MICROFILM COLLECTION MAKES PLANTATION RECORDS AVAILABLE TO RESEARCHERS
(Please be aware this post was written in 2004 and published at that time in the Houston Chronicle (Houston, Texas) newspaper. Some of the news in this post, therefore, may not be current. Current and future posts on this blog may revisit and update news on this and other posts on this blog. If you have questions and/or suggestions, please send Mic a note using the comment page -Don’t forget to use the orange “subscribe” button to receive new posts-Thanks, Mic)
Records of Ante-Bellum Southern Plantations From the Revolution Through the Civil War is a massive research collection helpful to both genealogists and historians. The collection exists only in microfilm format and was created by University Publications of America, UPA, by microfilming plantation related manuscript collections held by different major research libraries throughout the United States.
The manuscripts selected for the collection usually consist of business, legal and/or personal and family papers. Documents found within those collections often include plantation record books, daybooks, journals, business and personal correspondence, property inventories, wills, estate papers, diaries, paintings and photographs. In some cases the collections include birth and death records of family members and/or their slaves.
To help researchers access the collection University of Virginia librarian Jean L. Cooper created A Genealogical Index to the Guides of the Microfilm Edition of Records of Ante-Bellum Southern Plantations from the Revolution Through the Civil War.
The index lists the plantation name, the city or county and state where the plantation was located, the surname of the family associated with the plantation and the location of the academic institution owning the manuscript collection. The index also lists the location by series and part within the microfilm collection.
The index is available in a paperback edition for $20.75 or in an electronic format for $5.95 from the publisher, 1st Books, at 1-888-280-7715 or from the 1st Books’ website at http://www.1stbooks.com/bookview/19606 .
Those wishing to view the actual microfilm collection should check with Houston area university libraries or inquire about interlibrary loan availability.
WILLIAMSON COUNTY SOCIETY HOSTS SEMINAR
Rhonda McClure of St. Cloud, Florida will be the featured speaker at the Williamson County Genealogical Society Annual Seminar. The seminar will be held Saturday March 13 at 9 A.M. at the First United Methodist Church, 1004 North Mays in Round Rock.
McClure is a nationally known speaker and author of numerous articles and several books including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Online Genealogy and The Genealogist’s Computer Companion. Her topics will include Combining the Internet with Traditional Research; New England Resources; Researching with Newspapers; and Getting the Most From Online Research
Admission to the seminar is $32 in advance, or, $35 at the door. Admission includes morning coffee and donuts and lunch. For more information contact Wanda Stewart at stewartsatrock@aol.com or 512-255-1039 or visit the society website at ~http://www.rootsweb.com/~txwcgs/Seminar.htm .
NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY CONFERENCE
The Friends of the Oklahoma Historical Society Archives will host their second Native American History and Genealogy Conference in Lawton, Oklahoma on Friday and Saturday March 12 and 13.
The conference will focus on the Southern Plains tribes and will feature sessions by seventeen noted historical and genealogical lecturers who specialize in Native American history and family history.
Topics will include Comanche Code Talkers, Quanah and the Texas Parkers, The Life of Quanah Parker, The Massacre at the Washita, Researching Southern Plains Ancestors, Researching Five Civilized Tribes Ancestors, Chickasaw Family History, Saynday and Kiowa Values, Riverside Indian School, Anadarko history, Comanche History, Nineteenth Century Fort Sill, Indian Police and Scouts, Fort Sill Apache History, The Battle of Ackia, and Records Held by the Oklahoma Historical Society.
The Friday night lectures will begin at 7 P.M. and be held at the Museum of the Plains, 601 NW Ferris. Lectures on Saturday will commence at 7:30 A.M. and go through 4:30 P.M. They will be held at the Center For Creative Living, 3501 F Street. Registration, which includes a Native American food lunch, is $25 through March 1 and $35 thereafter.
