Category Archives: Alabama

Alabama Genealogical Society Spring Seminar, Saturday, April 16, 2011

The Alabama Genealogical Society Spring Seminar: Sat. 16 Apr 2011, 8:30 A.M.- 3 P.M. will be at Samford University in Birmingham, AL. Dr. Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D, CG, CGL will lecture on “Disappearing Ancestors.”

Topics for the seminar will be: 1) Solving the Mystery of the Disappearing Ancestor, 2) Five Ways to Prove Who Your Ancestor Was, 3) Going Beyond the Bare Bones: Reconstructing Your Ancestor’s Lives, 4) Finding Unfindable Ancestors.

Fees: $40.00 for non-members and $35.00 for members. Lunch is on your own at the Samford University lunchroom or the food court in the same building.

For additional information please go to http://www.algensoc.org/main/seminars.html or e-mail Yvonne Crumpler at ycrump@bellsouth.net

February 05, 2011 – Old Federal Road Seminar sponsored by Monroe County Heritage Museum

Received via e-mail from the Monroe County Heritage Museum:

Date: February 05, 2011
Event: Old Federal Road Seminar sponsored by Monroe County Heritage Museum
Location: Old Monroe County Courthouse Courtroom in Monroeville , AL on the square

Please join us on Saturday, February 5th for the 10th annual workshop on history and genealogy beginning in the courtroom of the Old Monroe County Courthouse.

SCHEDULE:

0800 a.m. –coffee, sign in roster and late registration, presenters get set up.

0830 a.m. – presentation of overview of activities for the day and introduction of all attendees and presenters.

0900 – 1200 – presentations will relate to researching settlers along the old Federal Road :

Gregory A. Waselkov, Professor of Anthropology, Director, Center for Archaeological Studies, University of South Alabama in Mobile : will discuss his current research on the old federal road and important historical sites related to this pioneer route through Southwest Alabama .

Elizabeth C. Wells , Special Collection Librarian, Samford University Library, Birmingham : will discuss sources to find the people: documenting Alabama ’s diverse settlement by Europeans and Native Americans using land, military, church, census and government records from territorial days to antebellum state status.

Craig Remington : Director of the Cartography Lab, Department of Geography, University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa : will present and display copies of early maps of Alabama , including parts of the old federal road, and early Claiborne and discuss them with us. He will also discuss the large collection of maps he was assembled and his production of the Alabama Historic Atlas series he has produced and is maintaining.

1200 noon, will carpool from the old Monroe County Courthouse via U.S.Highway 84 west to Perdue Hill to the old Masonic Lodge. Box lunches will be served there to all who have pre-registered. Following lunch, we will have time to tour the Masonic Lodge and the William Barrett Travis home nearby.

0100 p.m. If weather conditions are tolerable, we expect to drive to a nearby site in the vicinity of Claiborne to view an archaeological site evaluation by Dr. Waselkov and his students. If weather is unfavorable, we have alternate plans for a PowerPoint projection program on the War of 1812 at the Masonic Lodge, followed by a panel discussion by the presenters of the topics covered.

0300 p.m. workshop will end.

REGISTRATION: contact the Monroe County Heritage Museum (mchm@frontiernet.net) or phone: 251/575-7433 to pre-register. Workshop fee is $30.00 which includes a box lunch. Call the museum if you have any questions.

Please help us publicize this informative and enjoyable workshop by sharing this information. Thanks, we look forward to seeing you.

ADAH ARCHITREATS — January 20, 2011 — THE ROAD TO WAR: JANUARY – APRIL 1861

News Release
ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY

ArchiTreats: Food for Thought begins another year of informative talks on Alabama History at the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Join us at noon on Thursday, January 20, 2011 as Robert B. Bradley presents The Road To War: January – April 1861. This presentation is in conjunction with the Becoming Alabama statewide initiative.

The Road to War will examine the period from January 11, 1861, when Alabama became the fourth state to secede from the Union, until April 12, 1861 when the firing on Ft. Sumter, in Charleston, South Carolina, inaugurated the Civil War. During this period the Confederate States of America was formed with Montgomery as its capital and Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as the 16th President of the United States. The most pressing issue inherited by the opposing powers was the Federal occupation of two forts: one on the Atlantic, the other on the Gulf of Mexico. The program will examine how the stubborn defiance of two US Army officers who refused to surrender their commands led to the flash point that would ignite a horrible and costly war.

