Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026 @ 6:30pm – Virtual Topic:    WWII Service: Discovering your Ancestor's Story using Online Resources Speaker:   Cynthia Gage As a genealogist, I feel that my role is to preserve not just the names of my ancestors, but also to learn the stories of their lives in order to fully appreciate the history that led to me. Military service is one of those important stories and luckily for us as researchers, many records exist. The service record is only one part of a veteran's story: the other is their experience. This presentation focuses on WWII service and will provide sources and techniques for gathering and analyzing information from both parts of the story. For those with Army servicemen, there are online sources which can help rebuild the service records that were lost in the1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center. Join us! Free and virtual! *Please register by 4pm day of meeting. *Please save your passcode and link for ease of entry at st...

Saturday, March 28 2026 was a lovely sunny, breezy day and a perfect day for a trolley tour of historic Raleigh. The WCGS group gathered at Mordecai Park to embark on our Historic Raleigh Trolley trip. We tiptoed through a crowd of 2 foot tall tiny humans participating in an Easter Egg on the grounds of the Mordecai House (it was a busy day for the park). The mini-crowd was colorful, squeaky and fun. We arrived safely at the trolley stop and caught up on everyone's latest adventures.  Photos upper right, left and lower right - Steve Deal Photo lower left - Esther Moore click image to view larger Our tour guide Melissa shared tons of information about Raleigh through the ages as our trolley rolled past buildings from every century since the mid 1700's. The discussion was an interesting blend of local history and architecturals styles through the ages.  All photos - Esther Moore Clockwise from upper left: Melissa tells all, Briggs building views through trolley window, Dr Manas...

We met at Relish Craft Kitchen on the evening of Thursday, December 4 for the WCGS Holiday Meet-up. We had a great crowd and lots of fun catching up with everyone.  Relish was a great place to meet for a group of almost 30. We had a nearly private spot in the elevated room right off the entry. While not totally enclosed, it was roomy and comfortable and the elevation helped neutralize the ambient noise from outside our dining area. We had a top notch waitress who handled our orders without a blink or a miss! She is obviously a trained professional. The food came out quickly and was fabulous all round. Relish has my vote for future meal centered gatherings! It was truly great to see everyone and I did not hear a lull in the conversation all evening until the food arrived.  Here are some photos we managed to capture of the evening.  Can I just say -- These ladies are bringing the Chrismas Cheer! Viewing hint -  Click on each image for a larger version. Left to right: S...

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 : Genealogy: Getting Started! - Monday, Sep 8 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 h...

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...

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...

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

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...

  Don't forget to sign up for these two events. Both are free and open to all with registration. Our next virtual meeting and presentation is next Tuesday, Jan 28 at 6:30pm . If you are not making full use of the free content available with registration at FamilySearch, you are missing out. Join us as Jill Morelli guides us through the most up-to-date search methods at the international site. You will be glad you did. Sign up  here . If you are local, there is still time to register for the Wakecogen Meetup on February 10 at 10am . We will tour both the NC Archives and the NC State Library (in same building) and lunch at the legislature cafeteria right next door is optional. Tours are free with registration and open to all. There are 30 spots available. Full details are here .  We look forward to seeing you on Zoom and in person! Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website  -  Homepage  |  WCGS Events  |  Join WCGS  |  Pub...

The Wake County Genealogical Society's first in-person outing of 2025 will be a popular tour of the NC Archives and the State Library, organized by President Barbary McGeachy. February Meetup Details: Event:  Tour of NC Archive and State Library Date:  Monday, Feb. 10, 10 AM - Noon (lunch optional) 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. Source: Wikipedia This tour is open to everyone, with 30 spots available. Sign up here: Signup Genius .  Each tour lasts 45-60 minutes, concluding by noon. The Archives tour is optional; participants can choose to visit only the library first. Research is not permitted on this day as both facilities are closed to the public on Mondays. The NC Archives has original documents and some books but it's only about North Carolina.The staff will exp...