Nebraska's Colorful History

How well do you know your Nebraska history? If you don't live in this state, you probably have a hit and miss knowledge about our history. Even if you live here, do you know about Nebraska history eras, great events and more?

NebraskaStudies.org provides teachers, students, history buffs and yes ... genealogists, access to archival photos, documents, letters, videos, maps and more. The history of Nebraska is captured and available at your finger tips.

Select a time period of interest and begin reading. The History Timeline across the top of the opening web page is a place to begin, or you can go directly to the Table of Contents by clicking on that tab on the left had side of the opening page.

One of the latest additions to the web page is The Story of Beef. Of course, Nebraska is famous for good beef. The saga began with the Texas Longhorns and cattle drives.

Throughout the timeline you can click on a specific event or year. For example, if you have heard about Nebraska's famous photographer, Solomon Butcher, you will find a special tab dated 1886 for him. By clicking on that you will have an interesting narrative to read and photographs to view.

Using this web site is an exercise in clicking! Be sure to check out tools for each timeline era and check those links which can be anything from photographs to videos and documents.

A Blogger Award

Cheri, aka You Go Genealogy Girl #2, at Those Old Memories has nominated me for the Kreativ Blogger Award. Thanks Cheri! I try to be creative, but sometimes hit a creative block!

Here are seven things about me. Some of you may know this about me, some may not.

1. I have been doing genealogical research since I was a teenager. The bug bite was hard, deep and has lasted long, considering that I am on Medicare and a grandmother. I have been doing professional research for over thirty years. Even so, I have compassion for beginners and people who are struggling to overcome their brick walls. I also have brick walls.

2. Yes, I'm on Medicare, but that doesn't tell you how old I am. I have also been a widow (young widow) for 2 1/2 years. I lost my husband to cancer in 2007. Since then I have tried to make every day count in my life. I am a ten year cancer survivor, so realize the importance of staying well and making return visits for medical check ups. In addition, every day counts in my life for doing genealogical research.

3. I have two children and two grandchildren. Will soon be blessed with two step grandchildren. They all range in age from 11 to 21. The youngest, my 11 year old granddaughter, enjoys looking at her family genealogy and old photographs. I hope that means she will eventually be traveling with me to courthouses and cemeteries.

4. Genealogy is my passion. It sustains my waking and sleeping hours. Don't you dream of courthouses where volumes of records are just waiting for you, page open to the exact information you need?

5. I am President (again) of the North Platte Genealogical Society in North Platte, Nebraska. We are the oldest genealogy society in the state. Like others, we have had our ups and downs in membership. We manage to draw a good crowd almost every month and hope to keep people up to date on genealogy affairs, plus supply them with knowledge about doing their research. That's a lot to do month after month! Seeing some of them come back month after month, I realize how dedicated they are to their genealogy.

6. My sister-in-law and I travel together, research together, lecture together and wander through cemeteries together. We live 2 1/2 hours apart, but we have e-mail and telephone. In May of this year we went to Salt Lake City. We had a lot of fun, laughs and of course, along the way picked up gobs of information. In July we were honor bloggers at the Family History Expo in Sheridan, WY. I think my late husband would be proud that his sister and I are genealogy pals. We have a blog together, so please check out our antics at, You Go Genealogy Girls. Her husband, occasionally referred to as go-Hubby, is very patient and understanding of our togetherness ... as long as I bring her back home safely, he is happy. Incidentally we travel in my car, aka Lil' Red.

7. Six months ago I was "blessed" with a bum knee. After scope surgery in August, things have not been better. It looks like in order to do all those wonderful things in life, aka genealogical research, I will need a replacement. Bring it on!! I need to be out in the cemeteries in the spring as well as going back to Salt Lake City with my sister-in-law in Lil' Red.

I know ... I'm not supposed to add #8, but can't resist, especially since this is a Nebraska devoted blog. I was born in South Dakota and have lived in that state, plus Wyoming and Colorado. In 1996 I moved to Iowa for a few years. I love Iowa, but Nebraska will always be my home. Go Huskers!

According to the Kreativ Blogger Award rules I am to nominate seven blogs for the award. These are all great blogs, so be sure and check them out. I nominate ...

Cemetery Explorers

Genealogy's Star

Jessica's Genejournal

Mad About Genealogy

Paula's Genealogical Eclectica

Granite Genealogy

Free Genealogy Tools

Nebraska and the Civil War

Prior to the Civil War, most of the settlement in the Nebraska Territory was located in the eastern portion of the state, primarily along the Missouri River. There were other minor settlements west of there, particularly along the trails that had been leading pioneers westward for almost well over a decade. The territory was settled primarily by people who were sympathetic to the Union case. The U.S. Census of 1860 reveals only fifteen slaves in the Nebraska territory.

When President Lincoln called for troops, Nebraska furnished 3,300 men. This is a remarkable number considering the entire population of the territory in 1860 was only about 30,000 with 9,000 of those being males of military age. Some Nebraska men went to Iowa and Kansas to enlist and some from those states came to Nebraska to enlist.

At the beginning of the Civil War, troops were withdrawn from the garrisons at Fort Kearny and further north along the Missouri River at Fort Randall. This left the area wide open for Indian attack and caused great concern. Major General John J. Thayer of the Nebraska Militia suggested volunteers be placed at the two forts. The federal government proposed that one regiment be raised within Nebraska Territory with a portion of it being used to garrison the forts and defend the frontier. Contrary to the original formation of this regiment, they were ordered to serve against the Confederates in the South and the frontier still remained unprotected.

