COGenBlog

Hank Jones will be the featured speaker at a seminar sponsored by the Longmont Genealogical Society on Saturday, 8 September 2007.

Mr. Jones is a nationally recognized speaker and author. He is the author of Psychic Roots and has written numerous books on Palatine genealogy.

The seminar will take place at the Marriott Hotel in Longmont. The cost of the all day seminar is $30.

The topics to be presented are:

• When the Sources are Wrong!
• Tracing the Origins of Early 18th Century Palatine & other Emigrants
• Family Tradition: How to Separate Fact from Fiction
• How Psychic Roots Became an Unsolved Mystery

For more information visit the Longmont Genealogical Society Web site.

Submitted by Gary W. Routh, Columbine Genealogical and Historical Society, Littleton, Colorado.

In January I learned the hard way that Colorado Vital Records Section is now enforcing a new “proof of relationship” policy on death certificate requests. Their website explains the new policy:

Effective January 1, 2007, proof of your relationship or direct and tangible interest is required. Certified [death record] copies may be issued to: parents; grandparents; stepparents; siblings; spouse; adult children, stepchildren or grandchildren of the deceased; legal representatives of any of the above; legal representatives of the deceased; probate researchers; genealogists representing family members with appropriate credentials; others who may demonstrate a direct and tangible interest when information is needed for determination or protection of a personal property right. Applicants must submit proof of their relationship or documentation to establish their legal interest in obtaining a certificate (i.e. birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, certified court orders, insurance polices).

I was told by the helpful clerk at the Colorado Vital Records Office that genealogy database printouts, research documents, family letters, genealogy society membership cards, etc., which show proof of genealogy research work related to that person will meet the requirement. I did not find out if they expect to retain copies of these “proof of relationship” documents. It is advised that you inquire about your particular death certificate request in advance before making your trip to the Vital Records Office.

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Vital Records Section
4300 Cherry Creek Drive South
Denver, CO 80246-1530
(303) 692-2200
www.cdphe.state.co.us/certs/

Here are some important events coming up in the next two months:

Ends 23 February - “Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln’s Journey to Emancipation” Traveling Exhibit at the Aurora History Museum.

16-17 March - Colorado Genealogical Society Annual Seminar (John Phillip Colletta)

See the Colorado Council of Genealogical Societies events calendar for regular society events in Colorado.

I don’t know where they were hiding but the Denver district office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently found an important genealogical resource for those with Colorado roots. They are index cards created by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930’s for persons naturalized in Colorado between 1860 and 1906. These index cards contain name, birthplace, date and location of naturalization.

USCIS has decided to donate the cards to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Lakewood.

I learned about this story in a 2 February 2007 Denver Post article.