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Census Records for Ohio Available for Free October 31, 2008 in FamilySearch, Ohio, genealogy | Tags: genealogy, truth about enzyteOhio, FamilySearch, census | No comments The good folks at FamilySearch announced today that they have added more indexes to their online census collections. Among the good news for Ohio researchers is that Ohio is now included in the 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880 and 1900 indexes. Digital images are linked to the index, so you can see the images online for free from the comfort of your own home! Go to http://pilot.familysearch.org and click on North America on the map to see a full list of all the collections they have online. You can then click on any of those links to get more information about a specific collection or to search. October 30, 2008 in Government, Ohio, Ohio Historical Society, records access | Tags: funding, Government, Ohio, Ohio Historical Society, records access | No comments The Columbus Dispatch today has a story (front page of the local section, above the fold) about yet more cuts at the Ohio Historical Society. “The latest round of budget reductions ordered by Gov. Ted Strickland to make up a $1.2 billion state budget shortfall resulted in the loss of $1.2 million for the society. In the past seven years, the agency has lost 40 percent of its state funding. [the emphasis is mine -- ajc] “In response, the society announced yesterday that from March 28 to April 3 next year it will close all its sites and furlough employees.” Don’t misunderstand — I’m not upset with OHS. They can only work with what they’ve got. The whole situation is a pathetic, sickening state of affairs. Artifacts and records are deteriorating. They’re down to 1/2 of 1 full-time equivalent to keep track of incoming records. Bill Laidlaw, OHS executive director and chief executive officer, estimates that they’ve lost “about a decade’s worth of agency records.” (Keep in mind that OHS serves at the State Archives for Ohio.) You can read the entire article at: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/10/30/HISTORICAL_CUTS.ART_ART_10-30-08_B1_HEBO9BB.html?sid=101 If that link doesn’t work, try http://tinyurl.com/5zsw37 October 29, 2008 in Michigan, Ohio, cemeteries, tombstone Tuesday | Tags: cemeteries, cenotaphs, Michigan, Ohio, tombstone Tuesday | 3 comments [Even though it is Wednesday where I am, I'm still calling it "Tombstone Tuesday." Hey, it's still Tuesday somewhere in the world!] Question: When is a tombstone not a tombstone? Answer: When it’s a cenotaph. A cenotaph (literally “empty tomb”) is a memorial for someone who is not buried at that place, either because they are buried someplace else or the body could not be recovered. Sometimes the marker will give you a clue that it is a cenotaph rather than a tombstone. George Kruskie, Holy Cross Cemetery, Cross Village Township, Emmet County, Michigan. Photo taken by Amy Crow, all rights reserved. The phrase “Lost on Ice” on this marker in Holy Cross Cemetery in Emmet County, Michigan is a clue that George Kruskie is not actually buried here, but rather was lost. The area is on the shores of Lake Michigan and near the Straits of Mackinac. A search for newspaper articles might confirm my hypothesis that he fell through the ice and his body was never recovered. Dorothy Beetham, Union Cemetery, Columbus, Ohio. Photo by Amy Johnson Crow, 2008. All rights reserved. The marker shown above is the first one I have seen that actually notes that it is a cenotaph. It isn’t clear whether it is a cenotaph just for Dorothy Beetham or for all three people listed on the stone. A check with the office at Union Cemetery in Columbus, obituaries, and death certificates would clear up the situation. October 21, 2008 in blogs and blogging, cemeteries | Tags: cemeteries, Graveyard Rabbit | 3 comments Graphic by footnoteMaven Terry Thornton of Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi has started a new blogging project: the Association of Graveyard Rabbits. The purpose is to highlight tombstones, cemeteries, burial practices, etc. in specific geographic regions. This seemed like a natural fit to me, considering my fascination with cemeteries. Graveyard Rabbit blogs are supposed to limit themselves to the topic at hand: cemeteries in the area the blog covers. Since Amy’s Genealogy, etc. Blog covers more than just cemeteries, I have started a new blog called Graveyard Rabbit of Central Ohio: http://graveyardrabbitofcentralohio.wordpress.com. I will still have Tombstone Tuesday here. (They will also be mirrored on my GYR blog.) I haven’t quite decided what to do about other cemetery posts. Obviously, the cemeteries and tombstones outside of central