June 23 - Next WCGS Virtual Meeting and Presentation

WCGS members and followers should check your email for instructions on how to register for our June virtual meeting. If you are not a member and want to be included, visit our Membership page to join and be included.

You must register for the meeting before June 23.

Date/Time:  Tuesday June 23, 2020 at 6:30pm ET

Speaker: Jessica Conklin, WCGS Member

Topic: Explore Your Roots, Explore the World 
Incorporate your family history into your vacation plans! Learn how to use census and immigration records to identify where in the world your ancestors came from, and get inspired to travel by learning about genealogy tourism.

This virtual meeting and presentation is open to all members and newsletter recipients. If you are on one of those lists, you will receive an email with registration instructions closer to the date. If you want to be included in this event visit the WCGS Join page at our website.

When you join you will have access to all of our virtual meetings through the end of the year. This is in addition to the member benefits listed on our membership page.
This meeting will be held virtually using the GoToWebinar application and generously hosted by the North Carolina Genealogical Society.

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Robert "Phil" Upchurch of Allied Families 1928-2020

We must note the passing of Phil Upchurch the founder of Allied Families. Among his many accomplishments, he was a genealogical leader in our community. He left a legacy to many Wake county researchers. Our condolences to his family and friends.

Link to his obituary.

Free Fold3 Acess for Memorial Day.

Details here.
https://go.fold3.com/freeaccess

Upcoming WCGS Virtual Meeting - May 26

WCGS members and followers should check your email for instructions on how to register for our May 26 virtual meeting. If you are not a member and want to be included, visit our Membership page to join and be included.

You must register for the meeting before May 26.

Date/Time:  Tuesday May 26, 2020 at 6:30pm ET

Speaker: Judy Russell

Topic: How Old Does He Have to Be? - Is this man John the father or John the son? Could that man be my ancestor who married in 1802? Knowing a person's age is often the key to distinquishing two people of the same name.  But if no record gives the birth data, how do you know who someone was? The law can often give the answer.  Please join us for a pre-recorded webinar with Judy G. Russell, also known as The Legal Genealogist!

This virtual meeting and presentation is open to all members and newsletter recipients. If you are on one of those lists, you will receive an email with registration instructions closer to the date.

This meeting will be held virtually using the GoToWebinar application and generously hosted by the North Carolina Genealogical Society.

Return to the WakeCoGen Website

Newspapers as Genealogical Resources Webinar Next Friday, May 22

If you have been following Cynthia Gage's articles in the recent issues of the WCGS newsletter - Wake Genealogy Watch, you will know why she is my go-to gal for all things in pertaining to historical newspaper research.

If you want to hear more, you are in luck. Cynthia will teach a class via Zoom next Friday, May 22 from 1:30pm to 3:30pm.

More Details from SeniorTechEd --

Cynthia Gage will be presenting her program on Genealogy: Resources - Newspapers. As we all know, newspapers are a great resource for genealogy research. Cynthia will share lots of background information as well as tons of links to utilize this terrific resource. 

Date: Friday, May 22, 2020

Time:  1:30 - 3:30 pm

Where:  on Zoom with SeniorTechEd.

Go to http://www.raleighseniorteched.org , click on the Schedule tab and you can register (and pay using PayPal if you wish) for the class right from there.  You will receive an email from Cynthia with the login information and link  and any handouts prior to the session.  Hope you can join Cynthia for this great seminar. 

Take advantage of free content online, including Ancestry Library Edition

Covid restrictions have spawned a multitude of free webinars and perks from the various Genealogy websites. Take advantage of these:

• Legacy Family Tree Webinars - Free webinar daily. Currently through the end of May but may be extended. Details
• Ancestry Library Edition– Temporary Remote access for Library Card Holders thru end of May (reevaluated monthly). Check at Cameron Village Regional Library or NC Government & Heritage Library library depending on your library card.
• Family History Library Webinars - Free Schedule for May
• Visit the National Emergency Library -  Internet archive has suspended waitlists for 1.4 million titles through June 30.
• Abundant Genealogy - Follow Thomas MacEntee’s blog or for tons more free content. Details. Get his newsletter. 

Wake Genealogy Watch - Summer 2020 - Newsletter is Live

The Summer 2020 Issue (Vol.3 Issue 4) of our award winning newsletter, Wake Genealogy Watch, is now available online for reading or download.

You can visit the WCGS website or access through this link - Wake Genealogy Watch, Summer 2020
 
This issue contains the following topics:

•    A reflective look at the collective history that we are making as we pass the time    during the Covid 19 pandemic.

•    Links to NC Archives’ Your Story is North Carolina’s Story Project. They hope to capture, preserve, and share our collective pandemic experience.

•    Links to the National Emergency Library for your homebound research emergencies.

•    Cynthia Gage shows how exhaustive newspaper research will give you a better version of an event. Don’t just find one article and quit looking.

•    Strategies for researching challenging surnames.

