Is your family history research at a stand still?

The Erie Society for Genealogical Research holds a brainstorming session once a month, where members who’ve run into a wall with with their research can share their problem and together we offer suggestions and ways to break through that wall. Once a quarter, that meeting is open to the general public, and tonight’s the night! We are meeting at the Heritage Room, on the second floor of the Blasco Public Library at 6pm. No reservation is required and the meeting is free.

Feel free to just come to listen, but if you’d like to discuss your problem, we’ve found it’s best if you bring your notes, so you can tell us what records you’ve already searched.

Hope to see you there!
All best
Claire

June Meeting of the Erie Society for Genealogical Research

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The June 2016 monthly meeting of the Erie Society for Genealogical Research will take place at the new Thomas Hagen History Center, adjacent to the Watson-Kurtze Mansion on West Sixth Street, Tuesday, June 14th, at 6:30pm. Our speaker this month is David Newman, from the Polish Society of New York. He will be talking about Understanding and Exploring Your Polish Genealogy.


Our meetings are free and open to the public. Mr. Newman’s talk will begin at 7pm, immediately following a brief society meeting. Please arrive between 6:15pm, and 6:30pm. Free parking.

Hope to see you there!

Tuesday, May 10, 2016 ESGR Lecture:
Women in World War II

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The May 2016 monthly meeting of the Erie Society for Genealogical Research will take place at the new Thomas Hagen History Center, adjacent to the Watson-Kurtze Mansion on West Sixth Street, Tuesday, May 10th, at 6:30pm. Our speaker this month is Sarah Felmlee: Women in World War II.


Our meetings are free and open to the public. Ms. Felmlee’s talk will begin at 7pm, immediately following a brief society meeting. Please arrive between 6:15pm, and 6:30pm. Free parking.

Hope to see you there!

ESGR Meeting Tonight: Brick Walls

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Tonight’s monthly meeting of the Erie Society for Genealogical Research is all about brick walls. In place of a speaker, members will have an opportunity to present a specific genealogical problem and meeting attendees will brainstorm strategies for solving the problem. The brick wall portion of the meeting will begin at 7:00pm, at the Hagen History Center, and will be preceded by a brief membership meeting.

To make the most of our time together, please bring notes about your problem, including details of the ancestor, i.e. dates and places, and a list of the records you’ve already searched.

Even if you don’t have a brick wall to discuss, please join us anyway, as listen to discussions on others’ problems may help you with your own research strategies.

Hope to see you there!

ESGR Breaking Down Brick Walls Special Interest Group (SIG)

The Erie Society for Genealogical Research has decided to offer some special interest groups (SIGs) that will meet outside of our regular monthly membership meetings; and, I’m excited to announce, I am spearheading the Breaking Down Brick Walls SIG. We will meet on the 4th Tuesday of each month in the Heritage Room at the Blasco Public Library 6pm-8pm. The group is only open to members of the genealogy society; however, once a quarter, the meetings will be open to the general public. The first public meeting will be April 26, 2016. Closer to the time, I will create a Facebook event on my Lantern Genealogy Facebook page inviting everyone to attend the meeting. The library will also be publicizing the event. If you aren’t on Facebook, it would be helpful if you could post a comment here, to indicate you’ll be attending the public meeting, as the library’s staff would like to know how many guests to expect that evening.

The group is still in the formative stage, but my initial thought on the meeting structure is it will be something like this:

Any attendees looking for help with a particular brick wall will have a chance to explain their problem and the group will brainstorm ways to push beyond the wall. Meetings are two hours long, so, depending on the number of problems, we’ll have to limit the brainstorming time to, say, 15 minutes per problem. It might be a good idea for people to post a summary of the problem on either the Facebook page or here, in a comment, ahead of time, so there’s more time for problem solving during the meeting. I’d also suggest bringing a list of the sources you’ve already searched.

If there’s any time left, we could end the session with a discussion on strategies for solving brick walls: perhaps one strategy per meeting, with a handout.

