I have added a new book to my list of Heritage Books entitled Ridge Valley: Living Life in a Coal Mining Town by Bob Menarcheck (2008). This historical fiction does a great job of describing the lives of European immigrant families living in a coal “patch” of Southwestern Pennsylvania circa 1920. What I did not expect, and which engaged some new thought processes, was the incorporation of different points of view throughout the novel – that of poor miners and their families, Coal Barons, Union Organizers, Security forces, and poor Black workers who were recruited from the South. The author presented insightful ideas and reminded me of things I have long forgotten.
Author: pjangus
May 20 — Presentation for Mount Lebanon Genealogy Society
I will be presenting for the Mount Lebanon Genealogy Society at 1 P.M. on Monday, May 20 at the Mount Lebanon Public Library. Topic will be “Organize the Chaos — Planning for Effective Research.”
Begin YOUR Family History!
Several people have asked me recently how to start researching their own family history. I highly recommend viewing the brief step-by-step videos at https://familysearch.org/learn/getting_started. Printable forms to organize your research information are also available in conjunction with the videos. And, all of this is FREE! Start organizing YOUR family tree today!
February 18 — Presentation in Monessen, Pa.
I will be presenting a few ideas to the genealogy group at the Monessen Public Library on Monday, February 18 at 5:30 PM. The demonstration will suggest how to Organize the Chaos using Facebook and Evernote. This topic is ideal for those family historians who are working on larger projects with a collection of items that do not easily fit in the family tree.
January 28 — Presentation at Bethel Park Library
I will be delivering a motivational presentation Monday night at 7PM at the Bethel Park Library. “Going Out on Limb to Find Your Kin” is an opportunity for participants at all lresearch levels to reflect and set personal goals for the new year. This topic addresses personal obstacles that keep you from reaching beyond your comfort zone to acquire desired family history/genealogical information. See you there!
Patricia J. Angus 