Wake County Genealogical Society Blog

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Wake County Genealogical Society Monthy Meetings for 2023 - next - December 5

Topic: Genealogy Escape Room™ – The Case of William Sydney Porter: Oh Henry!

Speaker: Thomas MacEntee

Tuesday, Dec 5, 2023 @ 6:30pm - Virtual

Audience Level: Beginner. The more, the merrier, join us for a fun evening of Genealogy Sleuthing led by Thomas!

Imagine you are trapped in your state archive and the only way out is to solve a series of genealogy research puzzles. Are you up to the challenge? Are you ready for Genealogy Escape Room™?

Based on the popular escape room concept, Genealogy Escape Room™ turns the typical webinar format upside down! Each registrant will receive a Case Review File used to solve a series of online research tasks BEFORE the live webinar takes place. The webinar is the "reveal," where a step-by-step review of each puzzle, task, and clue all the way to the final "key" to open the door.

Genealogy methodology concepts will be summarized before announcing who escaped first! You are locked in at the Olivia Raney Local History Library in Raleigh, North Carolina.

You are working on an article on famous American authors. In order to unlock the office door and escape, you need to locate the New York State 1905 Census record of William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), better known as O. Henry.

You MUST complete your research on William Sydney Porter by answering a list of genealogy research questions and FIND the New York 1905 Census record to UNLOCK the main door and escape!

This virtual meeting and presentation is open to all, but registration is required. *

*Please register by 4pm day of meeting.

*Please save your passcode and link for ease of entry at start time.

Fun, free, and virtual!

Link to register at the Wakecogen website events page.
https://wakecogen.org/eventListings.php?nm=20

Contact: info@wakecogen.org

Upcoming Events - view events page for details

Tuesday, January 23 @ 6:30pm - Virtual

Topic: Bounty Land, Military Pensions, & Alt. Records

Speaker: Debra Dudek
Registration opens shortly after the December meeting.

Wake Wednesday - North Carolina Masonic Records (with photos from the meetup)

The last Wakecogen meetup on Oct. 21 to the Grand Lodge of North Carolina certainly proved the point that Masonic records are an excellent resource to fill in the details and context of your male ancestors' lives. If you are trying to build a fan club, these records should certainly be part of your arsenal. They might also help pin down locations for your predecessor.

Our hosts for the outing, Jonathan Underwood (Grand Secretary) and Matthew Robbins (Assistant G. S.) have graciously provided us with access to information to contact the Grand Lodge for lookup requests as well as the various repositories of records that are available online.

Thanks go to Jonathan and Matthew and the Grand Lodge.

Links to Masonic Records

Whether you are looking for someone in Wake County or elsewhere in North Carolina*, you should check these resources. We were given a handout with several links. The handout is available here. Hope you find something that helps your research!

* Tennesee, too as it was part of NC in the very early days and Lodges in what became NC reported to the Grand Lodge before 1796.

Update - Photos added - Several highlights from our meetup here. Enjoy!

Grand Lodge tour. Photos by Kathy Ruse. Click for larger.

Left side: Documents in the archives, contact info, Grand Secretary Jonathan Underwood, our host - Assistant Grand Secretary Matthew Robbins, Notre Dame model illustrates the beginning of guild culture that gave rise to the Masonic tradition.

Middle: Matthew explains the history illustrated in the mural, Books from their archives.

Right side: On of the globe artifacts on display in the book room, more history from the murals, viewing artifacts that date back centuries in the meeting space, another view of the artifact table.

For additional photos visit the album - Grand Lodge - October 2023.

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Wake Wednesday - Evolution of a Local Store Front - 111 Fayetteville Street

I got really curious about the California Restaurant from a published Thanksgiving menu that I had written about previously. I have looked high and low for that menu so I could share it here, but no luck. I will share it if I find it. If you find it first, help a girl out, please?

I did some research and reading about the California. I found some really interesting facts about it, especially the evolution from fruit store to restaurant then to clothing store. It was featured in a write up on the Goodnight Raleigh blog.

The history of the California is really fascinating, especially if you have these surnames in your tree: Vernakes, Stathacos, Adler.

You can view this great story here.

Still looking for that menu, by the way.

Monday, October 16, 2023

Data Breach at 23&Me. What you need to do now!

