WCGS Newsletter - Wake Genealogy Watch - Winter 2021 now available

The Winter 2021 Issue (Vol.4 Issue 2) of our award winning newsletter, Wake Genealogy Watch, is now available online for reading or download.

You can visit the WCGS website or access through this link - Wake Genealogy Watch, Winter 2021
 
This issue contains the following topics:

• Wake Treasures Journal search tips – We have over 20 years of content online available for our members to use. These tips will get you started.
• Get details on the GenHelp sessions which return in 2021 to give guidance for your research.
• An overview of the three new Wake Resources webpages that webmaster Cynthia Gage has curated for us.
• Ann Myhre shares her experiences finding cousins in unexpected places.
• Dr. Ted Bainbridge recounts his efforts to explore and verify a family history tradition.
• Meet More of our Board Members – Barbara McGeachy, Carla Stancil, and Linda Hames.
• Unexpected resources that may help enrich your ancestors’ stories and where to find them.
• Carla Stancil shares her families experience with a virtual reunion.
• Try these strategies to expand your surname research and create a list of alternate spellings.

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 refer back to the online edition where you can enlarge the photos to accommodate better viewing.  Enjoy!

Click this newsletter page link to view this and all past newsletter content.

We welcome your feedback, input, and submissions for inclusions in future editions. Please address all concerns to newsletter@wakecogen.org.

Visit the WCGS Blog for more events, late breaking news, tutorials, updates and other special posts. 

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Volunteer Opportunity - Nov. 2020 - Journal Copy Editor/Proofreader

This volunteer would work closely with our Journal editor, Donna Shackle, to publish our twice yearly journal, Wake Treasures.

Journal Copyeditor/Proofreader: Our journal team is in need of a crack proofreader for our bi-annual journals. Once our editor has the journal nearly complete, you'll step in to catch all the "oops" and "gotchas". Interested?  Please reach out to our volunteer coordinator, Saundra Cropps, at Info@Wakecogen.org

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Latest edition of Wake Treasures is published - Volume 29 Issue 2

 From Donna Shackle, Journal Editor:

This issue is a treat!  We have the pentultimate installment from Cary Faison on the Railroad, Hortons, and Faisons and continuations of the 1897 Raleigh Colored School census and of the Soldiers Home Record.  In honor of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment we have the 1915 & 1917 membership lists from the Raleigh Equal Suffrage League.  Belle Long, the former Director of the Joel Lane Museum House, has written about the identity of Colonel Theophilus Hunter's second wife, Jane.  Read along to see how she discovered the identity of Jane and puts to rest a local mystery. 

This issue could not have happened without the volunteers who helped to transcribe these records.  Please consider volunteering to transcribe from home.  If you are interested, please contact me for more information.

Members can access this issue of the journal by logging into the Member Area at the Wakecogen.org website. You will find the member area on the left sidebar. Enjoy! 

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New Resources Links for Wake County Researchers at Wakecogen Website

Cynthia Gage, WCGS Webmaster, has been hard at work restructuring portions of the Wakecogen website. Her efforts have been focused on expanding the curation of our link and resource page to enhance the usefulness for Wake researchers, both local and remote. 

What was previously one Links and Resources page has grown into three separate pages of Wake centric content, each with their own focus and curated list. Be sure to visit Wakecogen.org to check them out. You will find the three resource pages linked in the left side bar visible from any page on our website.

Here is a brief overview of what Cynthia has created for our use.

Wake Digital Resources -

"On-line resources are a wonderful source for genealogists - particularly remote researchers - to help find information and data about their ancestors.  There are many fee-based sites which have lots of information about Wake County and its people, but there are also some free resources, some easy to find and others buried deep within the sites.  This page is intended to provide direct links to free searchable sites pertaining to Wake County or to North Carolina sites which containing Wake County records…"   The Wake Digital Resources page can be filtered to search various categories - Church records, Death records, Directories, Land records, Military records, or Miscellaneous.

 Wake History Resources -

"The history of Wake County and its cities explains the progress of the area through time, gives us a glimpse of our ancestors' struggles and successes, and if we are lucky, will include their names.  Here are some resources to give context to their lives, some of which contain surnames."   The Wake History Resources can be filtered to search city or county categories.

More Wake County Links and Resources -

This page provides a list of links of a more broad focus that are relevant to research in Wake County and North Carolina.  Categories on this resource page include county and state resources, research facilities, social media, local affiliation groups, and blogs with a local genealogical focus. These resources are less focused on Wake County but still very relevant and useful.

