News

Dr. Deborah A. Abbott, PhD “Using City Directories in Genealogical Research”

In genealogy research City Directories are often used to track ancestors between the U.S. Federal Census years. They become especially important between 1880 to 1900 years due to the loss of the 1890 census records. Even though the residential listings are the most used part of the directory, there are many other ways to incorporate city directories into your genealogy research. This presentation will introduce you to the many sections of a city directory and how to use them along with residential listings and other sources. Learn not only how to trace your family through the years, but also about the city or rural community in which they lived, places where they worked, schools they may have attended, etc. Learn how to identify family migration patterns, which can add depth to your family history while providing research clues that may help solve brick walls.

Cleveland native, Deborah A. Abbott, PhD, is an active professional genealogist specializing in genealogical methodology, manuscript collections, and African American family research. She belongs to many local and national genealogical groups, is a frequent speaker around the country and author.  She is a familiar face to LCGS members and has inspired many of us to “dig deeper” and “follow the facts”.  We are honored to host her again!

CARLA CEGIELSKI  “Mastering the Art of Reading Old Handwriting: Strategies for Success.”

Even though we have access to nerdy apps that read and transcribe old handwriting on deeds and wills, it’s not 100% accurate so we still need to build deciphering skills.  Learning to read old handwriting can be time-consuming and requires patience. In this presentation, Carla will share several strategies for deciphering old handwriting.

BIO:  Carla Cegielski, a familiar face for LCGS, is a full-time family history researcher specializing in Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia research. She has been providing professional research services to attorneys, historians, genealogists, hobbyists, and others since 2007. Carla is the author of the NGS course Reading Old Handwriting. She was also creator and coordinator of the 2021 Reading, Transcribing, and Abstracting Old Documents course at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP)

Even though we have access to nerdy apps that read and transcribe old handwriting on deeds and wills, it’s not 100% accurate so we still need to build deciphering skills.  Learning to read old handwriting can be time-consuming and requires patience. In this presentation, Carla will share several strategies for deciphering old handwriting.

BIO:  Carla Cegielski, a familiar face for LCGS, is a full-time family history researcher specializing in Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia research. She has been providing professional research services to attorneys, historians, genealogists, hobbyists, and others since 2007. Carla is the author of the NGS course Reading Old Handwriting. She was also creator and coordinator of the 2021 Reading, Transcribing, and Abstracting Old Documents course at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP).

Thursday, January 29, 2026 – IN-PERSON New Officer Induction, Program and Luncheon

This meeting will be held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 8751 Kirtland Rd (Rt. 306), Kirtland, OH 44094.   The business meeting will start at 10 a.m. followed by the induction of new officers and our monthly program after which a luncheon will be served.  The luncheon will be semi-catered by Mission BBQ who will provide the main dishes and we’ll supplement with some salads and desserts.  Please pre-register via email by Monday, January 26 and let us know if you are able to bring a salad or dessert – respond to lcgsohio@lcgsohio.org

John Tracy Cunningham will present the program  “FamilySearch 201 – Intermediate Topics.

While many of us enjoy using FamilySearch for research we could use it better.  This presentation will cover treatment of living persons, connecting your line to deceased ancestors already in the tree, changing person and relationship information, correcting data problems and using the Family Tree Validator; the Change Log; Notes, website locations for conducting research, and being a good FamilySearch citizen.   If you haven’t been on the website recently, take time before the program to reacquaint yourself with it to get the most out of the presentation.

John Tracy Cunningham is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is the son of Tracy Cunningham Jr. and Eleanor Marie Walker, and is married to his dear Betty.  He was raised in small-town Southern Illinois, graduated in 1973 from the University of Illinois with a BS in Aerospace Engineering, and entered the United States Air Force as a second lieutenant.  23+ years later, he retired as a lieutenant colonel in Italy and became a defense contractor in Germany, retiring for good 11 years later, then being able to devote his time to his passion, family history.  He had walked into the county courthouse at age 13 and quickly discovered that all eight great-grandparents had died in that same county.  He hasn’t slowed down, but the research has become more difficult.  He enjoys science fiction, history, politico-military affairs, theology, languages, the sciences, and research into just about anything.

Kassidy Cobb – “Civil War Songs and Games .”

With the holidays looming, let’s relax and enjoy a light program and explore nineteenth century patriotic tunes, examining how they boosted morale and became musical successes. Kassidy will also detail another pastime that soldiers held dear –playing games. From checkers and chess to cards, there are lots of games that we still play today that were just as popular over 150 years ago. And there are even a few games many people might not have heard of before!

With a Bachelor of Science in History/Creative Writing Minor (Liberty University, 2024) and a love for the past that inspires her to pursue her Masters in History (Liberty University, 2026), Kassidy is serious about sharing history in authentic and relatable ways. Even Mike Wolfe (star of American Pickers) called Kassidy “energetic” about history. Recognized by Congress, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, DAR, SAR, DUVCW, and countless others for her efforts to promote the past, Kassidy has found that history isn’t just a career–it’s a way of life.