Malicious mischief is afoot. Change your genealogy passwords. Do Not reuse passwords. There has been a hack at 23 & Me. This is a good time for a review of all your genealogy passwords.

Count on Judy Russell, The Legal Genealogist to tell you exactly what steps to take. She breaks each step down in this blog post.

"...But here’s the bottom line: no company can protect us from our own folly. Using a password across multiple websites in this day and age of data hacking is just that: folly. (And yeah, I’ve done it too. My pointing finger here is pointing right back at me too.)" - JR

better view here

Change those passwords. Don't reuse at multiple sites! Try using two factor authentication for even more security.

Thursday, October 12, 2023

Save the Date for our next Wakecogen Meetup! Saturday, October 21 at 10am

Masonic Lodge records are an excellent source to fill in the details and context of your ancestors' lives. Join WCGS for our next in person meetup. The tour will be led by Matthew Robbins, Assistant Grand Secretary.

A Tour of the Grand Lodge of North Carolina

2921 Glenwood Avenue

Raleigh, NC, 27608

Saturday, Oct 21 at 10am

Chartered in 1771 by the Duke of Beaufort and reorganized in 1787, the Grand Lodge of North Carolina was formed before North Carolina joined the Union and before George Washington was elected president of the United States.
The Freemasons of North Carolina can claim a rich and successful heritage. Its members, including governors, legislators, teachers, professors, merchants, and farmers, have been at the forefront of the State's successes since before the Revolutionary War. Its members presided over the formation of the State and the adoption of the Bill of Rights, the extension of educational opportunities to State citizens via the establishment of the nation's first state sponsored university, and have generally worked to raise the moral and social conscience of the people for more than 200 years.

The Grand Lodge

We had a great virtual tour of the Grand Lodge and its resources at one of our early virtual meetings in 2020. Now is the chance to see all those treasures up close and personal.

We hope you will join us. We will see you on October 21!

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Wake Wednesday - What is in a name? Local town had two names.

Update - read the additional article linked at the end of the post.

A very small town in Wake County, barely even a crossroads, went by the name of Log Pond early in its history. Even if you can find stories of this community or find it on a map today, its name hints at the history of this part of Wake County before the Civil War.

The location of this pond was pivotal for the community. It may have supported some logging trade and a mill in the area. it provided rest and respite for the horses of travelers passing through the area. When railroads began criss crossing Wake County, this small but useful pond was an attractive location for the builders as a reloading point for the steam engines that chuffed through the town.

All this changed this tiny dot of a crossroads forever and the resulting town, sleepy though it still was, has now surpassed all bounds to become one of the larger suburban communities in our county. But where is the pond now?

Please follow this link to read the entire story in the words of Heather Leah of WRAL and discover the town's eventual moniker. It is fascinating and filled with wonderful historical context and detail that most of us have never heard before. Many thanks to Heather for bringing this story to light.

I have devoted several afternoons to an attempt to find an early map with Log Pond marked on it. (I am at a disadvantage, as I am without a car at the moment and could not run downtown to check the NC Archives.) If you find one, could you please share. I would love to see a map for the southwestern corner of Wake at that time period.

"Trains would come up the hill from Haywood. That climb is 15 miles, and for a little steam engine pulling a long train of cars, it needed water by the time it reached the top of the hill. That's where the log pond was," he said. "It would refill at the 'apex' of the grade then proceed on to Cary, and downhill to Raleigh." - Toby Holleman

Update - Still more about Log Pond from Cary Magazine in 2011. Read the article here including accounts from those who remember it!

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Wake Wednesday - General Lafayette's Visit in 1825

I am returning to Reminiscences of Grandmother Mary Ann Towles in Wake Treasures, Volume 1, number 4, Winter 1991, p15, for this vivid remembrance of General LaFayette's visit to Wake County in 1825. Can you imagine what an attraction his visit must have been?

Mary Ann's memory in her words:

I was eight years old when General LaFAYETTE visited Raleigh and everyone went to see him. Uncle carried (m)y brother and me. It was a proud day for me when he shook hands with me, and laying his hand on my head, said, “God bless you.”

"Portrait of the Marquis de Lafayette." Image courtesy of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

source

You can read more on General Lafayette's journey thru Wake County and the rest of NC at NCpedia.

If you want to see some artifacts and other first hand accounts of General Lafayett's trip, visit the Little House Museum in Rolesville. Contact the museum for more info.

