CATALOGS
14. Michaels, Carolyn Leopold, Kathryn S Scott, and Daughters of the American Revolution. DAR Library Catalog. Washington, D.C.: NSDAR, 1982-1992.
Volume 1 lists family histories and genealogies. Volume 2 lists state and local history records. All of these publications are available at the DAR research library in Washington DC. The DAR Library in DC is one of the premier libraries in the country for conducting genealogy research so a catalog of their holdings is very helpful.
DIRECTORIES
15. Pennsylvania, Commonwealth Libraries. Library Development Division.; State Library of. 2006 Directory of Pennsylvania Libraries Harrisburg, Pa: Pa. Dept. of Education, Commonwealth Libraries, Library Development Division, 2006.
Includes names and addresses of libraries in Pennsylvania. Many libraries have genealogy sections. This is a good way for genealogists to locate libraries that may have resources for study.
16. Thurston, George H. Directory For ... Of Pittsburgh and Allegheny Cities : Birmingham, East Birmingham, South & West Pittsburgh, Temperanceville, Manchester, Duquesne and Lawrenceville Boroughs, East Liberty, and Parts of Pitt and Collins Townships Pittsburgh, Pa: George H. Thurston.
Includes names, addresses, and occupations of people who were employed or considered head of household in Pittsburgh. Also includes business directory, name of owner and address; business ads, directory to public institutions, hospitals, public buildings, public schools, churches, railroads. City directories are one of the most frequently asked for resources for genealogy research.
17. Wheeler, Mary Bray. Directory of Historical Organizations in the United States and Canada Nashville, Tenn: American Association for State and Local History, 1990.
Arranged by state, then county. Gives name of institution, contact info, type of agency, programs, collections, hours. Same info for Canada
18. Program, American Historical Association. Institutional Services. Directory of History Departments and Organizations in the United States and Canada. Washington, D.C.: American Historical Association, Institutional Services Program, 2000.
Comprehensive directory of historians in the United States and Canada and the departments and organizations in which they work. This is good source for finding someone who may specialize in the history of the area that you are researching. You could then look for books or publications written by that person.
19. Polk's Pittsburgh (Allegheny County, Pa.) City Directory. Edited by R.L. Polk & Co. Pittsburgh, Pa.: R.L. Polk & Co.
City Directories are a great source of genealogy information. They contain the names of head's of households residing with in the city and the name of business owners and people employed along with their address and occupations. There are directories of business and their locations. There are advertisements as well.
20. Polk's Washington (Washington County, Pa) City Directory. Pittsburgh, PA: R.L. Polk & Co., 1896-2002.
same as above. Many large cities have these city directories. They go back quite far, long before there were telephone books and yellow pages.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
Research Sources - Atlases
6. Cuff, David J. The Atlas of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia Temple University Press, 1989.
Provides maps of different counties in Pennsylvania. Maps can be very helpful in visualizing where families lived, travel patterns, proximity to other locations. They are also helpful when trying to find cemeteries, courthouse, libraries, etc that many genealogists like to visit.
7. Muller, Edward K., Ruth Byers, Griffith Morgan Hopkins, and Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Atlas of the County of Allegheny, Penna. Pittsburgh, Pa: Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, 1988 reprint edition.
Includes brief history of the county, the county today, suggested readings, maps and plans, township maps, borough maps, village and town plans, etc. This is a great way to find old location names, owners of land tracts, names of streams, old churches, etc.
8. Hopkins, Griffith Morgan, and James Veech. Atlas of the County of Fayette in the State of Pennsylvania : From Actual Surveys and Official Records. Philadelphia G.M. Hopkins, 1872.
Includes township plans, borough and village plans for Fayette County. This is a great way to find old location names, owners of land tracts, names of streams, old churches, etc.
9. Cring, Henry. Caldwell's Illustrated Historical, Centennial Atlas of Greene County, Pennsylvania : From Actual Surveys. Condit, Ohio J.A. Caldwell, 1876.
Contents: maps of towns and villages, maps of townships, directory of townships, views of Greene County, Directory of Towns and Villages, names of counties, date of formation and number of acres of each, population of PA, Presidential elections, historical sketch of Greene County, PA, sketches of buildings.
10. Caldwell, J. A., C. T. Arms, and J. A. Underwood. Caldwell's Illustrated, Historical, Centennial Atlas of Washington Co., Pennsylvania : From Actual Surveys. Condit, Ohio J.A. Caldwell, 1876.
Maps, sketches of important properties, buildings, business, business directories. These illustrated historical atlases can be very interesting, especially if you are lucky enough to find a sketch of an ancestor's house.
11. Davis, F. A. New Illustrated Atlas of Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania, 1876, with 1971 Supplementary Section; a Reference and Textbook for Schools, Libraries and Historians. Rimersburg, Pa: Pennsylvania Record Press, 1971.
