This past July 2008, I attended a family reunion in Michigan. I am passionate about family reunions! You see, if it were not for two grandmothers, I would not be where I am today! I’m a Genealogiest both personally and professionally. Currently, I am a family historian for two different family reunions, in two different states, Michigan and Pennsylvania. In the past, many years ago, I had been a secretary and historian for the reunion in Michigan. Since 2001, I have am a recording secretary and historian for one reunion in Pennyslvania. As an oasis (Offsite Administratiive Secretarial Innovative Support), I virtually assist both reunions from Northern Shores of Lake Erie in Ohio.

I have learned many things from my event planning experiences. For starters, it helps to work with a great team of people. The main thrust of the officers is a great team of volunteers. An oasis (Offsite Administratiive Secretarial Innovative Support), teams up with your association to support you along the way. I love being a part of a project where I am assisting to bring people who haven’t seen each other in ages together or introducing missing family members to aunts, cousins and uncles they have never met. It is an energizing experience!

Family Reunions and Class Reunions are two group assocations for which I am passionate. Family Reunions and Class Reunions need Virtual Assisting. An oasis can help updating and maintaining mailing lists, keeping track of RSVPs, preparing the flyers and handling the dirty work of addressing what documentation you’re sending. There are many things Virtual Assisting can handle, and take away the major task of preparing your mailing. If you choose to send it from your home state, your oasis can send the final product to you so that you can organize and arrange a collating party to fold, seal, place stamps in position, and get them to the post office.

 

 

 

 

As an independent telecommunications CSR call center specialist, I contract with different clients to handle their inbound lead generation communications.

For example: In my area of Ohio we get things in our mailboxes for Val-Pak It comes inside a blue-colored envelope. It is a blue envelope filled with a whole bunch of information (this information junkie loves this envelope!) from different companies who are trying to inexpensively adverstise their services and products. Most of them, yet not all of them have a telephone number or a website to go for more information, but do not have the big bucks to do this same type of thing in house. Those businesses want you to call them for further information.

So, you’re asking yourself, what does that have to do with an OASIS (Offsite Administratiive Secretarial Innovative Support)? Everything. Who handles your lead generation calls? Does it take a lot of time and energy from things on your to-do list?

Well, this oasis does the same thing, but on a much smaller scale. This oasis covers special project times when there needs to be a person monitoring the telephone number or group eMail box as people see to receive more information about a product, service, or maybe a special event.

 

 

 

It’s great to have a great network of friends! Many of my them are colleagues from my previous employment. We have each embarked on paths that have lead us to greater challenges.

One of those persons is DeBorah Hamilton-Levy, she is the owner of Destined For Greatness Enterprises, whose motto is “empowering you to become all that you were created to be”. Her niche is organizing activities, events, and seminar presentations.

Her worlshops include: Entrepreneurship, Finances, Goal Setting, Parenting, Relationships and Time Management. She is also an instructor teaching classes for Basic Computer and Software, Career Development, Internet Skills, and Life Skills.

 Need a realtor? Contact DeBorah is located on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio  with Century21 Home Star  She’s a member of NAR, OAR and CABOR.

DeBorah is also the owner of DeBorah’s Bridal Boutique which sells, rents and consigns gowns reasonably priced. She is always collecting wedding, prom, evening and bridesmaids gowns for her boutique. As an accessory to the bridal boutique, a a Carlson Craft Dealer of exquiste wedding, business, and social stationery. Everyone that places an order with her will receive a 10% discount off their total order. www.carlsoncraft.com If you would like to donate or consign gowns, please contact 216-926-6612.

One of my deepest passions is Genealogy and preserving History!  Genealogy…helps unite families!   Actually, that is how I got where I am today. If it were not for genealogy, I would not have my virtual assistance practice.  Remember, I am a trustworthy and reliable offsite preservation support.

I just love people who say to me, “Krista, Genealogy is a free hobby”.  No, it’s not.  If you are reading my blog I know you have an internet connection.  In order for you to view one of the many online FREE genealogy sites, you have to have an Internet connection. Do you, or do you not, pay a Internet Service Provider for your connection to the Internet?  If you do, then genealogy is not FREE, is it?

