WCGS Newsletter - Wake Genealogy Watch - Winter 2021 now available

The Winter 2021 Issue (Vol.4 Issue 2) 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, Winter 2021
 
This issue contains the following topics:

• Wake Treasures Journal search tips – We have over 20 years of content online available for our members to use. These tips will get you started.
• Get details on the GenHelp sessions which return in 2021 to give guidance for your research.
• An overview of the three new Wake Resources webpages that webmaster Cynthia Gage has curated for us.
• Ann Myhre shares her experiences finding cousins in unexpected places.
• Dr. Ted Bainbridge recounts his efforts to explore and verify a family history tradition.
• Meet More of our Board Members – Barbara McGeachy, Carla Stancil, and Linda Hames.
• Unexpected resources that may help enrich your ancestors’ stories and where to find them.
• Carla Stancil shares her families experience with a virtual reunion.
• Try these strategies to expand your surname research and create a list of alternate spellings.

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. 

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Volunteer Opportunity - Nov. 2020 - Journal Copy Editor/Proofreader

This volunteer would work closely with our Journal editor, Donna Shackle, to publish our twice yearly journal, Wake Treasures.

Journal Copyeditor/Proofreader: Our journal team is in need of a crack proofreader for our bi-annual journals. Once our editor has the journal nearly complete, you'll step in to catch all the "oops" and "gotchas". Interested?  Please reach out to our volunteer coordinator, Saundra Cropps, at Info@Wakecogen.org

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Latest edition of Wake Treasures is published - Volume 29 Issue 2

 From Donna Shackle, Journal Editor:

This issue is a treat!  We have the pentultimate installment from Cary Faison on the Railroad, Hortons, and Faisons and continuations of the 1897 Raleigh Colored School census and of the Soldiers Home Record.  In honor of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment we have the 1915 & 1917 membership lists from the Raleigh Equal Suffrage League.  Belle Long, the former Director of the Joel Lane Museum House, has written about the identity of Colonel Theophilus Hunter's second wife, Jane.  Read along to see how she discovered the identity of Jane and puts to rest a local mystery. 

This issue could not have happened without the volunteers who helped to transcribe these records.  Please consider volunteering to transcribe from home.  If you are interested, please contact me for more information.

Members can access this issue of the journal by logging into the Member Area at the Wakecogen.org website. You will find the member area on the left sidebar. Enjoy! 

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New Resources Links for Wake County Researchers at Wakecogen Website

Cynthia Gage, WCGS Webmaster, has been hard at work restructuring portions of the Wakecogen website. Her efforts have been focused on expanding the curation of our link and resource page to enhance the usefulness for Wake researchers, both local and remote. 

What was previously one Links and Resources page has grown into three separate pages of Wake centric content, each with their own focus and curated list. Be sure to visit Wakecogen.org to check them out. You will find the three resource pages linked in the left side bar visible from any page on our website.

Here is a brief overview of what Cynthia has created for our use.

Wake Digital Resources -

"On-line resources are a wonderful source for genealogists - particularly remote researchers - to help find information and data about their ancestors.  There are many fee-based sites which have lots of information about Wake County and its people, but there are also some free resources, some easy to find and others buried deep within the sites.  This page is intended to provide direct links to free searchable sites pertaining to Wake County or to North Carolina sites which containing Wake County records…"   The Wake Digital Resources page can be filtered to search various categories - Church records, Death records, Directories, Land records, Military records, or Miscellaneous.

 Wake History Resources -

"The history of Wake County and its cities explains the progress of the area through time, gives us a glimpse of our ancestors' struggles and successes, and if we are lucky, will include their names.  Here are some resources to give context to their lives, some of which contain surnames."   The Wake History Resources can be filtered to search city or county categories.

More Wake County Links and Resources -

This page provides a list of links of a more broad focus that are relevant to research in Wake County and North Carolina.  Categories on this resource page include county and state resources, research facilities, social media, local affiliation groups, and blogs with a local genealogical focus. These resources are less focused on Wake County but still very relevant and useful.