Maps, sketches of buildings, history of Westmoreland Co., populations, townships.
*note - All of these old atlases are great sources of information for genealogists. Maps are helpful in identifying clusters of family and neighbors, many of whom were connected thru intermarriages. Many times the atlases had historical information as well.
Provides maps of different counties in Pennsylvania. Maps can be very helpful in visualizing where families lived, travel patterns, proximity to other locations. They are also helpful when trying to find cemeteries, courthouse, libraries, etc that many genealogists like to visit.
7. Muller, Edward K., Ruth Byers, Griffith Morgan Hopkins, and Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Atlas of the County of Allegheny, Penna. Pittsburgh, Pa: Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, 1988 reprint edition.
Includes brief history of the county, the county today, suggested readings, maps and plans, township maps, borough maps, village and town plans, etc. This is a great way to find old location names, owners of land tracts, names of streams, old churches, etc.
8. Hopkins, Griffith Morgan, and James Veech. Atlas of the County of Fayette in the State of Pennsylvania : From Actual Surveys and Official Records. Philadelphia G.M. Hopkins, 1872.
Includes township plans, borough and village plans for Fayette County. This is a great way to find old location names, owners of land tracts, names of streams, old churches, etc.
9. Cring, Henry. Caldwell's Illustrated Historical, Centennial Atlas of Greene County, Pennsylvania : From Actual Surveys. Condit, Ohio J.A. Caldwell, 1876.
Contents: maps of towns and villages, maps of townships, directory of townships, views of Greene County, Directory of Towns and Villages, names of counties, date of formation and number of acres of each, population of PA, Presidential elections, historical sketch of Greene County, PA, sketches of buildings.
10. Caldwell, J. A., C. T. Arms, and J. A. Underwood. Caldwell's Illustrated, Historical, Centennial Atlas of Washington Co., Pennsylvania : From Actual Surveys. Condit, Ohio J.A. Caldwell, 1876.
Maps, sketches of important properties, buildings, business, business directories. These illustrated historical atlases can be very interesting, especially if you are lucky enough to find a sketch of an ancestor's house.
11. Davis, F. A. New Illustrated Atlas of Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania, 1876, with 1971 Supplementary Section; a Reference and Textbook for Schools, Libraries and Historians. Rimersburg, Pa: Pennsylvania Record Press, 1971.
Maps, sketches of buildings, history of Westmoreland Co., populations, townships.
*note - All of these old atlases are great sources of information for genealogists. Maps are helpful in identifying clusters of family and neighbors, many of whom were connected thru intermarriages. Many times the atlases had historical information as well.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Research Sources - Abstracts
While in the Masters Program in Library and Information Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh, our final project for our reference resources class was a 125 item annotated bibilography on a topic of our choice. I chose genealogical research in Southwestern PA which focused mainly on Allegheny, Washington, Fayette and Greene counties with a few general resources thrown in. This bibliography is by no means a complete listing of everything that is available but hopefully introduces you to some of the main resources for research in this area. The list is divided by the type of resource and over the next few entries I will post each category starting with ABSTRACTS:
1. Abstracts of Washington County Pennsylvania Willbooks 1-5 (1776-1841). Edited by Bob Closson and Mary Closson. Apollo, PA: Closson, Press, 1995.
This is a very helpful source when searching the wills. It lists deceased, where the deceased was from, date of will, probate date, executor, beneficiaries, witnesses. This is helpful in narrowing down what wills are relevant. Ideally, other volumes of later wills should be complied.
2. Abstracts of the Washington Reporter 1808 - 1814, Washington County, Pa. Edited by Bonnie Malmat. Vol. several: Closson Press, 1990.
Abstracts genealogy information from some of the Washington Reporter Newspapers. It takes things like death rolls, birth announcements, marriages, etc and gives the important details. This makes it easier to search the actual newspapers or microfilm.
3. Livengood, Candy. Genealogical Abstracts of the Laws of Pennsylvania & the Statutes at Large. Westminster, Md.: Family Line Publications, 1990.
Contains name changes, children being legitimized for inheritances, divorces and annulments, oaths of allegiance, Rev War Pensions, debtors in prison, Indian murders, etc. Interesting source very different kinds of legal information.
4. The People and Times of Western Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Gazette Abstracts 1806 - 1811. Edited by Clara E. Duer: Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, 1988.
Abstracts of articles that appear in the Pittsburgh Gazette which contain information about individuals. Contains an all name index in the back. Although newspapers contain a lot of good information, they are hard to search without an index. This makes it easier.
5. Pittsburgh, Pa Gazette Genealogical Gleanings, 1786-1820. Edited by Mark Welchley. Apollo, PA: Closson Press, 1986.
News items, advertisements and public notices containing genealogical information from Western Pennsylvania and parts of Ohio and Virginia. This is similar to the People and Times abstracts listed above but it covers more years and contains different information. The two compliment each other.