•    Book review - My Own, My Country's Time. The autobiography of Raleigh native, Vermont Royster.

•    News about NGS Virtual Conference 2020.

•    Take advantage of the latest genealogy promotions to keep us busy with up to the minute tips from Barbara McGeachy. 

•    And, a surprisingly full virtual event schedule. 

Photo Note: If you choose to read a printed version of this newsletter, some of the photos will be difficult to view due to size constraints. Please refer back to the online edition where you can enlarge the photos to accommodate better viewing.  Enjoy!

Click this newsletter page link to view this and all past newsletter content.

We welcome your feedback, input, and submissions for inclusions in future editions. Please address all concerns to newsletter@wakecogen.org.

Visit the WCGS Blog for more events, late breaking news, tutorials, updates and other special posts. 

Got Mayflower Ancestors?

If so you may be interested in this upcoming free virtual event, Saturday Apr 25, 2020 01:00 PM Eastern Time. Registration required.

Dr. Becket Soule presents "General Society of Mayflower Descendants: History, Resources and Applications." 

Applications to the Society of Mayflower Descendants have exploded in the last few years in preparation for the 400th anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower in 1620.  After a brief introduction about the mission and history of the Society, the presentation will review the resources published by and available from the publishing arm of the Mayflower Society (known colloquially as the “Silver Books”) and the application form and process for the recognition of lineage. 

It is open to the public (you do not have to be a member of the Ottawa Chapter or of the Ontario Genealogical Society). You do have to register, however, at the following link:

https://ottawa.ogs.on.ca/events/webinar-general-society-of-mayflower-descendants-history-resources-and-applications/

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Upcoming WCGS Virtual Meeting - April 28

WCGS members and followers should check your email for instructions on how to register for our April 28 virtual meeting. If you are not a member and want to be included, visit our Membership page to join and be included.

You must register for the meeting before April 28.

The April WCGS meeting will be held virtually using the GoToWebinar application and generously hosted by the North Carolina Genealogical Society.

Date/Time:  Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at 6:30pm ET

Speaker: George Thomas

Topic: In search of Tri-Racial Heritage - All of us with roots to the earliest years of NC must consider the importance of racial mixing. Our skin-based moralities have evolved as have the laws governing the diverse people. With race as the central theme, George will tell of his ponderings about family and their neighbors who struggled to live among each other. His story involves whites, free people of color, slaves, murder and the eventual exodus from our state. In his words, “a bizarre story line but one worth telling”.  He’ll also outline the resources used to document his story with all its twists and turns. 

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30 Day Free Trial from Newsarchive

Cini Gage, our newspaper research expert, shared this opportunity with me today. This is a great chance to try out this newspaper service. I hope to get a chance to check it out myself.

From NewsArchive -

Greetings,

Our world has changed. We understand that many of us are home working, researching, protecting and respecting others health and our own safety during these difficult times. NewspaperArchive® is a product that is health safe, family friendly, interesting and rewarding to use; as you know.

As a thank you to anyone who has been a loyal patron of NewspaperArchive, we are offering a 30-day free coupon as a gift.

Instructions to begin:

To activate your 30-day free trial, go to https://newspaperarchive.com/ and click Subscribe. Or sign into your previous account and click Restart Membership. Select your desired subscription option and enter your account and billing information. Then enter the coupon code listed below and select Enter and a confirmation message will appear. Click Start Membership to begin your 30-day free trial. At any time during the 30 days be sure to cancel your subscription to prevent future billing. We hope you continue, but we understand that 30 days may be all you need at this time.

30 day Free Trial Promo Code = news

Wishing you all the very best,
The Staff at NewspaperArchive.com® 

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Message from the WCGS Journal Editor

I received the following message from Donna Shackle, our journal editor today. With our in person transcription sessions cancelled for the forseeable future, her suggestions make perfect sense.

Message from Donna -

Do you find yourself with a little more time on your hands lately?  Have you thought about volunteering?  Currently the journal is looking for volunteers to transcribe original documents for the purpose of publication in Wake Treasures, the Wake County Genealogical Society’s journal.  Current projects include the 1897 Raleigh school census, the Soldiers Home Register, and the City of Raleigh Death Returns.  We provide templates and you can transcribe from the comfort of home while ensuring that these records are published for all to use.  Whether you have time to transcribe a page or a series of pages, your contribution is greatly appreciated.  All skill levels are welcome! Please contact journal@wakecogen.org or Jessica Conklin at conklin516@gmail.com for more information or to get started. 

How many pages can you knock out while we are waiting to return to life as we knew it? Come join us online.

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Free Webinars Every Day In April - Thanks Legacy Webinars!

It is not too late to take advantage of this offer. A different webinar every day of the month of April. Topics include:

• Sundays - Methodology
• Mondays - DNA
• Tuesdays - Ethnic Genealogy
• Wednesdays - Technology
• Thursdays - Around the Globe
• Fridays - Beginners
• Saturdays - TechZone

Full details available at Legacy News Blog - Click here.

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