Blair County Genealogical Society
431 Scotch Valley Rd.
Hollidaysburg, PA. 16648
814-696-3492
bcgslibrary@gmail.com
Meetings at the library, 7 p.m., third Thursday monthly except July & December.
February 2010
We are very pleased with the turnout for our genealogy course offered in February. The largest class had 76 in attendance, and most of them had never been to our library before!! Despite a postponement due to snow, attendance only dropped to 55. A total of 34 certificates were handed out for attending all 3 classes and completing the course. We will be offering this again in late summer or early fall when there is no snow!!
Many have asked if we will be offering other types of classes, more in depth and specific to a particular subject. If there is something in particular that you would be interested in, please write, email or call us with your suggestions. If there is enough interest in a particular subject we will work on designing a class or workshop on it.
Our Genealogy Expo will be held on Saturday April 17th from 10 to 2. We hope to have several area historical societies and more in attendance. Great time to stop in and find out who has what records. Watch the newspaper or our website for more.
Many thanks to all sending in their renewals in a timely manner. A very special thank you to all of the Benefactors, Patrons and Contributing members. We hope that your continuing support means that you feel we are doing a good job. Thanks!!
Sharon Merritts
President
December 2009
I can’t believe another year has passed. The library has been a busy place. We are working on a cookbook and finishing Altoona’s Oak Ridge cemetery for a book. Publication #154, Bedford Gazette Deaths, has been a big seller. Simpson Methodist Church (#155) and Civil War Obits 1901-1905 (#156) have been added to our publication list.
This is our 30th year. The original idea for forming a genealogical society happened in Nov. 1979 and we have been moving forward ever since. We’ve come a long way from sitting at the courthouse, copying records by hand and then typing them on typewriters. Many records were put on index cards so they could be alphabetized. Do you remember those days? It is important for today’s genealogists to know how records were obtained and kept. We get impatient today, expecting to get what we want with a push of a button. Much of what we do at BCGS goes without much notice, partly because we are trying to find ways to move away from all paper which is where most of our resources are.
With our new scanner, we have been busy scanning old records including papers from George Woods, account books from stores dating from the 1840’s, and church records from Altoona. This is quite a change for us. Although it takes time for us to become skilled with the newer technology, we feel that this is the best way to go. For you computer savvy people, don’t get excited, I’m talking about scanning documents instead of photocopying and organizing a database for indexes. Nothing really high tech. Scans are much clearer than copies and it is a step in the right direction.
We have made changes to our membership benefits to encourage joining at a higher rate instead of raising dues. Use your benefits! Submit a free query to the newsletter, you may be surprised by a response. Remember we are non-profit and all volunteer! It takes a lot of work and dedication to keep our doors open and the lights on.
Sharon Merritts
President
September 2009
With the start of the 2010 membership drive, we are pleased to announce additional benefits are now available with the higher rates of memberships. The membership benefits are as follows:
$7.50 Associate Membership – reduced copy prices. (Must live in same household as another member.)
$15 Regular membership – quarterly newsletters, 1 query, online surname listing, reduced copy prices; $25 Contributing membership - quarterly newsletters, 1 query, online surname listing, reduced copy prices and 25% off obits by mail.
$50 Patron membership - quarterly newsletters, 1 query, online surname listing, reduced copy prices, 25% off obits by mail and 10% off all BCGS publications and link to their World Connect or personal genealogy page.
$100 Benefactor membership - quarterly newsletters, 1 query, online surname listing, reduced copy prices, 25% off obits by mail, link to their World Connect or personal genealogy page and 10% off all BCGS Bookstore items, including books, tote bags, family tree charts, etc. and a short family history page posted to our site.
We will be changing our order forms to reflect the discounts. Information on the link to your personal genealogy website and family history page will become available on our website in the next couple months.
We have many generous, dedicated members who have joined at higher rates through the years and we hope this action shows them some appreciation. As we become more computer savvy in the years to come, we may be able to offer even more benefits.
Thanks to all members for your support. Memberships, book sales and donations are our lifeblood. Without you our doors could not remain open.
Sharon Merritts
President
Copyright 2010. Blair County Genealogical Society. All Rights Reserved.
Library Hours
Mon 6:30 PM-9:30 PM
Wed 10 AM-3:30 PM
Wed 6:30 PM-9:30 PM
Thurs 10 AM-3:30 PM
Sat 10 AM-2 PM
First Families of Blair County
Blair County PAGenWeb Archives