President Barbara McGeachy was in attendance for the Fair held on Oct. 4. Here is her report - I had a great time this morning at the NC Archives & State Library Family History Fair in downtown Raleigh. We had a good turnout and lots of people signed up for our email list. The talks were recorded and are already available on YouTube on the "statelibrarync" channel as "2025 Family History Fair: African American Genealogy and History" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3jeTTB3C48 WCGS Table -Oct 4 -  NC Archives & State Library Family History Fair 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

  View the original post for details and registration.   Free with registration. We look forward to seeing you. 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

October is NC State Fair month. The Fair was established in Raleigh back in 1852 by the North Carolina State Agricultural Society. There is a great blog post from UNC Library at this link.            October 1853: The North Carolina State Fair You can also check out the programs of the Fair through its history. Have you seen the program from the year you were born? Here is mine!     State Fair Ephemera     1956 NC State Fair program link Have fun browsing. 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

Do you have ancestors and relatives in Cary? If you/they have been there awhile you will enjoy this new record set available online. This attention grabbing Centennial beard and Parade schedule from the 1971 Centennial Parade featured in The Western Wake Herald in April, 1971 are just the tip of the iceberg of what you will find. Also included are deeds, land grants and other records, correspondence from  Elizabeth Reid Murray, biographies, architectural sketches of some of the memorable historic buildings around Cary, and a whole host of photos and memorabilia that you did not know you needed to see.  Update from North Carolina Digital Heritage Center via Facebook: "Interested in the history of  Cary, NC ? Research files documenting the change in the community from small farm town to major suburb of Raleigh over the 20th century are now online thanks to our partner  Page-Walker Arts & History Center ." Link to NC Digital blog post describing the collecti...

Abandoned cemeteries are everywhere and they leave traces if you know where to look.  Have you ever noticed this one resting in plain view in downtown Raleigh? An unassuming crumbling stone wall is the beacon proclaiming this corner lot of Booker and Hill streets as someone's final resting place dating back to the early 1800s. According to historians it may date back to the 1830 and be a part of the "Welcome" property of Henry Seawell (1774-1835).  Read the full story from Heather Leah at WRAL5 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

 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 ...