Skeletons in Your Family Tree's Closet?

Cindy Helmers of Warren had taken a little break from researching her family tree, but Monday night's genealogy workshop at the Warren Library has inspired her.

"It's getting the juices flowing," said Helmers. "There were resources that I didn't know I could get into."

In a playful tribute to , the library's seminars were entitled "Discover the Skeletons in Your Closet: Genealogy Research" and included two parts. The first session focused on the New Jersey State Archives and its offerings online and in its Trenton. The second one covered what the Somerset County Library system can provide to researchers.

Ruth Ryno, an experienced genealogist, attended the first workshop earlier this month, hoping to find genealogy resources that could shed light on her ancestors who lived in Burlington County.  Ryno, the chapter registrar and New Jersey Lineage Research Chair for the Daughters of the American Revolution, is a frequent visitor to the New Jersey State Archives but discovered just how much the Archives website had to offer.

"I haven't taken the time to see what's on the site," said Ryno, after the first workshop.

On Monday night, Ken Kaufman and Cathy DeBerry, librarians in the Somerset County Library System, discussed genealogy databases including the library version of Ancestry.com, which can be accessed for free at the various libraries in the system. Kaufman also offered techniques for searching on Ancestry and how to use the information found.

"These documents give you clues for other things," said Kaufman. "The information you find leads to other information. It's detective work."

Other genealogy resources include Heritage Quest, The Historical New York Times and Obituaries from the Somerset Messenger Gazette and Reporter—all available online from home for library patrons. Heritage Quest provides censuses, although not as complete as Ancestry.com, and other databases such as one for books. Researchers might find an ancestor in a book that has been scanned and made available online.

During the first session of the series, Ryno and other attendees received an overview of what databases and collections the New Jersey Archives offer online and at its Trenton location. The 12 searchable online databases include the more common collections such as birth, marriage and death records. However, there are other records that might help a genealogist such as the Civil War Vouchers. These documents include Civil War soldiers' discharge certificates for final pay, affidavits of family members for pay due to deceased soldiers and receipts for military expenditures.

"You get everything  from 'brown stuff' for horses to drums," said Catherine Stearns Medich Assistant Supervisor of Reference Services for the state archives, of the Civil War database.

Another interesting online collection is an index for men from New Jersey who were killed or died while in military service during World War I. It includes digital images of a card with the soldier's service and, if available, a photo of the soldier.

Local history buffs can visit a section called Documentary Treasures, which includes New Jersey's state constitutions, and the Imaged Collections, which has scanned images of the original oaths of office for the state's governors.  The earlier documents are handwritten and some contain beautiful illustrations.

"If you ever wanted to know what A. Harry Moore's signature looks like, it's there," said Medich of Moore, the state's 39th governor who served three non-consecutive terms.

Medich said researchers also can use the web site to determine what documents they might need to obtain from the archives in Trenton; however, they are often adding new images to the site. The State Archives is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., except on certain holidays, and includes a microfilm room where copies of most original documents  can be found. There also is a manuscript room, used to view original papers, that is open from 1 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. daily.