Here is the tentative schedule for the year:

March 22, 2016

ESGR members only

April 26, 2016

Open to the public

May 24, 2016

ESGR members only

June 28, 2016

ESGR members only

July 26, 2016

Open to the public

August 23, 2016

ESGR members only

September 27, 2016

ESGR members only

October 25, 2016

Open to the public

November 29, 2016*

ESGR members only

No December meeting

Happy holidays!

January 24, 2017

Open to the public

*This meeting will be held on the fifth Tuesday, to avoid Thanksgiving week.

These meetings will be work sessions. If you have an active library card, you will be able to access the Internet using the library’s Wi-Fi, so feel free to bring a laptop or tablet. We will also have access to the Heritage Room’s resources, including their computers, and the library has generously offered to make additional staff available to us on the nights we open the meetings to the public.

As I mentioned, we are still in the planning stages for this SIG. I welcome any and all comments!

Upcoming Genealogical & Historical Goings-On in Erie, PA

Edinboro Area Historical Society Annual Dinner

Wed, January 27, 6:00pm – 8:30pm
Nick’s Place, 12246 Edinboro Road, Edinboro

The Society’s keynote speaker is Caleb Pifer. Pifer grew up in Erie and Perth, Australia. He received a B.S. in Political Communications from the University of Texas at Austin.

He has worked professionally in Houston,Texas, and Newport, Rhode Island. Pifer served as the Program Director for the world’s only floating preparatory school and engaged in a world voyage which finished in 2007 covering the continents of North America, Europe, Africa, and South America. He then went on to co-found Educational Partner-Ships in Newport, Rhode Island. The company is a management consultancy that works in the museum and higher education fields.

He recently served as executive director of the Erie County Historical Society, where he was responsible for the leadership and growth of Erie’s oldest cultural organization. Pifer joined the historical society in September 2012 after spending three years with the Flagship Niagara League, the last as director of marketing and development. “I returned to Erie to work with the Flagship Niagara League, and have tried to show through both organizations that Erie possesses truly world-class cultural assets. Erie is hungry for new leaders with fresh ideas,” he said. [This information was extracted from the Erie Yesterday website].

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Talk by Claire Varrieur Butler, on Evernote for Genealogists

Tuesday, February 9, 2016, 7:00pm
Thomas B. Hagen History Center
356 West Sixth Street

Free to the public. Claire will share tips on how genealogists can take advantage of this popular note-taking software’s web-clipper, notebooks, tags, and many other features, to capture and organize vast amounts of information from many sources. Sponsored by the Erie Society for Genealogical Research.

Please arrive between 6:30 and 6:50pm. The lecture will be proceeded by a brief society membership meeting at 6:30pm.

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The Tale of the Steamer The Erie – Lake Erie Calamity

Tue, February 23, 4:00pm – 5:30pm
Jefferson Educational Society, 3207 State Street, Erie

In the 1800s, any news from America was exciting, even horrific accounts. One such event was the conflagration of the steamer “The Erie,” which left 270 dead, most of them German immigrants. Inspired, novelist Theodor Fontane wrote his bestselling poem “John Maynard,” a larger than life rendition of the true helmsman Luther Fuller. The work has been on many reading lists to the point that Buffalo erected a historical marker dedicated to John Maynard. Discover a heroic saga and how literature and a real event created an enduring fable across the ocean. – Angela Beaumont, M.A

Register online at the Jefferson Society Website

[This information was extracted from the Erie Yesterday website].

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Erie PA Genealogy & Historical Goings-On for November

Talk by Jennifer Liber Raines, on The Erie County, New York, Poor House Project

Tuesday, November 10, 2015, 7:00pm
Thomas B. Hagen History Center
356 West Sixth Street

Free to the public. Sponsored by the Erie Society for Genealogical Research. Please arrive between 6:30 and 6:50pm. The lecture will be proceeded by a brief society membership meeting at 6:30pm.

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Lecture at the Erie Maritime Museum – Commercial Fishing by Jerry Skrypzak

Sunday, November 22, 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Erie Maritime Museum, East Front Street, Erie

RSVP to Andrew 814.452.2744 ext 225 or outrech@flagshipniagara.org

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Fairview Area Historical Society Public Meeting

Wednesday, November 18, 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Sturgeon House, 4302 Avonia Road (Route 98) in Fairview.

