The Chavis Family portion of the Pleasant Grove UMC Cemetery featured in our most recent  newsletter (page 3), is currently undergoing clean up and preservation by church volunteers. The clean up effort is largely complete. The volunteer group is moving on to preservation. Interested members of the public are invited to a tombstone repair demonstration conducted by Doug Compton with the NC African American Cemeteries Network. When:  Saturday, July 18, at 10 am Where:  Pleasant Grove UMC,  4415 Pleasant Grove Church Road, Raleigh, NC 27613 What: Live Tombstone Repair Demonstration Who:  Doug Compton, the NC African American Cemeteries Network Details from the Pleasant Grove UMC Church Newsletter below: There’s no “A” in Cemetery An historic cemetery like the one at Pleasant Grove UMC offers clues and links to the past beyond what can be read on tombstones. Doug Compton with the NC African American Cemeteries Network has learned to follow the clues left over the ...

Last Thursday, June 25, Saundra's video premiered  on Spectrum News 1 . She was interviewed by Kennedy Chase about researching Black Patriot ancestors, an topic of  historic interest right now. Saundra's Patriot was Black so this made for some challenging research.  In the interview, Saundra explained,  “I did a lot of genealogy on the general public, but I did not have the time to focus on my family.”  She applied those skills honed over the years of past research to connect with her extended maternal line and trace her lineage back to  free Black Patriot, Jesse Harris . The video highlights several stumbling blocks that black researchers encounter and encourages persistence. Saundra noted that more discussion on researching black ancestors occurred than was shown in the final edit, but she thought Kennedy Chase did a wonderful job of pulling it all together. This was her first TV appearance, and she's excited to share more. Watch Saundra's Spec...

An article from the N&O has haunted me for years. It was about the first reading of the Declaration of Independence in Wake County and what that must have been like. I saved it. Can't find it now, but every summer at this time I think of it and how it captured my historic fancy those several years ago. So much so, that my young family including my two sons, husband and my father and step-mother made the trek downtown that hot, hot July 4 to tour the Joel Lane house and stand at the Boylan Bridge spot and imagine (despite construction detritus all around) what it must have felt like and sounded on that hill at the first reading in August of 1776. Well, it haunted me enough to go searching for the article again. After several failed attempts - success! I must give mad props and a plug to the NC Government and Heritage Library for their library card and the online access it provides. From their site, with my library card to log in, I was able to search the N&O Archives t...

Our membership chairperson,  Carol Kimball Stahl provided this summary of last Saturday's Book Exchange: "As y'all know, the Book Exchange was held at Laurel Hills Park on Saturday, June 20. As you might surmise, there were likely some who would have come but for being one of the 150,00 people who attended the Canes' parade! Regardless, we did see some good results. Vouchers were given when someone brought books to be placed on the tables for sale. Each book generated a voucher. At the end of the day, 13 vouchers had been used. That use meant that 13 books found new homes! In addition to the voucher use, people could buy books for $5 or win the silent auction bid."  Many bought books outright. Between purchases and simple donations we generated enough funds to cover a speaker engagement or in-person activity. Photo - Steve Deal "Many familiar and new faces attended. Among those were Cini Gage, Cyndi & Steve Deal, Harriet Jenkins, Kathy Ruse, Jennie Gu...

Tuesday, July 28, 2026 @ 6:30pm – Virtual Topic:  Early Migration and Settlement Patterns Speaker:  Mark Lowe Discover where a family moved into a state by using the statistical data recorded for all families. Learn to see where families were moving through the decades and use that knowledge to focus your research. Use the earliest records to find roads, communities, and potential neighbors, and develop a process for revealing them all. Join us! Free and virtual! *Please register by 4pm day of meeting. *Please save your passcode and link for ease of entry at start time. *Presentation starts promptly at 6:30 pm . Link to register at the Wakecogen website events page .   Registration is now open! **Get the video recording to watch on-demand for 30 days and access to our webinar handout library with your WCGS membership!**           ** At presenters discretion. Upcoming Events  View events page for details   Tuesday, Aug 25, 2...

Before the parades, barbeques and fireworks send us into sensory overdrive, let us sit a minute with the document that defines our very existence as a country. This particular anniversary should not pass without some quiet reflection on who we are, what we can be in our best iteration and what so many before us sacrificed for us to live in this still great, but troubled country.  The Declaration of Independence  Project was created online by the National Constitution Center (NCC) to honor and celebrate the Declaration as we pass through a most special moment in time. The online project from NCC "provides the Declaration's plain text with media links to related content for each section. The links take you to an annotated version of the Declaration, as well as essays and videos that present key principles and history and biographical information on the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. Visit the website . You will find two versions to explore as well as articles and...