There is still time to register for our next in person MeetUp At the Wendell Museum. In case you need encouragement, scroll down for eight reasons to join us!  8 Reasons* to visit the Wendell Museum on May 13!  The Wendell Timeline  - more than 200 photos and clippings of Wendell history Wendell People  - 11 notables highlighted for contributions far beyond Wendell in a variety of endeavors. Wendell Business  - 18 Businesses that shaped the town are highlighted Agriculture  - Tobacco, cotton and forestry put Wendell on the map. Veterans  - locals recognized for their roles in combat, peacekeeping, disaster relief, and humanatarian aid. Schools  - historic schools, Rosenwald schools, small rural schools, noted educators Churches  - 18 churches more than 60 years old  Civic clubs and organizations  - clubs and club member contributions highlighted Please, join us on May 13. Registration link below. * per the  Wendell Historical S...

This lovely quaint old church figured heavily in the early history of the Mial family, Knightdale, and the communitly of Shotwell. Enjoy the wonderful photos and write up about Oaky Grove Methodist Church near Knightdale. source: Carolina Crossroads Go to  Carolina Crossroads blog. Thanks CC for this great post. Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website  -  Homepage  |  WCGS Events  |  Join WCGS  |  Publications  |  Wake Cemetery Survey Images  | Digital Resources  |  History Resources  |  More Links and Resources  |  Contact

 April 25 is DNA Day. It is a great day to take advantage of discounted kits from all the vendors and the free online learning event offered by the FamilySearch Library. Here are details and Zoom registration link. Note:  Times listed are Mountain Time . All times are 2 hours later in Eastern time . 2023 DNA Day at the FamilySearch Library Description 9:00 AM MST – DNA Basics: An Introduction to DNA and Genealogy (Beginner) – Have you heard your friends and fellow genealogists enthuse about DNA but don't know what it's all about? Wondering if a DNA test is right for you? Come learn about DNA, why it's valuable, which tests you can take, and how it might be helpful in your genealogy research. 10:15 AM MST – Why Oh Why Do Your Y-DNA? (Advanced) – Have you ever heard of a Y-DNA test or wondered if you should take one? This class will discuss the value of Y-DNA, who can take a Y-DNA test, and where to purchase a test. It will also discuss the different levels of testing (37, 1...

WCGS member, Tonya Lanier has requested assistance in locating family members that she has lost touch with. If you have any information that you can share or recognize the folks in the photo, please reach out to her directly. Thank you in advance.  From Tonya - I am looking for members of my family.  This photo was taken in the mid 1970’s.  There is a lady named Florence and her husband J.T.    Surnames include Beckwith, Edwards, Green or Lanier.  There was a set of twins, a girl and a boy, named Antione and Antionette .   They lived in the Raleigh/Apex area. Please contact Tonya Lanier, sonshiners61@gmail.com - 336-470-1100.   Thank you! Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website  -  Homepage  |  WCGS Events  |  Join WCGS  |  Publications  |  Wake Cemetery Survey Images  | Digital Resources  |  History Resources  |  More Links and Resources  |  Co...

Ella Josephine Baker,  founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was an alumna and former valedictorian (1927) of  Shaw University .  Baker is regarded as the mother of the civil rights movement. In addition to the SNCC, she co founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) with Martin Luther King,Jr. After college she moved to Harlem in New York. At that time Harlem was the hub of the black intellectual and creative thinking phenomenon known as the Harlem Renaissance. source A poll conducted by North Carolina Public Radio voted her the favorite to have deserve a monument in North Carolina. Michael Hill of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources recommends honoring Ella Josephine Baker in a statue on the grounds of Shaw University in Raleigh. To learn more about the "unsung hero" Ella Josephine Baker , watch the video,  Ella Josephine Baker - African American Trailblazers Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website  -...