Over the last 20 plus years, I have spent a small fortune working on different genealogy projects.  I have the receipts to prove it.  I have traveled to many states to get the information I have.  I have dug into moldy-smelling records in storage facilities that do not have their information on the Internet. Most of what I have found for myself or for others was not on the Internet.  It came from good old-fashioned digging in the trenches. Historical societies, public libraries, walking through cemeteries, printing the facts from  microfilm / microfiche readers (printouts are not free).

Although I have access to expensive online databases – I have discovered not everything can be found on the Internet!  Apparently me, and countless others have family members who were missed by the census takers!  There are states I just am unable to drive to – even I have have to ask for assistance.  This means that yes, you will have to ask for help, and no,  they don’t the work for free. 

 

 

 

 

Not long ago, I had an interesting conversation with a friend’s daughter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We discovered we had quite a bit in common. The biggest? Genealogy. One of the things we discussed was our “obsession with verification”. I took notice that our obsessions regarding verifications were nearly identical. We both agreed verifications takes TIME and it is not free. Did you know you have to pay MONEY to receive the documentation showing proof of your suppositions?

Did you know that Aunt Molly’s stories to her family over the many years may not be true? Been there, done that. Verify her stories! Remember, it is not a correct fact until you verify it. You can verify facts from deeds, wedding licenses, obituaries, newspaper articles, wills, orphan court records, censuses, etc. Nearly every document you use to verify a fact costs MONEY.

One last thing, although a little off topic – we both found out the hard way, if you have things in your gear that records facilities will not allow or will not go through metal detectors – sometimes you have to RENT a locker located nearby the guard’s station and leave the items there. Why? You may not have driven to the location where the records are located or your car is parked too far away so you don’t have a place to put them while you are inside the records facility.

Where do these costs come from? I’m not just talking about printouts from microfiche and microfilm. There are online database subscriptions, fuel or fare to get to the locations where the records are stored, admission fees to use special libraries, toll road coins for the trip there and back, vehicle wear and tear, overnight accommodations, and, oh yeah – parking fees, especially to the parking garages for locations that do not have their own parking lots, or those pesky parking meters in some parking lots. Nothing I like better than running to the parking meter every couple of hours to toss more coins in the meter so I can keep gathering the facts!

Bottom line: She and I agree we go to great expense to verify the past facts; we have the receipts to prove it.

 

Are you stumped where to shop for every person on your Gift List? May I suggest an alternative to the traditional shopping mall or plazas? Local Craft Shows may be your answer.

Did you know you do not need to attend the Christmas Craft Connection at the IX Center in Brook Park, Ohio? There are other inexpensive craft show options in the area! Check them out! 

When you attend the local craft shows you’re helping to support local small businesses, school systems, and charity organizations; you may be introduced to unique products and services you’ve never seen before!  Enjoy.

 

Did you know that you don’t need to travel to the Christmas Craft Connection at the Cleveland IX Center to find great seasonal shopping opportunities?

You may discover that Craft Shows are how local small businesses show-off their unique goods and services; craft shows are an economical source of advertising.

Here are this week’s local craft shows:

Friday, 14 Nov 2008
11A – 8P
Saturday, 15 Nov 2008
10A – 3P
Christmas in the Country
Craft Show
Strongsville Holiday Inn
Rt 82 & I-71
Strongsville OH
Admission $4.00
No Strollers Please

Saturday, 15 Nov 2008
9A – 3P
March into Christmas Holiday
Craft Bazaar
Elyria Catholic High School
725 Gulf Rd
Elyria OH

 

Saturday, 15 Nov  2008
9A – 3P
3rd Annual Heritage 
Craft Fair
Heritage Presbyterian Church
Leavitt Rd
Amherst OH

Saturday, 15 Nov 2008
10A – 4P
Holy Trinity 
Christmas Boutique
Holy Trinity Hall & School
2610 Nagel Rd
Avon OH
Admission $1.00

May I suggest shopping at a Craft Show / Bazaar?  There are small business crafters/artists out there who want to introduce you to their unique goods and services. 

