Month: January 2016

Gwinnett- Cemetery Scavenger Hunt

~ Georgia Gen

Gwinnett County Historical & Genealogical Society

Beat the winter blahs! Great family activity!

 Explore Gwinnett History by visiting cemeteries!

Cemetery Scavenger Hunt

February 6 2016

Prizes Awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers!

Participation fee- $10.00 per family

On the day of the hunt you will be emailed your scavenger hunt paperwork.  You will have from 9am-3:00pm to return your answers by email, text or insta-gram.

To register or find more info   Call our office at  770-822-5174, see our website visit our Facebook page at Gwinnett Historical Society

This is a fundraiser to enable the Gwinnett Historical & Genealogical Society to make small repairs and otherwise preserve neglected cemeteries in Gwinnett County.

AAHGS- January meeting and 2016 dates

~ Georgia Gen

Atlanta Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society will meet January 23rd 10:00 a.m. at the Georgia Archives– 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, Ga.

State of the Chapter and introduction of Officers for 2016-2017

February:

No chapter meeting, AAHGS will particiate in special programs commemorating Black History Month

Special Program:

Feb 27-Symposium:The Continuing Chronicle: Reconstruction- The Promise of Freedom    

 Special guest speaker: 

Dr. Edna Greene Medford, Chair, History Dept, Howard University, Washington, D.C.

 In partnership with the National Archives at Atlanta

March:

(Time & Locaton TBA)- Hands-on genealogy actvity.

 

Gwinnett- Genealogy Study Group

~ Georgia Gen

The next meeting of the Gwinnett Genealogy Study Group will be January 20th at 10:00 a.m. The group meets at the LDS Family Life Center 3355 Sugarloaf Pkwy, Lawrenceville, GA.

The meeting topics are varied but each meeting typically has a speaker, a volunteer overview of a website, and a volunteer book review.

The topic of the January meeting is -An Introduction to Autosomal DNA-  Sarah Burns will present.

 

 

 

Lecture, The Firebrand and the First Lady

~ Georgia Gen

4 February 2016

Russell Special Collections Library, University of Georgia, Athens

Patricia Bell-Scott will discuss her new book, The Firebrand and the First Lady at 5:30 p.m. in the large event space (Room 285) of the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries. The book focuses on the friendship between civil rights activist Pauli Murray and Eleanor Roosevelt. This event is co-sponsored by the UGA Libraries and the Institute for African American Studies at the University of Georgia.

Drawing on letters, journals, diaries, published and unpublished manuscripts, and interviews. Dr. Bell-Scott gives us the first close-up portrait of this evolving friendship between activist Pauli Murray and Eleanor Roosevelt, how it was sustained over time and how their friendship changed the cause of American social justice.

The lecture will be followed by a light reception and a book signing.

The book The Firebrand and the First Lady is also available through Amazon.com

Firebrand

Repositories: Washington Memorial Library, Macon

~ Georgia Gen

Washington Memorial Library

The Washington Memorial Library’s Genealogical and Historical Room has one of the most outstanding reference collections of its type in the South.

The Library was founded in 1923 by the Mary Hammond Washington Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, who realized the need for the library to provide source material and assistance for people tracing their lineage and searching for facts about their ancestors.  They also believed that certain old and irreplaceable records of local and regional history should be preserved for the future and made available for researchers.

Starting with a small collection, the Genealogical and Heritage Room collection has grown to include more than 32,000 volumes and over 24,000 microfilms. It is considered outstanding by genealogists and historians from all over the United States.
More that 13,000 people visit the Genealogical & Historical Room each year. Last year, researchers came from 38 states and 5 foreign countries. The library holds classes  and The Central Georgia Genealogical Society hold instructional seminars there.
The Genealogical and Historical Collection provides a broad representation of research material, but its most distinctive feature is its collection of records on the 13 colonies. This collection on the original states is recognized as one of the finest in genealogical libraries. Considerable space is devoted to pre-colonial history as well as to colonial history and the Revolutionary War. This includes source material from England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.
The staff from the Genealogical & History Room are willing to answer question sent by email and letter. Visit Washington Memorial Library
for guidelines and information about submitting your question.
When planning a research trip read all information HERE
Washington Memorial Library
1180 Washington Avenue, Macon, GA.  31201
Current hours:
Mondays  9am- 9pm
Tuesday-Saturday 9am-6:00pm

Yes, Virginia, the Georgia Archives is open..and thriving!

~ Georgia Gen

In case you missed it:

Georgia Archives thriving under new management-

Kristina Torres- The Atlanta Journal – Constitution -24 Dec. 2015

Morrow —

James Evans sat tucked away in a back room at the Georgia Archives one recent rainy weekday, head down in concentration, nearly oblivious to the staffers buzzing nearby.

For Evans, an independent researcher, this is normal. He has work to do, digging into family history and genealogy on behalf of people who hire him. For those staffers, however, every day is a reminder to take nothing for granted.

Three years after the Archives almost closed for regular public business, a new era has begun for the state’s premier keeper of government records and treasure trove of history. Since 2012, the Archives’ staff has tripled, seen its budget grow by more than 20 percent and welcomed a 30 percent increase in the number of visitors coming through the doors.