Diane Richard –  “Select State-Level Digitized Memory Platforms You Don’t Want to Miss!”

Many states now have so-called Memory or Digital Archives platforms, which contain a ton of material relevant to genealogists, whether original documents, historical context, images, and more, often covering from the state’s founding to now. In this webinar we’ll focus on these platforms for New England and the mid-Atlantic states, through which many of our Ohio ancestors migrated.  These are all FREE to access.  Additionally, many tips, tricks, and strategies for using these digital memory websites will be shared to make sure you squeeze all that is genealogically relevant out of these resources.

Diane L. Richard, MEng, MBA, is a professional genealogist and owner of Mosaic Research and Project Management (MosaicRPM). With over 35 years of experience, she researches client ancestors and shares her expertise through writing and speaking.   She is a prolific author, having written over 600 articles for Internet Genealogy and edited several genealogical publications, including Upfront with NGS and the North Carolina Genealogical Society journal. She is also an international speaker, presenting webinars and in-person programs on various genealogical topics.

Thursday evening at 5:30 p.m., July 31, 2025, is the Annual Summer Picnic Potluck.  It will be held at the Concord Woods Shelter, 11211 Spear Rd., Concord, Ohio.**    Enjoy a relaxing evening visiting with fellow genealogists.  Bring a dish to share and your own place setting and beverage.

This year, we will return to Concord Woods for our annual summer potluck supper – bring your best dish!!  The evening will start at 5:30 p.m.   After a delicious supper, Cathi Weber, lifelong Willoughby resident and the current director of the Little Red Schoolhouse will join us to share ideas on how to NAME THAT DECADE OF FASHION in your old family photos.  Cathi leads the program at the school house where 4th grade students experience a day in a one-room school house, circa 1901.  She also curates the fashion collection of the organization.  She will share tips on how we can use clothing styles from the mid-1800’s thru the early 20^th century to date our mysterious family photographs.  Bring along a few old photos from your collection to display and share.

**Spear Rd. is off Auburn Rd on the north side of I-90.  Follow the entrance drive past the buildings at the front of the park to the shelter.  Here is a link to the park’s information – https://www.lakemetroparks.com/park-trails/concord-woods-nature-park/

May Sleeves-Up at Morley – 10 a.m. to Noon, May 8 – A RootsMagic software study group will have their first gathering.  Lou Lentine will moderate this “members only” group and the purpose of this gathering is to gauge interest and find direction.  Lou has shared the following to help folks prepare for the gathering:

We will start with a very basic tutorial using RootsMagic (Regardless of the version you may have).    Please prepare as follows:

1. Have the software installed on your laptop
2. Bring your laptop to the Sleeves Up gathering (be sure it is fully charged or bring A/C adapter)
3. If you have an Ancestry or Family Search account, be sure to have your sign in information
4. Bring as much information you have on your ancestors (D.O.B., Marriage Date, D.O.D., Maiden name etc.)

We should be able to log into the library’s Wi-Fi, with your personal laptop, if need be.

                      If you don’t have the program yet, you may come to observe.

Bill Eddelman will  present a program on “Using Court Records”

We will welcome Bill Eddleman back to expand our research skills.  Many family historians rarely use court records. These records require learning about the judicial structure of different states (sometimes counties), and often require page-by-page scanning of record books. This presentation discusses using court records to uncover family history. Learn about the different types of courts and the records they created that can be of genealogical interest. The session includes details on where to locate court records, where to find laws regulating these courts, and the basis for the legal systems. Examples illustrate the use of court records to document relationships.

Bill Eddleman is a ninth-generation Missourian. He was a professor of biology at Southeast Missouri State University for 22 years and also served as provost before his retirement in 2016. Long interested in local and regional history, he was the president of the Cape County Genealogical Society for 14 years and edited the society’s quarterly publication for 20 years. He started at the State Historical Society of Missouri as Coordinator of its Cape Girardeau Research Center in July 2017. He writes genealogy and local history columns for the Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian, and has a local history radio program, “Tales from Days Gone By,” on KRCU public radio, 90.9 FM.

Mary Huey, our 1st vice president in charge of programs, will moderate a member’s discussion of “Genealogy, A Gateway to History”

In May, we’ll do a member-sharing format for our monthly meeting.  How many times have you said to yourself in the midst of your research, “I didn’t know that?!” And does that trigger a “google” down a rabbit hole?  We’ve all discovered pieces of history we had no idea occurred because either it wasn’t significant enough for historians to write about or the facts have been lost in time.  This member conversation will give us a chance to share some of our discoveries and get to know one another better via our family’s histories.   Everyone is encouraged to participate by sharing a discovery you’ve made.  Your discovery might be an event that your ancestor experienced (think unknown political events) or an occupation/craft/skill that is lost in time or perhaps an adventure an ancestor had.