Here are this weekend’s list of Craft Shows:

Saturday, 22 Nov 2008
St. Martins
1800 Station Rd
Valley City OH

Saturday, 22 Nov 2008
9A – 3P
St. Mary Magdalene
5390 W 220th St
Fairview Park OH

Saturday, 22 Nov 2008
Holiday Bake Sale & Bazaar
10A – 2P
St. George Serbian Orthodox Church
33rd St & Grove Ave
Lorain OH

Admission is FREE

Saturday, 22 Nov 2008
9A – 4P
Holiday Craft Fair
North Royalton High School
14713 Ridge Road
N. Royalton OH 

Admission $1.00

Sunday, 23 Nov 2008
1P – 6P
Living Waters Ministry
1959 Grafton Rd
will host its annual
bazaar 245 Bath St
Elyria
There will be baked goods,
crafts, antiques, glass, 
jewelry and lunch.
Admission FREE

 

Amherst, Ohio – Is anybody on your gift list a book worm?  Local Author Ms. Debbie Alferio  has released a new book in her “Forever Love” series of moral and tasteful fictional romance books. The title of the most recent book is, “Waiting for Tomorrow”.  Her first book is entitled, “A Forever Kind of Love” which came out in 2005.   

Debbie will be attending a book signing event for her highly acclaimed “Forever Love” series of books at the Amherst Public Library, 222 Spring St, Amherst, Sunday, Nov 30, 2008, from 2 – 4 p.m.  Please note that a portion of all profits from book sales are donated to the American Cancer Society. 

Her other book signing appearances will be as follows:

• Saturday, November 22, 2008
  1 – 3 p.m. – Borders Express, 4248 Kent Road, Stow OH
• Friday, November 28, 2008
   1 – 3 p.m. – Borders, 4314 Milan Road, (St. Rt. 250), Sandusky OH
• Saturday, November 29, 2008
   9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Holiday Craft Show
   Cornerstone United Methodist Church, 2949 West River Road N.
   Elyria OH
• Saturday, December 6, 2008
   1 – 3 p.m. , Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 24519 Cedar Road (in Legacy Village)
    Lyndhurst OH
• Saturday, December 13, 2008
   10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Homspun “Holly” Day Craft & Gift Fair
    Brunswick High School – East Gym, 3581 Center Road, Brunswick OH

A free preview of the story Waiting for Tomorrow can be found on www.authorhouse.com. Click on “Book Store” at the top and type in Debbie Alferio. You will be directed to the book; simply click on the title or cover to get to the page.  To read the author’s Blog, click here.

Over the years I have gone to great lengths to verify facts and gather information. One of those was to subscribe to out-of-state newspapers. Many newspapers still do not have online website visibility and most of them do not make their archives available online. Some do, most do not. Some newspapers in recent years post the obituaries online for seven days and then they disappear – poof!

Years before the internet, I began subscribing to a daily newspaper called the Lebanon Daily News.  Do you have any idea how much newspaper subscriptions have gone up over the last 20 years? A lot.

The Lebanon Daily News is from Lebanon County, Pennsylvania – located between Harrisburg and Reading, Pennsylvania.  About now you’re probably wondering why a person from Northern Ohio takes this newspaper.  My ancestry from my paternal side is all from Lebanon Valley, Pennsylvania – my grandparents are buried there.  I spend a great deal of time in this area every year visiting relatives all over the state, attending family reunions, being a tourist, shopping at Vanity Fair  in Reading, enjoying the scenery in Amish country, eating at the Shady Maple in Blue Ball, going to Roots Market in Manheim to purchase my Shoofly pie from the Amish ladies, and doing as much genealogy as I can squeeze into my schedule! 

What started out to be an inexpensive RISK to watch for obituaries, anniversaries, births, engagements, weddings, family reunions, class reunions, 3-4-5 generation pictures, and real estate transactions really has cost me MONEY. Course, I must admit there are many articles I love to read in this newspaper. Years ago, Schulyer C. Brossman, deceased, of Our Keystone Families was a column favorite. These days, James M. Beidler, of the column Roots & Branches has my attention.  I look forward to every issue!

Obituaries that appear in the Lebanon Daily News come from people living in Lebanon Valley area including the following counties: Berks, Bucks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Schuylkill, and many others.  In addition, obituaries appear for individuals who are being buried in Fort Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, located in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, but are not necessarily originally from this area.

