An Irish Christmas Tale

Since it's the festive time of year I thought I would offer my blog readers a story about the upcoming holiday. Each year at Christmas time I send out a story instead of a Christmas card. You can read one of these online at...

To Hear the Angels Sing - a Dublin City Christmas Story

Enjoy the holiday season. -Joe

(illustration by Susan Ebertowski from the story)

New Additions - Online Death Indexes

The following links were recently added to the Online Searchable Death Indexes and Records website...

Colorado
- Archuleta County Mortality Schedule 1884-1885
- Ouray County Probate Index 1878-1919
- Teller County Inheritance Tax Record Index 1917-1936
- Teller County Will Records 1894-1971

Kansas
- Gove County Cemeteries

Kentucky
- Jefferson County: Cave Hill Cemetery Burials - Louisville, Kentucky

Maine
- Bangor Maine Municipal Cemetery Interments (downloadable Word files) includes Pine Grove Cemetery, Oak Grove Cemetery & Maple Grove Cemetery

New Jersey
- Bergen County: Mount Moriah Jewish Cemetery Burials (in Fairview, New Jersey)

New York
- Albany County: Berne Historical Project - includes cemetery records
- Suffolk County: Mount Ararat Jewish Cemetery Burials (in Lindenhurst, New York)

Ohio
- Lorain County: Amherst News-Times Obituaries Index (recent)
- Lorain County Probate Online Records Search 1990-present
- Stark County Probate Court Records Search

Tennesse
- Tennesse Death Index 1914-1918 (update: year 1918 added)

Ancestry's Immigration Collection - Free Until Dec. 31, 2006

This offer has expired. You might enjoy this online directory of free and fee-based passenger lists and immigration records indexes...

Directory of Online Passenger Lists Indexes and Records

New York Passenger Lists Online Database Updated: 1820-1957

Ancestry has updated their online New York ship passenger lists database. It now covers the years 1820-1957. The database includes a name index for the passengers as well as digitized images of the passenger lists from the National Archives microfilm. The Barge Office, Castle Garden and Ellis Island periods are included in the database. See: New York Passenger Lists Quick Guide 1820-1957 for a link to the database and basic NY ship passenger lists information.

For some information about finding passenger lists at other ports see: Finding Passenger Lists 1820-1940s - arrivals at US Ports

Live Long and Prosper - How Symbols Influence Pop Culture

The Cemetery Symbols Blog has a recent post about the Jewish symbol of the Priestly Blessing, which can sometimes be found on tombstones of people with a priestly lineage. The Hebrew word for priest is Kohen (or Cohen). As a child, actor Leonard Nimoy saw the Priestly Blessing in a synagogue and later adapted it as the Vulcan hand greeting in the Star Trek television series. For more see: Kohanim or Cohanim Hands - Priestly Blessing at the cemetery symbols blog.