Volume XXX Issue 1
Feb. 1, 2015
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JEFFERSON GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER
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MESSAGE FROM THE JGS PRESIDENT
I would like you all to help make 2015 a successful year for JGS. Begin that genealogy
project that you’ve been meaning to start. Learn how to use technology to help you in
your genealogy. Ask someone for help with those genealogy roadblocks.
I would like everyone to be on the lookout for speakers for our meetings. Members
who would like to speak about their personal research would be welcomed. We are also
looking for members to demonstrate any technology that can be used in doing
genealogy for our August 2015 workshop. Please submit the speaker contact
information and topic to me by email, by phone, or before or after a meeting.
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Thank You,
Michele LaPointe Lehmann !
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
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Thursday, February 12, 2015—Brandi Newman: Louisiana
State Historical Land Records & Their Relevance to
Genealogists
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Thursday, March 12, 2105 – Dominic Massa: New Orleans
Radio
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Thursday, April 9, 2015—Sarah-Elizabeth Grundlach &
Gregory Lambousy: Holdings of the Louisiana
Historical Center
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Volume XXX Issue 1
Feb. 1, 2015
In the Beginning: How JGS Got Started
(Part 4)
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by Paulette Koine Mauterer
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In the JGS Bylaws, the Society’s “Mission Statement” reads, as follows: “The mission of the
Jefferson Genealogical Society is to promote genealogical research through meetings and activities
which provide contact with genealogists and historians. The Society promotes the opportunity for
members to share their experiences and to encourage them to preserve their genealogical research.”
Society members continue to promote genealogy through monthly meetings that feature guest
speakers, as well as activities including seminars, workshops, field trips, and genealogy fairs. In
addition to outside speakers, several JGS members have given talks on their family research, as well
as on topics of interest in the world of genealogy and history. Members have researched, written, and
published articles in the Jefferson Genealogical Society Newsletter, as well as other genealogical and
historical journals, locally and nationally; several have published books on their research.
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On occasion, Jefferson Genealogical Society has shown its appreciation to members of the
organization for their significant contributions to the Society and in the community by presenting
them with the Clifton Ryan President’s Award. Since 1991, sixteen members have been recognized by
the Society with this award during presentations on Founders’ Day:
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Alice Mire (1991)
Augusta Elmwood (1992)
Jean Ferro (1994)
Claire LaPointe (1996)
Aubrey LeBlanc (1996)
Barbara Erdmann (2001)
Paulette Mauterer (2001)
Lynn Scarengos (2002)
Dwight Duplessis (2005)
William Ouellette (2008)
Barbara Erdmann (2009)
Shirley Lynch (2010)
Sal Serio (2012)
Barbara DeSoto (2013)
Earl Sundmaker (2014)
Robert Gordon (2014)
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Also, Lifetime Memberships were awarded to the following members who made significant
contributions to the Society:
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Alice Mire
Marye Jane Joly
Dwight Duplessis
Pam Worrell
Robert Gordon
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This is the fourth and final installment on the history of how Jefferson Genealogical Society began.
Again, many thanks to Alice Mire, Lorraine Cantin, Cheryl Curole, and Michele Lehmann for their
valuable help with information for this series.
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Volume XXX Issue 1
Feb. 1, 2015
Ellis Island Isn’t to Blame for Your Family’s Name Change
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A long-standing myth obscures the truth behind the Americanization of some
European names
You know that old story about how immigrants, fresh off the boat from their native countries and
crossing through Ellis Island, had their names changed by xenophobic immigration officers in order to
sound more American? Turns out, it isn’t true.
Though the myth persists, workers at what was once America’s largest and busiest immigration hub
had nothing to do with the names people assumed once they reached the states.
As Arika Okrent over at Mental Floss writes, “No names were changed at Ellis Island because no
names were taken at Ellis Island.” Instead, inspectors only checked the people passing through the
island against the records of the ship on which they were said to arrive. If the name was misspelled, it
was done so on the ship’s manifest documents when a person bought their ticket in Europe. (Some
immigration clerks on Ellis Island even helped correct these mistakes.) Regardless, these
spellings didn’t typically follow people to their new lives in America. (http://mentalfloss.com/article/
60955/why-your-family-name-did-not-come-mistake-ellis-island).
The real culprits of migration-related name changes are likely to be the immigrants themselves, says
Philip Sutton at the New York Public Library (http://www.nypl.org/blog/2013/07/02/name-changesellis-island). Faced with the task of adapting to a new country and culture, many chose on their own to
alter their surname. In other cases, immigrants used nicknames given to them by their new neighbors
or friends when filling out applications for naturalization. Either way, that island on the Hudson River
had little to do with it.
Now you have one more thing to blame on Great-Grandpa.