Anyway – in my possession – I have Lebanon Daily News Obituaries for 1992 – 2000 – but I also have the obituaries from 2001 – current.  Am I obsessed with the Lebanon Daily News Obituaries or what? 

I have an on-going mission’s project – inventorying all the obituaries in my possession.  The inventory databases, (yes, I said databases. I build them as I go) are quite simple.  They list the surname of the deceased, the prefix of the deceased, like if they are a Doctor, Reverend, Sergeant 1st Class, etc., First name of the deceased, middle name or middle initial, a suffix – are they a senior, junior, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th, nickname, maiden name if available, age at the time of death (if available), and the dates the obituary appear in the newspaper.  I’ll probably be doing this project the rest of life! It is okay, I’m passionate about this project.

Did your relative(s) have an obituary in the Lebanon Daily News?  You never know, I may till have the obituary in tact; or, I may have typed up an obituary abstract for an individual. No, I am not parting with the obituaries – I am offering my services to research my archives for the Lebanon Daily News Obituaries.  I’ve become keenly aware that the obituaries from 1992 – 2000 might not be on the internet.

Truth – when I need obituaries for years prior to 1992 (when I didn’t keep the obituaries from the newspaper), guess what?  I have to pay MONEY to find someone to locate them for me.  Click here to learn more about my Lebanon Daily News Archives.

Amherst, OH – The Amherst Community Chorus has annouced a program and schedule for their annual Christmas performances. The Chorus is in its 13th season under the direction of Simone and Steve Gall.

The 80-voice adult choral group from Lorain, Erie and Cuyahoga Counties will present a seasonal celebration of “Classical Noels”, a pairing of classical works with Christmas Carols and “The Best Time of the Year,” a medley of popular Christmas music centering around the family, home and children.

In addition the men’s chorus will perform “The Boar’s Head,” a secular English carol and the women will perform “From Bethlehem,” a gentle lullaby about the Nativity. The choir will begin with “Jazz Gloria” and end with a surprise renedition of “Deck the Halls.”

The schedule of performances includes the biannual concert for Wesleyan Village in Elyria is on Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. in the Cascade Room.  On Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. the group will be singing at Morningside in Lorain in the Community Center, and on Dec. 10, they will travel to  Abbewood in Elyria to sing at 7 p.m. 

The concert for the Amherst Community is held each year at St. Joseph Social Hall, St. Joseph Dr. in Amherst at 2:30 p.m. This year it will be staged on Dec. 14.  Tickets at the door: Adults - $5, Senior Citizens - $4, Students –  $3. Children 5 and under, Free.  Homemade refreshments will be served and there will be door prizes.

Bringing you to the attention of LCCC/Employment and Career Services’ Upcoming Job Search Assistance workshops, please click on the following link to view and register.

These workshops are FREE and you may sign up for as many as you like.

P. S. Krista K. Gable, (Eagle’s Beagle) is an LCCC Alumni – in 2006/2007 I was in the midst of a job/career change.  I attended the Transitions group twice a month and also attended LCCC’s Career Boot Camp.  Awesome programs! 

Career Boot Camp reminded me of “What Color is Your Parachute?” (which I read in 2002/2003) only you are in a Class / workshop setting. 

You DO NOT have to be a current student of Lorain County Communicty College in order to use LCCC Employment and Career Services; alumni and non-alumni can attend. You also DO NOT have to be from Lorain County to use these services.

Amherst OH -

“HIS PROMISES WRAPPED IN LOVE”

Saturday, 12 December 2009

6 – 8 pm

Tickets are $12

Trinity Evangelical Free Church welcomes Danita Harris as she shares her
inspiring encouragement of God’s Promises, as well as her wonderful gift of music.
Danita is the Evening News Anchorwoman of local WEWS NewChannel 5. She was first instroduced to NewsChannel 5 audiences in 1998 as the featured reporter for the “Morning Exchange”. She has been the host of “Academic Challenge”, guest host on ABC’s “The View” among many other accomplishments.

As you and your girlfriends dine for the evening,
you’ll enjoy the lovely music of Strings of Gold.

