the Ohio Turnpike in Ohio and "the toll road" in Indiana, you have stopped in Williams County at least long enough to pay the toll.

This blog is a must-see for anyone working in this area, and inspiration for anyone who isn't, and (even after just a couple of months) is quickly becoming also a bookmarkable resource.

Ohio Records and Pioneer Families #3, 2008

One of OGS's four quarterlies, this time out Ohio Records and Pioneer Families focuses on Cuyahoga and Williams counties, along with Erie, Richland, and Preble:

"Joanna Wickham & Seth Doan Family, Cleveland OH" submitted gby Melissa Danielsson

"Norman & Electa Hale Hills, Erie County, Ohio," submitted by Linda Hills, including a discussion of farms displaced in 1941 for wartime construction.

"First Families of Ohio: The Early Years," abstracted by Kay Ballantyne Hudson

"Revolutionary War Pension Application Abstracts," abstracted by Lois Wheeler

"Official Register of Physicians by County, 1896 -- Williams County"

"Merchants, Manufacturers & Traders of Ohio, 1885"

"Divorces, Richland County, Ohio, 1848-1859," abstracted by Missy Derrenberger. Admit it -- these always make good reading. By my count 11 of the 28 divorces were sought by men.

"Josephine Wilson Photographs, Preble County, Ohio," submitted by Diane VansKiver Gagel

"Elizabeth Meily Spitler," by Sarah June Black, age 12

"War of 1812: Ohio Raised Regiments for US Army," submitted by Eric Johnson

"Ohio's Forgotten Military Cemeteries," submitted by Eric Johnson

If you've got old Ohio goodies and an itch to write them up, action editor Susan Dunlap Lee wants to hear from you: "Articles are needed NOW for future issues."