1. Abstracts of Washington County Pennsylvania Willbooks 1-5 (1776-1841). Edited by Bob Closson and Mary Closson. Apollo, PA: Closson, Press, 1995.
This is a very helpful source when searching the wills. It lists deceased, where the deceased was from, date of will, probate date, executor, beneficiaries, witnesses. This is helpful in narrowing down what wills are relevant. Ideally, other volumes of later wills should be complied.
2. Abstracts of the Washington Reporter 1808 - 1814, Washington County, Pa. Edited by Bonnie Malmat. Vol. several: Closson Press, 1990.
Abstracts genealogy information from some of the Washington Reporter Newspapers. It takes things like death rolls, birth announcements, marriages, etc and gives the important details. This makes it easier to search the actual newspapers or microfilm.
3. Livengood, Candy. Genealogical Abstracts of the Laws of Pennsylvania & the Statutes at Large. Westminster, Md.: Family Line Publications, 1990.
Contains name changes, children being legitimized for inheritances, divorces and annulments, oaths of allegiance, Rev War Pensions, debtors in prison, Indian murders, etc. Interesting source very different kinds of legal information.
4. The People and Times of Western Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Gazette Abstracts 1806 - 1811. Edited by Clara E. Duer: Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, 1988.
Abstracts of articles that appear in the Pittsburgh Gazette which contain information about individuals. Contains an all name index in the back. Although newspapers contain a lot of good information, they are hard to search without an index. This makes it easier.
5. Pittsburgh, Pa Gazette Genealogical Gleanings, 1786-1820. Edited by Mark Welchley. Apollo, PA: Closson Press, 1986.
News items, advertisements and public notices containing genealogical information from Western Pennsylvania and parts of Ohio and Virginia. This is similar to the People and Times abstracts listed above but it covers more years and contains different information. The two compliment each other.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
http://www.cyndislist.com/
This is a great website for genealogy researchers. It has over 260,000 links to different resources from all over the world. It is a great place to start your research for online records.
http://www.cyndislist.com/
http://www.cyndislist.com/
Saturday, August 23, 2008
No time to post
I have been so busy lately that I have not had time to post any new entries, nor have I had time to do any research lately either. I am starting back to school on Monday to get my Certificate of Advanced Studies in Archives and Records Management. I'm hoping to be able to post some interesting things that I learn from these classes over the next few years on how to preserve and take care of personal archives.
I am also going to be teaching a genealogy class at Community College of Allegheny County again this fall and once I find my course packets from the last time I taught, I will be able to post some of that information as well (we moved recently and a lot of things are still in boxes). So be patient with me, I've not forsaken this blog - just had to put it on hold for a little while.
I am also going to be teaching a genealogy class at Community College of Allegheny County again this fall and once I find my course packets from the last time I taught, I will be able to post some of that information as well (we moved recently and a lot of things are still in boxes). So be patient with me, I've not forsaken this blog - just had to put it on hold for a little while.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Caleb Leonard graves
This is part of the Veteran burial maps that were drawn in the 1930s as part of the Works Projects Administration. This is the oldest part of the cemetery and no written records exist for this section. The only records that I can find are the tombstones themselves, many of which are worn and hard to read and some have fallen over face down. I also found a partial transcription done around 1936 by some members of a DAR chapter and that listing has some names for stones that can't be read or are no longer there. Then there is this 1930s veteran map. This map also has at least one stone marked that is no longer there - # 4 I have turned the drawing sideways because it matches the orientation of the maps I have drawn and it is easier to compare the two that way. Marker number 1 on the map above is for Caleb Leonard Jr. and corresponds to grave number 9 on my map below. It is just inside the stone entrance column for the cemetery. Grave number 21 is for William Leonard who died Dec 11, 1848 at the age of 82.
Marker # 4 above is for Caleb Leonard Sr. and is actually quite far away despite how close it looks on the map. Tha stone is no longer there but # 3 for George Snyder is still in the cemetery and that is how you can find the general are for the Leonard burial. If you go the the cemetery website, click on tombstones, then go to old section, then maps of old section at the top of the index page, then click through the maps you fill find # 53 George Snyder on map section # 3. (I have to find a better way of displaying the whole map. You can print out the sections and tape them together to get a better idea of the locations)
Caleb Leonard - Pennsylvania - PVT in Wash County Pa Mil Rev War July 17, 1845
Both Caleb Leonard Jr and Sr. were Revolutionary War veterans and I am hopeful that someday we will be able to find Sr's grave stone maybe just beneath the surface of the grass. I would love to be able to have it put back up and marked with a Revolutionary War marker. Since I am a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, that would mean alot to me to be able to find and restore a tombstone for one of our Patriots. Anyone else out there with any information about the possible whereabouts of the missing stone, I would love to hear from you.
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