Reciprocal Journals available at Tuesday night's meeting

The following journals were received by Wakecogen within the last month.

Rowan - June 2019,
Alleghany - Summer 2019
Broad River - Aug 2019
Wilson - Aug 2019


***Please note*** as our location is changing in prep for ORL renovation, Linda Hames (Correspondence Secretary), will have these available for review at our next meeting at Cameron Village Regional Library.

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Wake Wed - Bloomsbury Park c.1912

Bloomsbury Park once hosted a roller coaster and a carousel. Both are shown in the photo below.

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Bloomsbury Park was built in 1912 as the last stop on the Glenwood Trolley line. The park was the finest amusement destination in Raleigh for almost a decade. By 1920, its popularity had waned. Perhaps the stress of the war and the Spanish Flu epidemic had stolen residents attention for more practical pursuits.

Bloomsbury Park is just a distant memory now, but portions of it remain for those nostalgic for old Raleigh lore. The carousel is easy to find, now restored and residing at Pullen Park. The other fixtures - the roller coaster, the trolley stop, and the dance pavilion - require a keener eye. Thankfully, Heather Leah, has that keen eye and has done the exploring for us. Please take a minute to read her article for ABC11 news. You will be glad you did.

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August Events Update

Several events of note happening in the next few weeks:

This coming Saturday, Aug. 24 from 9-12 @ Edgecombe Community College, Historic Preservation Program offers a Census records workshop with focus on population, agriculture, mortality, and industrial records and finding valuable clues within. Contact ECC HPP for fees and details, (252) 618-6653.

Next Tuesday, Aug. 27,Wake County Genealogical Society meeting and presentation.  6:30pm-8:15pm @ Cameron Village Regional Library. Topic: DNA Q& A. Details on WakeCoGen homepage.

Sept 4. NCGS Live Webinar: Mysterious Relatives. Speaker: Ari Wilkins. 7pm. (NCGS members only) Details

Sept. 7 & 8, Wake county Libraries, Oasis Spaces- NC Green Book Project. See this post for details.

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Wake Wednesday - Hogg Dortch House

These photos certainly capture old Raleigh. Take a moment to appreciate the leafy grand entrance and oak filled lawn that graced the Hogg Dorch house in central Raleigh. The graceful old home sat on the block bounded by Wilmington, Lane, Blount and Jones Streets. If that location sounds familiar to you, it should. That is the location of the NC Archives building.

The home was built in 1850 by Dr. Thomsas Devereux Hogg. It originally filled the whole block.

The Union army may have housed officers here during the war while the troops camped on the grounds.

Descendants of the Hogg family lived here until Dr. Hogg's grandaughter, Sally, passed in 1951. In 1962 the grounds were razed when construction began for the Archives and History building.

Read more of the story at Olde Raleigh's Facebook page.

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Event Notice: Green Book Project Lecture Sept 7 and Sept 8

This lecture will occur twice in early September. Olivia Raney Local History Library will host from 11am - 1:30pm on September 7. Richard B. Harrison Library will host from 2pm - 4pm on Sunday, September 8.

Wake Wednesday - NC State Capitol c. 1880s

This is what the State Capitol building and grounds must have looked like to your Great-great Grandparents on a hot August afternoon in the 1880's.

I bet it has been a really long time since an oxcart was seen there!

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Wake Wednesday - California Restaurant

I got really curious about the California Restaurant from a published Thanksgiving menu that I had written about previously. I have looked high and low for that menu so I could share it here, but no luck. I will share it if I find it. If you find it first, help a girl out, please?

I did some research and reading about the California.  I found some really interesting facts about it, especially the evolution from fruit store to restaurant then to clothing store. It was featured in a write up on the Goodnight Raleigh blog back about 2012. 

The history of the California is really fascinating, especially if you have these surnames in your tree:
Vernakes, Stathacos, Adler.

You can view this great story here.

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DNA Handout for July WCGS meeting - WATO tool

Presented by Jean Lansford, July 23, 2019

We had a great turnout and a powerhouse DNA topic! Thanks, Jean.

The full handout will be published at the WCGS website shortly. Our webmaster is traveling.  In the meantime the links here will get you started.

Links 

Science the Heck Out of Your DNA Series, Leah LaPerle Larkin, The DNA Geek
 Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

International Society of Genetic Genealogy Wiki 

Tools at DNAPainter

WATO Tree Template

GreenShot Screen Shot and Image Editor

Demo

This includes the slides from the presentation. It will walk you thru the process.
Check here: Summer of DNA (2019) Handouts

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Wake Wednesday - Olivia Raney Library - Original Location

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"...Olivia Raney Library, once known as Raleigh’s 'Taj Mahal.' The beautifully detailed Italian Renaissance building was erected in 1899, but sadly, this Hillsboro St. landmark is now long gone."

It was replaced by the more modern version at 4016 Carya Dr in Raleigh in the mid 60's. Now, as the current facility awaits its own impending update, we can look back to enjoy this beautiful library building and its interesting local history. Many lovely relics of the original, including the tops of the Italianate columns, exist inside the entryway of current building. I sincerely hope that all these mementos of Raleigh past will be preserved in the coming makeover.

Visit Good Night Raleigh for the back story and some wonderful old photos of the original ORL that stood at the corner of Hillsborough and Salisbury Streets.

Olivia Raney Library, Raleigh, NC  08/17/12

Olivia Raney Library, Raleigh, NC  04/11/2014


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Wake Wednesday - Seaboard Airline Depot

We all know it today as Logan's Nursery, but in its heyday, Seaboard Air Line Railroad Depot was a bustling place. It was our gateway to points north and the sunny south.

Folks waiting to board train at Seaboard Airline Depot! (source)

Logan's now (source)

The Orange Blossom Special regularly came thru Raleigh.
(source)

Whether you passed through its walls to board a train, or had an ancestor who worked there at its height of popularity, you will enjoy these links that feed our "nostalgic for rail travel" moment.

Seaboard Air Line wiki - with lots of great images

Raleigh's Rail History Hidden off Capital Boulevard - Don't miss the arial photos and insurance map.

Original Seaboard Coast Line Station in Downtown Raleigh c. 1862


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Wake Wednesday - FamilySearch Wiki - Wake County

Have you used the FamilySearch.org wiki for Wake county in your research. It is a great place to check for resource locations and contact points.  You will find info on church, land, military and probate records, as well as maps and county history and border changes. Check it out. There is a wealth of information there. It is a good place to start if you are just beginning your Wake County research.

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Visit the wiki and be sure to scroll all the way down the page or you might miss something!

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Look for more Transcriptions Workshops from Wakecogen

We had such a great turnout for our recent Transcription Workshop on June 29. Results were so positive that more transcription events will be planned for the future. If you love old documents and the wonderful unexpected discoveries within, you will want to join us. Stay tuned for more info.

Here are the attendees getting some video instruction prior to starting our transcriptions. 

Photo: Monique Bunch

Photo: Monique Bunch

Photo: Monique Bunch

Here is the cool deed that I got to work with that day. This is the original that dates back to 1796. Full of long S's (fs) and thence's! Definitely white glove work.

Thanks to Diane Richard for the video and allowing Wakecogen to host on our website. It is on our home page after you scroll down to the end of the page.

Come join us!

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