What better way to start the Christmas Season??

*This event is open to the public. 
* You must have a ticket. 
*Door Prizes

* Call 440.985-2419 to purchase tickets BEFORE
Sunday, December 6, 2009, seating limited.

Trinity Evangelical Free Church
46485 Middle Ridge Road
Amherst OH 44001

 

Amherst OH - 

** NEWS FLASH ** – Marion L Steele – Class of 1979 – WILL HAVE ITS 35th Class Reunion in 2014!

Marion L Steele – Class of 1979
Held its 30th Class Reunion Weekend July 31 & August 1, 2009
If you were not there – WE MISSED YOU!
We met at Ziggy’s on Friday evening and VFW on Saturday.

We need help with MISSING CLASSMATES! Would you like to help? 
Contact Eagle’s Beagle

Please join the FACEBOOK group
                              - “Marion L Steele Class of 1979, 30 Year Reunion! ” (We’re using the same group page for the 35th reunion!)

Or, register at the Marion L Steele High School Alumni website. Membership is $10 for a LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP!  
You can join for FREE, but you are limited in what you can access.  Pictures from the 30th class reunion can be found on the Alumni website.  For more information contact Eagle’s Beagle.

Or, eMail kenneth.daidone@gmail.com  for more information and updates.

No computer? Call Ken Daidone at his work number and leave a message: 800-211-0017 Ext 102

or mail communication to:
JLS Marketing Concepts Ltd
4884 Higbee Avenue NW, Suite 200
Canton OH 44718
Attn: Ken Daidone

35th year Reunion board members:
Ken Daidone
Tracy (Warstler) Anderson
Nancy Reph-O’Keefe
Krista K Gable – Eagle’s Beagle
Ramona (Graziano) Ockajik
Rich Kopronica

WBON (Women Business Owners Network) meets Thursday, Nov 19, 2009
Speaker:

Dr. Beth Bronneman of Family Wellness Chiropractic

Topic

Discuss Stress & the Immune System
 
Location / Time

Mutt & Jeff’s At Dragon Ranch Golf Club
9488 Leavitt Rd., Amherst Township
(1 mile south of St. Rt. 113 on St. Rt. 58)
6pm

Business Spotlight

 
Julie DiFlippo, Certified Ballroom Dance Instructor

It is Very Important to R.S.V.P.
Locations, Speakers & Spotlights – Subject to Change
Call: Debra James 440.985.2570 or
Karen Cheshire 440.986.3200

 The WBON is in the NEWS!

At every meeting we collect items for:
 Second Harvest Food Bank
and Veteran Welcome Kits.

 

Please bring only Non-perishable, Non-ethnic items
for Second Harvest Food Bank

 

Veteran Welcome Kits.  A list of needs can be downloaded here.

Amherst Township, OH-

Local Women Business Owners Network (WBON) is meeting Thursday, September 17, 2009

Speaker:
Melinda Mallari Swan of Precision Market Services

Topic
Marketing in Today’s Economy

Location / Time

Mutt & Jeff’s At Dragon Ranch Golf Club
9488 Leavitt Rd.
Amherst Township (1 mile south of St. Rt. 113 on St. Rt. 58)
6pm

Business Spotlight

Brenda Van Dress of
Wildtree - Naturally Nutritious Food Products

It is Very Important to R.S.V.P.
Locations, Speakers & Spotlights – Subject to Change

Call: Debra James 440.985.2570 or
Fran Campana 440.396.5454

At every meeting we collect items for:
 Second Harvest Food Bank
and Veteran Welcome Kits.

 

Please bring only Non-perishable, Non-ethnic items
for Second Harvest Food Bank

 

Veteran Welcome Kits.  A list of needs can be downloaded here.

 
Please bring collections to the meeting.
Karen Cheshire will collect and deliver the items.

 

Amherst, Ohio -

State Representative Terry Boose will be on hand to listen to the public about State issues that effect their daily lives.  The Representative will also take the time to update constituents on what has happened in Columbus since taking office.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009 at 7 p.m., Trinity Evangelical Free Church, 46485 Middle Ridge Rd., Amherst, OH  44001

Amherst OH –

The Annual Women Helping Others (WHO) Club old-fashioned ice cream social will be Sunday, May 17, 2009 from 1 – 3 p.m.
It will be held at the Amherst Veteran of Foreign Wars, 165 Cleveland Ave., cost is $5 per person.

