Georgia Closes State Archives to the Public?

The sounds of "With a rebel yell, she cried more, more, more" are resounding in the streets and mailboxes of genealogists and family history seekers everywhere. Without our past, we have no future.  Step up and save the Georgia Archives for the public.  Don't let Georgia be the ONLY state in the union with no public access and extremely limited private access!

How can the Secretary of State Brian Kemp close the Georgia State Archives to the public?  And this is in the same week that Governor Nathan Deal proclaimed October as Georgia Archives Month.

There is much to read on this subject.  The best way to do so is to follow along with the Friends of the Georgia Archives as they spearhead the fight to save the archives.



Below is the call to battle from the Friends of Georgia Archives and History:

ACTION ALERT: SAVE THE GEORGIA ARCHIVES!
Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp has announced that the Georgia Archives will be CLOSED to all public access beginning November 1, 2012. He cites as reason the requirement for a 3 % budget reduction for all state agencies. Secretary Kemp has chosen to take the required cut of $750,000 entirely and only from the State Archives. In addition to the elimination of public access, staff reductions concerning the ten remaining staff are planned and will also be announced soon.

This action further cripples an institution that was among the first state archives established (1918), has won many awards for its programs and state-of-the-art archival facility, and has been a respected leader in archives, government records programs, and research use. Over the past decade, however, the Georgia Archives has been eviscerated by regular budget cuts, reductions in staff and reductions in public hours to 2 days a week. Now Secretary Kemp wants to eliminate even those few hours of access for Georgia’s citizens, making Georgia Archives the only state archives without public access hours.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Tell the Governor, the Secretary of State and the Georgia Legislature to reverse this devastating decision. Write, call or visit and ask them to:

Restore a minimum of $1 million to the Georgia Archives budget to return its operations to 5 days a week of public access hours and eliminate projected staff reductions.

Reverse the Secretary of State’s proposed budget cuts to the Archives by November 1 to ensure uninterrupted service to the public.

When you write/call or visit, focus on a few of the points below. Put this in your own words, and use your own examples, particularly if you are a citizen of Georgia:

WHAT SHOULD YOU SAY?
Points to make in letters/phone calls or visits:

1. The Secretary of State was directed to reduce his budget expenditures by 3%. The entire sum needed to accomplish that has been taken from the Archives budget alone and will result in the termination of all public hours. The proposed “access by appointment…limited based on the schedule of the remaining employees” effectively denies access based on “reasonable time and place” for inspection of public records as required by Georgia law.

2. Points to make regarding the importance of access to government records for accountability and legal purposes:
• This deprives citizens of regular and predictable access, as mandated in the Georgia Records Act, Title 50, Chapter 18, Article 4, section 70(b) of the Georgia Annotated Code that all public records “shall be open for a personal inspection by any citizen of this state at a reasonable time and place, and those in charge of such records shall not refuse this privilege to any citizen.”
• It is contrary to the practice of government transparency by depriving citizens of predictable and ready access to the records that are essential to providing evidence of government accountability.
• It deprives citizens, as well as Georgia’s own government, of access to records needed to support due process of law. The Georgia Archives holdings have been used for a range of court cases including land claims, boundary disputes, utility right-of-way, and claims against state agencies.
• Access to records is essential to avoid costly litigation that will result if records cannot be located or accessed.

3. Points to make regarding the importance of access to government records for research
purposes:
• As the Civil War Sesquicentennial begins, researchers need access to the historical record in the Georgia Archives to provide accurate, factual evidence of that experience. Many of Georgia’s governmental records were destroyed during Sherman’s March; closing the Archives similarly deprives Georgians of access to their heritage—but this time the fault does not lie with an invading army, but with Georgia officials themselves.
• The Georgia Archives holds records actively sought by genealogists and family historians; in particular, they provide essential evidence for African-American history and genealogical research not available in many private historical collections.
• The Georgia Archives has been an essential resource for environmental research and activities including efforts to reintroduce the American chestnut tree in the state and issues relating to pollution.
• The Georgia Archives has been the site of research for television and films, including the popular NBC series “Who Do You Think You Are” segments with Paula Deen and Spike Lee, as well as Emmy award-winner Ben Loeterman’s documentary “People v. Leo Frank.”