The regiment, mustered from Omaha, became known as the First Nebraska Volunteer Infantry. They fought in the first major engagement at Fort Donelson, Tennessee in February of 1862 and were at the Battle of Shiloh. The regiment was also involved in scouting and skirmishing in Missouri and Arkansas. They were granted a furlough in June of 1864 to 13 August 1864 to return to Nebraska.

With the passage of the Homestead Act on 20 May 1862, Nebraska became populated by men (and their families) who had served in the Civil War. As they settled and remained here, camps of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) were formed. Records were created which today can be beneficial to the genealogist. One of the best places to begin online research is at the web page, Nebraskans in the Civil War.

Nebraska Masonic History

On 3 October 1855 the Grand Lodge of Illinois chartered Nebraska Lodge No. 184 at Bellevue. The first Masonic meeting occurred on 3 April 1855 on the second story of the Old Trading Post at Bellevue, Nebraska Territory. This was owned by Peter Sarpy. Members of the Omaha tribe lived in an adjoining room. Peter Sarpy was the first candidate to be initiated in 1856. Acting upon his petition, members of the lodge were forced to use an empty gallon pickle jar and small gravel stones.

The following year the Giddings Lodge No. 156 at Nebraska City was chartered by the Grand Lodge of Missouri. In 1857 Capitol Lodge No. 101 in Omaha was chartered by the Grand Lodge of Iowa. The same year the three lodges in the Territory of Nebraska organized a Grand Lodge. members from Nebraska City walked to Omaha for the event.

By 1861 the membership growth was slow, partly because of the poor economy. Many of the old members had left for the gold fields. More of a depletion of members occurred as some left to fight in the Civil War. The Masonic Lodges eventually realized growth and renewal by the admission of Nebraska Territory as a state and with the influx of new settlers after the war.

An excellent book that gives chronological information on Masonic events in the state is A Sesquicentennial History of the Grand Lodge of Nebraska 1857-2007 by Russell G. Reno, published in 2007 by Macoy Publishing & Masonic Supply Co., Inc. of Richmond, Virginia.

The Masonic Grand Lodge of Nebraska's web site contains lodge information, along with location and links if they have a web page. If you have ancestors who belonged to a Masonic lodge in Nebraska, you may be able to gain more information by contacting either the Grand Lodge or a lodge to which he belonged. In your request, be sure to supply information on your relationships to the subject, along with a brief explanation as to why you are seeking the information.

Genealogy Workshop in Omaha

The Greater Omaha Genealogy Society is sponsoring a workshop on Saturday, October 24th. It will begin at 9 a.m. at the Nebraska Methodist College, Josie Harper campus. Doors open at 8:15 a.m. There will also be a bake sale and lunch will be served at a nominal fee.

There will be presentations about wills and probate records, Civil War pensions and a panel discussion to discuss some of the attendee's research problems. If you wish to submit a research problem, it must be done with your registration, explaining what you have researched and what you know about the problem. There will also be an Antiques Roadshow type event where attendees can bring family heirlooms and learn more about them.

Click here to download a registration flyer for the workshop.

Family History Month in North Platte

October is Family History Month. The oldest organized genealogy society in the state of Nebraska is the North Platte Genealogical Society and members are celebrating the month in style!

There is a display on the first floor of the North Platte Public Library, 120 West 4th in North Platte, Nebraska. Volunteers are staffing the genealogy collection in the library, which is on the second floor. Dates are ...

Monday, Oct. 5th 9:30 to 11:00 a.m.

Friday, Oct. 9th 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 12th 9:30 to 11:00 a.m.

Thursday, Oct. 15th 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The volunteers are prepared to help researchers with the questions and assist them in locating books, microfilm and microfiche housed in the library. Collection Organization Tours are being held on:

Saturday, Oct. 17th 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.

Monday, Oct 19th 9:30 to 11:00 a.m.

Thursday, Oct. 22nd 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The Fall Genealogy Seminar will be held on Saturday, October 10th. Ruby Coleman (Yours Truly) will be presenting the seminar from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Mid-Plains Community College south campus. The cost is $20; pre-register by calling 308-535-3714. The topics are Clicking Your Way to Genealogical Success (free Internet sites) and Vital Records & Substitutes.

The Genealogy Help Desk will be held on Wednesday, October 21st from 6 to 9 p.m. in the North Platte Public Library Meeting Room. There will be genealogy displays and volunteers available to help with genealogy problems; guests are very welcome. There will be prize drawings at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.; must be present to win.

This should be a fun filled month to celebrate genealogy.

The Nebraska Migrations Project

The Nebraska Migrations Project is not a new project, but it is worth checking out. Migrations is actually a stand alone project designed to further migration research and also develop a comprehensive database.

There are two parts to Migrations. The first is the Migrations Database. You can search this by name or place. The second part is a National Migration Links page with a table of state links. There are also some migration links to countries, such as England, Ireland and Germany. Because of the scope of the project, there are search engines for searching locations as well as surnames.

Information submitted to Migrations comes from genealogical researchers who are hoping to make connections with others researching the same family. Obviously the web site will not continue to grow unless people submit their migration information. If you desire to submit information, be sure to read the instructions thoroughly. You will still own the data submitted and it can be removed at your request.

There are 720 entries on the Nebraska Migrations Project. It was started in February of 2000. The database format is name, lifespan, such as 1861-1932 and origin. Once you click on a name of interest, there is more information, such as where born, additional notes along with migration steps and time frame that took them to Nebraska. There is also a clickable link to contact the researcher/submitter.

This is a project worth checking. Spend some time there and see what it is all about, then consider submitting your own data.