Thursday, August 14, 2025

Fall Schedule Genealogy Classes with Barbara McGeachy - Sept 8 - Nov 17

Do you want to start delving into your family history? Are you interested in taking your genealogy skills to the next level? We have great news for you whether you are a beginner or intermediate family researcher. A new, expanded series of genealogy classes offered by Barbara McGeachy, President of Wake County Genealogical Society. Classes will start this September and run through November.


Barbara's classes are offered in partnership with the City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation. Classes will be held Mondays from 10:30 am to noon in the large meeting room in the Laurel Hills Community Center, 3808 Edwards Mill Road.


Beginning Genealogy Classes taught by WCGS President, Barbara McGeachy


Fall 2025 Genealogy Class list :

Learn how to research your family history. Start with yourself and work back in time. Start with records you already have. Find records on-line to fill in the gaps. Learn how to record names, dates, and locations. Learn how to keep track of what facts you find and where you found them. *This class is recommended (but not required) as a foundation for the others in the series.

After learning the basics, we now learn how to find vital records (birth, marriage, and death) which are essential to genealogy.

The census records all Americans every 10 years, from 1790 to 1950. Learn what information is in the census and how to find your ancestors!

Learn about estate records, a rich source of genealogical information. Wills list heirs; inventory lists describe all the person’s worldly goods and their value. Learn where to find your ancestors’ wills and other estate records.

Local newspapers were the internet and TV of their day! Find wedding descriptions, obituaries, family reunions, arrest records, and lots more genealogical data. Learn where to find old newspapers online.

Why take a DNA test? Where can you take a test? How much does a DNA test cost? What are the pros & cons of testing?

Learn how to use the results of your DNA test. We’ll explain the ethnicity report and the match list. Any testing company has similar results.

Learn how to find your ancestors on the two most popular on-line websites for family history. FamilySearch.org is free to everyone. Ancestry.com has a free version and a library version is free at Wake County Public Libraries. Your ancestors are waiting to be found!

Deeds can have valuable genealogical information, including spouses, heirs, parent/child relationships and more. This class focuses on the 20 states (mainly east of the Mississippi River) that use the "metes and bounds" system for describing land.

If your ancestors owned land in a "public domain state", that is, west of the original 13 colonies, their land is described using a grid. Learn about the 30 states that use this system and how to find your ancestors' land!

Learn about European migration to America from 1607 (Jamestown, Virginia) through the early 1900s. Find passenger lists, citizenship papers, and more!

*This first class - Genealogy: Getting Started! - is recommended (but not required) as a foundation for the others in the series.

Please share this opportunity with friends and neighbors! 

Any questions? Email Barbara president@wakecogen.org 

Each class is $8. 
You must register for each separately.

You must register for each class separately. Find help accessing the registration forms below. Class titles above are hyperlinked to their individual registration. If they don't take you to registration, the instructions below will. Look for the genealogy class with 11 sections. Note: Classes will read unavailable until Monday, July 22 when registration opens.

Enroll online at 
https://ncraleighweb.myvscloud.com/webtrac/web/splash.html
 
Or stop by any staffed parks & rec center. 
 

Online registration guide - click to enlarge. Search "genealogy"


Another way to find the classes online (if you are on phone, tablet, or half screen on a PC this is helpful to know) - From the link above, click the "Activities" tab. 

Find the green "funnel" at the top right corner of the search page and click it. 

Put "genealogy" in the keyword search and choose Laurel Hills in the location field. 

Scroll down and click the green search button in the lower right corner. 

Open the "Genealogy: Getting Started" tab. Enroll in each session individually.


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

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