‘Naming Places’ a keepsake

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Chief Orono was the great-grandson of Chief Madockawando. And, he was of both Penobscot and French nobility.

I’ll remember those points with the help of “Naming Places the Penobscot Way,” a four-page insert you will find in the Sept. 23-24 edition of the Bangor Daily News.

This keepsake, printed on heavy paper stock, features a couple of large maps and color photographs. Numerous BDN staff worked on the project along with reporter Aimee Dolloff, and of course it couldn’t have been done without the expertise of the Penobscot Indian Nation.

It’s fascinating to learn about many of these Penobscot words. I had no idea that Kenduskeag meant “place of the water parsnips.”

Topics in this special insert include birch-bark canoes, the legend of Gluskape and the Moose, preserving the past and the European way.

Narramissic, Alamoosook, Sunkhaze, Nicatou, Piscataquis, First Debsconeag Lake – and what, exactly, is the Moose Liver?

We’ll find out on Saturday.

Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap is proud, and well he should be. The Maine State Archives and the Information Resources of Maine (InforME) have been nationally recognized for online genealogical resources in the August edition of Family Tree Magazine.

Specifically, the magazine recommends Maine.gov’s Genealogy Resources page at www.maine.gov/portal/factshistory/genealogy.html

It’s a good one to bookmark.

The archives is headed by State Archivist Jim Henderson, my former political science professor at the University of Maine.

Located in the same building in Augusta as the Maine State Library and Maine State Museum, the archives maintains some 95 million pages of official state records considered to be “permanently valuable.” The earliest records date from 1639.

“This recognition from Family Tree Magazine is a tribute to the efforts of numerous staff members at the Maine State Archives and within InforME,” Dunlap said in a statement.

On the Web page you will find links to entities such as the archives, which you also can reach by going directly to www.maine.gov/sos/arc

This is the page that has the much-used Maine Marriage Index for 1892-1966 and 1976-1996, and the Maine Death Index for 1960-1996.

Other topics on the Genealogy Resources page include vital records, court records, census records, Land Office records, military records and local historical records.

In Caribou, the Aroostook County Genealogical Society has received an honor. The organization was awarded the Most Knowledgeable Staff plaque by vote of those who attended recent Historical Pavilion. Kevin McCartney, committee chairman, made the presentation.

The ACGS booth offered displays of various methods of doing genealogy provided by members. Forms were available, as well as personal assistance from members.

One computer had Internet access, which was a helpful tool for providing information to the public. The other computer assisted people with other types of research.

Those interested in genealogy are invited to join Aroostook County Genealogical Society meetings at 6:30 p.m. every fourth Monday except July and December, upstairs in the Lion’s Building at 111 High St. in Caribou.

“Researching at Historical Societies” will be the program given by Nancy Battick at the next meeting of the Penobscot County Genealogical Society at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20, in the Lecture Hall at Bangor Public Library.

Battick is the president of the Maine Genealogical Society and very active in the Dover-Foxcroft Historical Society.

PVGS is completing its fourth year in Bangor and is going extremely well. President Phil Getchell is one of the real experts on Maine resources in the Bangor Room at the library.

The 74th Moody Reunion will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24, at the North Nobleboro Community Hall in Nobleboro.

Bring a main dish, salad or dessert for the potluck luncheon. Beverages are provided.

Norm VanDine will give a program on Henry Knox and the Knox Mansion. Bring photos, genealogy or articles of interest. For info, contact Gail Kennedy at gkennedy@rcn.com

3377. GONYAR-CHARETTE-ST. LOUIS. Seeking information on David Gonyar (birth and marriage to Sophie), Sophie Charette (birth, death and parents), and their daughter, Mary Isabelle Gonyer-St. Louis (birth). David supposed to have been born in Bangor and died in Orono, July 10, 1910. Sophie may have been born in Vermont, and Mary may have been born in New Hampshire. Sophie died before 1901. Lin LaRochelle, 1167 Menlo Drive, Altadena, CA 91001-1730; mefinley@earthlink.net

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