o March 6th— "Member Show and Tell & Lineage Group Displays"
The theme, this year, for sharing your genealogical work is “brick walls" in your research -- ones you have overcome, or ones you are still banging your head against. Perhaps others will have experience to help you climb over or around your walls.
Bonus: If you are curious about joining a lineage group, come to meet representatives and browse their displays about the Society of Mayflower Descendants, Colonial Dames, Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, New York Society of the Cincinnati, Sons & Daughters of the American Revolution, and Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War.
o April 3rd-- "An Overview of Genealogy Conferences" by: Joe Titti, Esther Griffin & Curtis Hartwig
Joe will introduce the topic by describing two basic conference formats with examples of topics & subjects. He will list websites of organizations that offer genealogy conferences. Esther and Curtis will detail their 2006 genealogy cruise experience. [This program was postponed by weather last March.]
o May 1st— "My Delaware Ancestors" by: Alan Jones
Alan will talk about his forebears, who settled in Delaware in the late 1600s. Most of them were Quakers and some participated in the Underground Railroad. He will describe a family burial ground recently uncovered when a housing development was planned for the area.
o June 5th – "Native American Heritages" by: Andrea Hill and Lisa Stuckey
Of Mohawk, Pawnee and British ancestry, Andrea was adopted, brought up in Broome County, & as an adult, located her birth mother. She “chose to accept her heritage even when those of the same heritage would have liked to deny it.” Lisa, of Mescalero Apache and German ancestry, describes herself as “a reluctant Native American, who had her heritage thrust upon her.” Come & hear their contrasting stories.
o June 12th – "Extra Meeting or may be called a Field Trip"
For this local field trip, we will meet at 5:30 p.m. for supper at Denny’s & car pool to BU Library, where at 6:30 p.m., Edward Shephard, Head of Collection Development, will give us an orientation for using the library’s many genealogical resources. Those who wish may stay and research.
o July 10th Researching the Life of Judge Charles Pumpelly Avery
by: Bob and Allyson White Note: (This is not the 1st Thursday of the month)
The Whites will tell of their work on Owego’s first elected county judge, who “contributed greatly to the preservation of Indian and early pioneer history.” Bob’s recent biography, entitled Yours Truly, C. P. Avery, is a nonfiction companion to his novel Susquehanna Scandal. Bob believes that "while family history researchers struggle to keep fact and fiction separate, writers today seek creative ways of blending the two." He calls Allyson a co-contributor for her genealogical and deed title research on Judge Avery.
o August 7th — "Overview of Regional Railroad History & Pointers on Finding Your RR Ancestors" by: John Goodnough
At least three of our members had an ancestor, who was in railroading. Whether or not your ancestors worked in the field, the advent of railroads impacted nineteenth century life. This speaker has had a long-term interest in the topic and is President of the Susquehanna Valley Railway Society.
o September 4th— "My Quebec Ancestors and How They Lived" by: Joseph Carriére
Joe fleshes out genealogy’s bare bones by explaining marriage customs & contracts, wills, property transfers, Indian raids (both ways), events, old age contracts, civil law, crops, occupations, dress, houses, duties, religion and sundry other items that make up everyday life (or as close as we can come, two to four centuries later.)
o October 2nd— "Researching in Your Family’s Foreign Homeland" by: Joe Titti
This talk will describe visiting a foreign country to do research. Joe will use his trips to Italy as an example of how to prepare for such a trip and what you can accomplish when there.
o November 6st— "Grave Art" by: Marianne Greenfield
An Association for Gravestone Studies member, Ms. Greenfield shows gravestone images and explains what their historic styles & markings can tell us. Her topics include cleaning and photographing gravestones, carver identification research, rescuing abandoned cemeteries, identifying white bronze monuments, issues involving gravestone rubbing, mapping and documentation, reading worn inscriptions on marble gravestones and fiduciary responsibilities incumbent on trustees of rural cemeteries
For more information on any of the above subjects, send an e-mail to the Treasurer of STGS.