From the community

Simsbury Free Library Announces July and August Events

This summer, the Simsbury Free Library (SFL) will continue its Genealogy Road Show, host a special genealogy talk about personal papers, and hopes to excite many with a new exhibit. For all events, RSVP via email (simsburyfreelibrary@gmail.com) or phone (860-408-1336).

Genealogy Talk with Tom Howard
Personal Papers: Diaries and Account Books are Underutilized Family History Resources
Saturday, July 11, 2015, 1:00 p.m.
Account books and diaries are everyday records found everywhere but seldom used to fill in the daily life of our ancestors. What were they used for and by whom? Where are they found today? How can they be used to add meat to the personal stories of our ancestors? Mr. Howard will address these and other questions in his talk. Free to members; $5 for non-members. RSVPs recommended via email (simsburyfreelibrary@gmail.com) or phone (860-408-1336).

Thomas F. Howard is a retired high school history teacher and independent historian who has been doing family research for himself and for others since about 1985. He is a former president of the East Granby Historical Society, East Granby Land Trust, Connecticut. Professional Genealogists Council, and the New England Regional Genealogical Consortium. He co-chaired the NERGC Conference in Hartford in 2007. He is an established speaker whose topics reflect his eclectic interests and projects. He has written and/or lectured on conquering genealogical roadblocks, immigrant research, 17th and 18th c. records, Native American research and diverse genealogically useful sources. He and his wife Virginia completed in 2013 the restoration of an 18th c. smallpox cemetery in East Granby. Howard is writing the history and genealogy of an 1857 Concord Stagecoach that his historical society owns.

Genealogy Road Show
Saturdays, July 25, August 8, and August 22, 2015, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
If you are researching your family tree, but don't know where else to look to find missing ancestors, bring in your tree. Genealogy librarian Diane LeMay can help with deciphering handwriting, online research, Massachusetts and French-Canadian research, and much more. Free to members; $5 for non-members. RSVPs recommended via email (simsburyfreelibrary@gmail.com) or phone (860-408-1336).

Drop In Book Club
The SFL's Drop In Book Club is on a summer break and hopes new friends will join and bring other viewpoints to the discussion in September. The book club meets on the second Tuesday of each month during the school year at 11:15 a.m. Books read in the past include: The Boys in the Boat, One Thousand White Women, Empty Mansions and Dakota.

The SFL's next scheduled Drop In Book Club will be on Tuesday, September 8, 2015 at 11:15 a.m. to discuss The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrille Zevin. October's book will be The Language of Flowers and November's book will be Caleb's Crossing. There is no need to join this book club, just drop in if the book interests you and/or you are in town. Free.

New Exhibit: George L. Hall's WWI Letters Home
The SFL has a new exhibit: more than 40 letters written by Simsbury resident George L. Hall and sent home during World War I between August 11, 1917 and October 21, 1918.

Kept in an old linen box for decades and shared with the SFL by a family member in May, the letters offer a great look into the life of a 20-year-old soldier in World War I. There are a number of Simsbury references, including the other Simsbury boys George saw in France; requests for his mother to send fruit cake, hard candies, and American cigarettes and tobacco; and mentions of The Hartford Courant and the "Farmington Valley." In the letters, George mentions how much he cannot tell his family because of the censors - most of the letters include a censor's signature and at least one letter has a word or phrase cut out. George asks his brother how the Simsbury football team is doing.

Pinchot Sycamore Art Contest
In honor of Gifford Pinchot's 150th birthday, the SFL is sponsoring a contest to find the best artwork portraying Simsbury's Pinchot Sycamore tree. Children and teens living or attending school in Simsbury are invited to join the competition. Prizes will be awarded in two categories: Teens (13-18) and Children (12 and younger). Prizes in each category are $25 for first place, $15 for second place, and $10 for third place.

Submissions must be original and can be in the form of paintings (oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.), drawings (pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, markers), collage (must be two-dimensional), prints (lithographs, silkscreen, block prints), mixed media, computer generated art, or photography.

Artists interested in entering the competition may drop off artwork (with a release form affixed to the back) during regular SFL hours beginning on August 4, 2015. The deadline to deliver submissions is September 1, 2015. Release forms are available at the Simsbury Free Library or online at www.simsburyfreelibrary.org.

Artwork will be displayed from September 8-26, 2015. There will be an open house on Thursday, September 17, from 5:30-7:00 p.m. to honor the artists. Winners will be announced at 6:30 p.m.

About the Simsbury Free Library
The Simsbury Free Library (the Simsbury Genealogical and Historical Research Library) opened on the second floor of the Hopmeadow District School in 1874. In 1890, the Library's collection was moved to its present location at 749 Hopmeadow Street in Simsbury. Today the Simsbury Free Library (SFL) seeks to promote interest in genealogy and history by providing access to research material and expertise, artifacts, and educational and cultural programs. It seeks to help patrons connect with the past and to learn from and be inspired by those who have gone before them. The SFL provides a relaxed setting in which people can pursue family research history at their own pace. For everyone from seasoned genealogy veterans to beginners, the SFL has the staff and resources necessary to help visitors develop the skills required to create family trees, search local histories, look up census records, explore vital records, etc.

The Simsbury Free Library - the Gracious Yellow Lady - is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and the second and fourth Saturdays of the month from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. as well as by appointment. To RSVP or for more information, visit www.simsburyfreelibrary.org or call (860) 408-1336.

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