Godfrey Memorial Library

Sage Family Donation

On Friday, January 6, 2011, Caleb Sage Hendrickson and Kate, his new wife, presented Godfrey Memorial Library with a beautiful book on the Sage family. Caleb and his grandfather, Donald A. Sage, are the co-authors of the just-published "The Sage Family Kith and Kin: Descendants of David Sage Born 1639." The book is privately published by Sage-Hendrickson, Andover, Minnesota, and is a wonderful addition to our collection.

Winter Hours

This week the Library began Winter Hours. We will be open to the public on Wednesdays from 12 noon to 8:00 PM, Thursdays and Fridays from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. We will be available by phone and email Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM to offer assistance, to take new subscription and renewal orders, and to take requests for AGBI searches and Full searches.

Five Young Authors Earn Awards

 
 

            It was a capacity crowd of family, teachers, and friends meeting at Godfrey Memorial Library,  Monday May 23, to see this years’  young authors  receive their honors.  Students from schools in Portland, Middletown, Durham and Hebron participated in the library’s Annual Family History Essay Contest. 

Everyone began by reviewing all the essays, then gathered together for refreshments.  Director, James R. Benn spoke briefly and made the presentations, which were followed by photo ops for all the families.  Once all the pictures were done, the staff was available to answer questions about the library, give tours, share genealogy issues, or demonstrate how to use the online catalog to find the records for these new library acquisitions.

            The contest has two levels:  Level 1 for students in the 4^th and 5^th grades; and Level 2 for students in grades 6-8. 

            This year there was only 1 winner in Level 1: Scott Blais (of Middletown),who wrote about “My Pop, Then and Now” referring to Edward P. Faulkner.

            In Level 2 the top honor went to Matthew Garcia (of Hebron) who wrote about “The Journey” of Ernesta Judith Scarfo.  For second place there was a tie:  Grace MacLachlan (of Hebron), writing about  “The Same Old Shillelagh” of Samuel Stevenson; and Jillian Crawford (of Portland) writing about “My Inspiration” referring to Lawrence Stephen Friedman.  The final award went to Jack Caplan (of Marlborough) who wrote about “Carl Caplan’s World War II Letters”.

All participants receive certificates of merit for their efforts and prizes are given for the best essays in each level.   All essays become part of the Library’s collection, each being cataloged and listed in the Godfrey Memorial Library’s Online catalog as well as the OCLC WorldCat (which is a listing of the holdings of libraries world-wide.)  Anyone wishing to look for what holdings the library has, can go to www.godfrey.org and click on the Search tab to find the online catalog, or call the library at 860-346-4375.

            The Godfrey Memorial Library is a library of genealogy and local history and was founded by Fremont Rider in 1947 as a “…free public library of books, pamphlets, periodicals and other materials in the fields of American biography and genealogy and in related fields…”   The Library has continued with its mission of collecting genealogical materials. Its list of titles include a number of genealogies, reference books and indexes, including the 226 volume American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI). AGBI is the largest genealogical reference set ever published.

Bible Project Reunites Family & Long-lost Bible

The Godfrey Memorial Library collects family bibles in order to record the family names included with them. After cataloging and scanning, we try to locate the family to see if they would like the bible returned to them. Family bibles can be lost over time for a variety of reasons, and quite often descendants are quite pleased to have them returned to the family.

The Leonard family bible is one such story with a happy ending. It was donated to the Library in 2010 and after cataloging and scanning the family data, a message was posted on Ancestry.com seeking any family members who might want it back. The bible recorded the marriage of John P. Leonard and Mary A. Renz in San Franscisco, November 1894. It went on to record family births and deaths through 1911, when John P. Leonard died.

The Library was recently contacted by John Leonard, who recognized the names as belonging to his grandfather and grandmother. His nephew, Richard Leonard, happened to be traveling in Connecticut and visited the Godfrey Memorial Library to pick up the bible and reunite it with the Leonard family.

Granby Cemetery Records Donated to Genealogy Library

The Salmon Brook Historical Society of Granby, Connecticut, has donated their extensive collection of cemetery records to the Godfrey Memorial Library, to be included as part of the library’s large-scale cemetery project.

Carol Laun, Archivist for the Salmon Brook Historical Society, coordinated the donation of records from eight Granby cemeteries, totaling over 4,000 burial records. The records include images of the gravestones, and transcriptions of names, birth and death dates from the stones.  This data will now be searchable online via the Godfrey Memorial Library Cemetery Database.  The database currently holds records from 193 Connecticut cemeteries as well as others from Florida, Arkansas, and other states.

Godfrey board member Ed Laput has been leading the project to update documentation of Connecticut cemeteries first begun by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s. Under the direction of Charles R. Hale, the project recorded headstone inscriptions from over 2,000 Connecticut cemeteries from 1932-1935. The Godfrey project, under the direction of Ed Laput, is aimed at updating this unique collection by posting digital images online.

Two books of cemetery records are also available for sale by the Salmon Brook Historical Society.  The cost $40 each by mail and can be ordered from the Society at PO Box 840, Granby, Connecticut 06035.

