Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Search the 1940s Census on Ancestry.com!

Looking for your ancestors in 1940?  This past April the 1940 U.S. Federal Census records were finally released and volunteers nation-wide hit the ground running, indexing page after page to make the data name-searchable.  And now the wait is over.....

The 1940 Census is now 
Fully Indexed & Searchable!  

You can access Ancestry.com Library Edition FREE at the library, so come on in and get searching -- bring your own laptop or borrow one of ours.  Never used Ancestry before?  We're here to help you get started.  Stuck at a "brick wall"?  We'll do our best to help you break through it.   

Hope to see you soon!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Just Like Grandma Used to Make



We recently received an inspiring donation to the Community Archives Room: a beautiful copy of a 1928 cookbook produced by the Parish Helpers of Christ Church.  It is chock full of both tasty and timely treats from Gardiner kitchens of yore.  As always, some recipes withstand the years better than others, but they remain one of my favorite means of time travel. 

Here's a yummy idea that sounds as good today as I'm sure it did in 1928.  Let us know how you like it -- and stop by the Community Archives Room to take a closer look at what our neighbors were whipping up 84 summers ago!

Spiced Lemonade
From the kitchen of Marion Soule Smith
(who, according to our directories, lived at 26 Lincoln Avenue)

Make a lemon syrup as follows: Squeeze the juice from four lemons and chip the rind from one.   
Add one cupful and a half of water, three whole cloves and half a teaspoon of cinnamon.   
Cook until the sugar is well dissolved and the spices mixed, adding more water if necessary to keep syrup thin.   Cool and use one-quarter of a glassful for each one, filling the glasses with very fine chipped ice, garnishing in any desired fashion.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Genealogy & Local History Meet-Up


Eager to trace your family roots, but not sure where or how to begin?   
Stuck in a research rut and needing some fresh ideas?  
Just wanting to get out and explore more about our local history with others who are interested in the same?
Join us at the Community Archives Room for a Tuesday evening 
Genealogy & Local History Meet-Up
May 15th
5-7PM
 (more summer dates will follow)

Whether you are just getting started and unfamiliar with computers or you’re an old pro with your own laptop or tablet, we’ll help you jump right in.  In addition to our fantastic collection of local research materials, we also have four laptops available for use and can provide one-on-one assistance with ancestry.com and web searching strategies -- or bring your own laptop or tablet and use our free Wi-Fi with access to Ancestry.com Library Edition.   
We do recommend calling ahead to reserve a laptop, otherwise drop in and stay as long you’d like. 

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Genealogy Course

Gardiner Public Library's Community Archives Room has teamed up with long-time valuable volunteer and Farmingdale genealogist GariLu Weeks for a 7-week genealogy course on how to "Un-Puzzle Your Past".  We are thrilled to have a full roster for this spring's session and will certainly offer it again in the future.  Even if you can't make it to class on Tuesday afternoons we will offer some highlights and helpful links right here online.  Check back often for news.... or subscribe on this page to receive email updates.