Coweta sends partial midwife exhibit to Smithsonian

September 26, 2005, I Fed Ex'd to the Smithsonian via the Anacosta Museum, part of our "Coweta County Midwife Collection" for their Midwife exhibit that will be shown from Nov 13 to March 6th....Isn't it exciting!!!!

Last year Mr John Kirkland brought theselittle scraps of paper to the museum. He saw Cynthia Roserson the Newnan station and when she said bring in things thatyou think might be of intrest to us, he did.The scraps of paper belonged to his great grandmother, Louise Wilcoxon, a midwife until the 1930's or 40's. She would write on any scrap she could find, the baby's name, weight, birth time, parents names, and birth counties. Then when she got home she would fill in the birth certificate and file it properly.

The intern from the Smithsonian was just "surfing the web" for Midwife information when she got a hit from Georgia. She found the blog I do for the Museum and emailed me..... and as they say the rest is HISTORY!

I did go to the GA Archives to seek more info on Midwives, and only found data from 1957 to 72. She copied the Coweta data and mailed it to me for free, but I have emailed back and asked for Meriwether, Spalding, Heard, Fayette, and Carroll County's midwife data too.
So if any of you know anyone who was a midwife or was birthed by a midwife, please let me know. We are searching for pictures of the midwives.

The "New" Georgia Archives

As most of you know, the Georgia Archives moved from its building on Capital Avenue in Atlanta to and brand spanking new facility in Jonesboro. It is excitingly beautiful, a joy to behold. And it seems as if with the new building came a better computer system too. If we could only see from our homes what the archives holding includes, it would be magnificent! But only thru the searches on their computer can we see the loose paper collections, the boxes and boxes and folders available to us...

I went there to research the Midwife records and found so much more. Microfilm upon microfilm to search thru to attain data that has not been indexed. One could spend years indexing and "finiding" all sorts of interesting things that would make a genealogist squeal with delight, that someone finally found their "great great grandfathers record" that they had been searching for for 50 years.... Don't we wish more people would donate one day a month, a quarter, a year to look thru old records and index them for posterity!

Cynthia Rosers receives DNR-HPD Preservation Award

Cynthia Rosers, 2003-2004 Director of "The Coweta County African American Heritage Museum and Research Center" received a Historical Preservation Award from the Department of Natural Resources- Historic Preservation Division for her work in preserving Coweta Counties African American History.

http://hpd.dnr.state.ga.us/content/displaycontent.asp?txtDocument=215

Slave Cabin to be rebuilt on Museum property

This picturesque little cabin does not look as if it could be more than 150 years old. This picture taken in 1978 during an unusual snowy winter day gives the idea of a "play house" for children rather than a home for servants on a plantation. We are about 90% sure that it was Daniel Jackson, a former slave of Hugh Buchanan and Edward Story, who lived in the cabin during and after the Civil War. He went to war with Hugh as a servant.
Check out the website for more information about the cabin.

http://www.westga.edu/~history/centerslavecabinproject.htm

Cassandra Hollis speaks to AAGHS in Atlanta

On April 24, 2005 Cassandra Hollis spoke at the AAGHS membership meeting in East Point Georgia. Her topic was "Documenting Your Family History on Video".

One Buffalo Soldier was from Newnan

There was one Buffalo Soldier who was from Newnan and we are in the process of doing research on him. This is the exhibit that was on loan from Don North of Carrollton, President of the Grierson Soldiers.
The exhibit on display at the Coweta County African American Heritage Museum and Research Center includes: An authentic Saddle from the 1904 regiment; Model of a Guide on (the flag used circa 1877); A hat (circa 1870's before they switched to the brown hat's used today); A pistol belt (circa 1865) and books about the Buffalo Soldiers.

http://www.georgiainformer.com/2005-07/buffalo_soldiers_will_ride_again.htm

http://www.prnewsnow.com/PR%20News%20Releases/Art%20And%20Entertainment/Museums/Buffalo%20Soldier%20Exhibit%20Debuts%20At%20MetroAtlanta%20Museum

Getting Started with Family trees online

Don't forget there are numerous ways of getting your name out there on the net so others can help you with your family history. Especially if there are people you can't find.
There are also many places to place your family tree so others can contact you.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ga/coweta.htm

http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi

http://www1.tribalpages.com/tribe/browse?userid=cowetafamilies&rand=65071

To find out if some one has died, check the Social Security Death Index
http://ssdi.rootsweb.com/?o_xid=0028727949&o_lid=0028727949&o_xt=28727949