Category Archives: BGS News

BGS “Lock-In” at BPL Southern History, Friday, September 20th

The Birmingham Genealogical Society  is sponsoring a “Lock-In” at the Birmingham Public Library Southern History Department.

Date:  Friday, September 20th, 2013 from 6pm to 10pm

Location: BPL Southern History Department

Have you been wishing you had “just a little more time” at the library? Or maybe you need some help learning how to use the library’s fabulous collection and research tools and don’t know who to ask?  Please join us Friday, September 20th for some fellowship and research assistance! We will have the Research library to ourselves!!  (Library closes at 6pm on Friday’s.)

There is a limit of 50 registrations.  Food and drinks will be provided. The cost is $5 for members/$15 for non-members.  Please complete the registration form attached and mail to the address below.  You can also register in person at the BGS General Meetings on July 27th and August 17th.

BGS Lock In Registration form Sept 2013

Send registration and payment (checks payable to BGS) to:
Suzanna Rawlins, President, BGS
108 Willow Creek South Lane
Alabaster, AL 35007
Questions? Email: shareyourstory@earthlink.net

BGS Sponsoring “Lock-In” at BPL Southern History, Friday, June 28th

The Birmingham Genealogical Society  is sponsoring a “Lock-In” at the Birmingham Public Library Southern History Department.

Date:  Friday, June 28, 2013 from 6pm to 10pm

Location: BPL Southern History Department

Have you been wishing you had “just a little more time” at the library? Or maybe you need some help learning how to use the library’s fabulous collection and research tools and don’t know who to ask?  Please join us Friday, June 28th for some fellowship and research assistance! We will have the Research library to ourselves!!  (Library closes at 6pm on Friday’s.)

There is a limit of 50 registrations.  Food and drinks will be provided. The cost is $5 for members/$15 for non-members.  Please complete the registration form attached.  Last day for mail applications is June 21. You can also register in person at the BGS General Meeting on June 22, 2013.

BGS Lock In Registration Form

Send registration and payment (checks payable to BGS) to:
Suzanna Rawlins President, BGS
108 Willow Creek South Lane
Alabaster, AL 35007
Questions? Email: shareyourstory@earthlink.net

Let me introduce our BGS Officers for 2013

Officers:

President Suzanna Rawlins
1st Vice President (Programs) Mary Taylor
2nd Vice President (Membership) Patricia Crim Dietlein
Treasurer Yvonne Brakefield
Recording Secretary Jyl Hardy
Corresponding Secretary Jyl Hardy
Chaplain Earl Massey
Historian Carl Dykes
Curator Yvonne Crumpler
Parliamentarian Gary Gerlach
Website/Social Media Melissa Hogan
Publicity A. C. Burttram, Jr.
Pioneer Trails/BGS Newsletter Editor Scott Martin

Board of Directors:

2013    Barbara Smith
2013    Gail Pugh
2014    David Hamilton
2014    Carol Massey
2015    Scott Martin
2015    Scott Hogan

In Memoriam ~ Billy Thomas Gamble ~ Update

Billy Gamble (center) greeting Birmingham’s final Honor Flight, June 2012
Photo from the Birmingham News, al.com

Article accompanying above photo can be found online here.

Mr. Billy Thomas Gamble passed away Friday, August 24, 2012. His obituary is in the Sunday edition (26 August 2012) of the Birmingham News.   Mr. Gamble and his wife, Stella, have been long-time active members of BGS.  Mr. Gamble was a veteran of World War II and had the opportunity to participate in an “Honor Flight” to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. in 2008.  Services will be held Monday the 27th at Currie-Jefferson Funeral Home in Hoover with burial in the Alabama National Cemetery in Montevallo following.

Obituary

Share Remembrances & Sign Guestbook

In Memoriam ~ Billy Thomas Gamble

Mr. Billy Thomas Gamble passed away Friday, August 24, 2012. His obituary is in the Sunday edition (26 August 2012) of the Birmingham News.   Mr. Gamble and his wife, Stella, have been long-time active members of BGS.  Mr. Gamble was a veteran of World War II and had the opportunity to participate in an “Honor Flight” to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. in 2008.  Services will be held Monday the 27th at Currie-Jefferson Funeral Home in Hoover with burial in the Alabama National Cemetery in Montevallo following.

Obituary

Share Remembrances & Sign Guestbook

1940 U.S. Census Community Project Complete!!

Our friends at FamilySearch announced last night that the indexing and arbitration of the 1940 U.S. Census is now complete!  It will take a few weeks for all the remaining states to come online, but when it is done we will have (2) independent indexes for the 1940 Census– Ancestry.com and the Familysearch.org (shared by many other sites).  (Maybe when the all states come online from the FamilySearch indexing project  I will finally find my grandfather’s brothers!)

Don’t despair if you are sad that there are no records to index.  Familysearch.org is starting another “Community Project” — the US Immigration & Naturalization Community Project. This project will index passenger lists from all the major US ports, so there will be something in this project for everyone. Just look for the “US (Community Project)” label on all record sets belonging to this new project.

Read the full news release here from FamilySearch.org.

I would personally like to say “THANK YOU” to all the contributors who supported the Birmingham Genealogical Society in the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project.  I hope we can continue to index as a group supporting the other “Community Projects.”  I will post the “final” statistics of the records indexed and arbitrated for the group during the 1940 Census project later on the BGS Facebook page.  If you would like to join the group and index other Community Projects, you can find details on how to join and get started here.

BGS Participating in the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project

BGS has joined forces with genealogy societies and organizations around the country as part of the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project. The initiative aims to publish a free, online searchable name index of the 1940 U.S. Federal Census.   This online index will be free forever, offering family history researchers a rich genealogical data set for their ongoing use.

For complete details on how to participate and support BGS, see our 1940 U. S. Census Community Project page.

1893 Directory of Jefferson County Taxpayers

A report from a BGS member:

While researching at the W.S. Hoole Library, Special  Collections, at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, I found the Directory of Jefferson County tax payers, containing  names and post office addresses of all tax payers (resident and non-resident)  with values of real estate and personal property assessed to each, list of  county and precinct officers, names of teachers.

Call Number F332.J4  E44.  [Directory of Jefferson County tax payers, containing names and post  office addresses of all tax payers (resident and non-resident) with values of  real estate and personal property assessed to each, list of county and precinct  officers, names of teachers, etc. Compiled from the records of the county.   Birmingham, Ala., 1893.]


BGS Meeting — October 22, 2011 – 45th Annual October Family History Project Fair

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

Next meeting: Saturday, October 22nd at 2 p.m.; Refreshments at 1:30 p.m.

Program Topic: The 45th Annual October Family History Project Fair

Details: Contact us via email or BPL-Southern History Dept. at (205) 226-3665

It’s time for the 45th Annual October Family History Project Fair and you are invited! It’s time to plan for your exhibit – some ideas to consider for an exhibit are old family photos, clothing worn by an ancestor, family histories, articles owned by an ancestor or articles made by an ancestor. You may begin setting up your display at 1:00 p.m. You must be a BGS member to enter your project.  Think of the October Fair as a “Show & Tell” for genealogists.  Ribbons awarded to the 1st, 2nd & 3rd place winners. Silver bowl awarded to 1st place winner!

Also, if you do not plan to participate in the fair, your attendance is vital!  We will be presenting the nominations for the 2012 slate of officers.

We will also have a used book and magazine sale.

Note:  Please remember to bring a “dish” or drink for our refreshments table!