The titles are "Burials in the Granby Center Cemetery" by Carol Laun, 1998, revised 2004, and "Beneath These Stones" by Carol Laun, 2003. The later title includes fourteen Granby Cemeteries, two East Granby Cemeteries, Granby Vital Records and information from private journals. More genealogical information is also available in the Society Research Library.  The library is open for researchers every Tues. and Thurs. from  9 a.m. to Noon or by appointment with the archivist, Carol Laun, 860-653-9713. See the Society’s website at:  http://salmonbrookhistorical.org/

The Godfrey Memorial Library is located at 134 Newfield Street in Middletown, Connecticut. For more information visit: http://www.godfrey.org/

Godfrey Library and the Civil War Sesquicentennial

 

April 12, 2011 marks the 150^th anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War in which some 620,000 Americans lost their lives.  When the war began Connecticut regiments were called to arms by decrees from both President Abraham Lincoln and Connecticut’s Governor William Buckingham. 

Connecticut sent 55,000 men, or 47% of its male population between the ages of 15-50, in the most massive war mobilization in state's history. 

 The Godfrey Memorial Library, a private, non-profit library open to the public, has in-depth resources for those wishing to research Civil War history and biography in general, and family histories of those who served or were affected by the Civil War.

 Among the specialized resources held by The Godfrey is the American Civil War Research Database, with information on more than four million soldiers and thousands of battles, along with more than 16,000 photographic images.  The Civil War Letters and Diaries Database contains diaries, letters, and memoirs by more than 2,000 authors who lived during those climactic events. Additionally, the library has databases containing many 19^th century newspapers with first-hand accounts of politics and battles. These newspaper resources include seven African-American newspapers 1827 to 1902, offering a seldom-seen perspective on the conflict.

 The Godfrey Library is a unique resource for genealogists and historians. “The Godfrey is one of the best kept secrets in Connecticut,” said library director James Benn. “It is a premier research site for family history research, and perfect for anyone wanting to work on Civil War research during the 150^th anniversary.”

 The Godfrey maintains an extensive collection of essential resources to help in genealogical and historical research. Library staff is available to help users locate relatives through city and business directories, vital records, printed census records, state, county, and local histories as well as numerous family histories, family bible records, and service and pension records. The library is free and open to the public.  Subscriptions to database resources can be purchased to allow for off-site research.

As part of the Sesquicentennial, The Godfrey is offering a Civil War publication at a significant discount.

“A Noble and Glorious Cause:  The Life, Times and Civil War Service of Captain Elijah W. Gibbons”, originally published by The Godfrey Memorial Library in 2005 and priced at $35.00 is now available for $15.00 at the library. Follow the war experiences of Captain Gibbons of the Connecticut Volunteer Infantry and his men from Middletown as they respond to the call to arms and until the battle of Fredericksburg. Call the library to order or stop in to pick up your copy by April 30th.

 The Library is located at 134 Newfield Street in Middletown, Connecticut.  For information, see:

http://www.godfrey.org/

 For information about Connecticut’s upcoming observance of the Civil War anniversary events, see:

http://www.ccsu.edu/page.cfm?p=2296

 

 

 

 

 

Local Genealogy Conference Announced

Next year's NERG Conference comes to Springfield, MA and Godfrey Library will be exhibiting!

Exploring New Paths to Your Roots, to be held April 6-10, 2011 in Springfield, Massachusetts, is the 11th New England Regional Genealogical Conference and will build on NERGC’s tradition of excellence in providing genealogical lectures, seminars and workshops; the Ancestors Road Show; a Society Fair; and banquet luncheons and dinners for new and established genealogists alike at minimal cost.

The conference is being held in two hotels across the street from one another in downtown Springfield. The city of Springfield is located directly off Interstate 91 and only minutes from the Massachusetts Turnpike. The Conference hotels are ½  mile from the Peter Pan bus station and the Amtrak station. Most (but not all) lectures will be at the Springfield Sheraton Monarch Place, while Librarians/Teachers Day and our luncheons and banquets will be at the Marriott Springfield. There is a glass walkway connecting the second level of the Sheraton with Tower Square, of which the Marriott is a part. The two hotels offer the same room rate, and both have the same reservation cutoff date—March 14, 2011. All of the information is available at the web site named below including a group code that will allow you to get the conference rate at the hotels.

For more information visit: www.NERGC.org

The sidewalk project is nearly complete, at long last! Landscaping has been done, and now we're waiting for the grass to grow. The front entrance is once again open - for a while at least, until we begin the much needed replacement of that door and frame.

This is my second week as the new director of the Godfrey, and I've enjoyed getting to know people as much as watching the progress of the construction outside my window. I will try to keep everyone updated on new endeavors at the Godfrey, as we continue to work on new initiatives and maintain our renowned high quality of service.

Thanks,
Jim Benn

Significant Strides in Sidewalks

Construction workers have been making great strides in completing our Sidewalk/Front Entrance Project since late last week. Forms were built, cement was poured, leveled, and stamped. Today, the crew worked on leveling the huge mounds of dirt and a little bit of landscaping.  New photos are posted in the Sidewalk Album.

Laying Forms

Some of the forms were built today. These will frame the cement for our new sidewalk and front entrance as it's poured.  A small walkway that bordered the library was also removed. See new photos in our album.