Meetings are open to the public. For more information, contact the Society at (814) 474-5855.

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Elk Creek Historical Society Coffee House

The Little Church on the Hill, 16410 High Street, Albion, PA Saturday, November 21, 7pm – 9pm.

Are you interested in music, history, and fun? Then stop by The Little Church on the Hill’s monthly coffee house in Wellsburg, PA. The music begins at 7 pm and goes until 9 pm. There will be refreshments, door prizes, and a 50/50 raffle during intermission. All donations go towards the restoration and preservation of this 156 year old historic landmark. Bring friends and family for a night of music and fun. For additional information, contact the Elk Creek Historical Society at echistoricalsociety@gmail.com.

Erie PA Genealogy & Historical Happenings in October 2015

Free Lecture: Servicewomen of WWII, by Sarah Westrick

Tuesday October 13, 2015 at 7:00pm in the Carriage House of the Thomas B. Hagen History Center at 356 West Sixth Street.

The lecture, which is open to the public, is being hosted by the Erie Society for Genealogical Research, and will be preceded by a brief general membership meeting, from 6:30 to 7:00.

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Free Lecture: Erie’s Lighthouses by Eugene Ware

Sun, October 25, 2:00pm–3:30pm.
Erie Maritime Museum, East Front Street, Erie

RSVP to Andrew 814.452.2744 ext 225 or outrech@flagshipniagara.org

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Waterford Cemetery Tour

Fort LeBoeuf Historical Society, 1 High Street, Waterford
October 17th, 1pm & 3pm. Cost is $5 per person. For questions, please call (814) 440-3044 or visit www.fortleboeufhistory.com

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Haunted History Walks of Waterford

Fort Leboeuf Historical Society, 1 High Street, Waterford
The Fort LeBoeuf Historical Society will conduct Historical Ghost Walking Tours every Saturday and Sunday in October. Tours will start at the Fort LeBoeuf Museum at the corner of High Street and First Alley. The tours will start on the half hour beginning at 6:00 p.m. $9 for Adults, $5 for children 3-12, and children two or under are free.

For questions, please call (814) 440-3044 or visit www.fortleboeufhistory.com

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Ghosts and Legends, Erie Cemetery Walking Tour

Sunday, October 18, 11am & 2pm. join Caroline Reichel for a 60 to 90 minute walking tour of the Erie Cemetery. Tours begin at the cemetery’s main gate, 2116 Chestnut Street.

Hear some of the Erie Cemetery’s mysterious legends and learn about people that lived and died in unusual ways.

Cost is $10 per adult, $8 per child (12 and under). Reservations can be made by calling Caroline Reichel at (814) 868-4423, or arrive at the Erie Cemetery’s gate and purchase your tickets at the day of the tour.

For additional information, email caroline.reichel19@gmail.com
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Ghosts & Legends Tour of Hope Cemetery

Little Church on the Hill, 16410 High Street, Albion
October 24th: 2pm-3pm & 8pm-9pm
October 31st: 9pm-10pm

The Elk Creek Township Historical Society’s annual Ghosts and Legends of Hope Cemetery Tours will be held again this year. An RSVP is required by the Friday before the tour. Please be sure to email echistoricalsociety@gmail.com or call 814-323-0447 and leave your name, a contact number, and the number of people that you will be bringing. Tickets are $3 per person and $5 per couple.

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Fairview Area Historical Society Public Meeting

Wed, October 21, 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Sturgeon House, 4302 Avonia Road (Route 98) in Fairview.

Meetings are open to the public. For more information, contact the Society at (814) 474-5855.

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Elk Creek Historical Society Coffee House

The Little Church on the Hill, 16410 High Street, Albion, PA Sat, October 17, 7pm – 9pm.

Are you interested in music, history, and fun? Then stop by The Little Church on the Hill’s monthly coffee house in Wellsburg, PA. The music begins at 7 pm and goes until 9 pm. There will be refreshments, door prizes, and a 50/50 raffle during intermission. All donations go towards the restoration and preservation of this 156 year old historic landmark. Bring friends and family for a night of music and fun. For additional information, contact the Elk Creek Historical Society at echistoricalsociety@gmail.com.