THE AMARILLO GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

NOVEMBER 2008

DECEMBER MEETING – CHRISTMAS PARTY

Monday, Monday, December 1, 2008

6:30 p.m.

Amarillo Club, 600 South Tyler, 30^th Floor

$22.00 per person by November 25^th; after that date $25.00 per person.

Reservations due by November 19.

Menu: baked salmon or chicken; several

vegetables, salad bar, drinks, and desserts.

(See page 3 for details and reservation form)

OUR PROGRAM WILL BE:

SO GREAT A HERITAGE

by

Kathie Turner Jackson

Kathie Turner Jackson was born to a Christian farm family on the South Plains of Texas. She met her husband Mike while attending Wayland Baptist University where she received a biology degree and teaching certifications. After traveling and teaching overseas, the Jackson returned to Texas where they raised their three children.

When Kathie and her siblings sold their parents’ house they discovered a large, mysterious scrapbook. “The Treasure.” The contents of that scrapbook yielded the material for Kathie’s book, “So Great a Heritage,” which contains letters and photos from her father’s World War II experiences.

Copies of “So Great a Heritage” will be on sale at the Christmas party, and will make a good Christmas present for anyone interested in World War II.

LAST MEETING

“When you were a kid didn’t people say, ‘aren’t you so and so’s daughter?’ And, now, don’t people say, ‘are you related to the McGinnis’s in Lubbock County?’ Everybody in the world is interested in genealogy,” said Bob McGinnis.

Bob and Sandi regaled us with several stories of how they combine their love of travel with their love of genealogy.

As a boy, Bob found the humpbacked trunk in the attic of one his aunts. It contained a civil war uniform and a sword, which piqued his imagination. In 1957, his aunt died and left him the trunk, which he stored in his mother’s attic. Then, while in college another aunt employed him to do genealogy research. In 1997, 40 years after receiving the trunk, Bob became interested in genealogy and opened it. The civil war uniform and sword were no longer there, but the trunk was filled with letters, photographs, newspapers, cancelled checks—140 years of family history. The main item for Bob was a letter his father had written to him a few months before he died. The document had never been mailed and Bob saw it for the first time, 35 years later. The letter was filled with his father’s love and encouragement for him, and it spurred Bob to write similar letters to each of his four children.

The traveling tombstone is Bob’s great-great grandfather’s. It is in Bob’s possession and he has carried it around through the various moves he and Sandi have made.

Sandi told how she researched her family back to Bureau and Livingston Counties, Illinois, and found that both her and Bob’s maternal grandfathers were born thirty miles apart. The two men never met but their lives had many similarities. She then traced them further back to Wedmore in Somerset, England, which she and

Bob later visited. In England she found the marriage certificate of one set of ancestors, which enabled her to trace them forward to Iowa.

The most amazing discovery came a few years ago when, after 45 years of marriage, Bob and Sandi McGinnis learned they were 9th direct cousins.

IN THE MONTHS TO COME

January 5, 2009 – “How to Care for Photos and What to do with Old Photos,” by Cindy Eastland. Members may bring their photos to the meeting.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Bill Utterback’s Advanced Genealogy Course will be offered again at Amarillo College, with class starting in January. Details will be in the December newsletter, but start thinking about attending now.

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY

Since dues are past due by January 1, 2009, our Treasurer, Bob McGinnis, would like to encourage everyone to pay their dues early. Dues are $15.00 a year for individuals and families and $25.00 for a contributing membership. Use the membership application on the back of this newsletter and send it to Bob at P.O. Box 2171, Amarillo, TX 79189. Or include the amount when you are making your Christmas party reservation.

COFFEE AND COOKIES DEPARTMENT

Myrtle Jones provided an array of snacks for our enjoyment at the November meeting.

To encourage genealogists to visit and make more use of our books and other materials, the Library staff presents another list of “Just a Few” of the books available on certain topics or states. We want to bring to your attention some very useful, but not always familiar resources that can be found on the genealogy bookshelves.