Please visit our website, Wakecogen.org and give these new pages a try. We hope you find some juicy leads for your research. If you know of a resource that could be added to one of these lists, let Cynthia know via email, webmaster@wakecogen.org.   

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Elizabeth Reid Murray's Wake Capitol County of North Carolina, Vol.1 now available online

 If you are a seasoned Wake County researcher, you no doubt know of Elizabeth Reid Murray and her comprehensive history of Wake County. If not, you should. Her two volumes cover the history of the land we love from the prehistoric times in the region up through the 1920s. 

The first volume has always been my favorite with stories of dinosaurs and Wake underwater, on thru the early settlement, the "trouble" with Regulators, the Revolution and choice of Wake for the state capitol. I am delighted to bring to your attention that this first volume of Wake: Capitol County of North Carolina is available to read and enjoy online through a partnership between Olivia Raney Family History Library and Digital NC. The details and links are found in this blog post from the Digital North Carolina Blog:

http://www.digitalnc.org/blog/book-about-the-history-of-wake-county-now-online/

Enjoy!

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NGS Press Release seeking nominations for 2021

 From the National Genealogy Society:

Contact: Susan Yockey Phone: 571-234-8021 awards@ngsgenealogy.org For Release: 19 October 2020

National Genealogical Society Invites Nominations for its 2021 Awards & Competitions

FALLS CHURCH, va, 19 October 2020—The National Genealogical Society (NGS) invites individuals, societies, and organizations to participate in its 2021 Awards and Competitions program. NGS annually recognizes excellence in the field of genealogy. This year it has expanded its program to reflect its merger with the Federation of Genealogical Societies.  The deadline for submission of nominations is 15 December 2020.  The NGS Awards program recognizes scholarship, service, excellence, and achievement in the fields of genealogy, history, and biography by presenting awards to individuals, societies, and organizations. The Society’s competitions challenge individuals and societies! “We encourage you to nominate an organization or an individual you work with, research with, or admire for an award.  We hope you will also consider participating in one of our competitions,” said Janet L. Bailey, chair of the awards committee. “There are so many outstanding individuals, societies, and organizations that deserve national recognition. We hope their peers will consider nominating them before December 15.”

Founded in 1903, the National Genealogical Society is dedicated to genealogical education, exemplary standards of research, and the preservation of genealogical records. The Arlington, Virginia-based nonprofit is the premier national society for everyone, from the beginner to the most advanced family historian seeking excellence in publications, educational offerings, and guidance in research. It also offers many opportunities to interact with other genealogists. On 1 October 2020, NGS and the Federation of Genealogical Societies merged, making support for genealogy societies, family history associations, and other organizations an important part of the NGS mission. We welcome your organization to the new NGS.

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WCGS Volunteer Opportunities - October 2020

We currently have several volunteer spots that we are seeking to fill - Treasurer, Publications Manager, and multiple Transcriptionists. Here are the descriptions of the available positions. Everything is being done online right now. If you would like to build connections with a great group of fellow genealogy enthusiasts and have some interesting diversions, consider joining us!

WCGS Treasure position:

· Would you like to contribute your fair share to the Wake County Genealogical Society?

· Are you good with numbers?

· Do you have the ability to write checks?

· Are you willing to use Quicken to create quarterly reports?

· Would you like the honor of being a member of the Board of the Wake County Genealogical Society?

If so, you would be an ideal candidate for Treasurer of the Wake County Genealogical Society.  Please email president@wakecogen.org to talk with our President, Carla Stancil, about this volunteer position.

Transcriptionists:

We have an ongoing need for Transcriptionists. 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.   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

To all our current and future Volunteers - Your participation allows us to sustain our vibrant group and continue to provide the rich genealogical content and presentations for which the Wake County Genealogical Society is known. We thank you and appreciate your efforts!