Adapted from an article by Laura Clark, published in Smithsonian.com.
Laura Clark is a writer and editor based in Pittsburgh. She's a blogger with Smart News and a senior
editor at Pitt magazine.
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Volume XXX Issue 1
Feb. 1, 2015
Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness appears to be back online.
The original Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK) website was created by Bridgett and
Doc Schneider. More than 4,000 volunteers in every US state and many international locations used
the site to help other genealogists. The volunteers agreed to do at least one free genealogy research
task per month in their local area as an Act of Kindness. The RAOGK volunteers agreed not to charge
for their research time; however, researchers were required to reimburse the volunteer for expenses
incurred in fulfilling the research request (e.g., copies, printing fees, postage, film or video tape,
parking fees, gasoline, etc.).
The original Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK) website was in operation for more
than a decade, benefitting thousands of genealogists. In mid-October, 2011, Bridgett Schneider sent an
email message to all registered users stating that major problems had developed with the site’s hard
drive plus the overall health of the administrator was not favorable and the site soon went offline.
Sadly, Bridgett Schneider passed away Nov. 12, 2011. The site never came back online - until now.
The http://www.raogk.org web site now states, “RAOGK is a global volunteer organization. At one
time we had over 4000 volunteers in every U.S. state and many international locations, and helped
thousands of researchers. We are trying to rebuild the RAOGK site. It will take a little more time to
get it back to its former glory. Our volunteers take time to do everything from looking up courthouse
records to taking pictures of tombstones. All they ask in return is reimbursement for their expenses
(never their time) and a ‘thank you’.”
It’s great to see http://raogk.org back online. I strongly urge all genealogists to check it out and also to
volunteer your efforts to help others. In the long term, you will benefit also. You may be able to assist
other members of JGS and they may be able to help you out.
Adapted from Dick Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter
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IN MEMORIAM
Dwight C. Duplessis passed away on December 5, 2014. He has played a major part in the founding
and success of the Jefferson Genealogical Society. Dwight was one of the
charter members of the Society and joined the Society in 1984. He served as a
Board Member at Large from 1991 to 1994, as Vice President and Program
Chair from 1995 to 1996, as Librarian from 1986 to 2005 and President from
1997 to 2004. In 2005 he received the President’s Award for his contributions
to JGS. Because of health problems, he was unable to continue his close
association with JGS. Dwight has been missed for his genealogy expertise over
the last years in the Special Collections at East Bank Regional Library.
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Volume XXX Issue 1
Feb. 1, 2015
IN MEMORIAM
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Robert C. Gordon passed away on January 1, 2015. He was a member of the
Jefferson Genealogical Society since 1990. Bob served as the Computer Special
Interest Group Chair from 1990 to 2005 when the group was suspended, as
President from 1992 to 1996, as Handout Chair from 2013 to 2014, as Program
Chair for 2014 and on the Bylaws committee in 2004 and 2014. In 2014 he
received the President’s Award for his contributions to JGS. He has been a large
part of JGS until about six months ago when health problems kept him away from
our meetings.
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GENEALOGY ROADSHOW - FUTURE EPISODES
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Future episodes will include the following dates and places:
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New Orleans, on February 3 at the Board of Trade. A local man will seek to recover essential history
that was washed away during Hurricane Katrina; a woman discovers she has links to both sides of the
Civil War; another unravels the mystery behind her grandfather’s adoption; and another man explores
a link to the famous New Orleans Voodoo Queen, Marie Laveau.
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On February 10, in St. Louis’ Union Station, a musician hopes to find connections to a famous St.
Louis jazz composer; two sisters will explore links to a survivor of the legendary Donner party; an
Italian-American woman will find out if she is related to Italian royalty; and a schoolteacher who has
all the answers for her students has very few about her own past.
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The February 17 episode will again be set in Philadelphia at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
One woman’s ancestor may have sparked historic labor laws; a pastor may have an outlaw in her
family tree; a woman learns about slave genealogy and, with the help of DNA testing, gets the answer
she has waited for; and another woman learns her ancestor may have helped others escape the
Holocaust.
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The Best of Genealogy Roadshow will air on February 24.It will feature an array of the most
intriguing stories from both seasons of the series. From immigrant voyages and famous ancestors to
murder mysteries and family connections, the episode will revisit the journeys in cities across the
country as people uncover their family histories.
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Volume XXX Issue 1
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Feb. 1, 2015
SEARCHABLE LOUISIANA WEBSITES OF INTEREST
Louisiana Biography and Obituary Index (http://neworleanspubliclibrary.org/obits/obits.htm)
This is a digitized version of a card file with more than 650,000 names at the New Orleans Public
Library. This database indexes obituaries and death notices published in New Orleans newspapers
from 1804 to 1972 and individuals’ information published in Louisiana biographical collections. You
can obtain copies of items you find in the index for just $2.
