NCGS Spring Workshop
Putting Down Roots: Grounding Your Ancestors in Time and Place
Looking for something fun to do to relieve the February doldrums? Join us in Gastonia for a day or two exploring new ways to look at your family history and the natural history of North Carolina. Our spring workshop will be held 25 February 2017 at the Schiele Museum of Natural History in Gastonia, just 20 minutes east of Charlotte. Two knowledgeable speakers will present four lectures on topics related to correctly identifying and using time and place in genealogy research. The Gaston County Main Library’s Genealogy Room will remain open Friday afternoon after 2:00 p.m. especially for people attending this workshop. More information about the library and researching Gaston County ancestors can be found on the library’s website.
 Jeff Haines will explain how to make sense of erroneous information often found in records, such as the census. Approaching this misinformation systematically can make it work for you rather than against you in proving ancestral relationships. Do you have any ancestors who lived near the border between North and South Carolina? Jeff’s second lecture will show you how the border has changed over the years and help you find records and people in those disputed areas. Jeff is a past president of the Association of Professional Genealogists, author of the National Genealogical Society Research in the States Series volume on North Carolina, and a board-certified genealogist.
 Diane Richard, editor of the NCGS Journal, will present some off-the-beaten-path records she has found in previously unpublished content from holdings in North Carolina repositories. These genealogical gems may provide just the clues you are looking for to extend your family history. Diane will also present methods for using timelines to solve genealogical problems, such as sorting out people with the same name. Diane is the Principal of Mosaic Research and Project Management and focuses on the records of North Carolina. She provided research for and appeared in the Bryan Cranston episode of Who Do You Think You Are?.
This workshop is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Gaston County Public Library in conjunction with the Schiele Museum of Natural History. One of the highlights to see at the museum is the 18th century backcountry farm with period buildings. More information about the museum is available on their website. A block of rooms has been reserved at the Courtyard by Marriott in Gastonia at a special weekend rate.
Online Registration
Printable Registration Form
Workshop Article on the NCGS website
Printable Workshop Flyer
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Upcoming Webinars
The next two webinars presented by NCGS will be particularly useful to those planning to do research while attending the NGS 2017 Family History Conference in Raleigh in May. Webinar registration links will be available on the NCGS website a few weeks prior to each webinar.
20 January 2017 at 3:00 p.m. EST
“How a Genealogist Uses the State Archives of NC and the State Library of NC”
presented by Diane L. Richard
Preparation is key to making a successful visit to a research facility. Learn tips and tricks for what to do in advance of arriving in Raleigh. We’ll also walk through the nitty-gritty of an actual visit – everything from signing into the building through checking out at the security desk after an effective day of research.
17 February 2017 at 3:00 p.m. EST
“Online Resources are Key to Successful Research into North Carolina Ancestry”
presented by Diane L. Richard
Whether devising a research plan for an in-person visit or determining what records are extant and how you can access them, some Internet-based homework will prove valuable. Learn about the myriad online resources created by the State Archives of North Carolina, the State Library of North Carolina, and affiliated North Carolina institutions, which you will want to consult before you ever set foot in Raleigh to research your North Carolinian ancestry.
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Society Night at the NGS Conference
The North Carolina Genealogical Society would like to offer member societies a wonderful opportunity to promote themselves. During the NGS conference in Raleigh, we will be hosting Society Night at the Museum on Thursday, 11 May 2017. Our venue will be the North Carolina Museum of History in downtown Raleigh, which will have all its exhibits open to us from 6:00-9:00 p.m. The event is free to the public and we anticipate a large percentage of conference attendees will attend. The museum is located across the street from the North Carolina State Archives, which will also be open for extended hours that evening, bringing many genealogists to downtown Raleigh.
Member societies can reserve their space on the NGS website (http://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/society-night-booth-purchases/). Tables, six feet in length, are available for $25 each and will be located throughout the museum. Each table comes with two chairs, but you will want to provide your own table covering. Sign up today for this wonderful opportunity to sell your society's publications, promote your membership, and answer questions about your area. Your society will have the opportunity to network with conference attendees while discussing history, genealogy, and more. Come join us!
If you have any questions, please contact Heather Choplin at heather1choplin@gmail.com.