Governor Nathan Deal
206 Washington Street Suite 203, State Capitol Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: 404-656-1776

Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle
240 State Capitol Atlanta, GA 30334 TEL: 404-656-5030 FAX: 404-656-6739

Secretary of State Brian Kemp
214 State Capitol Atlanta, GA 30334 Phone: 404-656-2881 Fax: 404-656-0513

Individual Georgia legislators: find specific legislators via Society of Georgia Archivists site: http://soga.org/involvement/legislative

If you’ve signed an online petition, that’s helpful, but direct contact is even more effective. For Georgians, a visit to your local legislator will have even more impact. There has been a great deal of attention on radio, newspapers, television and the Internet. In a democracy, however, nothing speaks to the governor or elected officials like direct contact from individuals. Speak up for the Georgia Archives.

Write, call or plan a visit today!
Please send copies of your letter, information on contacts, or any questions to:
Coalition to Preserve the Georgia Archives Co-Chair Kaye L. Minchew: kaye@trouparchives.org

THE COALITION TO PRESERVE THE GEORGIA ARCHIVES
Includes representatives of:
Friends of the Georgia Archives; Association of County Commissioners of Georgia; Georgia Salzburger Society, Greater Atlanta Chapter; Society of Georgia Archivists; Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board; Georgia Genealogical Society; Georgia Professional Genealogists; Association of Professional Genealogists, Georgia Chapter; Cobb County Genealogical Society; Troup County Historical Society; Georgia State Society, Daughters of the American Revolution

For updated information go to: www.FOGAH.org

Remembering Allegheny County Area World War I Veterans

During the last year, a group of 46 volunteers has been reading the old Pittsburgh area newspapers in search of deaths, marriages, divorces and photographs. This group has indexed over 73,000 death entries which can be found on the PA USGenWeb Archives pages.

Last December, one of the faithful volunteers contacted the coordinator to see if there would be interest in setting up a new index specifically for those Allegheny County area men and women who served America in World War I.

The index posed was readily accepted by coordinator Ann S Eldredge. So volunteer, Lynn Beatty who had grown up in Allegheny County and left the area some 30 years ago, spent five months indexing the World War I veterans. This military index includes the names found in the 1918-1919 Pittsburgh newspapers, the letters, the stories, the deaths and the celebrations of coming home.

When asked why she wanted to do this index, Beatty said, "When I saw some of the articles were personal about western Pennsylvanians, I knew somebody had to make a record of those. It just snowballed! This is the part of genealogy I like best - the stories about real people - like the soldier whose family was being evicted while he was a POW."

Coordinator Eldredge smiles as she recalls the thrill she felt when her grandfather's name was found. "HIs service records had been lost in the fire," she said. "All I had was his Company and his Infantry unit. Those I found on his headstone. I had researched the history of his unit and was surprised to see the 11th Infantry had seen 43 days of combat with 386 casualties. Of these, 348 were wounded in action, including my grandfather."

"Lynn's dedication to the project brought some joy to me as I found when my grandpa returned to the United States, and more specifically, to Pittsburgh. Now, I can identify the location and approximate date of the picture I have of him sitting in front of the US General Hospital #24 in Parkview Station with his future bride."

The Military Index now contains 85733 entries, and can be seen at Norm Meinert's Allegheny River Family Archives, http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~njm1/index.html
or on the PA USGenWebArchives, http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/allegheny/death-index.htm .

The Military Index can be searched to locate the veteran's name,type of article, unit of service, newspaper name, date and page. With this information, the Allegheny River Family Archives can be utilized to go to the actual date the information appears.

Eldredge said, "It's just a wonderful gift of love Lynn has given to the genealogy community that has its heart in Pittsburgh. This genealogy group is just so giving- of themselves and their time in an unending quest to help others."

Ann S Eldredge



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Digitizing Penions Files for War of 1812 Challenge

Have a grandpa or two who fought in the War of 1812?  There's a great new project underway to digitize the pension and land bounties that will result in a new free online index.


Check out the donation challenge.......

