Month: February 2016

Freedman’s Bureau Project- Get Involved

~ Georgia Gen

The Freedmen’s Bureau Project is helping African Americans reconnect with the Civil War-era ancestors. Join this project and help restore thousands of records.

Emancipation freed nearly 4 million slaves. The Freedmen’s Bureau was established to help transition them from slavery to citizenship, providing food, housing, education, and medical care. And for the first time in U.S. history, the names of those individuals were systematically recorded and preserved for future generations.

Discover Your Roots Using Freedmen’s Bureau Records

The Project:

To help bring thousands of records to light, the Freedmen’s Bureau Project was created as a set of partnerships between FamilySearch International and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Afro­-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS), and the California African American Museum.

Tens of thousands of volunteers are needed to make these records searchable online. No specific time commitment is required, and anyone may participate. Volunteers simply log on, pull up as many scanned documents as they like, and enter the names and dates into the fields provided. Once published, information for millions of African Americans will be accessible, allowing families to build their family trees and connect with their ancestors.

Every name brings us closer to completing this project. The progress meter shows what percentage of the records we’ve indexed so far. But there’s still more work to do. See how you can get involved today to help millions discover their roots.

Presently, the Project is 45% complete- Volunteer Now

 

 

 

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Milledgeville Historic Newspapers now compatible

~ Georgia Gen

with all current browsers. Users are no longer required to download the DjVu plugin to view newspaper images

GALILEO Express Link

The full announcement

The Digital Library of Georgia is pleased to announce the re-release of the enhanced Milledgeville Historic Newspapers Archive:

http://milledgeville.galileo.usg.edu/

The Milledgeville Historic Newspapers Archive is now compatible with all current browsers and provides access to issues from 1808 to 1920 without the use of plug-ins or additional software downloads. Consisting of over 49,000 newspaper pages, the website provides historical images that are both full-text searchable and can be browsed by date. Because Milledgeville served as the state capital from 1804 to 1868, during the antebellum, Civil War, and Reconstruction periods in the state’s history, the site will provide researchers with particular historical insight into Georgia politics during the nineteenth century.

The Milledgeville Historic Newspapers Archive is a website in the Digital Library of Georgia, a project of Georgia’s Virtual Library GALILEO and is based at the University of Georgia.

Other newspaper archives available through the Digital Library of Georgia include the Athens Historic Newspapers Archive (1827-1928), the West Georgia Historic Newspapers Archive (1843-1942), the Savannah Historic Newspapers Archive (1819-1880), the Atlanta Historic Newspapers Archive (1847-1922), the Macon Telegraph Archive (1826-1908), the North Georgia Historic Newspapers Archive (1850-1922), theColumbus Enquirer Archive (1828-1890), the Southern Israelite Archive (1929-1986), the Mercer Cluster Archive (1920-1970), and the Red and Black Archive (1893-2006). These archives can be accessed at http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/MediaTypes/Newspapers.html

 

 

Genealogy Expo – Free-March 12th-Hartwell, Ga.

~ Georgia Gen

Genealogy Expo- sponsored by the  Savannah River Valley Genealogical Society, Hartwell, Georgia – Saturday March 12 2016 -Hart County Adult Learning Center next to the Hart County Library- 150 Benson St. Hartwell, Ga.  -10:00 am- 2:00 pm –

 11:30- Guest Speaker Presentation- Our speaker will be Becky Sherman from the Georgia Archives and will be speaking on the holdings and what is available at the Georgia Archives.

Groups or individuals may have tale space to share information.

Visit http://www.srvg.org or http://www.srvgs.wordpress.com or visit our facebook page.

When Descendants become Ancestors: The Flip Side of Genealogy

~ Georgia Gen

Carroll County Genealogical Society Spring Workshop

April 2 1016  – 9:00 am to 12:00 pm – Carroll County Veterans Building -1790 Stripling Chapel Rd – Carrollton, Ga.

“When Descendant Become Ancestors: The Flip Side of Genealogy“

Dr. David Kendell, author, professional counselor and retired professor, will present a program based on his book with the concept of looking forward to what we can provide for our descendants, rather than backward to what we did not get from our ancestors.

GIG_CCGS_Spring2016

Check -in 8:30 -9:00. No charge for this workshop.  Pre-registration ( name address, phone number or email address) is encouraged. Send to ccgsga76@gmail.com or call Bill Maddox at 770-832-6442 prior to April 1.  It is recommended to read the book prior to the workshop, if possible. A copy is available in the Special Collections area of the Neva Lomason Library in Carrollton or can be ordered from Amazon.

