Welcome to the 82nd Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy - Breaking Into Society.
It's probably obvious that
my favorite society is the
California Genealogical Society and Library in Oakland, California. I've been blogging here since November 2007 so it's about time for me to host an edition of the carnival.
Special thanks and acknowledgment to Jasia of
Creative Gene for allowing me to use this edition of the COG to introduce a new carnival devoted exclusively to genealogical (and historical) societies which will start in January 2010.
More and more societies are starting blogs (
Genealogy Blog Finder lists 77) and a carnival will be a great way for societies to share ideas and participate in some theme blogging. It's often difficult for society bloggers to join in the carnival fun - topics such as "ponies" or "bathing suit" aren't really society material!
I invite any suggestions about the new venture. Please feel free to
email me or leave a comment below.
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Apple hasn't had much success with her local society so she's considering branching out. She cites her recent experiences and tells all in
Apple's Tree: Society Gal? posted at
Apple's Tree.
John Gasson thinks much of his research would still be "struggling to get off the ground" without the resources of his local group. Read
Why I couldn't live without the Sussex Family History Group at
The Wandering Genealogist.
Greta Koehl of
Greta's Genealogy Bog proclaims "The Fairfax Genealogical Society is one of the outstanding local genealogical societies in the United States – great both for newbies and for experienced and professional genealogists. It has played a major role in my genealogical education." Read why in
My Favorite Genealogical Society.
Miriam Robbins Midkiff's started blogging for her favorite
Eastern Washington Genealogical Society in July 2007. Since she has no ancestors from Eastern Washington,
My Favorite Genealogical Society at
AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors tells why a local society can have advantages over the ones in your ancestral locations.
Thomas MacEntee declares (as only Thomas can) "Just like Lays potato chips, with genealogical societies, you can't have just one!" I do believe he takes the prize for most society memberships. Tally them up at
Destination: Austin Family: My Favorite Genealogical Society - Must There Be Just One?
GrannyPam says she doesn't consider herself to be a "joiner." Actions speak louder than words and Pam has shared plenty of both over the threatened closure of the
Library of Michigan at
Granny's Genealogy. See why she is active in her local society at
What?s Your Favorite Genealogy Society?
Jessica Oswalt shares her reasons for
not being a member of a genealogy society in
Genealogy Societies - My Thoughts at
Jessica's Genejournal. Elyse has a suggestion (below) that may fit the bill for Jessica!
Donna Pointkouski is another member of the Polish Genealogical Society of America and notes that this edition of the CoG coincides with
Polish-American Heritage Month. Donna tells why she has held membership for almost twenty years in
High on Societies: Genealogical Societies! posted at
What's Past is Prologue.
Randy Seaver has been blogging the
Chula Vista Genealogy Café since April 2007. He has lots to say on his favorite topic in
Genealogical Societies - Socialization Networks posted at
Genea-Musings.
For Susan C Pentico, "Sharing is what makes societies so special." Read her thoughts
Favorite Genealogical Society's Winning Praise posted at
Susi's Chatty Performances on Genealogy.
Bill West has let his society membership lapse (horrors!). He explains in
WHY I'M NOT IN A GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY posted at
West in New England.
Sheri Fenley is an active member of several organizations. It's not surprising that
The Educated Genealogist lists "journals" and "educational opportunities" among her reasons for societal membership. She also discusses "schmoozing" in her post
Genealogical and Historical Society Membership.
Twice this
summer Elyse Doerflinger of
Elyse's Genealogy Blog gave some great advice to genealogical societies. Now she is back with more wisdom beyond her years with
COG 82: A Youngster's View of Genealogy Societies.
Elizabeth O'Neal of
Little Bytes of Life calls herself
A Genealogical Joiner and shares more of her quest to join a local society.
And last, but by no means least, the
footnoteMaven submitted
A Member of Society. fM provides a definition and some self-analysis. With the latter, my dear fM, I respectfully disagree!
Addendum! A late entry has been added from M. Diane Rogers at
CanadaGenealogy, or, 'Jane's Your Aunt'. In
Why I Belong Diane dons her red hat (which one are you?) and answers a pertinent question "Why should I visit a genealogical society library when there are plenty of libraries around?"
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That concludes this edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.
Call for Submissions!
The topic for the next edition of the Carnival
of Genealogy will be:
Musical Instruments! Do you play a musical instrument or did one of your family members? What instrument did you or they play? If no one in the family played an instrument, tell what is your favorite instrument or band and what is your least favorite one. The deadline for submissions is November 1st. This edition of the COG will be guest hosted by Janet Iles who authors the blog,
Janet the Researcher.
Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using the
carnival submission form. Please use a descriptive phrase in the title of any articles you plan to submit and/or write a brief description/introduction to your articles in the "comment" box of the blog carnival submission form. This will give readers an idea of what you've written about and hopefully interest them in clicking on your link.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on the
blog carnival index page.
