The Winter 2022 Issue (Vol.5 Issue 2) of our award winning newsletter, Wake Genealogy Watch, is now available online for reading or download. You can visit the  WCGS website   for access.  Features included in this issue include: Read about two different and important local projects with the common goal of connecting descendants of enslaved persons and their Wake County ancestors. Reading Room features the first book from archivist and genealogist, Donna E. Kelly. The book details the Cary and Eva Powell family of southwestern Wake County. See the latest updates to the NC Archives records from the Cold War Era (1946-1989) and read an Archive blogpost featuring the papers of Carl D. Stancil as illustration of the changes. Meet our newest WCGS team member, Barb Myers. Barb is the new Facebook page administrator as well as the new Content Curator for the Journal. Cyndi Deal walks you through th...

Congratulations to Wake Treasures editor Donna Shackle and her team. Wake Treasures is the recipient of the 2021  North Carolina Genealogical Society’s Award for Excellence in Periodical Publishing (Journal). This is a fantastic accomplishment. Donna and her group of volunteers certainly represent WCGS well.  Here is a note about what you can expect in this latest edition of the journal from Donna: Fall is here as is the newest issue of our journal.  In this issue, Wake County Genealogical Society’s President, Carla Stancil, has written two articles: “ How the Goat Cart Became a Photo Prop ”; and “ Remembering Mamie Allen ”, a recollection regarding her dear aunt.  Over the next year  Wake Treasures  will be featuring a short series on the Wake-County-based Allen family.  This issue includes the completion of the  1897 Raleigh Colored School Census  and highlights items from the  Crowder Collection  held at the State Archi...

The Fall 2021 Issue (Vol.5 Issue 1) 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, Fall, 2021    This issue contains the following topics: Cynthia Gage shares some great strategies for finding family information in small town newspapers. It is truly a great untapped resource. Get more great research ideas and suggestions from our GenHelp panelists who regularly (monthly first Thursday) provide ideas which are fresh and out of the box. We have a very full rosters of volunteer opportunities outlined in this issue including a Content Curator position for the Journal team. A quick mention of changes at the Wakecogen blog that may affect you if you are subscribed to receive updates to your email. Christopher Hunt Robertson shares a profile of local railroad magn...

The late summer event offerings from WCGS are just around the corner. There is still time to register. Please  visit our  Registration page . Next up -  August 24, 6:30pm - WCGS virtual meeting Topic - Research and Resources at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania   speaker -  Dr. Lee Arnold, Senior Director of the Library & Collections, Chief Operating Officer Founded in 1824, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP) is one of the largest family history libraries in the nation, has excellent collections on local and regional history and offers a manuscript collection renowned for its 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-century holdings. HSP houses many national treasures, such as the first draft of the United States Constitution, an original printer’s proof of the Declaration of Independence, and the earliest surviving American photograph. But the true strength of the Society' collection is the overall breadth and depth of materials that together of...

The newest SIG under the WCGS umbrella will have its inaugural meeting Saturday, June 19 at 10:30am. The group will meet via Zoom.  The SIG is open to WCGS members and registration is required. Contact Sue Olmsted via email - GermanGenesSIG@gmail.com From Sue Olmsted, SIG Facilitator: There are many of us in the WCGS who have  German roots that we would like to explore, but may feel out of our depth.  For the past year I have been working on my maternal line, almost entirely German, and have picked up some information that we can use to start the discussion.  I think a Special Interest Group will be a vehicle for us to share what we have discovered in our own research and to learn from each other.  Like our other SIGs, I hope everyone will contribute, as this is not meant to be a class. The first thing I would like to share will be to tell you about an upcoming international German Genealogy Conference , July 17-24, 2021, for which I have registered. .  If ...

 This post is specifically directed to our readers who receive WCGS blog posts via email. There are changes coming. Blogger and Google have decided to do away with the service that currently delivers your blog post to you. The Feedburner service is ending "sometime this month." Yes, the devil is in the details. I am working to find another service that I hope can seamlessly pick up where feedburner service leaves off. I am doing some testing right now which requires me to make a few posts (including this one) that will give me information on how the new service handles the emails, what they will look like to you and how timely they will be delivered. I hope this will only require a few posts over a day or two. You may find posts marked "Test" with not much in them. That is me working out a change on a system that is WAY above my expertise and paygrade!  As soon as I know that all is in order, I will post what I know so you can make any changes necessary to continue ...