An Excerpt from When Descendants Become Ancestors:

“Congratulations-you’re going to be an ancestor (someday). You cannot escape it. Nor can I. Nor can anyone else. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, depending on your beliefs about an afterlife, but each body ultimately ceases to exist. We all know that. From the moment of birth, each of us begins a journey that must ultimately conclude with our entrance into ancestry. As we research our own ancestors and mourn the lack of information available to us, we forget that we are the future ancestors of our descendants. And if we don’t leave to them the kinds of information about our lives that we crave to know about our own forefathers, then we are merely perpetuating the problem” How often have you regretted your failure to engage the elder generations of your family for information about their lives and memories? How many times have you wanted just one more hour with a deceased relative who could answer that one burning question that you suddenly thought about, and that no one else can answer? Perhaps you remember a time when an older acquaintance wanted to share with you some stories about “the good old days” but you couldn’t be bothered. Most of us have had regrets like these, as will our descendants-unless we seek to record and preserve some stories for their use. Whether our stories are short and simple or long and complex matters not, but these stories will become part of their heritage and can certainly influence their lives. Though our contributions may not be recognized for decades, our lives matter to future generations and our stories should be told. The rest is up to each of us.

Amazon.com

A Legendary Southern Wedding-Daily Shot

~ Georgia Gen

Daily Shot- The Garden & Gun Blog – CJ Lotz- 12 Feb 2015

The sun rose clear and beautiful from the hills that surrounded Biltmore; All the world seemed happy on that day,” began “The First Bride of Biltmore,” a poem dedicated to the heiress Cornelia Vanderbilt on her wedding day.

It’s only fitting that a recreation of Cornelia’s gown is among the forty-plus wedding costumes on display at  “Fashionable Romance: Wedding Gowns in Film,” a new exhibition at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, which just opened. The exhibit includes outfits worn by Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Kate Winslet, and Alan Rickman in Sense and Sensibility, costumes from Pride and Prejudice and Emma, and countless heirlooms from the Vanderbilt family weddings themselves.

READ MORE HERE

Reminder- Elyse Hill- GSCC- 23 FEb 7:00

~ Georgia Gen

Genealogy Society of Cobb County Georgia Monthly Meeting

Time: Tuesday, February 23, 2016, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Place: First Presbyterian Church of Marietta, 189 Church Street, Marietta, Georgia 30060

Program: For the February meeting of the Genealogy Society of Cobb County, Elyse Hill, a professional researcher for over 10 years, will present on African-American Studies. She is the Corresponding Secretary and the Program Chair of the Metro Atlanta Chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS) that provides a local forum for family-tree researchers by sharing historical and genealogical information, methodology, and sources about African Americans with roots not just in Georgia, but in all states and nations. Ms. Hill is a guest writer for the AAHGS National newsletter and one of the first place winners of the 2015 International Society of Family History Writers and Editors Excellence in Writing Competition (ISFHWE).
A 2012 graduate of Samford University’s Institute of Genealogy & Historical Research, Ms. Hill completed the Researching African-American Ancestors course. She is currently researching and conducting case study projects to include: Free Persons of Color in Georgia before Emancipation; African-American Civil War Union Sailors; and African-American Immune Nurses during the Spanish American War.

Website:http://www.cobbgagensoc.org/

Coweta Libraries- Dr. D.L. Henderson- 27 Feb.

~ Georgia Gen

Genealogy: Explore your roots at Coweta libraries

The Newnan Time- Herald

5 Feb. 2016

Coweta Public Library System’s Central Library branch is hosting three genealogically inspired programs this month in celebration of African-American History Month.

They focus on historical storytelling, slave genealogical research, and church histories.

The first will be held on Saturday at 11 a.m. Genealogist Janice Sikes-Rogers will present “Creative Expressions: African American Memories.” Sikes-Rogers, who is also an historian and poet, will share family history research, storytelling, and poetry from her book “Southern by Nature.”

The second program is “Explore Your Roots: Evaluating Genealogical Evidence of Enslaved Ancestors,” on Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m. This seminar will be presented by Dr. D. L. Anderson, cemetery historian and genealogist, and past president of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society. She has been recognized by the Atlanta City Council for her contribution to the preservation and interpretation of African American history and culture, and is currently working on a book, “Dignity in Death: A Story of Atlanta’s South-View Cemetery.” Dr. D.L. Anderson will lead participants through a case study in order to introduce them to strategies for genealogical research on enslaved ancestors.

The third program will be held on Feb. 27 at 10 a.m. It is titled “Hallowed Grounds: Preserving Your Church History” and will teach participants basic principles of setting up and maintaining church archives.

Call the Central Library at 770-683-2052 to register for any of these programs.

CPLS programs are always free and open to the public.

Cobb- Preservation of Photos & Papers-2 March

~ Georgia Gen

The staff of the Georgia Room at the Cobb County Switzer Library, 266 Roswell Street, Marietta. GA invites everyone to join them on the first Wednesday of each month and they will help you in tracking down family history facts.

The topic for March is Preservation of Photos and Papers.

2 March 7:00-8:00 pm – Light refreshments to follow=-

For more information Cobb County Public Library System

Pchtree City – Crafting your personal tale- 4 March

~ Georgia Gen ~ 2 Comments

Southern Crescent Storytellers meet 4 March 2016 at Starbucks near Stein Mart on Hwy 54 in Peachtree City- 1 pm – 2:30 pm.

“How to Craft Personal Tales” is the first in a series of quarterly classes.

Friends and supporters of storytelling are invited to attend. No fee – donations welcome

For more information anne50w(AT)aol.com