Journal access is a great perk of your Wake County Genealogical Society membership and a handy tool for those researching in Wake County remotely. Members have 24/7 access to the Journal. With 20 plus years of content, you will likely find the surnames and place names you are researching. Access the Journal issues directly in the Member Area after log-in.

Join for full access.

Visit the Journal subject index here.

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Follow up to the September 26 virtual meeting - AI and Genealogy

For all who participated in Tuesday night'ss presentation from Steve Little - Artificial Intelligence and Genealogy, the interactive handout and guidance is posted on our website. Please go to the temporary handout space on the homepage to gather the needed files. They are now posted and will remain through this coming Friday, Sep 29 at 8pm.

Use in this order:

1) Transcript file - be sure to read the instructions from Steve in the description box.

2) Speaker Handout - After working through the conversion process, compare your results to this sample created by Steve.

3) Chat log - additional file from the meeting.

Have fun and best of luck if you are working through you first AI attempt.

Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website -

Thursday, September 21, 2023

Register for RootsTech 2024 - February 29 - March 2,2024. In Person or Online

RootsTech is the premier event to celebrate your heritage and other meaningful connections through a deeper understanding of family history and genealogy. Come join us and discover your story at RootsTech 2024!

Registration is now open for both In Person and Online Acess. You can register for both at this RootsTech webpage link. This link is your all access pass to join in on the fun and education.

Online attendance is free with registration. In-person options are a 1day pass for $69 and a 3day pass for $99.

View the Class Preview List

View the Exhibitors List

RootsTech is the place to be for innovation in methodology, tools, and specialty skills including traditional research and Genetic Genealogy! Grab your spot.

Friends of Oberlin Village meeting - Monday, Sept 25 at 6pm

From FOV email dated 9/20/23:

Our next Friends of Oberlin Village meeting is Monday, September 25, 2023, and will be hybrid (subject to change) beginning at 6 p.m.

Some items on the agenda this month:

· Board of Directors Strategic Planning Update

· Committee Reports

Attending Virtually? If you are interested in attending virtually and would like to receive the Zoom link to attend, please RSVP here preferably by 5 pm this Saturday, June 24, 2023. *Should you have any technical difficulties, please send your request here.

Attending In-Person? For those interested in attending in person, the meeting will be held at Wilson Temple United Methodist Church located at 1023 Oberlin Road, please RSVP here *Should you have any technical difficulties, please send your request here.

All attendees are asked to register in advance by clicking on the above email address to receive updates on the meeting status and location (virtual and in-person)

If you register for virtual attendance and have not received the Zoom link by Sunday afternoon, please let me know at friendsofoberlin@gmail.com. Requests for the link, after 12 noon on Monday, may not be able to be answered.

The June draft meeting minutes will be circulated to those attending this month's meeting and submit an RSVP.

Please share any life events (celebrations, sympathies or concerns, etc.) with LaToya at friendsofoberlin@gmail.com.

Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website -

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Wake County has lost a legend - Irene Olive Kittinger 1925 - 2023

It is my sad task to report the passing of Irene Olive Kittinger. She was so vibrant and committed to Wake County history. She was the driving force behind the original Wake County Cemetery Census; an active participant in the Cary Historical Society; and a founding member of The Friends of the Page-Walker Hotel in Cary. In addition, she was a charter and Organizing member of the Asbury Station Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She won many awards and accolades for her roles as historian and preservationist.

You may read the full obituary here -

https://www.cityofoakscremation.com/obituaries/article-211/

She has left such a legacy for all of us. Wake researchers owe her so much. We at the Wake County Genealogy Society are honored to preserve a portion of her legacy and keep it in the forefront of Wake County research.

Irene Olive Kittinger
July 8, 1925 - September 14, 2023

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Wake Wednesday - Old City Auditorium and Municipal Building

Do you remember the old City Auditorium and Municipal Building that stood at the corner of Davie and Fayetteville Streets until 1960?

Enjoy this vintage postcard view. More information on the Auditorium and the vintage postcard depicting it can be found a Goodnight Raleigh. Click through. It is an interesting read.

The remnants of this building are repurposed into the ground level of the Sir Walter Apartments. If you use the Google maps Street View as shown below, you can definitely see the bones of the Old Auditorium supporting the building and lending a little Beaux Arts turn of the century charm.

Location shown on the top down Google map

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