Tickets can be purchased at the door.  All proceeds to local scholoarships.

I’d like to congratulate Eric “Rick” Bender of New Mexico. I read in James M Beidler’s column, “Roots & Branches” in the Lebanon Daily News dated Mar 2, 2009 that while attending a funeral in Connecticut he acquired a “treasure trove” of information by way of a photo album from 1872.

I’ve been there! As a family historian of two family reunions in two different states it amazes me how I “acquire” items from people (some relatives, some not) that have major “clues” in them. Family Reunions (sometimes family reunions occur at funerals or any other location when least expected, like a pretzel shop in an old town, Manchester, Washtenaw County, Michgian where I just happened to stop on a trip home) take on a whole new dimension!

Many years ago I acquired my great-great-grandmother’s velveteen photo album from the same time period as Mr. Bender only in Michigan. While I was ecstatic to own the heirloom album, more than half of the pictures are unmarked and unidentified. Some are marked, most are not. So, I have beautiful photographs in great condition that I am unable to identify them - to make it worse, the relatives most likely to be able to identify the photos are either deceased or are in various stages of dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. Sigh.

Mr. Bender, you’re very lucky! 

I’m on a mission. Every photo I take or photo that is given to me un-marked – gets identified.  Even if I have to pester the person who has given in to me by eMail, visit them in person, send them via US Mail, Facebook, Fax Machine, PDF,  or telephone to get the names of the persons in the photos.  Depending on the method used - it can me an expensive endeavor! 

It saddens me when I attend a garage sales and flea markets where family members are selling old photographs and I don’t understand why.  Matter-of-fact, in the past I have tried to talk them out of “selling” the photos.  Do you know what the response is? “The photos are no good to us, the person(s) who could identify them do not remember who they are – she/he has Dementia / Alzheimer’s”.  The translation – the patriarchs of the family never shared the photos with family members when they were younger.  It is SO sad!

In years past, acting as a Genealogy Professional, (not a hobby Genealogist) I have been known to purchase those photos on behalf of families selling them, interviewing them to write down the family history / background, and then review the antique photos for “clues” on the backside of the photos.  What is my goal?  To find the community where the photos were taken and see if there is a Historical Society in the community or county in which to turn in the documentation and the photos.  I assure you somewhere out there – someone (family members or family reunion historians) is  looking for the information and the photos!

Please – those of you who have access to old photo albums or boxes of old photographs, please attempt to identify the people in the photos and write “lightly” on the back of them so others – can not live through the nightmare we (me and others) have been through. Otherwise –  identifying antique photographs will be an expensive endeavor.  Genealogy is not FREE!

Local Women Business Owners Network (WBON) meets
Thursday, May 7, 2009 at Mutt & Jeff’s in Amherst Township.

Speaker
Our very own WBON member, Shirley Hull of Business Advisory Services

Topic
“Marketing Ideas in a Tough Economic Climate  – How to get the Most Bang for Your Buck”

Location / Time:  
Mutt & Jeff’’s at Dragon Ranch Golf Club
                                     9488 Leavitt Rd., Amherst Township (1 mile south of St. Rt. 113 & St.Rt. 58) 
                                     6pm

Business Spotlight

Brenda Van Dress of Dove Chocolate Discoveries

It is Very Important to R.S.V.P.
Locations, Speakers & Spotlights – Subject to Change
Call: Debra James 440.985.2570 or
Fran Campana 440.396.5454

At every meeting we collect items for:
 Second Harvest Food Bank
and Veteran Welcome Kits.

Please bring only Non-perishable, Non-ethnic items
for Second Harvest Food Bank

Veteran Welcome Kits.  A list of needs can be found here.

Please bring collections to the meeting.
Karen Cheshire will collect and deliver the items.

Amherst OH -  The world renown “one-man volleyball team“, Bob Holmes  is coming to Northeast Ohio. 

This is the same Bob Holmes who has been been interviewed by CNN  and  has been written about by Ripley’s Believe it or not, twice!