Please visit our website, Wakecogen.org and give these new pages a try. We hope you find some juicy leads for your research. If you know of a resource that could be added to one of these lists, let Cynthia know via email, webmaster@wakecogen.org.   

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Elizabeth Reid Murray's Wake Capitol County of North Carolina, Vol.1 now available online

 If you are a seasoned Wake County researcher, you no doubt know of Elizabeth Reid Murray and her comprehensive history of Wake County. If not, you should. Her two volumes cover the history of the land we love from the prehistoric times in the region up through the 1920s. 

The first volume has always been my favorite with stories of dinosaurs and Wake underwater, on thru the early settlement, the "trouble" with Regulators, the Revolution and choice of Wake for the state capitol. I am delighted to bring to your attention that this first volume of Wake: Capitol County of North Carolina is available to read and enjoy online through a partnership between Olivia Raney Family History Library and Digital NC. The details and links are found in this blog post from the Digital North Carolina Blog:

http://www.digitalnc.org/blog/book-about-the-history-of-wake-county-now-online/

Enjoy!

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NGS Press Release seeking nominations for 2021

 From the National Genealogy Society:

Contact: Susan Yockey Phone: 571-234-8021 awards@ngsgenealogy.org For Release: 19 October 2020

National Genealogical Society Invites Nominations for its 2021 Awards & Competitions

FALLS CHURCH, va, 19 October 2020—The National Genealogical Society (NGS) invites individuals, societies, and organizations to participate in its 2021 Awards and Competitions program. NGS annually recognizes excellence in the field of genealogy. This year it has expanded its program to reflect its merger with the Federation of Genealogical Societies.  The deadline for submission of nominations is 15 December 2020.  The NGS Awards program recognizes scholarship, service, excellence, and achievement in the fields of genealogy, history, and biography by presenting awards to individuals, societies, and organizations. The Society’s competitions challenge individuals and societies! “We encourage you to nominate an organization or an individual you work with, research with, or admire for an award.  We hope you will also consider participating in one of our competitions,” said Janet L. Bailey, chair of the awards committee. “There are so many outstanding individuals, societies, and organizations that deserve national recognition. We hope their peers will consider nominating them before December 15.”

Founded in 1903, the National Genealogical Society is dedicated to genealogical education, exemplary standards of research, and the preservation of genealogical records. The Arlington, Virginia-based nonprofit is the premier national society for everyone, from the beginner to the most advanced family historian seeking excellence in publications, educational offerings, and guidance in research. It also offers many opportunities to interact with other genealogists. On 1 October 2020, NGS and the Federation of Genealogical Societies merged, making support for genealogy societies, family history associations, and other organizations an important part of the NGS mission. We welcome your organization to the new NGS.

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WCGS Volunteer Opportunities - October 2020

We currently have several volunteer spots that we are seeking to fill - Treasurer, Publications Manager, and multiple Transcriptionists. Here are the descriptions of the available positions. Everything is being done online right now. If you would like to build connections with a great group of fellow genealogy enthusiasts and have some interesting diversions, consider joining us!

WCGS Treasure position:

· Would you like to contribute your fair share to the Wake County Genealogical Society?

· Are you good with numbers?

· Do you have the ability to write checks?

· Are you willing to use Quicken to create quarterly reports?

· Would you like the honor of being a member of the Board of the Wake County Genealogical Society?

If so, you would be an ideal candidate for Treasurer of the Wake County Genealogical Society.  Please email president@wakecogen.org to talk with our President, Carla Stancil, about this volunteer position.

Transcriptionists:

We have an ongoing need for Transcriptionists. The journal is looking for volunteers to transcribe original documents for the purpose of publication in Wake Treasures, the Wake County Genealogical Society’s journal.   We provide templates and you can transcribe from the comfort of home while ensuring that these records are published for all to use.  Whether you have time to transcribe a page or a series of pages, your contribution is greatly appreciated.  All skill levels are welcome! Please contact journal@wakecogen.org

To all our current and future Volunteers - Your participation allows us to sustain our vibrant group and continue to provide the rich genealogical content and presentations for which the Wake County Genealogical Society is known. We thank you and appreciate your efforts!

