Greene County Genealogical Society
by Valerie Ogren
MEETING NOTICE: The next meeting will be Saturday, May 3, at 10 am in the basement of the Jefferson public library. Our guest will be Ron Gruber from Stuart. Ron is our new regional representative for the Iowa Genealogical Society (IGS) for Adair, Boone, Dallas, Greene, Guthrie and Madison counties. He will share with us “Researching Iowa Veterans.” He is currently working on a project with the American Legion. Guests are always welcome. [Unfortunately, we had to cancel the March meeting when he was previously scheduled because of a snow storm.] If you need the elevator, please call the library at 515-386-2835 that morning to make sure it is working.
CIVIL WAR GRAVES: If you know of a Civil War ancestor (or other Civil War veteran) buried in Greene County whose grave is unmarked, please contact us. We were made aware that the body of Isaac Ford was interred in the Junction Township Cemetery without a government headstone. The paperwork is being completed at this time. Then the long wait begins. Hopefully his grave will be properly marked by Memorial Day 2015. As we are still in the sesquicentennial observance of the Civil War, I have thought many times it would be nice if the big monument inside the Jefferson Cemetery could be cleaned up and re-dedicated. Do you know of a military organization or Boy Scout troop who would be willing to undertake such a project? If so, please contact me.
RESEARCHING: Queries received this past month via mail, email or in person have been Thomas, Bradley, Kirkham, Vorhies and Conner. I also received an order for a copy of “Families of Rippey” printed in 1991 and available from the Rippey Alumni Organization. There are only a few of these remaining. The book is a reprint of the biographical sketches from the original “History of Rippey” printed in 1956. None of those are available, and the 1971 is also sold out. Good luck at an estate auction or on eBay.
BOOK SALE: Visit our reference room any Wednesday afternoon from 1 – 4 pm or Saturday 9 – noon and check out the selection of used books. People are so generous to donate, but we sometimes end up with duplicate copies. Here are some more that have been added to the list: “In Search of Your European Roots”, Genealogical & Local History Books in Print”, How to Trace Your Family Tree”, “Handy Tips to Migratory Patterns and Immigration to the United States”, War of 1812 Genealogy” and “Publishing Your Family History on the Internet”.
CONTACT US: Our web page is located at http://http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~iagcgs/. Email us at gcgsiowa@hotmail.com or P O Box 133, Jefferson IA 50129-0133.