Word is that Olivia Raney Local History Library is expected to open on June 7 . Contact the library for info on scheduling appointments. Subject to change. Watch their webpage.  When you visit, look for this delightful photo of the children's reading room from the original ORL location. You will find it in the new reading room! Visit the Wake County Genealogical Society  -  Homepage  |  WCGS Events  |  Join WCGS  |  Publications  |  Digital Resources  |  History Resources  |  More Links and Resources  |  Contact

Of course they announce this two days after I send out the newsletter! I checked the link every day for a week. It is all good though, because access has been extended. From ProQuest: Access to Ancestry Library Edition has been temporarily expanded to library cardholders working remotely, courtesy of ProQuest and its partner Ancestry.  Remote access will be available until   September 30/2021  and will continue to be re-evaluated. Details are at this ProQuest link.  Visit Wake County Genealogical Society  -  Homepage  |  WCGS Events  |  Join WCGS  |  Publications  |  Digital Resources  |  History Resources  |  More Links and Resources  |  Contact

The Summer 2021 Issue (Vol.4 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, 2021 This issue contains the following topics: ·          Get details on our newest Special Interest Group for WCGS members - Family Tree Maker 2019. ·          Ted Bainbridge offers several solid tips for tracking ancestors that disappear from one census to the next. ·          Sometimes you need a large space to expand your tree drawing efforts - either your own or your DNA matches and shared ancestors. You will want to read the ideas on budget friendly white board alternatives including some easy-to-use Microsoft tools. ·          Meet WCGS Webmaster - Cynthia Ga...

Volume 30, Issue 1 of our award-winning journal is now available on the WCGS website. Access this issue via the member options after logging on at Wakecogen.org . We can't wait for you to see the new look! Here are some comments from the journal editor to introduce this issue.  Dear Readers,  Spring is upon us, the coronavirus vaccine is here, and life is slowly returning to normal. The pandemic is sure to have honed our online research skills, and I’m sure you’ll be glad to be able to research in person once more as the archives and state library are now offering appointments for in-person research. It is also conference season, with the National Genealogical Society hosting its annual conventionon  virtually in May. Wake County Genealogical Society’s own Diane L. Richard and David M. McCorkle will be presenting and are not to be missed!  As you may have noticed, this issue has a new cover that we are proud to debut, along with our new logo. This issue of Wake Trea...

I want to sandwich this between our two Native American centric Society Virtual Meetings for March and April 2021. I think some will find the information and links helpful if you are working with NA research.  This post is one I originally wrote for the Winter 2020 issue of the Wake Genealogy Watch newsletter .   - Cyndi Deal " But her name is Kizzie and it says she is Native American…," said the friend I am helping to build a DNA family tree. "Does that mean I am Native American? There were rumors about my father being Native American!"  Such hope. Such excitement. This in regards to a person purported to be her great grandmother labeled as such in someone else's undocumented tree… - CD   I gingerly explained that though there may have been someone at some point in the distant past that was Native American (NA), there are currently   no known records and no NA showing in her DNA ethnicity results to confirm that story. A sister also did not have N...

Excellent research opportunity. Take a little Zoom trip to Ireland for your research. Tuesday, March 30. 9:00 AM EDT - 1:30 PM EDT U.S. Eastern Time This Webinar is offered by the Heinz History Center & Wesmoreland Historical Society. Irish Genealogy Workshop Irish genealogy experts Fintan Mullan and Gillian Hunt  from the Ulster Historical Foundation in Belfast are back (virtually!) for the  seventh annual Irish Genealogy Workshop . Featuring live Question and Answer sessions and interactive virtual networking opportunities, this workshop will foster connections between attendees and expert speakers. Benefitting beginners and seasoned genealogists alike, this in-depth virtual workshop will examine a multitude of historic records and electronic resources that will advance your Irish genealogy research. Special access to recordings  of the lectures will be made available to attendees following the live workshop. Attendees will also be invited to a second live Q&A s...

The Spring 2021 Issue (Vol.4 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 2021 This issue contains the following topics:           Read about the role Wake County’s creation played in a tumultuous historical event as we celebrate her 250th year.           RootsTech Roundup – Read about and access all the wonderful online content. It is still free and will be for one year.          WCGS GenHelp - This summary of one of the sessions shows what types of questions are asked and the range of guidance that is offered.           Ted Bainbridge spotlights Cyndi’s List, the invaluable aggregate genealogy site, and offers tips for searching and navigating the site.           Esley Hunt was a po...