Back by popular demand! Join us for a repeat of our February tour of the NC Archives and genealogy library in downtown Raleigh. We will offer a free tour of the NC Archives and the State Library, organized by President Barbara McGeachy. June Tour Details - Event : Tour of NC Archives and Genealogy Library Date : Monday, June 23, 10 AM - Noon (followed by optional lunch) Location : 109 E. Jones St., Raleigh (meet in the lobby) Lunch : Optional at the cafeteria in the basement of the legislature building, featuring hot food, salads, and sandwiches. Security check required; no special ID needed. This tour is open to everyone, with 30 spots available. Sign up here:                                                         https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409044CA9A72CAAFA7-56338096-tour Each tour lasts 45-60 minutes, concl...

What happened where and when is important. You will find this short video very important for establishing historical location and context for you Colonial ancestors. First Colonies: 1565-1700 | American Colonial History | Jamestown, Plymouth, Puritans, Quakers This presentation outlines the development of European colonies in the future United States and Canada, from 1565 to 1700. source 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

Join us this Saturday, May 31 at the Laurel Hills Community Center. This will be a fun, family event. Questions - info@wakecogen.org 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

Shared by WCGS member and former webmaster - Cynthia Gage Cynthia found this collection when she was searching for something else. I am so glad she shared it with me. Who can resist old yearbooks?  The collection includes Wake County high school and junior high books from a time span of 1909 to 2009. Cynthia also mentions that she found some reunion booklets, university catalogs and  Elizabeth Murray Reid's Wake History Book through this link . The collection is digitized and offered online by Olivia Raney Local History Library. What fun to be able to find your parent or grandparents in these pages. Maybe you will find your own photo or that of a cherished friend. Bonus gold is lurking in the ads that were included. Looking for a small family business? You may find evidence of it this way.  Enjoy these delightful images from the 1913 Raleigh High School Rattler !  Are you from elsewhere in North Carolina, but still curious about your relative's school history? Visit ...

Raleigh - 1891 I am really enjoying this very quaint view of Fayetteville Street in 1891 that I found at NCPedia. The Mahler building features prominently, exactly center in the photo. It looks like Henry Mahler, an immigrant from Prussia, made quite the name and place for himself in Raleigh as a jeweler and engraver. The NCPedia article on him is filled with detail. If you are researching Henry Mahler or his descendants, you will want to check it out.   I believe the two brick buildings in this photo still stand and the two story wooden J. C. S. Lumsden & Sons building was replaced after 1896 with a 3 story brick building.   See the Google street view here. Notice  the arch window features on the middle brick building are a perfect match for the H. Mahler building.   Modern day Mahler building.   The building at the extreme right of this photo is now a UNC Health Care facility. The molding trim at the top and window trim make a s...

The Summer 2025 issue (Vol. 8, Issue 4) 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, Summer 2025 .   This issue features: Details and Registration for three WCGS events that are fast approaching. Barbara McGeachy shares a special family heirloom written in WWII code. Tips to pull more clues from a WWI registration form that just what is included on the form. A special announcement about one of our own members. Learn about the excellent research guides available at NARA. Take a trick or two from this short and simple AI use case to make extracting information from your documents easier and quicker. A busy summer events calendar that you won’t want to miss! Dive in and explore all the resources and stories designed to enrich your genealogy journey!   Photo Note : If you choose to read a printed version of this newsletter, some of the photo...

Wake County has been blessed with plentiful woods and forests as since its beginning. This blessing forced on the inhabitants the need for a contingency plan for the inevitable fiery conflagrations. In fact, fire protection was on the minds of the original city planners and the need for protection and prevention dictated portions of the layout requirements of the town of Raleigh. The width of the streets were dictated in an attempt to protect fires spreading between building. The four main roads were 99 feet wide and all others within town limits were 66 feet wide. Among early fire regulations was a rule forbidding private porches, platforms, or other wooden structures located at building fronts that would encroach on the streets of Raleigh.  In 1800, the city charter was revised to give the City Commissioners the power to do anything they deem necessary to to stop the progress of a fire, even removing structures in the path of the fire to prevent its spreading. Every adult male wa...

AI image generated with Google Gemini2.0 flash Genealogy Sleuths - We need you! Join us for the next Wake County Genealogical Society Spring Meetup Laurel Hills Community Center, 3808 Edwards Mill Rd., Raleigh 27612 Saturday, May 31, 10am - noon. Our Spring meetup is an outreach event inspired by the 2023 NGS SLAM! winning video -  "Street Genealogy" . See the five-minute free video  at the National Genealogical  Society   YouTube channel:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD8P6Q_93ps&list=PLPuFl1BJIibPkE9BtKL-R_txCT5ZNDM4W&index=3 The original Street Genealogy event took place on a busy sidewalk. We will be inside the community center to help anyone who is curious about their family history.  We are looking for 10 volunteers... . ..who can bring their laptops and sit at inside tables and help people get started with genealogy by looking up their family online. For example, finding their family in the 1950 census. People can take a scre...

Details on two events in the near future that you may find interesting! 14 May, 2025 Join the SLNC Government & Heritage Library for a Personal Digital Archiving Webinar! When: on Wednesday, May 14th at 10 AM via Zoom.  This webinar will explore the concept of Personal Digital Archiving (PDA), offering insights into the affordable and efficient practices, tools, and techniques for preserving your digital files. Learn how to organize and save digital files such as emails, photographs, videos, family histories, and more! A Q&A session with the GHL Digital Projects Librarian will follow the presentation. Details: Date/Time: Wednesday, May 14, 2025, 10:00 - 11:00 am Registration is required, and the webinar will be recorded and posted on the SLNC YouTube channel. This event is free and open to the public. Register here   - for Personal Digital Archiving Webinar Questions: GHL.info@ncdcr.gov 18 May, 2025 Ribbon Cutting for Ivey-Ellington Historic Home in Cary In-person...