 I received an email from NGS this week: view full email here   This year’s conference will run from 31 May through 3 June and include More than 110 lectures, Luncheons featuring guest speakers, FOCUS for societies, libraries, and archives SLAM! Idea Showcase reception and program, Expo Hall with companies and organizations, Opening Session with Christy Coleman presenting “Diverse from the Beginning” as well as NGS Awards and announcements, NGS Awards Luncheon, Virginia Genealogical Society’s cocktail hour and buffet dinner, Pre-Conference tours, and much more.   Don’t Miss Out on Your Early Bird Discount! Register by 31 March 2023. Join us in Richmond or Sign up for Online at Home ! Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website  -  Homepage  |  WCGS Events  |  Join WCGS  |  Publications  |  Wake Cemetery Survey Images  | Digital Resources ...

Let's salute Elizabeth Reid Murray, if not the Mother of Wake County ( Margaret Wake Tryon ), most definitely the Author of Wake County. Murray was a prolific writer and contributor to the historic writings of Wake and North Carolina at large. Her obituary provides an extensive list of her writings and awards.  From the obituary: " Her major published works are WAKE: Capital County of NC, vol. 1 (1983); WAKE: Capital County of NC, vol. 2 (2008), with co-author K. Todd Johnson; and From Raleigh’s Past (1965).  Other published works include: editor and compiler, North Carolina’s Older Population: Opportunities and Challenges (1960); contributor, Windows of the Way (1964);  editor, Wake County Historical Society newsletter, 1965-1969;  editor/photographer, Wake County history filmstrip; guest editor, “Wake County Bicentennial” edition, Raleigh Magazine (1971);  contributor to a history of the Raleigh Fire Department; contributor, Dictionary of North Carolina Biogr...

Update on McCullers Cemetery: Cemetery Clean Up and Planning session For the Patriot Mathew McCullers Cemetery is scheduled Saturday, March 18, from 1-5:30pm. Optional Meet for lunch at Smithfield Chicken ‘N BBQ near the McCullers Crossroad by 11:30am Cemetery located on Donny Brook Road across 401 South/Fayetteville Road from the South Campus of Wake Tech. This is a Revolutionary War Soldier's grave site in Wake County. If you are interested in attending, please contact Holt Anderson directly. His contact info is in bold below . This is good work being done to save this and an ajoining slave cemetery. Please help if you are able.  Original post:: Holt Anderson, Joel McCullers Hobby, and Tommy Broadwell (all McCullers descendants) are in the early stages of organizing a cleanup project of the McCullers Family Cemetery in southern Wake County. They seek other descendants and interested parties to assist in planning and executing the effort to clear the site located at Donny Brook Rd...

See NCPedia for the full account of  Dorothea Dix , name sake of Wake County's first hospital for the care of the mentally ill.    " Interest in the treatment of mental illness had been expressed in North Carolina in 1825 and 1838 but with no results. Several governors suggested care of the mentally ill to the General Assembly as a legislative priority, but no bill was passed. Then in the autumn of 1848 the champion of the cause of treatment of the mentally ill made North Carolina the focus of her efforts.   Dorothea Lynde Dix   was a New Englander born in 1802.   Shocked by what she saw   of the treatment of mentally ill women in Boston in 1841 she became a determined campaigner for reform and was instrumental in improving care for the mentally ill in state after state. In North Carolina Dix followed her established pattern of gathering information about local conditions which she then incorporated into a "memorial" for the General Assembly. Warned th...

The Spring 2023 Issue (Vol.6 Issue 3) of our award-winning newsletter, Wake Genealogy Watch, is now available online for reading or download. You can download the latest newsletter through this link –   Wake Genealogy Watch, Spring 2023 Features in this issue include: RootsTech Roundup 2023: All the Tools, All the DNA, All the AI, All the Stories A review of our February Meet Up at Johnston County Heritage Center Brenda Carbon has shared a great case study exploring Ancestry’s new ethnicity SideView feature. Several Cemetery queries and cleanup projects in our area looking to make local connections Pointers to two really good blog posts that cover some basic yet fundamental concepts for working with Genetic Genealogy Our handy events calendar will help you save the dates, so you don't miss a single moment of WCGS excitement. Photo Note : If you choose to read a printed version of this newsletter, some of the photos will be difficult to view due to size constraints. Please refe...