Robert (Bob) Bradley is currently the Chief Curator at the Alabama Department of Archives and History. From 1974-1986, he was a historian with the National Park Service, specializing in the management, preservation, and interpretation of 18th -to mid 20th-century fortifications and military sites. Of his several assignments, his position as Chief Historian at Fort Sumter National Monument in Charleston, South Carolina was his favorite. From 1986-1988, Bradley was Historic Sites Administrator for the Alabama Historical Commission. Since coming to the Archives in 1988 he has been responsible for the preservation, documentation, and conservation of the Department’s collection of nearly a half-million artifacts. He is the author of Documenting the Civil War Period Flag Collection at the Alabama Department of Archives and History, which is available on the Department’s web-site, and he has contributed to a wide variety of Civil War publications. He is also very active in Civil War battlefield preservation.

This ArchiTreats presentation is made possible by the Friends of the Alabama Archives and a grant from the Alabama Humanities Foundation, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The public is invited to bring a sack lunch and enjoy a bit of Alabama history. Coffee and tea will be provided by the Friends of the Alabama Archives. For more information, call (334) 353-4712.

http://www.archives.alabama.gov

BGS Meeting — January 22, 2011 — Rammed Earth Houses: An American Vision in the New Deal

The Birmingham Genealogical Society meets the fourth Saturday of each month (ex. Nov. & Dec.) at the Downtown Birmingham Public Library. Guests are always welcome!

Next meeting: Saturday, January 22nd at 2 p.m.; Meet & Greet at 1:30 p.m.

Meeting Room: Story Castle on the 2nd Floor

Speaker: Beth Hunter, Graduate Student, UAB

Program Topic: Rammed Earth Houses: An American Vision in the New Deal

This presentation will highlight the Rammed Earth Houses in the Gardendale/Mt. Olive colony. These seven houses are unique in that they are the only such houses built by the government during the New Deal. A brief overview of the colony, colony life and the societal roles men and women played in the colony will be presented. Slides will include the making of a Rammed Earth House and current photos of the houses. Mrs. Hunter will bring a scrapbook of articles for your perusal after her presentation.

Note:  This program was originally scheduled for June 2010, but had to be canceled.  Please join us to hear more about Gardendale’s Rammed Earth Houses.

From ADAH: Last Call for HRAB REgrant Applications for 2010!

Received the following via e-mail this week from the Alabama Department of Archives and History:

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Last Call for HRAB REgrant Applications for 2010!

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The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) has awarded $50,000 to the Alabama Historical Records Advisory Board (HRAB) to distribute for regrants to local governments and local historical repositories for records preservation projects. This program will be administered by Government Records Division archivists of the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH). The deadline for applying is October 1, 2010.


Who is eligible for a local records preservation grant?
Any county or municipal government agency (including public libraries), non-profit historical entity (historical or genealogical societies, non-government archives and museums) or circuit court may apply for an award. The HRAB especially encourages cooperative projects between government agencies and non-profit entities to preserve a community’s records.


How do I apply?
Review the grant program guidelines and grant application form on the HRAB website at: http:// www.archives.alabama.gov/hrb/. Then complete an application form and submit it to the HRAB by October 1, 2010. HRAB staff will review draft applications for prospective applicants through September 17, 2010.


What kinds of projects can be funded?

With only $50,000 to allocate statewide, grant projects must be relatively small and inexpensive. Last year, the board set a $3,000 limit on awards. Examples of eligible projects might include:

Hiring an archival or records management consultant
Conducting a records inventory and improving storage space
Cataloging, indexing, or preparing finding aids for historical records
Undertaking limited records conservation or reformatting projects

What are the project requirements?
Each applicant must be prepared to provide a 50% cost share of the total project budget.
Funded project staff will attend an archival training workshop before starting project work.
Awards will be announced on December 1, 2010. Grant projects will begin in January 2011 and should be completed by September 30, 2011.

Interested in hosting/attending a regrant writing workshop?

Let us know by contacting Tom Turley (334-353-4607; Tom.Turley@archives.alabama.gov) or Tracey Berezansky (334-353-4604; Tracey.Berezansky@archives. alabama.gov) at ADAH.

BGS Meeting — June 26, 2010 — Rammed Earth Houses: An American Vision in the New Deal

The Birmingham Genealogical Society meets the fourth Saturday of each month (ex. Nov. & Dec.) at the Downtown Birmingham Public Library. Guests are always welcome!

Next meeting: Saturday, June 26th at 2 p.m.; Refreshments at 1:30 p.m.

Meeting Room: Story Castle on the 2nd Floor

Speaker: Beth Hunter, Graduate Student, UAB

Program Topic: Rammed Earth Houses: An American Vision in the New Deal

This presentation will highlight the Rammed Earth Houses in the Gardendale/Mt. Olive colony. These seven houses are unique in that they are the only such houses built by the government during the New Deal. A brief overview of the colony, colony life and the societal roles men and women played in the colony will be presented. Slides will include the making of a Rammed Earth House and current photos of the houses. Mrs. Hunter will bring a scrapbook of articles for your perusal after her presentation.