This week’s theme is “In the Library”. Back in the 1980’s I used to spend summers with my grandparents up on the farm. The farm was located in Peru, NY on a dead-end road. We were the only people who lived on the road. The farm was bordered by an apple orchard and the Northway. It still is.

It was a simpler time. No computers, cellphones and only 3 TV stations. Heck there was even a party line for a phone. My Grandma was really beginning to get into genealogy. As a break from farm life we would visit the library in Plattsburgh since they had better hours than the Peru Town Library. They also had microfilm machines and all the Plattsburgh newspapers.

I remember it being a very rainy day. I was with my Mom and my Grandma I was looking at the social columns. Small town newspapers are the best. Anyway that is when I found it. The marriage notice of my 2X-Great Grandparents Sarah A. Larkin and Leslie W. Beardsley.

appeared in the Plattsburgh Republican April 21, 1866

This was probably one of my biggest newspaper finds until recently when I finally found Sarah’s obituary.

Nowadays I am much happier to be searching at home in my pajama’s since you can find the Clinton County papers on both Fulton history and my all time favorite source the New York State Historical Newspapers website.

Today I was just seeing what I could find and I found these 2 items.

This is my Mom and her brother Earl from 1956. It was about their 4H group. My mom is in the front row, 3rd from the left and my uncle is the blob up on top.

Then I found this picture from 36 years ago today. It is my Uncle Marc observing the ruins of our burned barn on the farm.

I love finding pictures of family in the newspaper.

Libraries are so important for research and you never know what you are going to find in them.

I am excited to be able to start visiting libraries again and seeing what I can find.