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NARA introduces new feature - Treaties Explorer

 From NARA:

Hundreds of Native American treaties have been scanned and are freely available online, for the first time, through the National Archives Catalog. Also, in partnership with The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC), these treaties and extensive additional historical and contextual information are available through Treaties Explorer.

NARA is also appealing to citizen archivists for assistance in transcribing the treaty documents to make them more searchable and accessible.  

View the NARA post here for full details.

Update:  Here is a Smithsonian Magazine article about the new feature.

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Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS) - Virtual Conference, October 14 -17, 2020

 Saundra Cropps, our WCGS Volunteer CoOrdinator, is sharing an interesting even and resource with us today. The Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS) annual conference is virtual this weekend. From Saundra:

"The Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS) annual conference is the largest international African American conference that promotes African-ancestored family history, genealogy, and cultural diversity. Due to COVID-19 the conference is virtual from October 14, 2020-October 17, 2020. Topics include Ethnicity, Race and Nationality, Family Presentations, Research, Genealogy, DNA, History, Migration, Preservation, Special Topics, Educational Methods, etc. I am particularly interested in the arrival of the first documented Africans in English America in 1619 at Point Comfort (not Jamestown); and the ancestors who fought in every battle on American and foreign soil."

To find out more, click on this link - AAHGS Conference final_digital version.pdf

I have peeked at the AAHGS Syllabus. It is a hefty two hundreds and eighty pages packed with content. I see some great topics including:

Grave Concerns: Where do Cemeteries Go When They Die?

Miseducation In The Classroom

The Emotional Side of DNA Testing

Traveling with the Green Book

Reconstructing Family from Post Emancipation Records

How to Know What to Ask When I Don't Know What to Ask

Searching for Descendant Communities at Virginia Plantations

Gathering at the Welcome Table

There is so much good content here. I see many names I recognize among the presenters - Renate Yarborough Sanders, Andre Kearns, Desi Campbell and WCGS's own Diane Richard, are but a few in the lineup.

Check out this treasure trove of information and resources! For those interested in the conference, visit the AAHGS webpage. The registration page is here if you would like to participate.

Followup for September's Melungeon Presentation

First of all, many thanks to Heather Andolina for sharing her ancestors and journey of discovery with WCGS. It was a really fascinating evening.  

Here is the link to the trailer for her documentary - Infamous Characters Notorious Villains. Watch the video at YouTube here - https://youtu.be/KiAIThQZwIE

When I went to watch the trailer, I stumbled on into an absolute rabbit hole of good Melungeon videos that are really worth watching. If you were intrigued along with me, you might want to check these out too.

Lisa Alther reads excerpts her book Kinfolks, and talks of her Melungeon heritage -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX4-GSXxQMg

Darlene Franklin Campbell gives a detailed account through time and space of the peoples who traveled the world to converge in the Appalacian Ridge to create the Melungeon people. Watch her Melungeon Overview Presentation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rx5C0Jf_lo

Here is the trailer for another documentary that was made in 2008.
Melungeon Voices - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO0UOsp-NZ8

Legacy Webinars offering 10 free webinars for 10 days to celebrate their 10th anniversary

From Legacy Family Tree Webinars:

We're celebrating 10 years of genealogy webinars! Below is the top webinar from each year since 2010. Unlocked and free through September 24, 2020. Enjoy!

Click this Anniversary link for details!

If you are not a member they have really good discounts for membership right now too. Act early the best discount is for Sep 15-16!

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WAKE COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY: PUBLICATIONS LIST

WCGS has abstracted and indexed several manuscripts of interest to genealogists who are researching in Wake County, NC. These publications can be purchased from the online WCGS bookstore at Lulu.com. To find any of our publications, visit www.lulu.com/shop and search for Wake County or the specific title.

Searching for back issues of Wake Treasures (the WCGS journal)? Members can find it at www.wakecogen.org. Want to join WCGS to have access to journals from 1991 to present? www.wakecogen.org.

Titles available at Lulu include:

Wake County Bastardy Bonds 1772 – 1937 [broken series]

Wake County Deed Book R March 1802 – October 1803

Wake County Divorce Records Surnames N – Z (1831 – 1920) 

Wake County Divorce Records Surnames A – M (1831 – 1952)

Wake County Levy Dockets 1805 – 1815

Wake County School Census Raleigh Township 1897

Heritage of Wake County

Wake County Apprentice Bonds 1770 – 1860, 1872 - 1903

Check publication list for details and pricing.

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