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NARA introduces new feature - Treaties Explorer

 From NARA:

Hundreds of Native American treaties have been scanned and are freely available online, for the first time, through the National Archives Catalog. Also, in partnership with The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC), these treaties and extensive additional historical and contextual information are available through Treaties Explorer.

NARA is also appealing to citizen archivists for assistance in transcribing the treaty documents to make them more searchable and accessible.  

View the NARA post here for full details.

Update:  Here is a Smithsonian Magazine article about the new feature.

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Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS) - Virtual Conference, October 14 -17, 2020

 Saundra Cropps, our WCGS Volunteer CoOrdinator, is sharing an interesting even and resource with us today. The Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS) annual conference is virtual this weekend. From Saundra:

"The Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS) annual conference is the largest international African American conference that promotes African-ancestored family history, genealogy, and cultural diversity. Due to COVID-19 the conference is virtual from October 14, 2020-October 17, 2020. Topics include Ethnicity, Race and Nationality, Family Presentations, Research, Genealogy, DNA, History, Migration, Preservation, Special Topics, Educational Methods, etc. I am particularly interested in the arrival of the first documented Africans in English America in 1619 at Point Comfort (not Jamestown); and the ancestors who fought in every battle on American and foreign soil."

To find out more, click on this link - AAHGS Conference final_digital version.pdf

I have peeked at the AAHGS Syllabus. It is a hefty two hundreds and eighty pages packed with content. I see some great topics including:

Grave Concerns: Where do Cemeteries Go When They Die?

Miseducation In The Classroom

The Emotional Side of DNA Testing

Traveling with the Green Book

Reconstructing Family from Post Emancipation Records

How to Know What to Ask When I Don't Know What to Ask

Searching for Descendant Communities at Virginia Plantations

Gathering at the Welcome Table

There is so much good content here. I see many names I recognize among the presenters - Renate Yarborough Sanders, Andre Kearns, Desi Campbell and WCGS's own Diane Richard, are but a few in the lineup.

Check out this treasure trove of information and resources! For those interested in the conference, visit the AAHGS webpage. The registration page is here if you would like to participate.

Followup for September's Melungeon Presentation

First of all, many thanks to Heather Andolina for sharing her ancestors and journey of discovery with WCGS. It was a really fascinating evening.  

Here is the link to the trailer for her documentary - Infamous Characters Notorious Villains. Watch the video at YouTube here - https://youtu.be/KiAIThQZwIE

When I went to watch the trailer, I stumbled on into an absolute rabbit hole of good Melungeon videos that are really worth watching. If you were intrigued along with me, you might want to check these out too.

Lisa Alther reads excerpts her book Kinfolks, and talks of her Melungeon heritage -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX4-GSXxQMg

Darlene Franklin Campbell gives a detailed account through time and space of the peoples who traveled the world to converge in the Appalacian Ridge to create the Melungeon people. Watch her Melungeon Overview Presentation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rx5C0Jf_lo

Here is the trailer for another documentary that was made in 2008.
Melungeon Voices - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO0UOsp-NZ8

Legacy Webinars offering 10 free webinars for 10 days to celebrate their 10th anniversary

From Legacy Family Tree Webinars:

We're celebrating 10 years of genealogy webinars! Below is the top webinar from each year since 2010. Unlocked and free through September 24, 2020. Enjoy!

Click this Anniversary link for details!

If you are not a member they have really good discounts for membership right now too. Act early the best discount is for Sep 15-16!

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WAKE COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY: PUBLICATIONS LIST

WCGS has abstracted and indexed several manuscripts of interest to genealogists who are researching in Wake County, NC. These publications can be purchased from the online WCGS bookstore at Lulu.com. To find any of our publications, visit www.lulu.com/shop and search for Wake County or the specific title.

Searching for back issues of Wake Treasures (the WCGS journal)? Members can find it at www.wakecogen.org. Want to join WCGS to have access to journals from 1991 to present? www.wakecogen.org.

