Raleigh Senior TechEd will present a comprehensive three-part series on Beginning Genealogy, perfect for those just starting their family history journey. Let instructor Jennie Gunther guide you through the fundamental aspects of beginning genealogical research. Course Details Dates and Times : Genealogy 101-A: Tuesday, April 29, 2025, 3-5 PM Genealogy 101-B: Tuesday, May 6, 2025, 3-5 PM Genealogy 101-C: Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 3-5 PM Location :  Overture Centennial, 600 Bilyeu Street, Raleigh, NC 27606 (Theater Room) Cost: $10 per session Genealogy 101-A: Basic Genealogy Research - Relatives This initial session of a 3-part Beginner Genealogy series introduces the 3R’s of genealogy research – RELATIVES, RECORDS & RESOURCES.  Class will cover:  how and where to start; beginning the family tree with known information; interviewing Relatives; basic recording forms to document ancestral family history.  Topics include:  preparation of a Family Group Sheet, a Pe...

Saundra Cropps, Library Manager at Olivia Raney Local History Library, recently shared wonderful news. Saundra's email - Hello everyone, Wake, Capital County of North Carolina: Prehistory throughCentennial (Vol. 1), 1983 is now digitized at DigitalNC. Follow the link above to browse the book and read this account of NC History. This is a historical moment for Wake County and we honor the author, the late Elizabeth Reid Murray today! I have attached her biography. I want to thank her son, Mr. Jim Reid, for giving The Olivia Raney Local History Library/WCPL permission to have her book digitized.  Please share as needed. This is indeed wonderful news. Elizabeth's volumes were one of my first resources for starting the Wake Wednesday series of blogposts. This is a fantastic resource full of wonderful local history and family stories. If your roots go way back in Wake, you will want to spend some time with this volume.  Saundra included Elizabeth Reid Murrays bi...

At one point in the not-too-distant past, Holleman’s Crossroads was a prime example of rural Wake County past – a tiny crossroads, a few farms, a store and a couple of churches. Progress, behaving the way it does has all but wiped the tiny community off the map. Even the sign marking the tiny community at the junction where four roads – Avent Ferry, Rex, Bartley Holleman and New Hill/Holleman - meet has been lost to an accident at some point. Compare these two images. source Google street map c.2021 The first image was quintessential pastoral Wake County. It could have been ten years ago or fifty. The second shows the same location overgrown, the barn barely visible over what looks like massive mounding honeysuckle vines. You can just see one remaining signpost standing silent sentry while the other lies mangled in the ditch. Who drives by this spot nowadays? Likely folks that live in the new homes in the area advertised on Zillow , and those headed out to Sherron Harris Lake for s...

In honor of Women's History Month, check out these notable women of Wake that have been featured in the WCGS blog. Let's all ponder and appreciate these women with ties to Wake county that have left their mark, made lasting contributions, and left the world a better place.  Take a moment to   acknowledge the women making history in your own family tree. Margaret Wake Tryon - Mother of  Wake County Anna Julia Cooper - Educator, orator, early black feminist Dorothea Dix - Early champion of mental health Elizabeth Reid Murray - Author and historian of Wake County Ella Josephine Baker - Mother of Civil Rights 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(...

The Spring issue (Vol. 8, Issue 3) of our award-winning newsletter, Wake Genealogy Watch, is now available online for reading or download. Visit the WCGS website or click the link here: Wake Genealogy Watch, Spring 2025 Features in this issue include: • Barbara McGeachy shares recent acquisitions at the NC Archives! • We share an exciting update about the Wake Cemetery Survey hard copies. • Enjoy a recap of our most recent WCGS Meetup, the Archive and Library tour. • Learn how  to use a BIRLS file and how to obtain files on your 20th century veteran kin. • Details of the local beginning genealogy classes taught by Barbara McGeachy this spring. • Learn how to wring every drop of information out of the index files we find online. • Read biographical profiles on renowned Wake County Civil War photographers, Esley Hunt and Joshua P. Andrews. • Explore the use of AI for simple editing tasks to make you more time for your writing efforts. • A super-sized calendar of eve...

I just wanted to take a moment to point out the category feature on the Wake Cemetery Survey Project that you see above. It is there to help you search more quickly. Use these category groups to narrow your search: General Information African-American Cemetery Church Cemetery Community Cemetery Family and Slave Cemetery Family Cemetery Indian Cemetery Slave Cemetery Unknown Cemetery These categories refer to the smaller cemeteries. You will not find a category for the likes of Oakwood, or Raleigh City Cemetery. These are limited to searching one type of category at at time and we were only able to assign one category to each cemetery. Note that the category names were assigned with the word usage used in the original survey. * The category feature is helpful feature to highlight right now as many observe Black History Month and honor their ancestors by researching their family history.  The Category search works by township. If you don't know the part of Wake County you want to loo...

We received the following update from Taylor Wolford the Outreach Librarian at the State Library of North Carolina: We have a series of interesting events coming up the Government and Heritage Library for Women's History Month in March, and I was hoping you would share with members of the society these event details. If anyone is interested, I look forward to seeing them there! Tea and Learn with SLNC and NCMA: A Women's History Month Webinar   March 10th, 11am-12pm.   Virtual - Registration Required: https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_0dtZLivVR4KcZ5ODWXkbwg    Join the SLNC Government & Heritage Library and the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) on March 10th from 11am-12pm for "Tea and Learn," a webinar event celebrating Women's History Month.  This webinar will cover notable North Carolina women artists, historical figures, and community leaders. A Q&A session will follow the presentation. Registration is required, and the webin...