New computers and monitors now greet Evans on his visits. He’s also noticed the increase in warm bodies there to help him do his job.

“We need to understand our past, and the information they have here needs to be accessible to everybody,” Evans said. “We need to understand our past. The access to that here is great.”

Archives supporters are hoping to build on that momentum. Students from the building’s neighbor, Clayton State University, are helping organize an effort for the Archives to market itself better and grow. Bigger and better workshops and other events — such as a recent workshop on the War of 1812 — are being organized to draw more people in. Efforts are underway to broaden programs such as the Archives’ partnership with the Georgia Humanities Council for its annual statewide awards program related to National History Day.

“For years, it was, ‘how do we keep programs from shrinking?’ ” archives Director Chris Davidson said. “It’s a big change from being close to closure to, ‘what projects can we grow and improve?’ ”

Lawmakers in 2013 took control of the Georgia Archives away from the Secretary of State’s Office and gave it instead to the University System of Georgia. The move, worked out by Gov. Nathan Deal, came seven months after Secretary of State Brian Kemp announced layoffs at the Archives and the cancellation of public hours, a decision that surprised the governor and led to several public protests.

Because of those budget cuts, the Archives had offered the fewest public hours in the nation. The management change made it the first archives to be run by a state university system. By all accounts, the move has been a success.  Read more HERE 

Georgia Archives thriving under new management

Kristina Torres

AJC.com

 

 

Yes, Underground Tells Slaves’ Stories, But It’s No Historical Snooze

~ Georgia Gen

Malcomn Veneble for TV Guide – 8 January 2016

Yes, WGN America’s Underground is about the Underground Railroad, the term given to the network of people and safe stations that allowed slaves to escape bondage in the South for the northern part of America and Canada. Although it’s a topic often explored in American history textbooks, the show’s writers and producers want you to know that this is decidedly not an educational exercise. “We didn’t want it to feel stuck in the period,” says John Legend, an executive producer. “We didn’t want people to feel like they were in a museum. We wanted it to feel fresh.” That begins with the musical direction. Although Kanye West was previously attached the project as a musical director, it’s Legend who’s the head honcho of the show’s sound (is you listen closely, you can hear his background vocals on the show’s theme song, “Heaven’s Door,” by Alice Smith)….

Read more HERE

George C. Morgan speaks at March Conference!

~ Georgia Gen

Alabama Genealogical Society Spring Seminar- 12 March 2016

8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Samford University- Birmingham, Alabama

The Alabama Genealogical Society Spring Seminar will be held on Saturday, March 12, 2016, at Samford University in Birmingham.  The speaker will be George G. Morgan presenting It’s All in the Details.

The first topic, “The Genealogist as CSI”, will set the foundation for the day with the research process.

Next will be  “Bring “Em Back to Life – Developing an Ancestor Profile”.  This topic addresses evidence types and analysis; helps the thought process for writing a biographical profile, a family history or a lineage application; and helps identify research gaps.

“Clues in the News” will address the often neglected newspaper research and focuses on online newspaper sources.

“Getting Past Brick Walls” concentrates on the best approaches for addressing brick walls and research impasses.

For more information on George G. Morgan and to REGISTER. You may also contact Caroline Horton, Program Chair, at carolineh@knology.net .

 

Family History Library Free Webinars in January

~ Georgia Gen

The Family History Library has more than ten free Webinars scheduled for January 2016

The Family History Library Class Calendar

Among the Webinars scheduled for January :

Beginning Research Techniques  (Jan. 14)

Tips and Tricks for Using FamilySearch’s Historical Records Collection (Jan. 19)

England Research (Jan. 25),  England Census Research (Jan 26), England Civil Registration Research (Jan 27th),  and Church of England Research (Jan 28th.)

In addition, research webinars are scheduled for Germany, Norway, and Poland as well as workshops on indexing records.

Handouts are available for each webinar.

Past webinars are available for viewing –HERE   There are a lot of interesting past webinars!

There is something for everyone- take advantage of this free resource!!

 

 

2016 Heritage Trail Medallion Recipients

~ Georgia Gen

Lawrenceville Downtown Development Authority Announces 2016 Heritage Trail Medallion Recipients
The Heritage Trail Walkway Commemorates Daniel Ray Sosebee, Sr. and Mary Frazier Long

The City of Lawrenceville and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) have announced Daniel Ray Sosebee, Sr. and Mary Frazier Long as the 2016 recipients of the Heritage Trail Medallions.

The walking trail was constructed in 2013 to pay homage to individuals – throughout Gwinnett County history – who have made significant contributions to the City of Lawrenceville. The walkway commences at the Gwinnett Fallen Heroes Memorial, ends in front of Rhodes Jordan Park and is represented along the way by individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the development or wellbeing of Lawrenceville and/or its residents.

Mary Frazier Long- a fourth generation resident of Gwinnett County, raised in Lawrenceville- is well known for her passion for the Lawrenceville Community. Mary serves as a local historian for the City of Lawrenceville and has written books, numerous articles and narrated a riding tour of the city for several years. Mary is an active member of the Gwinnett Historical Society and commits her time to many other groups that contribute to Lawrenceville’s development.

…

Read more: GwinnettCitizen.com

Gwinnett Citizen . com  5 January 2016