Sally Pellegrini's blog

Rockland History Month

Posted Wed, 10/13/2010 - 2:35pm by Sally Pellegrini

The county of Rockland abounds with so much history reflected in county activities this month. Residents have been invited to an interpretive walk on Iona Island, an island with a varied history of activity, travel a postcard ride of New City, view a play of John Andre meeting Benedict Arnold. The list continues. Currently the library has on exhibit images and original contracts owned by the Concklin family of South Mountain Road.

Take a look around you. Check out the many places that are part of our proud past. Remember that Rockland County began in 1798, 212 years ago! “Oh the place you’ll go” when you walk the Hessian Trail out of Bear Mountain; walk past Rockland Lake into the hills to view the remnants of a past ice industry; or visit the oldest lighthouse on the Hudson River in Stony Point.

I’m certain you will return home with a greater appreciation for this very unique county, smallest in the state outside of Manhattan and yet an integral part of our country's beginnings.

September Surprises

Posted Wed, 09/08/2010 - 3:46pm by Sally Pellegrini

September, a glorious time to enjoy the tail-end of summer, is also an invitation to the wonders of fall. Apples, warm sweaters, and falling leaves bring fond memories of childhood past. But did you know it is also National Library Card Sign-Up Month? Those of you reading this already know of all the benefits of having this small card. It opens the door to rooms of wonder, enjoyment and education.

However, there are many out there who haven't made this discovery. Why not share this special card with friends and family? It is one of the best values for your money and certainly a great gift to give to others. Make a connection today and invite someone to come into New City Library for their free card. While you're at it, come in and check out materials too. And thanks for supporting the library.

Needles At Rest

Posted Fri, 09/03/2010 - 6:17am by Sally Pellegrini

With the summer months soon to become memories, volunteer members of Warm Up America have stashed crochet hooks and knitting needles away until next summer. The thirty-one completed lap robes are on display in the Meeting Room until September 9. Take a look at the varied and colorful pieces. All lap robes will be distributed to area hospitals, students with special needs and Project Linus. And, thanks to all who supported the project.

Keep America Warm

Posted Sun, 07/11/2010 - 7:56pm by Sally Pellegrini

Keep America Warm program has changed the Wednesday night schedule to Thursday night at 7PM. I apologize for the change and hope you can join us. We will also be meeting on Mondays at 10 AM so come with your crochet hook or knitting needles and I'll supply the yarn.

NORWEGIAN ARCHIVE

Posted Fri, 06/25/2010 - 12:32pm by Sally Pellegrini

I found a new site, Digital Archives of Norway, that might be of help to genealogists and researchers. This site is continuing to grow with added information. At no fee, you can look at several censuses, parish records, photos of farm and tutorials on Norwegian research. It was chosen by the current Internet Genealogy as one of the "130 Best Genealogy Websites". Don't be turned off as initially it is in Dutch but there is an option for English translation.

http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/

2010 Census

Posted Sun, 06/20/2010 - 12:56pm by Sally Pellegrini

There has been much interest amongt the public regarding the collecting of data for the 2010 census. For genealogists, the information is important but the wait to view the information is 72 years! To clarify, this is the first federal census that is all-electronic and will affect the format in which permanent records are preserved. The Census Bureau will scan the respondent questionnaires as part of its business process for compiling the census. The draft schedule calls for the permanent retention of the scanned digital images. These scanned images are the 21st equivalent to the microfilm copies of census forms generated for previous decennial censuses.

In addition, the Census Bureau is also proposing permanent retention for the unedited file containing response data, with linkage information to the scanned images. This means that once the census is opened to the public 72 years from the enumeration date of the 2010 census, genealogists will have two means of searching for their ancestors. The will be able to search the database from the respondent forms or directly retrieve images from the forms themselves.

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GENEALOGY AND THE INTERNET

Posted Wed, 06/09/2010 - 5:24pm by Sally Pellegrini

The Genealogy Society of Rockand calls the New City Library its base for programs, meetings, volunteer services and some of its research files. On Tuesday, June 22, 7PM, the last membership meeting until September will be held. Guest speaker, Tony Lauriano, genealogy researcher, will demonstrate several online genealogy sites and share his experiences using them for researching for clients and his own family. Join us; guests always welcomed.

World War I Document Archive

Posted Fri, 05/28/2010 - 12:28pm by Sally Pellegrini

I was looking at new web sites and this one was recommended by the History Channel. Organized by war volunteers, this site has ten categories with links that offer primary documents on a wide variety of topics of World War I. Categories include Document by Year (pre-1914 to Post-1918), Diaries,The Medical Front and WWI Image Archive. For those interested in history of this time period or perhaps researching their family, check out this site for the international resources of those primary documents.

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One Great Value

Posted Thu, 05/13/2010 - 1:57pm by Sally Pellegrini

One of the best historical events for the money is the annual Conference on New York State History presented by the New York State Historical Association and in partnership with the New York Archiives Partnership Trust. This lesser known event is a must if you love New York history. Presenters from around the country congregate and for two and a half days you are immersed with topics ranging from newspaper businesses in New York City to the Eriie Canal to the lace industry of the Oneida Indians. There are three programs at each time slot starting in the mornings and ending by late afternoon.

The 31st conference will be held at Ithaca College, June 3 -5. Go to the website, nysha.org for further information and the registration form. There are accommodations at the college as well as nearby hotels. Where else can you pay an $85 registration fee and come home with so much information?!! Try it, you will love it.

Rockland Trivia

Posted Wed, 05/12/2010 - 7:13pm by Sally Pellegrini

The 100th anniversary of Boy Scouts of America is being celebrated though officially it began February 11, 1910. This unique organization started small and has on record more than 110 million registered American Scouts. But did you know the importance of scouting in Rockland County? Suffern resident, Daniel Beard (1850- 1941) was the first national commissioner of Scouting and first organized camping within the Palisades Interstate Park Commission in 1910. Mr. Beard is buried in Rockland Cemetery. Interestingly, 1910 was also the same year the Harriman family gave $1,000,000 and 10,000 acres to create Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks. The Boy Scouts sited their first camp at Lake Stahahe (next to Southfields off the NYS Thruway) in 1913. The first national Scout meeting was held in 1919 at the Bear Mountain Inn. Scouting has certainly had an active history in Rockland County and surrounding Orange. Happy Birthday!

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