Titles available at Lulu include:

Wake County Bastardy Bonds 1772 – 1937 [broken series]

Wake County Deed Book R March 1802 – October 1803

Wake County Divorce Records Surnames N – Z (1831 – 1920) 

Wake County Divorce Records Surnames A – M (1831 – 1952)

Wake County Levy Dockets 1805 – 1815

Wake County School Census Raleigh Township 1897

Heritage of Wake County

Wake County Apprentice Bonds 1770 – 1860, 1872 - 1903

Check publication list for details and pricing.

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Wake Genealogy Watch, Fall 2020 available now

The Fall 2020 Issue (Vol. 4, Issue 1) of our award winning newsletter, Wake Genealogy Watch, is now available online for reading or download. WGW is free for all, members and followers alike.

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

• Ted Bainbridge offers companion articles about revisiting your research and using original documents to get the most out of your research. 
• Meet our new Board Members.
• Olivia Raney Family History Library renovation sneak peek.
• Barbara McGeachy profiles two valuable local learning resources - Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and Raleigh Senior Tech Ed
• Cynthia Gage digs deeper into advanced newspaper research with some search strategies that will find gems in the press to add to your ancestor's story 
• Details on a recent gift of genealogy books to Thornton Library.
• A curated list of genetic genealogy videos to sharpen your skills at all levels
• A call from North Carolina Genealogical Society for Bible Records for their future publication.
• Dennis Martin and Cynthia Whited profile the books and book series that are the culmination of their twenty years of research.
• Yet another surprisingly packed event calendar.

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. 

Ancestry.com Offers Free Access to Yearbook Search

Ancestry free access to the Yearbook collection will be free until 27 Aug 2020 at 11:59 p.m. ET. 

Click here to start searching.

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Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society Virtual Conference Oct. 14 - 17, 2020

I see a lot of speakers on the AAHGS 2020 Virtual Conference roster that I recognize including:
Desi Campbell
Crista Cowan
Nicka Smith
Renate Yarborough Sanders 
and our own Diane Richard

There are so many more. Check out the speaker list here.

Agenda is here.

Registration page here. Early Registration ends Aug. 15,2020.


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Free Access to Ancestry.com Library Edition Extended

Ancestry Library Access extended thru the end of August. Access with Wake County issued library card through Cameron Village Regional Library or your NC Govt and Heritage Library card.

Update from Proquest Here


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Oy! Security breaches that need your attention

It has been a tough couple days security wise in the genealogy world. Do your due diligence. Make sure you change/have secure passwords and attend to any other changes you need to make.

A security vulnerability in the Mackiev product, Family Tree Maker, has been reported and is summerized in a report at Infosecurity Magazine. View report here.

A melicious attack has occurred at Gedmatch this past weekend. The site has been up and down since the discovery and is currently set in a "down for maintenance" state.
This statement was publisned on the Gedmatch Facebook page on Monday.

"On the morning of July 19, GEDmatch experienced a security breach orchestrated through a sophisticated attack on one of our servers via an existing user account. We became aware of the situation a short time later and immediately took the site down. As a result of this breach, all user permissions were reset, making all profiles visible to all users. This was the case for approximately 3 hours. During this time, users who did not opt in for law enforcement matching were available for law enforcement matching and, conversely, all law enforcement profiles were made visible to GEDmatch users.

This was the extent of the breach. No user data was downloaded or compromised.

We have reported the unauthorized access to the appropriate authorities and continue to work toward identifying the individuals responsible for this violation.

Today, as we continued to investigate the incident and work on a permanent solution to safeguard against threats of this nature, we discovered that the site was still vulnerable and made the decision to take the site down until such time that we can be absolutely sure that user data is protected against potential attacks. We are working with a cybersecurity firm to conduct a comprehensive forensic review and help us implement the best possible security measures.

This is clearly disappointing for our company, as user privacy and data security are our top priorities. We apologize to our GEDmatch users and our law enforcement customers for the concern and frustration this situation has caused.
Thank you for your continued support of GEDmatch.