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Louisiana State Archives (http://www.sos.la.gov/HistoricalResources/Pages/default.aspx). Click on
Research Historical Records, then Locate Historical Records to search a vital records index covering
death records (mostly 1911-1962) and Orleans Parish births (mostly 1819-1912) and marriages
(1870-1962). Other online databases cover passenger lists from 1851 and Confederate pension
applications.
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MEETING OF THE JGS IRISH SIG
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The Irish SIG is going to have a meeting on Thursday, February 26, 2015 at 7pm at the
home of Michele Lehmann, 4524 Carthage St., Metairie, phone 889-0033.
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REMINDER!
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PLEASE
RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP
BEFORE JANUARY 31, 2015
IN ORDER TO RECEIVE FULL
JGS MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS!
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JGS
!The JeffersonDisclaimer
Genealogical
Society is a non-profit group. The opinions expressed in this
newsletter are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily
reflect those of the Jefferson
Genealogical Society, its
members or its officers.The
Society does not verify for
accuracy the articles in this
newsletter and leaves
verification of accuracy to its
readers.Articles in this
newsletter may be duplicated
provided that credit is given to
the author(s) and theJefferson
Genealogical Society.
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Volume XXX Issue 1
Feb. 1, 2015
JGS MEETING & MEMBERSHIP NOTICE
!The Jefferson Genealogical
Society regular meetings are held
on the second Thursday of
every month at 7:00 p.m. at
JOHN CALVIN
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Fellowship Hall, 4201
Transcontinental Drive, Metairie,
LA, 70006.
(No smoking, please.)
First time new member dues are
$25.00 per person, $30.00 per
family living in the same
household. Annual renewal dues
are $15.00 per person, $20.00
per family at the same address
payable by January 31st.
The Jefferson Genealogical
Society Newsletter is mailed by
the first Thursday of February,
May, August &
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!EDITOR’S NOTE:
!The newsletter is published Feb.,May, Aug., and
Nov. Submissions must be received by the 15th of
the month preceding publication to be considered for
inclusion. Please send any information to
[email protected] with the words “JGS
Newsletter” in the subject line, or hand me a copy of
your submission at the next meeting.
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Peggy Rooney
JGS OUTREACH
If you know of a JGS member having
surgery, in the hospital, suffering the loss
of a loved one or who has passed away,
please contact Shirley Lynch at
[email protected] or
504-455-1720.
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JGS
November.Copies are mailed or
emailed to all CURRENT
members.
Groups wishing to exchange
newsletters should contact us at
JGS, P.O. Box 961, Metairie,
LA 70004-0961 or
[email protected].
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Digitizing of Old European
Newspapers!
The European Library (http://
www.theeuropeanlibrary.org) has digitized old
newspapers, as well as indexing and making
them available to the general public at no
charge. The newspapers come from the national
libraries of: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia,
the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France,
Iceland, Latvia, Luxembourg, The Netherlands,
Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, and Wales. Germany’s
contributions came from the Berlin and
Hamburg State Libraries.!
The pages from the newspapers can be browsed
by date, by country, and by newspaper title.
They can also be searched by word. A search
for a common name will yield too many results,
but if you have an ancestor with an oddly
spelled name or slightly unusual name, you
have a chance of finding him or her.
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Volume XXX Issue 1
Feb. 1, 2015
JEFFERSON GENEALOGICAL
SOCIETY
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Post Office Box 961
Metairie, Louisiana 70004-0961
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ISSN 1045-720X
VISIT OUR WEBSITE:
WWW.JGS25.COM
E-mail genealogical queries &
membership questions to
[email protected]
Send e-mail address
corrections to Audrey Borde
[email protected]
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OFFICERS and
BOARD MEMBERS
President
Michele Lehmann
V. President Glenda H. Bonneval
Secretary
Paulette K. Mauterer
Treasurer
Audrey Borde
Past President Barbara DeSoto
Board
Cheryl L. Curole (2014-2015)
Board
Gerald Schroeder Jr (2015-2016)
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SPECIAL INTEREST
GROUPS (SIGS)
Irish SIG
Ruth Larkin
German SIG
Earl SundmakerSaintDomingue SIG
Augusta Elmwood
JGS
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COMMITTEE
CHAIRPERSONS
Field Trip
Barbara DeSoto
Historian
Pam Worrel
Library
Ruth Larkin
Membership Audrey Borde
Newsletter
Peggy Rooney
Outreach
Shirley Lynch
Program
Michele Lehmann
Publications Michele Lehmann
Publicity
Fred Wilbert
Telephone
Paulette Mauterer
Webmaster
Frank M. Bordelon
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