Imagine my surprise when on December 23rd I received an email and attachment of a beautiful photograph, an oil, taken of my 2nd great-grandfather, William Frederick Poole, the first librarian of the Newberry Library. When I poured through some Poole papers in November, I realized I still didn't have a copy of his portrait which is hanging on a wall in the Library. Immediately, I became a "Facebook fan" of the Library, thinking I could make a connection with somebody who lives in Chicago and who wouldn't mind taking a digital picture. No connections were made, so I wrote the Library, only to get a reply that they would be glad to do it, but I would have to fill out a form, and pay $20!Yes, I was a little miffed, because I wanted a cheap digital shot, nothing formal, and I didn't want to pay the big bucks. When I wrote them back, I pretty much stressed that.
Well, as I stated above, I received a copy of the the photo and a very nice note. I was also given permission to post it in this blog and share with anybody I wished, just as long as I credit the Newberry Library. Very nice gift.
Note: Diane MacLean Boumenot wrote an excellent blog about her trip to the Newberry Library. You really get a feel for it, plus she had some nice surprises for me. Please see her One Rhode Island Family post, A Visit to the Newberry Library.