War of 1812 Matching Funds Challenge

Whether or not your ancestors served in the War of 1812, you may be interested in the project spearheaded by the Federation of Genealogical Societies to Preserve the Pensions and bounty land records from that war. Even better than being preserved, the records will be digitized, searchable, and made available online free of charge.......http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/6hupuF/www.fgsconferenceblog.org/2011/02/war-of-1812-matching-funds-challenge.html


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Clayton State Genealogy Group to Meet February 6

The Clayton State University Genealogy Group’s next meeting will be on Sunday, Feb.6, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., in room 200 of the Clayton State Library.

This year’s theme for the group is "Back to the Beginning." January was an organizational meeting, February will look at the census, and March will be Family Search research with a field trip to the LDS Family History Center on Lake Jodeco Road in Jonesboro.

“Census Records: Why, How, Where, What” will be the topic of the meeting Feb. 6. The workshop will answer the following census questions:

Why start genealogy with the census?
What census records are on microfilm or digital?
Why search for the family in every census?
What information is available on the census record?
Where does the researcher find census records?
How does the researcher locate a person or family?

Interested parties should bring a laptop.

Membership in the group and all workshops are free. For more information, including times of the remaining meetings, contact Selma Blackmon at selmajoey@yahoo.com. Her contact phone number is (770) 931.2609.


A unit of the University System of Georgia, Clayton State University is an outstanding comprehensive metropolitan university located 15 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta. 

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200 Million More Historic Records See the Light of Day

As the nation’s genealogical societies gather in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference this week to share tips and tricks for finding one’s elusive ancestors, there will certainly besome clamoring over an unexpected gift from FamilySearch, a world leader in historic records preservation and access. FamilySearch announced the addition of over 200 million new searchable historic records representing 18 countries to its online database. The new records were added to the hundreds of millions FamilySearch published earlier this year at a similar event in Salt Lake City, Utah. The number of records on the pilot site totals 700 million.

The latest deluge of records includes 53 new or updated collections from the United States and over 100 million new records from Europe, Scandinavia and Mexico. The United States collections include the 1910 U.S. Census and states’ birth, marriage and death records. There are 10 million new records from New Jersey and Michigan, 4 million from Tennessee, an amazing 41 million from Massachusetts, and many more from other states.

“Some time ago, FamilySearch committed to creating access to the world’s genealogical records online in a big way. Today’s updates are part of an ongoing effort to make good on those commitments,” said Paul Nauta, FamilySearch public affairs manager. “We have only just begun,” Nauta concluded. In the U.S., FamilySearch is currently focusing on digitizing and publishing online federal and state censuses and state birth, marriage and death records. When complete, the initiative will provide a definitive collection of U.S. genealogical resources for family history researchers.

In addition to the new U.S. collections, over 100 million records were added to FamilySearch’s international collections online — making it most likely the largest international genealogy collection online. The new international databases come from birth, marriage and death records and from municipal records. Go to FamilySearch.org, then click Search Records and then Record Search pilot to see a full list of the free collections. The records will also soon be available at beta.familysearch.org.

“What makes today’s announcement even more impressive is that FamilySearch uses predominantly a growing corps of volunteers to accomplish the task of digitizing and indexing the records for online publication. That’s also in large part how we can do it for free, how it can be done at no cost to the patron,” said Nauta. Currently, 350,000 volunteers worldwide log on to FamilySearchIndexing.org and use FamilySearch’s proprietary software to view digital images of historic documents of personal interest and type in the desired information. FamilySearch then creates a free, searchable index of the historic collections online for the public to use.

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Clayton State Genealogy Group to Meet, August 1

The Clayton State University Genealogy Group’s next meeting will be Sunday, Aug. 1, from 1 p.m. until 2:30 p.m., in room 200 of the Clayton State Library.

According to Clayton State Archivist Rosemary Fischer, the group will be helping beginners learn to do genealogical research.

“If you are new to genealogy and want to learn how to trace your family line and discover who’s living in your family tree, then this workshop is for you,” she says.

From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., the group will have speakers doing presentations on heritage societies, including the Sons and Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution.

“We will learn about these societies, their membership, and their meetings,” adds Fischer. If you’ve ever wanted to join and didn’t know where to start, then this workshop is for you.”

Membership and all workshops are free. For more information, contact Selma Blackmon at selmajoey@yahoo.com.

A unit of the University System of Georgia, Clayton State University is an outstanding comprehensive metropolitan university located 15 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta.