If you have questions, please reach out to us at gedmatch@verogen.com. We will update you as soon as we have more information to share."

You will want to check in when the Gedmatch site becomes available again. Of the number of kits that I manage, all but 2 were set as research prior to the breach.  After the breach when I could check in briefly, all were set as active visible kits. The LE opt in that was reported to be compromised, had reverted back to my pre set choices, but my research settings have not reverted to my preference at the present.

Check your kits, folks.



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Use Fold3's Revolutionary War Collection free thru July 15

Find your Rev War Patriot in the records collection at Fold3. Registration is required. Free access thru July 15, 11:59pm.

Fold3 link


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Wake County Genealogical Society Virtual Meetings and Membership Special Offer

The Wake County Genealogical Society has decided to have only virtual meetings for the remainder of 2020!  

If you have been thinking about joining, now is the time so you don't miss a single meeting.  And as a bonus, if you join before the end of August your new membership will run until the end of our next membership year, August 31, 2021. 

Of course you will also have access to all the other membership benefits! 

Check out our WCGS events calendar for the rest of the year.

Join now!




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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.

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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. 

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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Expanded Hours Chat Service at Government and History Library

If you are missing having access to the Government & Heritage Library at NC Archives, you may wish to take advantage of their online chat service.  They also accept email questions. Links and email addy are in this post that appeared in my Facebook newsfeed today. Check it out!

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Dig In to US Census Records Courtesy of My Heritage

My Heritage US Census records are free to view from March 29th until April 5th, 2020. Read the details from the blog post here.

Happy hunting...

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Senior Tech Ed Update - April Genealogy Classes will be hosted on Zoom

WCGS member, Jen Gunther, sends us this update from Senior Tech Ed in Raleigh. They have started offering some of their classes on Zoom in view of the restrictions on public gatherings. This provides a unique opportunity to use some of our (now copious) downtime for some learning. Think of it as a "staycation" where the classes come to you.

From Jen -

We will be offering a limited selection of seminars during April using the Zoom video conferencing app.

Most of the seminars being hosted in April are genealogy-based. Henry Spencer will host his entire Ancestry.com series via Zoom starting on Friday, April 3.  Instructions as to how to register for these classes are on the STE website (https://www.raleighseniorteched.org/).  After registering, the instructor will contact all registered students with instructions as to how to get on Zoom, will share the access link for the seminar, and will forward the Handout  What could be easier?  And it gives us all something to do while sheltering-at-home and stimulates our brain to learn something new. duirng this challenging time.
Take a look at the seminars offered and see if you are interested in any of them.

Genealogy topics include:
Genealogy Overview, Making Sense of Ancestry DNA Test Results, Getting Started with Ancestry.com, More Topics in Ancestry.com

Note: Classes are starting as early as this Friday, April 3 so don't delay in checking this out.

View their Schedule page to Register. 


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Wake Wednesday - Olde Raleigh c.1797

I had a great time last night listening to the WCGS online presentation in lieu of a face to face meeting. I hope many of our members took advantage of this experimental project. David McCorkle showed us many sources for historical maps and many new technologies to bring these maps to life. 

One of the maps early in David's presentation was a map of the very early city of Raleigh. I found this map captivating. This is one of the wonderful maps in the UNC North Carolina Maps Collection. In addition to the handrawn roughness and aged patina of this map, the maker had taken the time to draw the houses and shops in their respective locations. Zoom in enough, and you can take a stroll down old Raleigh streets in your mind. Here is your ticket to time travel - Plan of the City of Raleigh with all the improvements & all the Numbers july 1th, 1797. 

source

PS - if any of you had trouble logging into the presentation last night, please let us know. Email me and I will forward to David. This remote presentation is a new process and still being worked out. Your feedback will help.

