I am excited to share this event with you. I have been researching and writing about Shiloh Community for several years now. A couple of years ago, a suggestion was made to turn all the history into a presentation. It has finally come to fruition and this has been a pet project for I and my fellow WCGS members - Saundra Cropps and Lynne Deese.   - Cyndi Deal We hope you will join us so you can learn exactly what a brush arbor is, who held the title of "Father of Scientific Farming," and just what an enduring and special community Shiloh really is.  Celebrating Shiloh Community  Saturday, October 18, 11 am to 1 pm at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church. Address: 1004 Church Street, Morrisville, NC 27560 The History of the Shiloh Community Explore the history of this community of free people of color, which was formed by 1830 and is located in the present-day town of Morrisville, NC. We will learn about the history of the community, of the church, of Jesse Harris, a...

Reprint from the Fall 2025 issue of the Wake Genealogy Watch Newsletter . In case you missed this useful contribution from  Belle Long, here is your chance to catch up. The link to Belle's in-depth article is included in the body of this post. - CD Disambiguating same named persons in one’s family history is always tricky. Add extra challenge points if those persons were close relations with nearly identical time lines in nearly identical locations. You  really have only two choices. Run away very quickly or dive down that deep rabbit hole.      Success in these complex same-name cases comes from gathering as many data points as possible for each person. These data points provide a richer context of each person’s life and FAN club (Friends, Associates, and Neighbors). Contrasting the actions and events of two persons against each other helps make their differences apparent. Careful analysis leads to a solid conclusion about their uniqueness in time and ...

If you have Native American ancestors from Virginia and North Carolina, this link is fascinating. The Great Trading Path skirts the western edge of Wake county. Visit this wonderful blog post at Native America Roots for lots of historic details and great maps that show the route of the Trading Path as well as a few surprises.  Did you know that there were buffalo in this area and that is " what originally brought the Eastern Siouan speaking Saponi from the Ohio River valley into this region." 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

We received this message from Friends of the Archives President, George Thomas regarding their upcoming fall event schedule: Dear Friends, Summer is almost gone, and it's time to thank you for supporting the Friends of Archives. Whether exploring archives for academic purposes, creating an award-winning TV program like Outlander , or working on family history, many 'ah-ha' moments are born from source documents preserved and safely kept at the State Archives of North Carolina. A great deal goes into that effort, and as a member of our 501(c)(3) organization, we hope you realize that your dues play a vital role in protecting our memory of the past. So far, this year has seen significant change, starting with the retirement of long-time director Sarah Koonts. Sarah is wonderful, and it’s hard to imagine her replacement, though the hiring process is underway. We look forward to meeting the new director, who we hope will be announced by the e...

Library of Congress, taken by Carl Mydans, a photographer with the Farm Security Administration While browsing Facebook one day I happened upon a post in a Raleigh group about the Wake County families that settled on and worked the land that would become Umstead Park. There were some delighful photos taken in 1936 by a photographer for the Farm Security Administration. The post and comments are a goldmine of family history tidbits and names of the families associated with the land. If you are on Facebook, I encourage you to take a look at the post in the public group called ''You know you grew up in Raleigh when...". It is worth requesting membership just to read this post.  Link to post.   **Bonus points if you bother to drop by the FB post for the hundreds of comments. There are tons of Wake C0unty local history and surnames mentioned in it. Surnames - King, Page, Young, Dillard, Page, Sorrell, McGee. For a more in depth look at the story of the families that were displ...

Members, purchase by September 15! You may have seen several of us “older” members wearing our WCGS name tags at genealogical events. We ordered them pre-COVID when we only had in-person meetings.  We are once again taking orders for name tags! Any member may order a WCGS name tag.  We will take orders until September 15.  The name tag has your name and “Wake County Genealogical Society”.  Lettering is white on a dark blue background. Name tags are $15 . Specify either a magnet back or a pin back. Clearly write your name for the tag. Order by Sept. 15. Pay by Check or Paypal You can pick them up at any in-person WCGS event in October through December. Or you can ask us to mail your name tag for an additional $6 for postage and padded envelope .  Payment is required before we place the order on September 15th.  Payment by Check or Paypal: Mail a check made out to Wake County Genealogical Society and send it to Barbara McGeachy 3602 Burwell Rollins Circle Ra...

 Shared to our Facebook page by Elizabeth Godwin via the News and Observer listing: Potential Grave Relocation In the matter of the proposed removal and reinterment of approximately 2 graves at the Rhodes Cemetery, 3130 Buck Stage Trail, Wendell, Wake County, NC (PIN 1784796727). The cemetery contains 1 inscribed grave marker for Lenard L. Rhodes (1831-1862) and one potential uninscribed grave marker. The request for removal and reinterment is anticipated to be considered by the Wendell Town Board of Commissioners in fall 2025. Anyone with information regarding the cemetery or the next-of-kin of the deceased, please contact Olivia Heckendorf at oheckendorf@rgaincorporated.com or 609-366-7101. IPL0260506 Aug 7,14,21,28 2025 (Link) The location is shown below. Note that the ad lists location as Wendell, while Google maps calls it Zebulon. The cemetery is shown by the orange pin on the developed lot at Buck Stage Road. This location in southeast of the intersection of Buck Stage wi...

The Fall 2025 issue (Vol. 9, Issue 1) 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, Fall 2025 .   This issue includes: A recap of our Find Your Family event in May. Registration details for Barbara McGeachy’s expanded fall genealogy classes—now 11 topics (up from 8). Practical how-to articles to guide your research. A review of Belle Long’s same-name study on multiple Joel Lanes, with a link to her original work. Ed Webb’s success story of using the BIRLS/FOIA process to successfully acquire his father’s BIRLS military record packet. A video tutorial on using AI tools to turn ancestor profiles into narratives, bios, and research plans. Cynthia Gage shares the NUMIDENT Social Security dataset for 20th Century Ancestors. Information on ordering a WCGS member nametag. A full calendar of upcoming events. Dive in and explore all the resources ...

Have fun spending some time comparing and contrasting these two colonial era maps that are held by the Library of Congress . Both made under the direction of Henry Muzon. Both show the early colonies of North and South Carolina. Both are hand colored, although each is executed somewhat differently. One created in London, the other in Paris. They even share a title -  An accurate map of North and South Carolina, with their Indian frontiers, shewing in a distinct manner all the mountains, rivers, swamps, marshes, bays, creeks, harbours, sandbanks, and soundings on the coast with the roads and Indian paths as well as The Boundary or Provincial Lines, the several Townships and other divisions of the Land in both Provinces: The whole from Actual Surveys by Henry Mouzon and Others. Click through to see larger images, but more importantly, click the hyperlinked dates to view the original maps at the Library of Congress. 1775 1777 If you have time for nothing else, be sure to open the 1777...