He’s beaten:
the Miami Dolphins, the Washington Redskins, the Buffalo Bills (three times), the New England Patriots, the Baltimore Orioles (with Cal Ripken & Jim Palmer), and yes, even the Pittsburgh Steelers!

In Amherst, Bob Holmes, is coming to Amherst Steele High School Main Gym,  450 Washington St.,  Wednesday evening, May 6, 2009, at 6:30p.m. to challenge teams from Trinity Evangelical Free Church  and the Amherst Steele High School Girls volleyball team as he shares inspirational encouragement.

Other Northeastern Ohio school systems teams being challenged are in Streetsboro and Lorain’s Admiral King High School, Longfellow, and Whitter Middle Schools.

Actually – I think I already know! Over the Easter Weekend, I was reading a backlog of Lebanon Daily News newspapers I have received in the last several weeks. I love this out-of-state newspaper from Lebanon County, Pennsylvania! It’s folksy (Is that a word?). One of the columns I read in this paper is a genealogy column called Roots & Branches by James M. Beidler which normally appears in the Monday edition of the paper.

In the paper dated March 23, 2009 – the headline got my attention: “DEATH-CERTIFICATE EFFORT NEEDS NOISE“. Mr. Beidler states, “It’s time for genealogists in Pennsylvania to make some noise about access to death certificates…”

There is a group organized by a man named Tim Gruber of Allentown, Pennsylvania, called “People for Better Pennsylvania Historical Records Access” has spearheaded reintroduction of legislation to the state. One of the Representatives of the state of Pennsylvania, Richard Grucela, of Nazareth, Pennsylvania has introduced “a vital – records modernization measure as House Bill 931 because the bills introduced last year died with the end of the last 2007-08 legislative session.

The Bill has 67 co-sponsors in the house! The Bill has been assigned to the Health & Human Services Committee“.  The column goes on to quote Mr. Gruber, “that legislators and the Governor need to hear from genealogists for the Bill to become a law – remaining SILENT won’t get them to do anything.” (I wonder can residents outside of Pennsylvania – raise a little noise?)  The answer, YES!

The column continues to say, “The Bill that has been introduced would address the Number ONE problem from a researcher’s standpoint: That there is no type of index available to the public in which to search”.  This is due to the fact that Pennsylvania is a Closed Record State“…which really means only “certain” people can get a copy of a certificate.

The column continues to say,  “The Bill that the group is backing allows for a “blackout” period of 50 years after the person’s death before access to a certificate is eased. The blackout period was inserted to address the privacy concerns.”

The column continues….”One of the main ways that the Division of Vital Records enforces this provision is to require quite a bit of information (Do you remember when you gave blood? Do you remember the registration process and procedures you went through to give? Well, the process to verify the facts in Pennsylvania, feels the same way for me!) on the application for a death certificate – including items like dates of birth and death” (which you’re trying to VERIFY, right?).

It’s a challenge to verify any facts be if for yourself or for a client. Look at this way, they’ll release the record to you if all the pertinent information you submitted matches the information in the record!  Which costs $9 by itself - that does not include the cost of two envelopes and postage for each (yes, I said two).  Think about it, you send one envelope with postage on the outside and inside is the request form, a brief letter to accompany the form, your payment, and a Self-addressed stamped envelope.  Then you wait for months for a reply and HOPING it is for the RIGHT person.  That’s right; you may have requested a record that when you finally receive it – it’s not the right person.  The dates matched, the name matched, the birth and death locations matched – BUT – it MIGHT not be the right person(s).  Guess what? You’re out the money!

At any rate this article has hit my hot button.  I think I know exactly how I became a Lebanon Daily News Obituary Data Hog, remember I confessed several months back that I am Lebanon Daily News Obituary Archivist; I am pretty sure it’s because of the Pennsylvania “closed record law”.  I’m pretty sure over the years I got annoyed at the wait time to get a record and you have to know the person real well before the record will be released! 

Pennsylvania is the Keystone State – the early years of the United States. If  a person of record has been deceased over 100 years – why is it so difficult to verify the facts? As I stated before, Genealogy is not FREE is it?