There is still time to register for this great presentation from esteemed genealogist Mark Lowe. 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 disc...

For those following along, here is the latest Upchurch and Allied Families Association Newsletter. July 2026  - Features various search tips from Ancestor Hunt and a heritage Southern cornbread recipe. I am here for the cornbread! It looks exactly like my Grandmother's. View past UAFA newsletters here Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Publications | Wake Cemetery Survey Images | Society Surnames | Digital Resources | History Resources | More Links and Resources | Contact - info(at)wakecogen(dot)org

Registration is now open for both.   Both conferences are virtual and in-person.  August 21-23 -  East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference ECGGC 2026 Attend the fifth annual Genetic Genealogy Conference August 21-23, 2026 virtually or in-person in Boston, Massachusetts.  Take your genetic genealogy skills to the next level. Twenty-two nationally known educators . I know you will recognize these names! View ECGGC 2026 Conference Schedule here.      Registration Details here.  Sept 18-19 -  NCGS 2026 Fall Conference NCGS Fall Conference 2026 Featuring Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL, FUGA, along with 24 other genealogy experts. You’ll get 22 lectures either in person or livestreamed.  This local conference held in Raleigh offers ten different focus topics: Records, NC Research, Tips and Techniques, America 250 NC, Underrepresented Populations, NC Archives and Libraries, Artificial Intelligence, DNA, Online Records View Speaker List View L...

Long time readers of the Wake County Genealogical Society blog will have noticed a few changes over the last few weeks. Starting with a newish name (that is not so new...) and a new look. These changes were in preparation for a larger change necessitated by ever-pressing progress. This blog space is our new home! After nine years as editor of the Wake Genealogy Watch newsletter I find I must transition to a new delivery platform. This is necessitated by Microsoft's discontinuation of Publisher in October 2026. After testing several alternatives this year, I've determined that the most efficient solution is to move our newsletter to an online format. This change is happening now, ahead of the Sept. 1 start date of our new calendar year. Since this space is already up and running it will become the official new home of the online newsletter. Longtime readers won't notice too much change. You'll continue receiving the same quality content—articles, announcements, and event...

Join Wakecogensoc for "Coffee & Conversation"  What - July Meet-up When - Thursday, July 16 , at 9:30 am   Where - Panera Bread - (Glenwood/Pleasant Valley),  6201 Glenwood Avenue , Raleigh, NC 27612 Designed by pch.vector / Freepik Our first coffee gathering was so fun, we are going to do it again!  We’ll chat about what genealogical topics we're working on, or a brick wall, or ask other members how to do something.  No RSVP - just show up , order your beverage or food, and look around for Barbara at a large table with a sign for WCGS. We tentatively plan to hold several more “Coffee and Conversation” events on different days and locations throughout 2026. If you are interested in hosting one, email President@WakeCoGen.org and we'll choose a date and location. Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website  -  Homepage  |  WCGS Events  |  Join WCGS  |  Publications  |  Wake Cemetery Survey Images  |...

Our own Saundra Russ Cropps will share her presentation on People of Color During the Revolutionary War in Granville and Wake Counties, North Carolina . Sign up before July 13 to hear her talk. Details are in the poster. This is a four part series. Other dates and topics are included in the second poster. Sign up once and you are registered for all the talks.  Use QR Link below to register from your phone. note: the link  and qr in poster above is broken. Details for the rest of the dates -   June 8, July 13, Aug 10, and Sept 14 Address questions to AAHGS NC Triangle Chapter America 250 Speaker Series Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Publications | Wake Cemetery Survey Images | Society Surnames | Digital Resources | History Resources | More Links and Resources |    Donate | Contact - info(at)wakecogen(dot)org

Connie Knox of Genealogy TV  took a road trip to Raleigh recently to find information about a patriot ancestor. Her destination was the NC Archives and State Library of NC. The experience and findings are detailed in this video. Though she did not find the information she had hoped for, she covered a lot of records sets that might help you in your search for your own ancestors.  Watch on Youtube:  Patriot or Legend? Captain William Clark's Rev War Service & Genealogy Research Image generated using Google Imagen You will find other patriot research possibilities in the following articles from past issues of Wake Genealogy Watch. Identify Your Revolutionary Ancestors - Vol 9, Issue 2, pp. 11-13. More Than a Musket: Who Qualified as a Revolutionary Patriot? - Vol 9.3, p11. Your Patriot’s Experience: Two Websites to Help Your Discoveries - Vol 9.4, p.6 Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Publications | Wake Cemetery...

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...