Crowe’s Nest by Elizabeth Powell Crowe

The most erroneous stories are those we think we know best – and therefore never scrutinize or question.
- Stephen Jay Gould

I have some family legends I’d love to prove or disprove:

• That “Toxie” was the name of a doctor who attended a Powell birth, and that’s why several generations of men have that for a middle name in my family.
•  That one of my grandfather’s cousins married a famous Nashville radio star
•  That one of my ancestors was once upon a time in love with someone who was killed by Indians.

The thing about family legends is that they often have a grain of truth, and are there for good clues for your research. But you can’t take them as gospel, only inspiration for your research and study. I’m looking for birth, marriage and death certificates that could show these stories true or untrue….

SKOKIE, IL–(Marketwire – July 27, 2009) – The Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois (JGSI) is pleased to announce the publication of the third edition of “A Translation Guide to 19th-Century Polish-Language Civil-Registration Documents (including Birth, Marriage and Death Records).” This resource helps anyone with roots in Poland locate ancestral towns on a modern map, determine if old vital records exist, and learn how to acquire, decipher and translate the records.

The 472 page book includes a step-by-step guide on how to divide each document into a series of “mini-documents”; seven sample documents with important words and the information which follows these words highlighted; tips on how to locate one’s ancestral town and records from that town; and fifteen topical vocabulary lists, such as Age, Family and Occupations, which include words that occur in 19th-century documents.

The book will be making its debut at this summer’s International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) Conference in Philadelphia. The author will be presenting a workshop at the conference on Sunday, August 2 at 10:00 a.m., and a book signing is scheduled for 1:30 that same afternoon.

About Judith R. Frazin. Judith R. Frazin is the author of three editions of “A Translation Guide to 19th-Century Polish-Language Civil-Registration Documents.” The Polish Genealogical Society of America recognized her contribution to the field of genealogy by selecting her to receive its Wiglia award in 2000. A genealogist for 39 years, she was program chairperson for the 1984 national seminar on Jewish genealogy, served as president of JGSI for ten years, and served as a member-at-large on the Board of the International Association of Jewish Genealogists for three years. Ms. Frazin is an experienced author, lecturer and researcher.

About JGSI. JGSI is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping members collect, preserve, and perpetuate the records and history of their ancestors, and serves as a resource for the worldwide community to research their Chicago-area Jewish roots. The society provides speakers on a wide range of topics, access to research materials, publishes a newsletter, and maintains an online, searchable death index.

For additional information, please contact Judith R. Frazin at (312) 666-0100 ortheguide@jgsi.org. To see sample pages or purchase the book, visitwww.jewishgen.org/jgsi/theguide.html.

New record collections were added to the FamilySearch Record Search pilot this week for Cheshire, England, Minnesota, and New York.These collections can be searched for free at the FamilySearch.org Record Search pilot (click Search Records, and then click Record Search pilot).Special thanks to the online volunteers who help make these collections freely available by donating a few minutes of their time or talents to the FamilySearch Indexing program.Collection NameIndexed RecordsDigital ImagesCommentsEngland, Cheshire Non-conformist records, 1671-190074,925NEW. Index only.Minnesota State Census, 18951,542,818NEW. Complete census. Index only.New York State Census, 190544,005NEW. Images only. Index is currently in progress through FamilySearch Indexing.About FamilySearchFamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

More from Holley:

The tombstone reads:

Rose Marie

Dau of

Mr. & Mrs.

A.P. Bray

Dec 29 1928

October 24 1929

A little bud of love
To bloom with God above.

This is another tombstone from the cemetery in Holley: