Events

Georgia History Festival Colonial Faire & Super Museum Sunday

~ Georgia Gen

Georgia History Festival – Bringing history to life for all ages

The Georgia History Festival is the signature K-12 educational program of the Georgia Historical Society. Beginning with the new school year in September, a variety of public programs, exhibits, in-school events, and educational resources bring history to life for students of all ages and encourage Georgians to explore the richness and diversity of our state’s past. The Festival culminates in February, the founding month of the Georgia Colony, with Founding City events like the popular Colonial Faire and Muster living history program held at Wormsloe State Historic Site, Savannah’s colorful Georgia Day Parade, and the annual Trustees Gala.

Georgia History Festival Colonial Faire & Muster- Wormsloe State Historic Site- Savannah Sunday, February 7, 2016 12:00-4:00-  Experience the everyday life of colonial times through historical re-enactments, cannon firings, demonstrations of cooking and craft techniques, music and dance. Free and open to the public.

Georgia History Festival’s Super Museum Sunday

Sunday, February 7, 2016- 12:00-4:00

Georgians and visitors alike experience our state’s rich history and cultural life as historic sites, house museums, art museums, and other points of interest in Savannah and throughout Georgia open their doors to the public, providing an exceptional opportunity to experience the history in our own backyard. Over sixty cultural institutions participate in this popular annual family event.

Multiple sites throughout Georgia -Free and open to the public.

List of sites

Georgia History Festival – Bringing history to life for students of all ages

 

 

 

Family Tree Maker is BACK! Breaking news from Rootstech!

~ Georgia Gen

and RootsMagic will will connect to Ancestry by the end of 2016!

News from Ancestry.com:

New Family Tree Maker Options

Kendall Hulet for Ancestry.com

Since our Family Tree Maker announcement last December, we have continued to actively explore ways to develop and support Family Tree Maker and ensure you have choices to preserve your work in ways that matter to you.

Today, I am pleased to announce two options for desktop software that will work with Ancestry.

Software MacKiev

Software MacKiev, with whom we have a long-standing relationship, is acquiring the Family Tree Maker software line as publisher for both Mac and Windows versions. Software MacKiev has been the developer of Family Tree Maker for Mac for more than six years and is thrilled at the opportunity to publish future versions of Family Tree Maker for Mac and Windows.

This new agreement means you will receive software updates and new versions from Software MacKiev, and have the ability to purchase new versions of Family Tree Maker from Software MacKiev as they are released.   You will have continued access to Ancestry Hints, Ancestry searches, and be able to save your tree on Ancestry with Family Tree Maker moving forward.

RootsMagic

We have made an agreement with RootsMagic, a leading genealogy desktop software program publisher, to connect Ancestry with the RootsMagic software by the end of 2016. With this new relationship, RootsMagic can serve as your desktop family tree software, while having access to Ancestry hints, Ancestry searches, and the ability to save your tree on Ancestry.

We have heard your concerns and are working to provide the solutions you requested. These new agreements will make it possible to preserve your work on Ancestry and Family Tree Maker and enable future features and benefits to help you discover your family history. Be assured that Ancestry, in cooperation with Software MacKiev and RootsMagic, will continue to support you as you discover your family history.
We ask for your patience as we work diligently through all the details to make these solutions available. Be sure to check back on our blog as we share more information about Family Tree Maker in the next few months.

For more information on Software MacKiev and RootsMagic, click below:

Columbus -Emmy award winner to deliver keynote- Ga History Festival

~ Georgia Gen

Emmy Award winner to deliver Georgia History Festival keynote at Columbus Museum– Feb 4, 2016- 6pm

MARK RICE –mrice@ledger-enquirer.com for Ledger-Enquirer

Stan Deaton, the Georgia Historical Society’s senior historian, will deliver the 2016 Georgia History Festival’s keynote address at 6 p.m. in the Patrick Theatre of the Columbus Museum. His presentation is titled “The Birth of the American Dream: How the Real Mad Men Changed the World.”

“The program will focus on the 20 years following World War II, as post-war Americans became mass consumers of goods, entertainment and information,” Deaton said in a news release. “This rise of the middleclass consumer was driven largely by the real ‘Mad Men’ of Madison Avenue but there were other societal forces at work, from suburbs to fast food, that changed everything about the way Americans lived and their place in the world. We’re going to discuss that in a fun and informative way that sheds light on who they were and the world they created.”

Admission is free, courtesy of sponsors Synovus and TSYS. The lecture will be recorded for a later broadcast on C-SPAN.

Deaton earned a doctorate in history from the University of Florida, a master’s degree in history from the University of Georgia and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from UGA. He is a public speaker, writer, teacher and lecturer for the Georgia Historical Society, where he has worked since 1998. He also serves as managing editor of the Georgia Historical Quarterly and writes newspaper columns and a blog called “Off the Deaton Path.”

The Georgia History Festival is the Georgia Historical Society’s signature K-12 educational program. Running from September through February each year at various locations throughout the state, the festival comprises events designed to bring history to life and encourage Georgians to, as the website puts it, “explore the richness and diversity of our state’s past.”

The society’s annual Trustees Gala, Feb. 13 in Savannah, will induct retired Synovus chairman and CEO Jimmy Blanchard and Coca-Cola chairman and CEO Muhtar Kent as the newest trustees. For a complete list of the festival’s events, see GeorgiaHistoryFestival.org.

Mark Rice, 706-576-6272. Follow him on Twitter@MarkRiceLE.

Read more here

Rootstech 2016 Live Streaming Schedule

~ Georgia Gen

Sadly, We all can’t attend Rootstech February 3-6 in Salt Lake City. Fortunately, Rootstech shares by streaming some of the sessions. Several sessions, including the general key note sessions on Thursday and Saturday will be streamed live on the homepage of Rootstech.org

You can view the streaming schedule here. Presenters include Lisa Louis Cooke, Gov. Michael Leavett, Peggy Lauritzen, Anne Mitchell and James Ison among many others.  Topics include British research, Ancestry.com, the Genealogical Proof Standard,  Google for Genealogy, and the always exciting Rootstech Innovator Showdown finals.

Rootstech is the largest family history event in the world and is the perfect place to discover, preserve, and share your family stories and connections across generations.

World class speakers – over 200 engaging classes – a huge exp hall- something for everyone!

 

Atlanta-Margaret Mitchell House-Forsaken – Ross Howell Jr.

~ Georgia Gen

Atlanta History Center- Margaret Mitchell House Lecture– February 9 2016 7:00 pm- Reservations Required-

Ross Howell Jr. – Forsaken                          

gig_forsaken

Ross Howell Jr.’s stunning debut novel Forsaken presents the chilling true story of Virginia Christian, an uneducated African American girl who was tried and convicted of murdering her white employer in 1912. Charlie Mears, a white man, covered the case as a rookie reporter. The book chronicles the story of the trial and its aftermath as seen through Mears’s eyes, weaving in actual court records, letters, and personal accounts.

Admission for all lectures is $5 for members, $10 for nonmembers. Reservations are required for all lectures.

Please call 404.814.4150 to reserve tickets. All lecture ticket purchases are non-refundable

GIG_Atlanta History Center -logo_2

Gwinnett- GHGS 2015 awards

~ Georgia Gen

Gwinnett Historical & Genealogical Society presented awards at the last meeting of 2015.

The Preservation Award- this award was given in recognition of educational efforts in Colonial Heritage and was presented to Bruce Maney. Bruce visits public schools and does a presentation on colonial history for the students.

The Distinguished Service Award was presented to Ed Williams in recognition of his volunteer work as Treasurer for the Society,  his efforts with the Winn Property, and other society projects.

The President’s Award was presented to Bobbie Tkacik. Bobbie served as the Cemetery Chair in 2015 and is the current office manager.

The society office is located in the old courthouse on the square in Lawrenceville. The office is open Monday- Friday  10:00 -2:00  and welcomes visitors.

 

 

 

Black History Month at the Georgia Archives

~ Georgia Gen

Johnny Jackson for Clayton News Daily

MORROW — The Atlanta chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, the Auburn Avenue Research Library, the Georgia Archives and the Friends of Georgia Archives and History will host a Black History Month program Feb. 13.

The daylong event, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., will feature guest speakers and lecturers on subjects ranging from African-American genealogical research to New Orleans plantation living.

The program is free and requires no registration. It will be held at the Georgia Archives, 5800 Jonesboro Road in Morrow. Visit georgiaarchives.org to learn more about this and other upcoming events at the Georgia Archives.

Ashley Callahan to speak at GA Archives Lunch & Learn

~ Georgia Gen

Lunch & Learn Friday February 12, 2016- 12 noon

Morrow, GA, January 19, 2016– Ashley Callahan will speak about her book Southern Tufts:
The Regional Origins and National Craze for Chenille Fashion on Friday February 12, 2016, at the Georgia Archives at 12 noon.

Southern Tufts is the first book to highlight the garments produced by northwestern Georgia’s tufted textile industry. Though best known now for its production of carpet, in the early twentieth century the region was revered for its handtufted candlewick bedspreads, products that grew out of the Southern Appalachian Craft Revival and appealed to the vogue for Colonial Revival–style household goods. Callahan tells the story of chenille fashion and its connections to stylistic trends, automobile tourism, industrial developments, and U.S. history. Southern Tufts presents a broad history of tufted textiles, as well as sections highlighting individual craftspeople and manufacturers involved with the production of chenille fashion.

Ashley Callahan has an MA in the history of American decorative arts from Parsons School of Design and the Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Institution, and a BA in art history from the University of the South.

Please join us at the Georgia Archives on February 12 as Callahan speaks about the history of candlewick and chenille garment production in northwestern Georgia from the 1920s through the 1950s. The talk is part of our monthly Lunch and Learn series, which is free and open to the public.

