Nebraska High School and College Yearbooks

Looking for an old yearbook? You should check out Old-Yearbooks.com (Nebraska). They have a nice selection of links to high school and college yearbooks for Nebraska.

The selection is sporadic, but a good start. You never know what you will find, so be sure you check them out. Of course, for a subscription you can locate year books on Ancestry.com.

The colleges and universities on Old-Yearbooks.com consist of yearbooks of the University of Nebraska and the University of Omaha.

Have fun looking through them.

(Photograph is of the Public School, Cozad, Dawson Co., Nebraska.)

Eastern Nebraska Resources

The very active Greater Omaha Genealogical Society members have web pages that are helpful. These continue to grow, so check them often. The original settlement in Nebraska territory was in the east, along the Missouri River. Therefore, it is a good idea to look for pre-statehood settlers and even those who settled later, in the eastern counties of the state.

Their web site of Omaha Obits is updated several times a month. They provide an index to obituaries and death notices found in Omaha newspapers. For some who did not live too far from Omaha, the announcement of their death still appeared in the Omaha newspaper. The society has also added deaths of Civil War veterans from a larger area. Once you locate obituaries in the index, you can either use the microfilm at the Omaha Public Library, 215 S. 15th Street in Omaha, or order copies. Check out their How to Obtain Obit Copies.

They also supply the researcher with Omaha Area Marriages and Anniversaries. You will find the index and how to obtain copies to be very helpful. There are 132,889 marriage entries. Next, check out Omaha Births from Douglas County, Nebraska records and early Omaha newspapers. There are 7,742 entries to date.

Not only do they have web pages for Omaha vitals, but also for other areas in the state. There is one for Thurston County Marriages. This is north of Omaha and to date has 1,906 listings, including Native American names. Members of the society have also created Hall County Marriages. This county is located west of Omaha, along I-80 and the Platte River, a natural migration corridor for pioneers. To date there are 1,863 listings.

Now they have created a new web site, Sarpy County Marriages. Locate that county on your map and you will that it is south of Omaha proper. In the early days, many people who were not Sarpy County resident got married there. Some came from Omaha, Lincoln and even from Iowa. This is a brand new web page that will continue to grow as members locate the marriages.

Too bad more societies in the state aren't posting vitals like these. They would be so helpful!

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