It looks like FamilyTreeDNA is getting into the eerie holiday spirit. This past week they have been choosing some spooky topics including - Mummies!  Their recent article  Are You Related to Real Mummies? What Your DNA Can Reveal   describes scientific study done on actual mummies. The DNA testing results "reveal genetic links between ancient remains and living descendents today. The studies use ancient DNA analysis on Y-DNA and Mito-DNA to make these connections. If you read the Mummy article you will meet mummies from Egypt, Europe, Australia, Siberia and the Americas. This is a fascinating read.  Source: pixabay/saydung Follow the full FamilyTreeDNA series for more spooky genetic tales on vampires and witches, too. The links are in the Mummy article. Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Wake Genealogy Watch Newsletter | WCGS Facebook | Wake Cemetery Survey Images | Resources |  Contact - info(at)wakeco...

Holt Anderson asked that we share this Marine Birthday event with our readers.  Any questions about this event should be directed to Holt or the other names via the email addresses in the RSVP. Click to enlarge for details Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Wake Genealogy Watch Newsletter | WCGS Facebook | Wake Cemetery Survey Images | Resources |  Contact - info(at)wakecogen(dot)org

Rescheduled  -  Advance registration is required, **even if you registered for the original program.**  Please visit www.wakecogen.org to register by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on November 10. Save your confirmation email with your meeting link and passcode for easy access. The presentation will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The program will be recorded, and the recording will be available to WCGS members only for 30 days following the presentation. Please note: This presentation was rescheduled from 27 October 2026, due to technical issues. Tuesday, Nov 10, 2026 @ 6:30pm – Virtual Topic:    WWII Service: Discovering your Ancestor's Story using Online Resources Speaker:   Cynthia Gage As a genealogist, I feel that my role is to preserve not just the names of my ancestors, but also to learn the stories of their lives in order to fully appreciate the history that led to me. Military service is one of those important stories and luckily for us as res...

Our October Meet-up event at the Apex FamilySearch Center was well attended by ten inquisitive WCGS members. The award for farthest traveled goes to new member, Nancy Coombs who drove up from South Carolina!  Barbara McGeachy's take-aways: FamilySearch offers free 30-minute virtual consultations. Sign up at https://www.familysearch.org/en/library/online-genealogy-help All FamilySearch Centers provide visiting researchers access to their twenty paid subscriptions. If you subscribed to each as an individual, it would cost over $2,500! The list includes MyHeritage, Ancestry, Fold3, American Ancestors, Find My Past, Goldie May, Newspaper Archives, and lots more that I never heard of! ( See the full list here. Scroll down to Premium Websites.)  When you use Full Text Search and find something useful, download it immediately! Every time you search, you'll get different results because they continually update the site. The Apex center offers genealogy classes the first and 3rd Satur...

Have you spent much time working with your DNA matches using Ancestry Clusters? Ancestry Custom Cluster - UnknownMatch LD, gather = 20-70cms. Red square includes known clusters, Lower right cluster is consists of unknowns. The clustering tool* is part of the add-on Ancestry Pro Tools subscritption . If you are working to validate your research or break through any major brick walls, this tool can be very helpful. If you choose to use the cluster tool, you may want to take a passing glance at your large personal cluster map for familiarity, but then take a look at the custom cluster layouts to work with specific lines and questions. I confess that, as offered, I have found both of these tools a bit awkward. If you worked with the standard cluster map of your ancestors, you have likely realized how much information is provided on one screen. It is useful, but it is large and like eating the proverbial elephant. If you have followed the Ancestry suggestion when creating custom cl...

For those following along, here is the latest Upchurch and Allied Families Association Newsletter. October 2026  - Features include family history preservation and a focus article on Edward Gray Upchurch of Alabama and California, founder of the Commercial Tire Company (1924). View past UAFA newsletters here Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Wake Genealogy Watch Newsletter | WCGS Facebook | Wake Cemetery Survey Images | Resources |  Contact - info(at)wakecogen(dot)org

**This announcement is information only. The event is hosted by the Wake Forest Genealogy Club . Announcement per WFGC: The Wake Forest Genealogy Club at the Senior Center is hosting a Family History Month Celebration this Wednesday, Oct 14, and on Wednesday, Oct 28.  We are holding an "open house" type deal for folks to come by and find out more about genealogy, do some genealogy help with them and encourage them to join the Genealogy Club at WF Senior Center.  We have free handouts for them and several volunteers to assist them with questions. Feel free to stop by -- the Wake Forest Senior Center on E. Holding Road in Wake Forest from 10am-1pm on October 14  and from 1-4pm on October 28.  Questions - contact Jennie Gunther (jengunther@bellsouth.net) for more details. Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Wake Genealogy Watch Newsletter | WCGS Facebook | Wake Cemetery Survey Images | Resources |  Contact...

RootsTech is fast becoming the largest genealogy conference event of every year with topics focused on all aspects of genealogy research and family history preservation - from the basics to Artificial Intelligence, to DNA. Whether you need instructions in metes and bounds, help with unfamiliar family locations or ideas for creating a family history story that will draw in your whole tribe, you will find help at RootsTech.  Early bird pricing for in-person attendance is available now. Virtual attendance is free and includes access to their ever-expanding learning library (dating back to 2019 ). Visit the Rootstech 2027 page to check out the class and speaker lists. This year's keynote speakers are Jane Seymour (actress, philanthropist) and Cece Moore a well known genetic genealogist who has taught us much about DNA and its use in law enforcement as well as spending 13 seasons as the genetic genealogist for the Finding Your Roots show on PBS. You can read more about both keynote sp...

We’re pleased to announce the launch of the newly updated Wake County Genealogical Society website!  You’ll still find us at the same familiar address: www.wakecogen.org . The biggest improvement is one you may notice right away: the website now adapts more easily to the device you’re using, whether you’re visiting from a computer, tablet, or phone.  While the site has a fresh look and some updated organization, all the WCGS information and resources you rely on are still there: Upcoming WCGS meetings, programs, and educational events Access to past issues of the journal and newsletter Wake County Cemetery Survey Wake County Genealogy Watch Society news and information Members-only resources, including recordings and handouts from past meetings and programs Jump right in!   Our updated website also reflects the continuing growth of WCGS as an educational resource for genealogists. While preserving and sharing Wake County history remains an important part of who we are, ou...