Museum Newsletter - 15 Nov 09

Friends of the Bullitt County History Museum
E-Newsletter
November 15, 2009 (Volume 5, Number 14)

Dear Friends,

Announcements...

>>Genealogical Society November meeting. Our November 21 meeting will feature U.S. Marshall Rick McCubbin, known for his great stories about researching his family history. Normal meeting time & place: Ridgway Memorial Library in Shepherdsville; 10:00 a.m.

>>Special December Genealogical Society meeting: For December, Bullitt Genealogical Society President Barbara Bailey and V.P. Daniel Buxton have arranged for us to have our annual Christmastime dinner at Daniel's apartment complex meeting house. Rather than the usual business meeting, the society will meet at a special place and time. It will not be the usual 3rd Saturday.

Rather, we'll meet Sunday, December 6 at 2:00 p.m. Location: the Old Harbour Apartments recreation room off Blue Lick Road in Shepherdsville. Directions: From intersection of Highway 44 & 61 in town, go less than one tenth of a mile North; turn left (West) on Blue Lick; Follow Blue Lick barely two tenths of a mile; Old Harbour Apartments are on the right; Turn in there, pass a couple of apartment buildings to the recreation hall. There are columns on the front. Dinner is pot luck. Bring a little something and join us as we celebrate another good year!

>> Looking for new Museum Volunteers. Ever considered volunteering at the museum? As happens over time, we are losing a couple of Volunteers at the museum. We are very proud of the work done by our dedicated core of volunteers and are thankful for them. It's really amazing what all gets done! There are all sorts of opportunities to fit a person's interest. Besides simply staffing the museum and helping visitors with research and tours, there is also opportunity to do real research on your own as a subject strikes your fancy. If you live in the area and can provide some time, consider volunteering with us a few hours a week. Give me a call at the museum and we'll discus the possibilities.

>> Museum Volunteer Mike Eddington's youngest brother, Gary, passed away this week. Please remember him and his family.

Activity...

>>New Ferguson Cemetery Gateway. Many thanks and praise are deserved by Martin F. Whelan and Chester Philpot for making a very nice new gateway for the old Ferguson Cemetery up in northern Bullitt County. A photo of the iron gateway, with the name arched over head, can be seen on our web site. If I understand correctly, Mr. Philpot paid expenses, and Mr. Whelan did the cutting and welding. Both did the painting. Good volunteering people such as these make so much of life so much better!

>>Web Site Additions. Many new additions to our web site, since last time. Besides the continued hard work of our cemetery documentation team, our WebMaster Charles Hartley keeps us up to speed with technology such as the 2D tags. Updates are available on our Latest Additions page.

>>Computers replacement progress. I reported last time about our aging museum computers. We got them, used, five years ago and they are really showing their age. One broke down altogether last month and had to be completely reformatted. Volunteer Bob Cline and others are pressing the idea that we should get a new server-based computer system that would have six workstations in which all could access the same reservoir of information (such as our nearly 9,000-photo archive). The system would be much faster, with larger capacity (two terrabyte storage), and offer wireless access for researchers, among other benefits.

The problem, of course, is money. The first estimate we have received ran just over $6,000, which is about what was expected. Bob is looking for ways to pay for this, or to some other way upgrade our current system before we have more serious breakdowns.

For Your Information...

A death certificate is a surprisingly useful tool in genealogical research. It will often tell such things as the parents and spouse of the deceased, place of burial, and what funeral home performed the service (which might itself yield much more info). Our museum carries microfilm of all Kentucky death certificates from 1911 (when most records were begun) to 1958 (the newest we can have, due to a state "fifty year rule"). But those records are almost useless if you can't find the specific death certificate you are looking for. Want to find that index number of a Kentucky Death Certificate, so you can look up a copy? Check out the Kentucky Death Index online.

Finally...Cold Season

As I set here writing this newsletter, I am fighting what I hope is a simple short-term cold. (So please be especially forgiving this time of any errors, as I am writing under the influence of Nyquil and a bad night's sleep.)

Of course, everywhere this season the question quickly comes up, "Is it H1N1 ?"

Who knows at this point. Will I be well in the morning, or will I be in the hospital becoming the newest statistic of the newest flu?

Flashbacks of the terrible 1918 influenza outbreak in which thousands of Kentuckians, and many Bullitt Countians, died inevitably comes to mind.

I have not had the flu shot. I do not fit in the age/need demographics for the early H1N1 shots, and haven't resolved if I would take it anyway.

I suppose I am a sitting duck to catch something, though. In my capacity at the museum, and with other things I am into, I daily place myself among large groups of people, shaking hands and exchanging sneezes. "It's just an allergy", we all hope, as we secretly fuss at the sneezing/coughing person in our midst.

Ah, Cold Season. The leaves have dropped off the trees, and the cold, cold winter begins to set in.

C'mon Spring with all your color and warmth. The spring flowers might bring allergies, but at least we're pretty sure they are indeed allergies.

Meanwhile, for at least the next several hours, I'm heading to bed!

Thank you for being a Friend of the Bullitt County History Museum.

David Strange
Bullitt County History Museum
Executive Director
Museum Phone: 502-921-0161
E-Mail address: David.Strange@BullittCountyHistory.org