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EXPLORE RELIC March 2021 - The Ruth E. Lloyd Information Center for Genealogy and Local History (RELIC)

Start your historical journey here. RELIC's email newsletter highlights upcoming free events and happenings. Genealogy and local Virginia history are our specialty as a service provided by the Prince William Public Libraries. You can always find more about us on RELIC's webpage.  RELIC service is now available in person at Central Library, 8601 Mathis Avenue, Manassas, Virginia, 20110 and by email at [email protected] and by phone at 703-792-8380.  Hours of Operation Monday – Saturday, 10:00a.m. – 5:00p.m. Central Library is closed daily from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. for cleaning. Note: In response to staff support of the COVID –19 Vaccine Call Center, Central Library is currently closed for all services. PWPL is offering Contact –Free Curbside Pickup Service ONLY at Bull Run, Chinn Park, Haymarket Gainesville, and Manassas City Libraries. The physical buildings are not open to the public, but other services – including phone assistance – will be available at these four libraries.

UPCOMING VIRTUAL PROGRAMS

The following virtual programs can be accessed on our website beginning on the dates shown. Previous RELIC programs can be viewed on RELIC's Programs webpage.

NEW ACQUISITIONS AT RELIC Monday, March 1 The RELIC department is fortunate to receive donations of original documents related to local history. Recently, we took possession of a 1799 survey of a Loudoun County farm, which had originally been filed at a court in Dumfries. RELIC Librarian Don Wilson will analyze the survey, but also use it as an example of how to use primary documents in research, what new information acquisition of this document brings to light, and how this is relevant to Prince William County.

MAKING HISTORY "OUR" STORY: AN ONGOING CULTURAL CASE STUDY FROM AN OPEN–AIR MUSEUM Tuesday, March 9, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. The Virginia Outdoors Foundation owns and operates a 2,350 acre preserve that sits just 35 miles outside of our nation's capital. Before becoming a state-designated Natural Area Preserve and being managed as an open-air museum and living laboratory, this mountainous landholding was home to many marginalized peoples. Summers Cleary and Barinaale Dube will be sharing the work Virginia Outdoors Foundation is embarking upon to present an inclusive and equitable history of the Preserve's diversely peopled past, sharing efforts to cultivate diversity through the Preserve's fellowship program. Registration required.

DON'T GET "FOOLED" BY THESE COMMON GENEALOGICAL MISTAKES Thursday, April 1, All Day Doing family research is challenging for many reasons – don’t make it even harder than it needs to be getting tripped up by some common genealogical errors. This short video covers a handful of fallacies and missteps which can lead your research astray if you don’t know how to look out for them.

USING MICROSOFT ONENOTE FOR GENEALOGY Tuesday, April 13, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. OneNote is a free and easy–to–learn note–gathering and organization tool from Microsoft offering great utility for genealogists and family historians. Instructional Technology Coach Susanne Besecker breaks down the technical capabilities of this robust tool and demonstrates strategies on how to use it to organize your research and records. Registration required.

RELIC INSIDER

NICKNAMES: ANOTHER KEY TO TRACKING ANCESTRY

While searching records for ancestors, don’t overlook records which may use your ancestors’ nicknames. Some nicknames are not familiar or obvious. Here are a few derived from English–given names that are often found in early American records.

BERT – Albert, Bertram, Hubert, etc. BETSY, BETTY, BETH – Elizabeth BILL, WILLIE – William BOB, ROBIN – Robert CHUCK, CHICK, CHARLIE – Charles CONNY – Cornelius DICK – Richard DOLLY – Dorothy FRED – Frederick, Alfred GUS – Augustus, Gustavus HARRY – Henry HATTIE – Harriet, Henrietta IKE – Isaac JACK – John JENNIE – Jane, Virginia KATE – Katherine KIT – Christopher LIZA – Elizabeth MATTY – Martha MOLLY – Mary NANCY – Anna NEIL – Cornelius NELLIE – Eleanor, Helen NURSY, NUTTY – Ursula PATSY, PATTY – Martha, Patricia PEGGY, MEG – Margaret POLLY – Mary SADIE, SALLY – Sarah SANDY – Alexander SUKEY – Susan, Susanna TED – Edward, Theodore

Here are some books that can be used to find many nicknames and given names in different languages: “A Dictionary of First Names” by Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges (Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 1990). “First Name Reverse Dictionary: Given Names Listed by Meaning” by Yvonne Navarro (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland and Co., 1993). “Names, Names and More Names: Locating Your Dutch Ancestors in Colonial America” by Arthur C. M. Kelly (Ancestry, 1999). “Nicknames: Past and Present” by Christine Rose, fifth edition expanded (San Jose, Calif.: 2007).

VISIT THE "TREE DOCTOR"

We can now make appointments for virtual visits with Don Wilson, "The Tree Doctor." We can set up an hour appointment to discuss and dive into your brick wall research problem through the magic of the internet. Call 703 –792 –8380 or email us at [email protected] to set up a time.

WHAT'S NEW IN RELIC