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...

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 Return to the WakeCoGen Website

 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 wil...

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 buri...

 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! Return to the WakeCoGen Website

 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 nominat...

 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. Return to the WakeCoGen Website

 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_digit...

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 i...

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! Return to the WakeCoGen Website

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. Return to the WakeCoG...

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 gene...

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. Return to the WakeCoGen Website

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. Return to the WakeCoGen Website

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 Return to the WakeCoGen Website

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 h...

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

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! Return to the WakeCoGen Website

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.

Details here. https://go.fold3.com/freeaccess

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 d...

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 informat...

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 .  

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 - M...

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 a...

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 C...

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! Return to the WakeCoGen Website

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... Return to the WakeCoGen Website

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 someth...

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. Ema...

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 W...

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 ...

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. Return to the WakeCoGen Website

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 Return to the WakeCoGen Website

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 . ...

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 Return to the WakeCoGen Website

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. Return to the WakeCoGen Website

We have received notice that there will be a dedication event for a Memorial to the Enslaved of Joel Lane Plantation on February 16. Details are as follows: Dedication Ceremony: Memorial to the Enslaved of the Joel Lane Plantation, 1769-1800 On Sunday, February 16, 2020, we will gather in the Joel Lane Museum House gardens for a time of contemplation and remembrance, as we dedicate a memorial to the people who were held in slavery by Joel Lane and his family. More details . Time: Sunday, February 16, 2020, 2:00-2:30pm Light refreshments will be served following the ceremony. Location: Joel Lane Museum House Herb Garden, at the southeast corner of the JLMH grounds, located at 160 S. St. Mary’s St., Raleigh, NC 27603. Parking is available on the streets surrounding the museum. Admission: Free; All are welcome. Contact Information: tel: (919) 833-3431; email: joellane@bellsouth.net Return to the WCGS Website

If you are a user of Rootsweb email lists and you have visited recently, you have encountered this message header at the landing page... Beginning March 2nd, 2020 the Mailing Lists functionality on RootsWeb will be discontinued. Users will no longer be able to send outgoing emails or accept incoming emails.  Additionally, administration tools will no longer be available to list administrators and mailing lists will be put into an archival state.  Administrators may save the emails in their list prior to March 2nd. After that, mailing list archives will remain available and searchable on RootsWeb.    - source If you are already a frequent user, this will come as sad news. If you are not familiar with the Rootsweb lists yet, visit their index page to see the wealth of information there and know that these are discussions that will cease soon. If you see a list where you want to collaborate, you better get a move on.  Effective March 2, they will no longer...

I have the details for interim Family History Affiliate access now. I heard from Carrie Lee, the adult services manager at Cameron Village Regional Library last week. She confirms that access to the FamilySearch database at CVRL is now live. There is only one dedicated computer for this service. To use: Check in with a staff member at the reference desk – second floor. Staff will get you logged in.   CRVL is located at  1930 Clark Ave. Raleigh, NC 27605 It is wonderful that CVRL has worked through the paperwork process to make this irreplaceable access available during the time that ORL is out of commission. WCGS is surely appreciative of all the staff at CVRL has done to accommodate us and make us feel welcome! Return to the WakeCoGen Website

Join us! Quaker Patriot Research: Daniel Bills - A Man for His Place and Time Tuesday January 28, 6:30 pm to 8:15 pm Cameron Village Regional Library 1930 Clark Drive Raleigh, NC 27605 Speaker: Ann Myhre Join us for the story of Daniel Bills - a Quaker who was a patriot in the Revolutionary War.  We'll highlight the records used in his discovery and some of the other unusual resources that shed light on his life. All WCGS meetings are free and open to the public.  Bring a friend!  Social time: 6:30; Announcements: 6:45pm. Presentation will start at 7:00. Return to the WakeCoGen Website

For your browsing pleasure... Who is planning on going to NGS 2020 in Salt Lake City in May? May 19 -23 NGS Family History Conference - Salt Lake City, UT. Multiple speakers. Multiple tracks.  Conference Brochure Return to the WakeCoGen Website