Wake Wednesday - Cohabitation Record for a Christmas couple

I was searching for Christmas images and happened upon this image. It fit my search "Carolina Christmas," but it took me in and entirely different direction. 

Source

This Wake County cohabitation record issued in 1866, records that Seth Christmas and Sallie Christmas "if said County, lately slaves, but now emancipated, and acknowledged that they do cohabit together as man and wife, and that said cohabitation commenced the 11 day of Oct.,1855. " The record was recorded by J. J. Ferrell.

I checked for more images but did not find them. This is a treasure indeed. Any Christmas descendants out there reading our blog?

 If you would like to search for other similar documents, be to check the NC State Archives store where you may request a Cohabitation Bond and Record Lookup, 1866-1867. NC residents may request a search for free and be invoiced if a record is found. Nonresidents must pay a $20 search fee either way. 

The following information is required for the search:

County
Name of Groom
Name of Bride

It is worth noting that there is one roll of digitized Cohabitation Record images for 1866 in Wake digitized at FamilySearch.org. The files are not indexed and require browsing. It would be useful to check both places. Check the North Carolina Cohabitation Records wiki to see what exists in what format in each county. 

This was a lucky find when I was searching something else. I hope it helps someone's research. 

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Wake Treasures - Vol 31, Issue 2 is Available

Welcome to the last issue of Wake Treasures in 2022  In this issue Carla Stancil contines her vignettes on her Wake County ancestors, and shares the letters her father wrote while away from home in Marines.  You'll also read the Wake County Court Records (batch 6), Wake County Deaths in WW1, and the 1896 Tax List.  

Look for continuation of the 1896 Tax Records, the Ferguson Family Ledger, and the Gertrude Weil Papers in the next issue.  Warm thanks again to Carla for sharing this piece of history with us.

If you have any Wake County an ancestors or research, Wake Treasures would love to feature your work in a future issue.  We welcome submissions of research reports, narratives, and special articles.  If you have questions or want to learn more about being published in our award winning journal, feel free to contact me at journal@wakecogen.org.

 

Please consider joining the journal team.  In order to make the publication possible, a team of volunteers works behind the scenes and needs your help.  There are currently openings for a content curator and transcribers.  If you're interested in learning more about how you can help, please contact me at Journal@wakecogen.org and I will be happy to discuss volunteering opportunities.

 

Happy Reading, Donna, editor

 

To download this new edition, log into the Members Area and go to the Wake Treasures webpage. And if you have personal stories of people, places, and events connected to Wake County, please consider sharing them for inclusion into future editions!

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Wake Wednesday - Christmas Wishes: Letters to Santa c.1932

Some things change, some stay the same. Santa Clause is still receiving a sleigh full of letters in early December. Here are some great examples from the NC Arcives Flicker photostream.

Margaret wants a big ball, some galoshes, and doll clothes!

source

A. C. Allen decorated his request with this handdrawn picture of Santa!

source

This child was an artist and had great manners, too!

source

Wishing all a Merry Christmas! 

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Reminder: Next Saturday - December 10 - Visit the State Library of North Carolina - WCGS meetup

Join members of Wakecogen for an in person meet up at the State Library of NC. 

• Learn what resources and services are available.
• Grab a library card. 
• Browse the collections. 
• Reconnect with friends at a lunch spot nearby. 

We are looking forward to seeing you there! Free and open to all. Questions?

Here is a sneak peek at their Genealogy and Family History offerings.

What:  WCGS visits SLNC
When: Dec.10, 10am - 12pm
Where: 109 East Jones St.

Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Publications | Wake Cemetery Survey Images |Digital Resources | History Resources | More Links and Resources | Contact

Member Spotlight: Barbara McGeachy will teach Genealogy Basics class at OLLI in March

OLLI is the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at NorthCarolina State University.  It is open to anyone age 50 or over; no affiliation with NCSU is required.  Membership is $50 per year and allows you to take classes, go on study trips, and attend Special Interest Groups.

Barbara McGeachy is a longtime WCGS member, teacher and friend. She is my very knowledgeable go to person when I am stumped for a new research resource or technique. It is your great good fortune that she is teaching this “Genealogy- Starting with the Basics” class in a couple months. Her class begins in March 2023.  It's a six week, 90 minutes per session  class taught at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh.  Registration is already open so sign up now if you are interested. 

Here is a little bit more about the class from an OLLI email feature:

Interested in exploring your family history?  OLLI has two perfect opportunities for you! First is our spring course “Genealogy- Starting with the Basics” taught by Barbara McGeachy. This course will teach you how to research your family history in the U.S. You will discuss what records are available and where to find them, which websites and software programs are best, and how DNA can help. Find out how to record and analyze the information you find. 

If this course doesn’t mesh with your schedule or if you have already started researching your family tree, join the Family History Group! Also led by Barbara McGeachy, members exchange information about genealogical searches and resources. Contact barbnral@gmail.com for more information. This Special Interest Group tends to meet on Friday mornings at the McKimmon Center.

If you are well into your genealogical journey, this is a great chance to have a reset moment to add in all those details and techniques you wish you had known about as a newbie. If you are just starting out or have a friend who is interested in genealogy but timid to get started, this is a perfect opportunity to start on the right track. 

Check out the OLLI course book for details and pricing. You will be surprised at all the classed offered!

Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Publications | Wake Cemetery Survey Images |Digital Resources | History Resources | More Links and Resources | Contact