Update - see new detail on the Norwood Cemetery at the end of the post. An effort to get out and enjoy a mild December day before the cold set in resulted in a hike in northern Wake county that led to an encounter with this small graveyard sitting just off a trail head at the Shinleaf Campground area of Falls Lake.  Surrounded by it's dilapidated fence, t he tiny graveyard contains three graves naming a Norwood family. I was curious to know if they were logged in the Wake County Cemetery Image Collection . I snapped a few photos so I could compare when I got home and made a mental note of the location for my search. The cemetery dates to the late 1890s - 1920s. The stones and fence around them look newer than that, but they are very disheveled. There are two very large trees growing within the fence, one having taken on the role of sentry post disallowing any entry. The condition of the fence tells the story of a great storm passing through. The panels are mangled and bent. I wonde...

View here - Uncovering Ancestry's New Membership - Club 1890 (Is it worth it?) Ancestry's new Club 1890 (currently offered to only a few by invitation) claims to be a premium experience.  Amy Johnson Crow uses her video platform to highlight the various perks and advantages of the "vibrant community of like-minded individuals" in this video - Uncovering Ancestry's New Membership - Club 1890 (Is it worth it?) . She also points out some shortcomings and concerns.  How do you feel about this up and coming "new flavor" of Ancestry? Would you use these services? Do they really enhance your experience enough to justify the price of $5K per year?  Reflecting on all this, I have to say this is not for me. It seems a little slim on the personal service, attention and return on investment offered. Once a month. Really?  For that yearly price, I would expect someone to do all the research for me and present a massive, beautiful book at the end of a year. I hear A...

Have you ever used the Fendol Bevers Map , created in 1871, for your genealogy research? I use it all the time. So much so, in fact, that I consider Fendol Bevers to be my genealogy BFF from the past. Bevers was the City Engineer of Raleigh. In the early 1870's, He surveyed all the townships of Raleigh in preparation for the 1870 Census.  source This blogpost came to be because of a quirky discovery that occurred while using the map the other day. I was trying to remember where Oak Grove township was within Wake County. I had not seen it mentioned in a good long time, but needed to pin that down to solve another puzzle. I looked at progressively older maps and finally found Oak Grove township mapped on the wonderful Fendol Bevers map.  It turns out that sometime prior to 1890, Oak Grove and a portion of Cedar Fork townships of Wake County were carved off in the  creation of Durham County.  When you need to look up a location referenced in the northwest corner of...

This was shared to our Facebook page this weekend. It originally appeared in the N&O and can be viewed at the link. Thanks to Elizabeth Godwin for sharing. More information on the two men with named graves follows. News and Observer Legal Notices, 17July2025 POTENTIAL GRAVE RELOCATION In the matter of the proposed removal and reinterment of approximately 16 graves at the  Jones-Barker-Collins  Cemetery located south of the intersection of U.S. Highway 1 and NC Highway 540 (PIN 0730865572) Apex, Wake County, NC. The cemetery contains two inscribed gravemarkers for  B.Q. Barker  (1846-1925) and  B. H. Collins  (1848-1912). There are also 9 uninscribed fieldstones and 5 possible grave depressions within the cemetery. The removal and reinterment request is anticipated to go before the Apex Town Council in late summer or early fall 2025. Anyone having information about these graves or the next-of-kin of the deceased, please contact Olivia Heckendorf at oheck...

Raleigh Historic has this great catalog of walking tours - 22 in all - within the bounds of Raleigh. I wish this existed for all of Wake County. Check them out at the link below. Browse Raleigh Historic Walking Tours! 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

The Samuel Patrick and Ella McGuire Family Papers         Surnames: Patrick, McGuire, Buffaloe         Locations: Oberlin Village, Wake county         Railroads: Gaston & Raleigh RR, Seaboard Airline RR A box of family papers bought at a yard sale. Thank heavens they found their way to the NC Archives. Read this NC Archives blog post for the full and fascinating details. "Summary of the Collection These are the papers of Samuel Patrick and Ella McGuire, an African-American family of Raleigh, Wake County, with family in other locales, ca. 1872-1940. Includes personal and business letters; business receipts and Raleigh schools and city tax receipts; promissory notes; bills and statements of dues; summons for Raleigh public road work; wedding invitations; certificate of church membership; insurance policies; World War I naval commendation for son, Wilbert Henrick McGuire, for role in saving the ship, U.S.S. Moun...

We received this message and invitation from Taylor Wolford, the Outreach Librarian at the State Library of NC regarding their preservation event.  The event is limited to 15 participants and registration is required. Full Details:  Preservation Workshop: Preserving Your Family Records and History   Program Details:   Date and Time:    July 19, 2025 , 10:00 am - 12:00 pm   Program Description: Join the SLNC Government and Heritage Library and the State Archives Conservation Lab for an engaging workshop on preserving physical family records and historical items. This hands-on workshop will provide participants with the knowledge and practical skills to preserve their family's treasured documents. Experts from the State Archives Conservation Lab will present on key preservation topics, followed by a brief Q&A session where participants can ask questions about their own preservation challenges. Attendees will have the opportunity to create their own...

Two years ago, I took a year long workshop type course on working with DNA run by Diahan Southard. The course focused primarily on Autosomal DNA and presented some well structured and thought out workflow plan for identifying and working with one's DNA match list.  I shared a blog post last year that featured the free first four portions of the material we covered when Diahan presented her techniques at RootsTech2024. You can read about them and access the videos from 2024 at this link . Following up this past spring in 2025, Diahan presented two more free installments of her "Plan" at RootsTech 2025. I am including these here.  Best Matches -  https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/how-just-one-match-can-help-you-find-missing-ancestors-in-2025 Combine Test Types for more insight -  https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/combine-multiple-dna-test-types-how-atdna-ydna-mtdna-atdna-more-answers Hot summer afternoons present an excellent excuse to t...

A grand time was had by all at the Archives and Library tour the last Monday of June! Just look at all the fun. If you love the smell of old books and history in the morning, this is your kind of place! I hope you managed to attend. If not enjoy vicariously through these photos. Photos by Carla Stancil and Carol Kimball Stahl Click image to view the larger version. Clockwise from top left: Admiring the Carolina Charter of 1663. Archivist Katie Crickmore explains how the vertical family files work - the info is provided by researchers. A very attentive group learning the advantages of using the State Library as explained by librarian Taylor Wolford. Taking notes. More tour participants admiring the Charter. The rare book room in the stacks - heaven for us researchers. Taylor Wolford explains the Library collection. Here is a virtual copy of the Carolina Charter for you to enjoy thanks to DigitalNC.  Here is a transcript of of the Charter in case you can't make out the fine old Eng...