Beginner Genealogy Workshop with Jeff Korman

On Monday, November 9th from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. the Local History and Genealogy department of the Ruth Enlow Library will be hosting Mr. Jeff Korman, Head of the Maryland Department at the Maryland State Library in Baltimore, for a workshop in Beginning Genealogy.

Mr. Korman will discuss how to approach genealogical research and describe resources available through the State Library Resource Center.

The workshop will be held at the Oakland Branch which is located at 6 North Second St in Oakland.

This workshop is free and open to the public. While registration is not required, a courtesy call to the library at 301-334-3996 is appreciated or email addie@relib.net.

Friend's Store Open House

Friend's Store is being revived! An open house will be held on Saturday, October 3rd from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. for anyone who is interested in taking a peek into this Garrett County Historical landmark.


According to Patty Manown Mash, Public Relations and Marketing person for Western Maryland State Parks, "the store is owned by the State of Maryland-Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources and is now managed by Deep Creek Lake Recreation Area. Many volunteers and staff have been working to restore that building to preserve the rich history. We are hoping to have it OPEN to the public by Spring 2010. Staffing will be a concern so we may be reaching out to find more Volunteers. Anyone interested in Volunteering may contact me." Patty can be reached at pmanownmash@dnr.state.md.us

Our Brick Walls

If you haven't already, check out the site www.ourbrickwalls.com. This site was developed to help research some of the early pioneers in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Originally, the families of Crowe, Humbertson, Layman and Weinbrenner/Winebrenner were the focus but, as with all family history projects, the family names and the site have expanded greatly. Genie Ragan and the other folks who contribute are constantly loading obituary notices and have many other pages to explore such as "Vitals", "Tombstones", "Military", "Family Photos" and "Skeletons", just to name a few. Stop over and check them out, especially if you are researching anyone from Garrett County and the tri-state area. You never know where you will find a family tie. Thanks to all those working so hard to contribute to this site so that we can all share in the valuable information and further our search in the name of family history.

New Obituary Database

A new addition to Ruth Enlow Library's Local History and Genealogy department is the online obituary database. We started with the very first edition of The Republican newspaper in March of 1877 and are continuously scanning and adding any obituary, death notice or death article we find. So far we are up to 1891 and are adding more years every week.

To check it out, go to www.relib.net/obits.

Give us some feedback here on the blog to let us know what you think.

Happy researching folks!

Kitzmiller Museum

Last July during the Kitzmiller Homecoming, I stopped by the Kitzmiller Museum (located in the former Presbyterian Church) and looked at some of the many items on display. A couple of items really caught my attention. This glass container was one of them. It is made of heavy glass so we wondered if it was something to be heated? There is also a lid to go with it.



Another interesting item was this very large, hand-forged lock and key. We wondered whether or not it was used on the railroad or possibly a jail cell? It shows signs of being hand-made which also makes me wonder whether someone in town made it, and if so, who?

If anyone has any ideas or information on either of these items, please contact me by calling me at the Ruth Enlow Library at 301-334-3996 (x 207). You can also email me at addie@relib.net.
If you get the chance, take the time to visit the Kitzmiller museum. (Call Jackie Brady 301-453-3280 to set up a time to visit.) There are many wonderful displays as well as information about the coal mines, the baseball teams, as well as the history of everyday life in the Kitzmiller, Shallmar, and surrounding areas.

Who Is Ruth Enlow?

Most folks come and go through the doors of the Ruth Enlow Library and never think twice about where that name came from, who it's attached to, and why did our public library end up being named after her? Well, here's a bit about Miss Enlow.


Ruth's parents were Ephraim Ellsworth Enlow and Harriet (Beachy) Enlow. (Recognize those local family names?)


Both were born and raised here in Garrett County. Ruth, however, was born and raised in San Francisco, CA. Ephraim, or E.E. as you will see his name referred to, and Harriet moved to California to help relieve E.E.'s respiratory issues. Ruth was born in April of 1897 and was the only child of the Enlows. One visit that Ruth made to Garrett County that we know of was after San Francisco' Great Earthquake of 1906. E.E. sent Harriet and Ruth home for a visit while he regrouped and repaired after the damage done to their home.
More later on Ruth Enlow and her family.

Check out this PA webpage....

Just wanted to pass this information along. Lori Haire stopped in the library on Monday and gave me the internet address to her Salisbury PA Historical Website (http://www.salisburypa.com/). You should check it out if you are interested in that area. To quote the website: "Chapter by chapter, delve into the history of Salisbury's schools, bands, sports, churches, groups, military, disasters, street scenes, industries, first inhabitants (Native American and early settlers), and nearby communities. And for the genealogist there is also a chapter on the Showalter Family history."
This site is chock full of pictures and valuable information. And as a side note, because the site has grown so big, Lori recommends that you navigate through the Site Map so that you don't miss anything. Please drop by for a visit.