Irish Genealogy LibGuide - Follow Friday

(Copyright (c) 2013 Cynthia Shenette) I don't do generally do Irish genealogy, or as I like to say to my two best friends (both of whom happen to be Irish), "There's no Irish in my family unless the boat from Poland stopped in Ireland somewhere along the way."  Anyway, even though I don't have Irish blood flowing through my veins, I'd like to share a resource I stumbled across a while back for those who do.  

Check out the Boston College University Libraries LibGuide for Irish Genealogy (Irish Studies).  LibGuides are pathfinders/guides compiled by librarians to assist library patrons with their research.  Boston College has an Irish studies program and the Irish Genealogy LibGuide supports one of the courses for that program.  The LibGuide includes books and electronic resources.  While many of the resources are specific to the  BC library I am sure they can be located elsewhere.  The LibGuide also has a link to a searchable database that lists the names that appeared in the "Missing Friends" column of the Boston Pilot.


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Photos of 17th and 18th Century Structures in MA

(Copyright (c) 2012 Cynthia Shenette)  I recently learned about a resource that might be of interest to genealogists researching older structures in central and eastern Massachusetts.  Photographs of Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Structures Taken in Massachusetts 1887-1945 by Harriette Merrifield Forbes is an electronic resource available via the American Antiquarian Society website.  Author and historian Harriette Merrifield Forbes (1856-1951) was the mother of Esther Forbes, the author of Johnny Tremain.  The images in the collection are indexed by place, name, and subject.  The collection includes approximately 800 images, with the majority of images taken in Worcester and Middlesex counties.  Coverage of Worcester area structures is excellent.  


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The HerStory Scrapbook

(Copyright (c) 2012 Cynthia Shenette)  Given that it is Election Day it seems like a good time to mention The HerStory Scrapbook.  The scrapbook chronicles the final four years of the Women's Suffrage Movement and includes more that 900 articles, opinion pieces, and letters which appeared in the New York Times between 1917 and 1920.  What I particularly like about this resource is that the writings are arranged in chronological order and reflect both sides of the issue--those for women's suffrage and those against.  The scrapbook is recommended by the American Historical Association (AHA) and the National Women's History Project.  You can read the AHA's review of the scrapbook here.


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Massachusetts Real Estate Atlases Online

(Copyright (c) 2012 Cynthia Shenette) I follow the blog of the Massachusetts State Library, and a while back they posted that the State Library has finished scanning a group of 45 real estate atlases covering communities in the state of Massachusetts.  You can find the original blog post here along with the link to the atlas database.

The database is great!  I've used the actual physical version of one of the atlases that is now online for my research any number of times at the library. While its nice to flip the pages by hand, it is also nice to now have access from home when the library is closed.  You can save the atlases you are interested in as a .pdf file and keep a copy on your computer's hard drive!


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MACRIS Database

(Copyright (c) 2012 Cynthia Shenette) Did your ancestors ever live in Massachusetts, and have you ever wanted to research their ancestral home, school, workplace, or other place of significance?  I learned about a database that might be of use to you.  The Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System (MACRIS)  of the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) is a great database that offers a wealth of information on historic properties and areas in Massachusetts.  It doesn't include information on all historic properties, nor does it contain all the information on file with the Massachusetts Historical Commission, but still has an amazing amount of information and is well worth checking out.  

You can narrow your search by town, neighborhood, street, etc.  It includes residential properties, historical districts, as well as places of business.   An example is the record for the Nelson Place Grade School I attended in Worcester.  The MHC inventory sheet is available which offers a great deal of information about the structure.  There is a photo and this particular record even included copies of the building permits.  

Check it out!


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