Harlingen Happenings

By Mary Torres, Special to the Star

As we near the end of Women’s History Month, The Handbook of Texas, published by the Texas State Historical Association, is a good source for research on notable women in Texas. The Handbook was the brainchild of past TSHA President Walter Prescott Webb, who boldly declared it would be “a reference to practically any topic on Texas history.” The initial Handbook was published as a two-volume set in 1952, with a supplemental volume published in 1976. Today, the Handbook is entirely online and includes 27,290 encyclopedic entries developed by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) on the influential people, eras, and events of Texas history. Its staff of editors continuously works to add and update entries to ensure their accuracy and comprehensiveness. The site, www.tshaonline.org>handbook is free and accessible on the Internet for students, teachers, scholars, and the general public.

The Brownsville Museum of Fine Arts, 660 E. Ringgold St., Brownsville, current exhibition by Denise Lecusay, “Crowns: Studies in Allegory,” ends on April 3. “Caminos de Milagros A Spiritual Journey” A Mid-Career Survey Exhibition by Teodoro Garcia Estrada will open on April 14 and run through July 3. For more information visit www.bmfa.us or the museum’s Facebook page.

One of the most useful and popular genealogy websites is Cyndi’s List: https://www.cyndislist.com/.  I know that many of you have been using Cyndi’s List to help with your genealogy research for a long time, but if you haven’t visited that site, now is the time to do some exploring! Cyndi’s List is produced and maintained by Cindy Ingle and it has been a trusted genealogy research site for more than 25 years. Cyndi’s List is free for everyone to use and it is meant to be your starting point when researching online. It’s a categorized & cross-referenced index to genealogical resources on the Internet. It provides a list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online and is a free jumping-off point for you to use in your online research.

It’s a “card catalog” to the genealogical collection in the immense library that is the Internet and your genealogical research portal onto the Internet. Cyndi Ingle maintains the site, a blog and a Facebook page. She is also an author and presents genealogy programs both in-person and virtually.

The Tropical Trail Region’s virtual event for Feb. 16, which was postponed due to freezing temperatures and power outages, was presented on March 16. If you missed this virtual event the video recording is ready for your viewing at https://youtu.be/QM9r6IRIyac. The event featured a very interesting narration by Sandra Tumberlinson, San Benito Historical Society on the  Callandret Black History Museum of South Texas in San Benito; Tara Putegenat, Executive Director of the Brownsville Historical Association presented the history of the Los Laureles House Museum; Lilly Wilkinson, Owner of Ram House Movers shared “Relocating and Saving History; and Sara Michelle Hernandez, Tourism Director for the City of Rio Grande City shared a video taken from the photographic archives.

The next virtual event will be held on April 20; the programs will include: A virtual tour of the Texas Ranger Room at the Falfurrias Heritage Museum;  Overview of the McAllen Heritage Center;  History/Relocation of Kline’s Cafe Building (Rockport) plus an update on the new Rockport Center for the Arts galleries and complex and a Presentation – US Colored Troops & Confederate Soldiers of Color in the Rio Grande Valley during the US Civil War. For more information visit the Trail’s Facebook page or contact Nancy Deviney, Executive Director, TTTR at [email protected].

Another genealogy research site if you have ancestors in that part of the world: The Israel Genealogy Research Association (IGRA) is the largest genealogy society in Israel. They constantly strive to be among the most technologically advanced genealogy organizations, bringing energy and innovation family research. They work with dozens of archives to make records available online and have added over a million records to their database. The society answers queries and hosts webinars. They invite you to visit their website at www.genealogy.org.il and welcome your input on how to improve the site.