Ohio will stay here. The central Ohio ones will probably appear on both sites. (Just thinking out loud here. If you have any comments or suggestions, let me know!) October 21, 2008 in Ohio, cemeteries, genealogy, history, tombstone Tuesday | Tags: cemeteries, Green Lawn Cemetery, Ohio, tombstone Tuesday | No comments Capt. Daniel S. Lewis, Green Lawn Cemetery, Columbus. Photograph taken by Amy Crow, August 8, 2008. All rights reserved. This impressive monument is in Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus. The imagery on the stone immediately tell you it is the grave of a firefighter — the hydrant with the hose that outlines the stone, a helmet, a ladder, an axe, and a lantern. The inscription reads:
In Memory Of Capt. Daniel S. Lewis Born May 15, 1854 Entered the Service Oct. 18, 1881 Gave his life to the city April 26, 1903 Lewis, captain of Engine Company No. 11, was killed fighting a fire in the Brunson and Union Company buildings at the corner of Long Street and High Street in downtown Columbus. According to a newspaper account, he was killed when a wall collapsed and fell on him. “His body was cremated in the ruins.” “The fire was attended by many exciting incidents, the most thrilling being the rescue of Philip Nation, a grocer, from his apartments on the fourth floor of the Brunson Building where he had been hemmed in by flames. The fire started in the Brunson Building and its progress was fanned by a brisk wind from the north. This building was occupied on the ground floor by the Walkover Shoe Company, Tallmadge Hardware Company, and Bott Brothers’ saloon. The upper floors were occupied mainly as living apartments, the exceptions being the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union rest room and the art studios of Maurice Hague and H. P. Hayden. “Smoke was first seen issuing from the basement under the saloon. The fire smoldered for half an hour and the firemen thought they had it under control, when the flames suddenly burst from an upper story” Source: The New York Times, April 27, 1903, p. 1. Available online at http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=940DE5DD1F30E733A25754C2A9629C946297D6CF October 19, 2008 in Genea-Bloggers, blogs and blogging | Tags: geneabloggers | 4 comments Kathryn Lake Hogan issued a challenge to Genea-Bloggers to comment on 10 blogs in 1 week. I have to say that it was a rather enjoyable challenge. I returned to some blogs that I had not visited for awhile and saw some blogs that were brand-new to me. It reminds me that I need to surf more often! Here are the blogs I commented on, in no particular order: October 18, 2008 in Newark Earthworks, Ohio, history | Tags: history, Newark Earthworks, Ohio | 1 comment Sunday, October 19 from 1:00-5:00 is Open House at the Octagon at the Newark Earthworks. This is one of only four (count ‘em: four) days per year when the public has full access to these incredible structures. The golfers will not be on the course, so no need to listen for calls of “Fore!” The weather should be great, so come on out and see this fantastic monument and observatory built by the Hopewell culture. 5×5 October 17, 2008 in Genea-Bloggers, blogs and blogging | 1 comment I’ve been tagged by Janet the Researcher and Kimberly Powell at Genealogy.About.com in the “5×5″ meme. This could be fun. 10 Years Ago, I… 5 Things on Today’s To-do List 5 Snacks I Enjoy 5 Places I Have Lived 5 Jobs I Have Had October 17, 2008 in blogs and blogging, tombstone Tuesday | Tags: blogs and blogging, tombstone Tuesday | 6 comments George Blount, Green Lawn Cemetery, Columbus, Ohio Back in June when I started Tombstone Tuesday, I had no idea that anyone else would pick up on the idea. Several bloggers have and I am amazed and flattered! These bloggers are also doing their own Tombstone Tuesdays: October 17, 2008 in Musings | No comments I love music — all kinds of music. I’m also a big fan of mnemonic devices. (Any one remember Roy G. Biv?) So when I heard this report on the news this morning, I had to smile. Researchers at the University of Illinois knew that people doing CPR commonly do the chest compressions too slowly. The ideal rate is 100 compressions per minute. It turns out that the Bee Gees’ hit “Stayin’ Alive” is 103 beats per minute — and doctors and students who heard the song did the compressions at the correct rate. It’s an easy song to remember and the title fits the situation, so perhaps this will be a good musical mnemonic device. I do see one drawback. What if you panic and use the wrong Bee Gees song? “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” really wouldn’t work out. (I realize this has nothing to do with genealogy or history. This falls under the “whatever else crosses my mind” category ) |