Bangor’s history on Web site

If you use Bangor Public Library for any reason, you’ll want to know about the informative Web site at www.bpl.lib.me.us. You’ll find everything from hours to events at the popular facility at 145 Harlow St.

For genealogists, the site now offers additional information on local history, special collections, the Bangor Room, which houses local and family histories, and even tips on genealogy and sample forms to help you organize your material.

Bill Cook, the local history and special collections librarian, now has the help of a new employee, local history and special collections assistant Shawn Weisser.

The site lists some resources with the call numbers so you can easily find them.

There also is a listing of Maine’s 16 counties. Click on one and you’ll find a list of some of the books for that area.

Speaking of Bangor Public Library, volunteer genealogist Phil Getchell contacted me about last week’s column on tracing Jewish roots. He reminds people to check with the synagogue in the city or town where the Jewish family lived, saying that he knows of instances where researchers have found a good bit of information that way.

I’m sure he’s right. Keep in mind, also, that synagogues often display an important part of their history on their walls.

Recently I spoke to the Friendship Club at Beth Israel Synagogue here in Bangor, and I was fascinated to see lists of names on the wall in one of the meeting rooms, with lights lit on both sides of some of the names.

Club members explained to me that in each case, the lights indicated that this was the anniversary month of that person’s death.

“We remember,” one of the women told me.

It was very moving to be talking to these people about their roots – surrounded by the names of their ancestors and friends.

You may know that Congregation Beth Israel compiled a history some years ago.

The title is “Congregation Beth Israel, Bangor, Maine: 1888-1988,” and the call number at Bangor Public Library is 296.65.B224c. In Orono, Special Collections at the University of Maine’s Fogler Library also has a copy.

One of the books we told you about last week was “Jews in Liepaja, Latvia, 1941-45: A Memorial Book,” by Edward Anders, a new book available at Maine State Library in Augusta.

The information – more than is in the book itself, actually – is also available on the Web at www.ej-anders.com.

The database, maintained by Edward Anders of Burlingame, Calif., and Juris Dubroviskis of Riga, Latvia, lists some 6,700 of the 7,100 Jews who were living in Liepaja on June 14, 1941. Most were killed there or in concentration camps.

If you click on a surname, then on a first name, you’ll bring up a “family card” that will give you information on the person and other family members, if known.

I continue to be amazed at what is available on the Internet, and impressed at the efforts genealogists put into preserving records – even when, as in this case, so much of the information is painful to read.

Another interesting Web site is “Jewish Records Indexing – Poland,” found on the site at http://www.jewishgen.org. The database indexes some 1.2 million records from 200 Polish towns.

The idea came from Montreal researcher Stanley Diamond, and Steven A. Zedeck of Nashua, N.H., and Michael Tobias of Glasgow, Scotland, founded the site.

Volunteers from “Shtetl Co-op” teams are working to add to this database.

3156. CONNOR-STOVER-WEEKS. Seeking parents for John D. Conner, blacksmith and farmer from Penobscot. He was b. June 10, 1741, York County, and md. Alice Stover, b. 1756 to Nathaniel and Mary (Weeks) Stover. Al Myers, P.O. Box 101, Castine, ME 04421-0101; or e-mail aem@ezonline.com.

3157. GARRISON-MORRISON-ACKERLY. Seeking ancestry of John Garrison, b. Nov. 5, 1813, Waterborough or Jemseg, New Brunswick; d. January 1871, Monticello. He md. about 1835, Esther Morrison, b. April 19, 1817, Canterbury, New Brunswick; d. April 4, 1886, Monticello. She was daughter of John and Jemima Morrison. John and Esther Garrison’s children were: Isaiah, 1837-1927, md. Louisa Dodge; William, 1839-1905, md. Martha Hannah; Leanora, 1843-1868, md. Cyrus Small; Archibald, 1845-1850; George Henry, 1845-1901, md. Grace MacDonald; John Morrison, b. 1847, md. Annie Laura Folsom; Jemima, 1848-1850; James A., 1850-1852; Hiram G., 1852-1947, md. Theresa A. Miller; Helena, b. 1858, md. Henry Bragdon. Was John the son of Abijah Garrison and half-brother to William Lloyd Garrison? It appears that as an orphan, John was raised by Olive and Lucy Ward Ackerly at Jemseg. Sandra B. Leighton, P.O. Box 703, Mars Hill, ME 04758; or e-mail leightos@hotmail.com.

Send queries to Family Ties, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or e-mail familyti@bangordailynews.net.