Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse

Station TPLM2 - Thomas Point, MD

The Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse located in Annapolis, MD, is a National Historic Landmark - one of only ten lighthouses in the country to be bestowed this highest honor – and the only unaltered screwpile lighthouse in the United States remaining attached to its original foundation.

 

Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse in 1885

Photograph courtesy U.S. Coast Guard

An 1821 letter from William B. Barney, Naval Officer for the port of Baltimore, to Stephen Pleasonton of the U.S. Treasury, indicates the need for this lighthouse:

Many ship owners and seafaring men of respectability have frequently spoken to me on the subject of a light to be placed at the end of Thomas' Point bar, a few miles below Annapolis; which extends a considerable distance out into the Bay, cutting the direct track of vessels bound up or down; at the end of which from four feet, you instantly deepen to six and seven fathoms water. A light placed here, would be of as great utility as perhaps any one in the Chesapeake Bay.

By 1964 the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse was the last manned light in the Chesapeake Bay until it became fully automated in 1986.  The United States Coast Guard continues to maintain the navigational aids.

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Created for: A Festival of Postcards (7th Edition) - Light

52 Weeks of Genealogy - Immigrant Home Town Record Search

Time is flying by...I think I've already lost a couple weeks somewhere!

Today I thought I would combine this week's GeneaBloggers theme :
Week 3 - Assess yourself! You’re great at researching everyone else’s history, but how much of your own have you recorded?
with Gena's Genealogy :  52 Weeks of Genealogy Sources
Week 1 theme:  Searching the Family History Library Catalog by Location

In my own family history research I had stalled on my immigrant g-grandparents, but recently I narrowed down possible towns of origin for them.
By searching Ellis Island passenger lists for the siblings of these g-grandparents I was able to find town names cited as 'last residence'.
Surname Kolbusz:  Szufnarowa, Galicia, Poland
&
Surname Kollain:  Slavonia, Brod, Austria

What I have failed to do so far is follow up on what records might be available for these towns.

Using the FHL location search:
 I found nothing for the town Szufnarowa which was disappointing, but there were several listing for Austria, Galicia, that I might want to delve into further.

I had better luck for my second location search finding:
Place: Croatia, Slavonski Brod
Topics: Croatia, Slavonski Brod - Church records
             Croatia, Slavonski Brod - Jewish records

Clicking on the Church records link I got the following:

Clicking on the first record listed I get a more detailed description of what it contains:

Title:   Kirchenbuch, 1748-1918

Authors:   Österreich. Armee. Garnison Brood (Slavonien)

Baptisms, marriages and deaths of military personnel in Brood, Slavonien, Austria; also called Bród, Pozsega, Hungary; now Slavonski Brod, Croatia. Includes military hospital. For Indexes to the names of regimental captains and garrison place names see films no. 1442862-1442866. Text in German with some Croatian.

Nearly Wordless Wednesday - Immigrant Identification Card

Issued in 1929 in Bucharest, Romania, this is our Great-Grandmother Maria Stoss's Immigrant Identification Card. 

 Her signature appears in two places - once on the card and again on the photo which is stapled to the card.

After 1928, all immigrants admitted with a visa were issued an Immigrant Identification Card with a photograph of the immigrant. The scan of the reverse side more closely captured the true color of the card.

The Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives - Steamship Tickets

The Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives has a number of original steamship tickets for Transatlantic and other destinations, dating from the 1880s through the 1950s for immigrant passages to America. All of the contracts have been transcribed and have an English translation.

Even though it is highly unlikely they have your family's steamship ticket, try selecting a contract from the same steamship line or ocean liner used by your ancestors for illustrating your family history.

Steamship Tickets, Immigrant Steamship Passage Contracts Archives 1800s – 1950s

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

After 13 years of planning and fund raising, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on the National Mall is now under construction.

Clearing of the site located on the Tidal Basin began on Dec 28th. When completed more than 200 of Washington's famous cherry trees will be planted at the memorial. Dedication is scheduled for Fall, 2011.

The private foundation working to build the memorial has collected $108 million of the $120 million projected cost. A donation of $5 or more, gives you a "Build the Dream" wristband and lapel pin. 

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Help Preserve Valuable Civil War Records

Volunteering at the National Archives

The National Archives and Records Administration is recruiting and training volunteers to help with a behind-the-scenes Civil War widows pension file project.  This project involves preparing historically valuable records of the federal government for digitization.

Volunteers:

• generally work seated at tables or computer stations

• work in groups

• must pay attention to detail

• have an interest in lifelong learning

• make a commitment of a minimum of two years

• contribute at least 100 hours of service each year

Shifts are available on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. 
For more information or to receive an application, write to volunteer@nara.gov or call 202-357-5272

The National Archives Building is located at 700 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20408
Metro stop: Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter

The Village Church of Segenthau

Established in 1771, this Roman Catholic Church in the Banat village of Segenthau, located in Romania, 15km S of Arad, is the place where the majority of my maternal grandmother’s ancestors worshipped.

Some of the Family Surnames from Segenthau that we are related to are:  Stoss, Rauner, Ballner, Menrath, Wild, Leilech, Dissler, Balthasar, Czimerin, Mayer, Bernath, Kraft, Brunner, Brischler, Welsch, Kottig, Matz , Krebs, Morgenthaler, Tenzler , Lambert

For genealogical records:
· Village name in FHL records: Segenthau, Sagu, Nemetsag
· Church records available at FHL: Christenings 1772-1812, Marriages 1772-1849, Deaths 1771-1848
· FHL Microfilm Nr. 0858425, 1271607
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Happy New Year

 

 

Best wishes for 2010 from Tangled Trees

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Wordless Wednesday - Counting Down 2009

Little Gifts

A Christmas Gift from World Vital Records:

Enjoy Free Access from Dec 23 - Dec 28

Merry Christmas from Tangled Trees

Wordless Wednesday - Did you say Flocked?

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