Genealogy Blog, Not Just for Michigan

When I learned my second great-grandparents, William Penrod Clarke and Mary Ella LITTRELL died in southwest Michigan, I explored the area virtually.

The Van Buren Regional Genealogical Society of Southern Michigan has a great web site, complete with an index of Van Buren County deaths.

The Society's web site has a link to the Van Buren District Library's blog. This is an interesting and informative blog worth a genealogy meandering minute or two, regardless of your connection or lack thereof to Michigan.

If you're a list-lover like me, you'll appreciate their Use of Checklists series.

The Collection Highlight is always interesting, I found this one especially so.

I'm always intrigued by their Nameless Picture of the Day. Here's a picture that was posted in August:

Unknown boy & girl in buggy; cabinet card M1787.

Photographer - Northrup, Bangor

Take a moment or two to explore this not-just-for-Michigan library's blog. Let me know what you think!

An Extraordinary Extra Minute

Hartford Michigan

One more minute I told myself, and then I really must go to bed. I was wandering around FamilySearch and had already entered several surnames from my tree looking for something new.

Michigan Deaths and Burials, 1800-1995, had been updated in May. I typed Clarke in the Last Name field. 3585 entries. I narrowed the search by choosing Maryland in the Place tab. And there he was. My grandfather's grandfather; Wm. P. Clarke.

William Penrod and his wife Mary Ella appeared in the 1930 census in Hartford Michigan. They posed for a picture with their grandsons in the early 1940's, after which the trail grew cold. And stayed that way for years.

Until late one night when William's name filled my computer screen in an index that included his full date of birth, a date and place of death, and news that Mary had predeceased him.

Who needs sleep? I quickly located a web site for the Van Buren (Michigan) Regional Genealogical Society where they've created an index of death records from 1935-1945. Just the years I needed! For a mere $3 each, I ordered uncertified copies of the two death records that had eluded me for years.

I'll have to allow myself 'one more minute' more often.