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National Archives Creates Awards for Excellence in Genealogy

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In celebration of its 75th anniversary, the National Archives announces two awards to recognize significant achievements in genealogy research, based on records from the National Archives.

The National Archives is known worldwide as a treasure chest of genealogical information. Each year, millions of people use Federal records in the National Archives to search for their family roots. Census schedules, ship passenger arrival lists, citizenship papers, military pension files, land patents, and court records offer detailed evidence to flesh out family histories. This competition provides an opportunity for students to share their research "treasures" with the public.

The awards are $1,000 for first place; $500 for second place. Winning articles may be published in Prologue, the quarterly magazine of the National Archives, and/or on the National Archives web site.

To be eligible, an applicant must be either an undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in an accredited institution of higher learning; have completed at least one semester; and have not yet advanced to candidacy, if in a Ph.D. program. An applicant does not have to be an American citizen, but must be attending an American college or university. Permanent National Archives employees are not eligible.

Awards will be announced at the National Archives annual Genealogy Fair on April 22, 2009.

Applicants are required to submit:
-- Cover sheet that includes the following:
-- Name and contact information;
-- Proof of enrollment at an accredited academic institution; and
-- Signature giving permission for the article to be published.

-- An original, unpublished work between 1,000 and 3,000 words that
demonstrates the use of National Archives holdings to conduct
genealogical research. The essay must be typed and include a
works-cited page or bibliography. End notes are suggested but not
required.


Please submit applications to:
Diane Dimkoff
Director, Customer Services Division
Room G-13
700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20408
diane.dimkoff@nara.gov


Essays may be submitted in-person or via e-mail before 5:00 p.m. EST March 1, 2009 or via regular mail (postmarked by February 25, 2009).

For additional information about the scholarship and/or application process, email KYR@nara.gov.

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Genealogy Fair & Pie Contest

The National Archives, Southeast Region is having a Fall Genealogy Fair and Pie Contest October 18 from 9 am to 4 pm. The facility is located at 5780 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA.

A few weeks ago I received an email from my friend at the National Archives asking me if I would come give a short presentation on restoring and preserving old family photos. Of course I would love to! So I am! I will be presenting from 2 to 3 pm. There are many very interesting presentations throughout the day.

In addition to my talk about preserving your old photos – Christine Wiseman from the Georgia Archives will tell you how to care for your family archives. Just what are family archives? Well, old family bibles, letters, deeds, certificates, etc. Just about anything paper you want to keep and preserve for future generations. Christine will discuss storage materials and techniques.

Kevin Kuharic from historic Oakland Cemetery will be on hand to discuss cemetery preservation. He will also talk about the damage (and repairs) from the tornado that went through Atlanta and Oakland last spring.

In addition to these interesting programs – you will learn all you need to know about searching for information at the archives and using many new online features. If you are thinking about getting started searching for your roots or have been doing it for a while, this is a great place to spend a Saturday to ask as many questions as you can think of and get some great tips.

Registration for this event is $20 and includes lunch provided by Honeybaked Ham! Oh and I forgot the best part – you can bring a pie (dig out a good old family recipe) to share and enter in the contest. At 3 pm ribbons and prizes will be awarded.

For more information and to get the registration form – click on this link http://www.archives.gov/southeast/public/2008-genealogy-fair.pdf.

About year ago I wrote a blog about the National Archives and what an interesting place it is to visit. http://thebarefootphotographer.blogspot.com/2007/10/trip-to-national-archives.html. If you haven’t read it – here is a handy link to find it.

Donna Rosser

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Genealogy Class Scheduled in September at Fayette Senior Services

HH Note: Have you ever wondered about your roots? Have you ever longed to know why grandpa had that favorite saying or where that red hair came from? Here's your chance to learn how to try and answer some of those questions and more.

Fayette Senior Services (FSS)
Monday-15 Sept-6:00-8:00PM-Getting Started in Genealogy
Monday-29 Sept-1:30-3:30-Finding Your Family on the Census
Monday-20 Oct-1:30-3:00-No Cost Computer Genealogy

FSS Registration:
Patsy Deyton, 4 Circle Drive, Fayetteville, GA 30214, 770-461-0813
pdeyton@fayss.org

Class descriptions:

Getting Started in Genealogy
Are you wondering how to get started tracing your family tree? In this class students will learn how to record and organize family information using Family Group Sheets, Ancestry Charts, and Documentation Logs. Tips for places to look for information and organizing strategies will be discussed. This class is for the beginner genealogist.