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WCGS March 24 Meeting Is Cancelled

WCGS has cancelled our general meeting of March 24 at the Cameron Village Regional Library in Raleigh, NC due to public health concerns. The library, as part of the Wake County system, has supsended gatherings through April 15 and as this is an evolving situation, email is really the best way to keep informed.

WCGS members should look for email updates on future changes. If you are not a yet a member and want to be updated, you should join our mailing list for non-members at this link - http://eepurl.com/dljeyz.

We will reschedule the presentation by George Thomas the near future. Stay tuned.

Keep researching. If you get bored and want to do some remote volunteering, contact our Journal team for instructions to get you started transcribing Wake County historical records from home. We are working on Soldiers Home records and the Wake School Census among others. It is always fun to see familiar names and places in these records. For me, it reinforces my connections to Wake county. 

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Wake Genealogy Watch - Spring 2020 - Newsletter is Live

The Spring 2020 Issue (Vol.3 Issue 3)  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, Spring 2020

This issue contains the following topics:
• Facebook for Genealogy - a survey of the many groups found within the walls of Facebook relating to all topics of research, historic context, techniques and even genetic genealogy. Harness the power of Facebook for your research.
• Cynthia Gage shares a very useful tip about tracing newspaper articles to their original location for the most complete coverage and details.
• Reunion planning guides and tips.
• A heads up on an upcoming workshop featuring Thomas Jones. It is close enough for a road trip. You may want to mark your calendar.
• A query request from one of our readers.
• Another very full calendar of events.

 As always we welcome your articles, comments, or other items for the newsletter, so please contact Cyndi at newsletter@wakecogen.org if you have something to share.

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.  This recent issue of the Newsletter may be downloaded from the WCGS Newsletter page.  Enjoy!

Or, 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. 


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Reminder: Rootsweb Mail Lists Deadline - March 2

Just wanted to remind everyone who was active on Rootsweb Lists that they will cease to be active on March 2nd, in 7 days.

There after they will be accessible as read only content.


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RootsTech 2020 Presentation Schedule

The schedule for RootsTech2020 is posted now online at their website. I was pleasantly surprised that many of the presentations have PDF files of their syllabi posted in the descriptions.

It may be entertaining and worth your while to take a look.

RootsTech2020 Presentation Schedule


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Mark Your Calendar - Thomas W. Jones Workshop in Asheville June 20, 2020

We received this notice from the Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society in Ashville very recently:

I am contacting you on behalf of the Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society (OBCGS) in Asheville, NC.
We are offering a professional workshop, “Beyond the Barriers” on June 20, 2020 that may be of interest to your members. The speaker is Dr. Thomas W. Jones, a board-certified genealogist, who is nationally known as a writer, a knowledgeable and entertaining presenter and editor of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly.

The most interesting topic lineup includes:

• Building a Credible Lineage Despite Missing information, Conflicting and Incorrect Records and Undocumented Publication
• Finding ‘Unfindable’ Ancestors
• The Jones Jinx: Tracing Common Surnames
• Systematically Using Autosomal DNA Test Results to Help Break Through Genealogical Brick Walls

Early bird pricing is available prior to May 15.

Further details, pricing and a registration form are available here.


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Fold3 Black History Collection Free Access

I received this in an email from Fold3 today:

In recognition of Black History Month, Fold3® is making the records in its Black History Collection available for free through the end of February.

Whether you're searching for your ancestors or looking for primary documents to help with other research, the Black History collection gives you access to more than a million documents, records, and photos that help to capture the African-American experience during five eras of American history: Slavery, The Civil War, Reconstruction & Jim Crow Laws, World War I & II, and the Civil Rights Movement.

Fold3 Black History Collection - free access through the end of February


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Wake Wednesday - Check out the Joel Lane House before it gets a new coat of paint!

See the red pigment from the original construction 250 years ago. See the pit saw marks in the boards. Most surprising see the two small bullet embedded in the wood. Wonder when that happened?

source

Click through to WRAL to read the article by Heather Leah.


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