For more information, please contact Jill Sweetapple at 678.364.3731 or email at Jill.Sweetapple@usg.edu.

 

Georgia Archives – 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, Georgia 30260 – 678-364-3710

Migrations, occupations, case files and tufts

~ Georgia Gen

Focus on Georgia columnists:

Kenneth H. Thomas, Jr. for the AJC, 31 January 2016

Seminar focuses on ancestors’ migrations and occupations

“Ancestors: Where They Went, What They Did, and a Way to Share What We Know,” is the theme of the Georgia Genealogical Society seminar to be held 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 27 at McElreath Hall at the Atlanta History Center, 130 W. Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta.

The first speaker, Andie Criminger, will address why every genealogist should have a blog. Karen Molohon will follow with three lectures: an overview of geography and genealogy; finding and understanding your ancestor’s occupation in the census records; and migration and mapping to find out where your ancestors went.

Cost is $25 for members of GGS and the Atlanta History Center, $35 for nonmembers. Mailing registration deadline is Feb. 19, PayPal online deadline is Feb. 24. Send checks to Georgia Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 550247, Atlanta, GA 30355-2747; to register online and for further information, see gagensociety.org.

If you have further questions, contact Laura Carter at gagensocprograms@gmail.com or 706-369-9420. Lunch is not provided, but there are places nearby. The Atlanta History Center’s library and archives will be open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. that day for research. See atlantahistorycenter.com.

Learn about Southern tufts

Ashley Callahan will speak at noon Feb. 12 at the Georgia Archives Lunch and Learn seminar on “Southern Tufts: The Regional Origins and National Craze for Chenille Fashion,” the subject of her recent book by that title from the University of Georgia Press. Callahan, an independent scholar with decorative arts training, will cover this northwest Georgia phenomenon, which has grown into a major industry. The seminar is free; bring your lunch. For more information, check georgiaarchives.org or call 678-364-3710.

North Carolina case files online

Familysearch.org recently posted a great free resource, North Carolina state Supreme Court case files, 1800-1909. These are digitized copies of the original loose case files, with an online searchable index that only covers the major names — roughly, the full names — of those in the title of the lawsuit. You may find a reference online from North Carolina Reports, the published summaries of decisions. Here, you can read the entire case. The originals are at the North Carolina Archives. Check for any surname of interest, then check the county.

Contact Kenneth H. Thomas Jr., P.O. Box 901, Decatur, GA 30031 or gagensociety.org.

 

GGS- Free Webinar- Feb. 17th

~ Georgia Gen

Georgia Genealogical Society- Free webinar:

Forensic Genealogy – CSI Meets Roots

Wednesday, February 17th- 8:00-9:00 pm

Speaker’s Name:
Colleen Fitzpatrick, PhD.

Event Details

Who? What? When? Where? Are these the words of a genealogist researching his family tree or a forensic scientist solving a mystery? Maybe someone who is both!
Forensic genealogy has established itself as the modern approach to family research.  Forensic genealogy does not replace conventional methods of research, it enhances them.  Established reference materials such as photographs, databases, and DNA can provide much more information than you ever dreamed, if only you keep your eyes open and use a little imagination.  But are you using your genealogical materials to your best advantage?
The goal of this lecture is to spark your imagination to discover new ways of looking at your family mysteries, to permanently change the way you see things, to turn you into a forensic genealogist.

About our Speaker

Colleen Fitzpatrick, PhD, is a well-known Forensic Genealogist who consultants for major military and civilian organizations. She has been a key member of the AFDIL (Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory) team on the identification of the frozen arm and hand found in the wreckage of Northwest Flight 4422 that crashed in Alaska in 1948; the identification was featured worldwide in the print media and on MSNBC. She also worked with AFDIL on the identification of the remains of the Unknown Child of the Titanic.
She has consulted on the Misha Defonseca case, in which the author of the international bestseller Misha: A Memoire of the Holocaust (known in Europe as Surviving with Wolves) was exposed as a fraud. Colleen is now the forensic genealogist for the possible discovery of the remains of Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan on Gardener Island in the Pacific. Because she is highly multi-lingual with extensive international travel experience, she consults with county medical examiners and investment companies with an emphasis on international searches.
Colleen received her PhD in nuclear physics and her MS in physics from Duke University in Durham, NC.  She received her BA in physics from Rice University. In the course of her scientific career, she taught at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX, was a Member of the Technical Staff at Rockwell International, Seal Beach, CA, went on to work as a Senior Scientist at Spectron Development Laboratories in Costa Mesa, CA.  In 1989 when she was laid off at the beginning of the aerospace downturn, Colleen founded her own high-tech optics company Rice Systems in her garage, through which she contracted with NASA, The US Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and other government and civilian organizations. In 2005 Rice Systems was chosen to design the sensors on the Jupiter Icy Moon Orbiter (JIMO) project, the next spacecraft to Jupiter.  When the program was canceled in favor of a lunar probe, Colleen retired temporarily, only to become the author of three of the best-selling books in genealogy, and a world-famous forensic genealogist.

For more information

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