English Wills: probate records in England and Wales, with a brief note on Scottish and Irish Wills 941 WA

Falaise Roll: recording prominent companions of William, Duke of Normandy at the conquest of England 941.021 CR

Genealogical Research in England’s Public Office: a guide for North Americans 942 RE

Irish and Scotch-Irish Ancestral Research: a guide to the genealogical records, methods and sources in Ireland 941 FA 1&2

The Knights of England: a complete record from the earliest time to the present day of the knights of all the orders of chivalry in England, Scotland and Ireland 929.71 SH 1&2

Our French-Canadian Ancestors 971.4 LE 1-3

Polish Roots 943.8 CH

Researching British Probates, 1354-1858: a guide to the microfilm collection of the Family History Library 941 PR

Royalty for Commoners: the complete known lineage of John of Gaunt…942 ST

The books we have featured above are not currently available on Ancestry.com, but the Genealogy Department does have a subscription to Ancestry Library Edition that anyone is welcome to use. Access is available in the Special Collections Department. It is available at no cost and makes accessible millions of genealogy sources and records. Please come and visit the Special Collections Department. We have many genealogy and family history books for you to use, as well as Heritage Quest Online. Come see what your library has for you!

TEXAS LAND RECORDS

If you are researching Texas land records, you will probably find the term “vara.” It is a Spanish/Portuguese measurement and used in Texas 1 vara is 33 1/3 inches; 36 varas is 100 feet; 1900.8 varas is a mile, 5645.4 square varas is one acre.

HISTORICAL RESEARCH CENTER, HILLSBORO, TEXAS

If you are ever near Hillsboro, Texas, you must make time to visit the Historical Research Center at the Texas Heritage Museum at Hill College. One mile east of I-35 on State Highway 22, the complex is easy to find and there is parking at the front door.

My husband toured the museum, and said it was a large collection featuring the military of the various wars in which the United States took part. He also enjoyed the Audie Murphy collection.

Meanwhile, I was in the Historical Research Center. Anita Tufts, the Archivist, took the names of my husband’s confederate veterans and immediately pulled books and file folders from the shelves for me to look through. While I was busy with that, she proceeded to make copies of their service records and pension files, and histories of their regiments, with maps showing the battles where they fought.

While she had more information on Jim’s Texas veteran, she had some information on his Alabama and Georgia ancestors, and what she didn’t have, she gave me suggestions on where I might look.

Jim and I only had two hours to spend in Hillsboro, but the amount of information we brought away is impressive. Anita’s friendly, helpful attitude, along with her expertise, makes me want to visit again.

The Research Center has a burial file on Civil War ancestors and also individual files on each veteran. If you have letters, pictures, diaries or any information about your Civil War ancestors, especially the location of their graves, would you please take a few minutes to send whatever you have to the center?

The center is building a collection on the other wars in which the United States has been involved. If you have books or materials on any U.S. wars that you no longer need, you might contact the Center to see if they could use them.

Please use this form to make your reservations.

Amarillo Genealogical Society Christmas Party, Monday, December 1, 2008, 6:30 p.m.

Amarillo Club, 600 South Tyler, 30^th Floor, Amarillo, Texas

Reservations must be received by November 29, 2008

$__________ No. of people @ $22.00

$__________ 2009 Membership renewal @ $15.00 ($25.00 contributing membership) OPTIONAL

$__________ Amount enclosed

Names(s) ________________________________________________________________________

Phone Number ___________________E-Mail ________________________________

Send to: The Amarillo Genealogical Society, Bob McGinnis, Treasurer, P.O. Box 2171,

Amarillo, TX 79189.

To join or renew your membership, complete the following information and mail to: THE AMARILLO GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, P.O. Box 2171, Amarillo, TX 79189, Attention: Treasurer. Better yet, bring this form to the next meeting.

NAME ______________________________________________

ADDRESS __________________________________________________________________________

CITY ______________________________ STATE __________________ ZIP _____________________

TELEPHONE ___________________ E-mail Address _______________________________________

Dues are due by January 1^st for each calendar year. Date ______________

____ New Membership ____Renewal Membership

____ Individual and Family $15.00 ____ Contributing $25.00