Finding Your Family on the Census
The history of the census and the information available on it will be discussed. Strategies for finding ancestors on the census will be the focus of the class. Hands-on practice in using pre-1850 census data will be presented.

No Cost Computer Genealogy
This hands-on session will explore free websites valuable to family historians. Find out how to "google" your way to family history information.

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Cyber-Surfing Gives Everyone Easy Access to History

(ARA) - History is making history on the World Wide Web. With a click of the mouse, lifelong historians and those who just caught the history bug are taking to the Internet in record numbers to explore its nearly limitless access to times gone by. Today, with our country engaged in war and Americans everywhere expressing their heartfelt appreciation of our armed services, it’s no surprise that military history sites are reporting unprecedented Web traffic.

A new online television network at www.NAVYTV.org is capturing its share of cyber-surfing history buffs with its vast collection of vintage and contemporary footage -- available 24 hours a day. Co-sponsored by the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., NAVY TV is organized like a traditional broadcast network with channels and episodes. The site also provides an interactive forum for the larger Navy community of active duty, veterans, civilian workers and families.

“There’s no doubt that our Navy film library is a key draw,” explains Jim Franco, CEO of EFX Media, co-sponsor of NAVY TV. “Our footage is extensive and increasing daily. For military history enthusiasts, we’re a one-stop treasure trove of top quality, classic Navy films such as ‘Operation Sunshine,’ a 1958 story about the USS Nautilus narrated by broadcast legend Edward R. Murrow.”

Rear Adm. Richard A. Buchanan, USN (Ret.), President and CEO of the Navy Memorial, invites all of the site’s visitors to register for e-mail alerts that herald important events in Navy history. “On June 4th,” he notes, “we reminded people about the landmark Battle of Midway, a turning point in World War II that marked the first Japanese naval defeat since 1592. When people clicked on the link we sent, they could watch an Academy Award-winning collection of footage that captured all the drama and heroism of that epic fight.”

Visitors regularly comment on the site’s historical selections. After watching “The Battle of Midway,” one user wrote, “People who love history will enjoy this video. It’s a long way from Jules Verne!”

Another popular page is “U.S. Navy Today,” featuring video shorts on ships, naval aviation, submarines, the medical community, special warfare and even the Navy Band. Straight from the fleet, these clips are created by the Navy and posted daily.

Since the site was launched last November, viewers have been posting comments, greetings and even their own videos. They use the site to tell their own Navy stories, find fellow shipmates and share memories.

For information about NAVY TV and to submit your own video, visit www.NAVYTV.org or call the United States Navy Memorial at (202) 737-2300.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

National Archives Hosts Genealogical Societies of Clayton and Henry Counties June 21

The Genealogical Society of Henry & Clayton Counties will be meeting at the National Archives in Morrow, GA at 10 AM on Saturday, June 21st. Two speakers will share information and delight members and visitors.

Mike Brubaker - The Magruder Collection

Mike Brubaker, an Archivist & the Genealogist at the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center in Atlanta, Georgia, received his bachelor and masters degrees in Utah. He is the past Curator of Collections at Midway Village & Museum Center, 2007-2008 president of the Georgia Genealogical Society, a teacher at several local colleges and a researcher.

Mr. Brubaker will be telling of the wonderful genealogical holdings of the Atlanta History Center. One of the newest holdings, the Magruder Collection, a collection of newspapers, fills three dozen 2-by-3-foot boxes and includes some 3,400 issues of 244 publications dating to the 1800s. This amazing collection can open up to many genealogists, information unobtainable until now.

Betty English - Story Teller --"How to kill Grandma!"

Betty English, a native Atlantan, published author, marketing specialist, retired teacher, and Story Teller has lived and worked in both the US and Australia. A mother and grandmother, she has delighted audiences throughout the area with stories both true and fictional.

She will be sharing a wonderful story of "How to kill Grandma!" You will not want to miss this.

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