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Few areas of traffic congestion reported in the Wyoming Valley this morning

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Kick-off dinner held June 6 in preparation for 70th annual Back Mountain Memorial Library Auction

<p>It was 50 years ago this fall that public school districts throughout Pennsylvania began consolidating. In Luzerne County, with its more than 70 municipalities, the net result was just 11 districts. Other states have undergone similar consolidations.</p><p>So if you&#8217;re a genealogist trying to find out something about an ancestor&#8217;s high school years (senior photo, sports teams), the old district is probably no longer there.</p><p>Here&#8217;s my suggestion. Search online to find the public library that serves the community where the ancestor lived. There will probably be a research librarian who can help you track down the yearbooks or whatever else you&#8217;re seeking. Or, perhaps he or she can help you get plugged into a regional historical society that has the information.</p><p>You can also look online for the department of education in whatever state you&#8217;re researching.</p><p>Tip: Sometimes what a genealogist needs is right under his or her nose. Anytime you hear about an organization that helps genealogists, go to its website for starters. If you don&#8217;t know the address, search it out by the organization&#8217;s name. You might be pleasantly surprised by what you find.</p><p>Take that old standby the Genealogical Research Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania, which is based in Peckville. Under &#8220;links&#8221; you&#8217;ll find portals to the Pennsylvania Archives, the regional Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Cyndi&#8217;s List of Genealogy Websites, Pennsylvania mining accidents and a host of other very useful and helpful materials. One of them might just be what you&#8217;re looking for. A website like this could be one-stop shopping for you.</p><p>Of course look into joining the organization. That way you&#8217;ll gain access to even more material, plus a lot of friendly fellow genealogists who can help you.</p><p>Records Update: Luzerne County is moving again on records storage and availability, a topic of vital concern to genealogists. Recently, County Manager C. David Pedri asked the council to plan for hiring a records manager. The county has already purchased a former mail facility in Hanover Township to serve as a records building. Under discussion are ways of making the old records available to the public. At present, old paper records are stored in a former produce warehouse in downtown Wilkes-Barre, and availability is difficult.</p><p>Upcoming Events: Don&#8217;t miss the fantastic walking tours under way on Wednesday evenings this summer. They begin at 6 p.m. at the YMCA on South Franklin Street, Wilkes-Barre, and they&#8217;re free. Coming up this week is an historic and architectural tour of King&#8217;s College. Future walks will cover a wide variety of local topics, with an emphasis on the area&#8217;s history. All are conducted by experts in the field.</p><p>Want more walking tours? July 9 and 10 will offer you the chance to traverse the ground of the 1778 Battle of Wyoming. Of course as the summer moves on you will have ample opportunity to visit the great historic sites all over Luzerne County. Watch &#8220;The Guide&#8221; in the Friday edition of &#8220;The Times Leader&#8221; for events, dates and times. There&#8217;s also the annual July 4 (10 a.m.) observance of the battle at the Wyoming Monument.</p><p>News Notes: The Northeast Pennsylvania Genealogical Society reminds researchers that its operating hours have changed for the summer. The research library is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays and 5 to 8 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month. The society is in the caretaker cottage on the grounds of the Hanover Green Cemetery, Main Road, Hanover Township. There will be no Saturday hours until October.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Tom Mooney Out on a Limb </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TOM_MOONEY-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Tom Mooney Out on a Limb </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Tom Mooney</p><p>Out on a Limb</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Tom Mooney is a Times Leader genealogy columnist. Reach him at tommooney42@gmail.com.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Out on a limb: Seeking historic school records can be a challenge