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NGS Conference Volunteers Needed
The National Genealogical Society 2017 Family History Conference, Family History Lives Here, will be held in Raleigh on 10-13 May 2017. NCGS is the local host society for the conference. We need volunteers as early as Monday, 8 May, to stuff conference bags and Tuesday, 9 May, to assist in the registration area. Other volunteer jobs include Room Monitors, “Ask Me” Guides, and Vendor Support. Can you help?
It’s very easy to sign up. You will find the tasks briefly spelled out and the dates and times of available shifts on the volunteer sign up page at http://signup.com/go/ngs2017volunteers. Select a task and then a shift based on your interest and availability. A Volunteer Handbook and training will be provided for all volunteers before the conference begins. Don't delay. Room Monitor slots are filling fast! If the time slot(s) you want are already filled, you will be notified when new volunteer slots become available. Contact the Volunteer Co-chairs, Sharon and Laurel, at ngs2017volunteers@gmail.com if you have questions.
Visit the NGS conference website (http://conference.ngsgenealogy.org) for more information on how to register for the conference.
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Note: The NCGS News is a two-column newsletter. If you do not see the narrow right-hand column in your e-mail, please click the link ("View this email in your browser") at the top right of this newsletter.
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by Diane L. Richard
NCGS Journal Editor
Happy New Year everyone! We have hit the road running as we start 2017 and prepare the first edition of volume 43 of the NCGS Journal. By the time you read this, volume 43, number 1 will be with the proofreaders and available digitally in a couple of weeks.
Putting Down Roots: Grounding Your Ancestors in Time and Place
The NCGS Spring Workshop, Putting Down Roots: Grounding Your Ancestors in Time and Place, will be held 25 February 2017 in Gastonia, North Carolina. I will be presenting a journal-related lecture, “NCGS Journal Gems.”
Continue reading this article on NCGS website to find out about Diane’s lecture as well as ways you can help the NCGS Journal team by providing photos, WWI materials, and documents to transcribe as well as providing assistance in transcribing and indexing.
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North Carolina Historic Newspapers
by Terry Moore, CG
The latest article in the Tools of the Trade series by Terry Moore, CG, focuses on finding digitized newspapers online, on both free and subscription websites. Terry also provides a comprehensive list of North Carolina newspaper abstracts that have appeared in the NCGS Journal from 1976 to the present. Don’t miss out on the valuable nuggets of information that can be found in historic newspapers.
Read North Carolina Historic Newspapers online.
View the entire Tools of the Trade Library on the NCGS website.
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Secretary of State Revolutionary Military Papers Card Index Now Available to Members Online
The Secretary of State Revolutionary Military Papers, 1767-1855, are indexed in a card catalog at the State Archives of North Carolina. These index cards are now available to NCGS members as searchable PDF files on the NCGS website under the Resources tab.
The cards are in alphabetical order and provide abstracted information from the Secretary of State Military Papers. Some provide limited information, while others may provide information on the type of service, family members, associates, and other useful information. An example of a card is shown below.
The original card catalog can be accessed in person at the North Carolina State Archives and the number on the card can be used to access the original papers, which are also located at the Archives.
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NCGS Awards for 2017
Congratulations again to our 2016 Awards winners. The Awards Committee heartily thanks all who submitted nominations to make last year’s awards possible. A new year brings new opportunities to honor outstanding contributions to the North Carolina genealogical community through these awards. Among the most rewarding of NCGS programs, the NCGS Awards promote continued excellence in North Carolina genealogy and also inspire others to publish abstracts and transcriptions of North Carolina county and state records, cemetery and Bible records, family histories, and society journals and newsletters and to develop informative genealogical websites.
The Awards Committee urges you to join the society in recognizing the labors of deserving individuals and societies by submitting a nomination for a 2017 NCGS Award in one of several categories. The NCGS Awards nominations are open from January until 15 August 2017. More information will be available on the Awards page on the NCGS website in the coming month. In the meantime, consider a person or a publication you feel deserves to be recognized with an NCGS Award.
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Accessions at the NC State Archives
The North Carolina State Archives provides a bimonthly list of genealogy-related accessions that may be of interest to researchers.
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Links of Interest
From the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources: North Carolina World War I Military Data is now Searchable Online.
New photos from Central Carolina Community College are now on DigitalNC, another new addition to the online library of primary sources from institutions across North Carolina.
Interpreting the North Carolina World War I Service Cards, a blog post written by Matthew Peek, Military Collection Archivist from the History For All the People blog of the State Archives of North Carolina.
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 President’s Message
by Victoria P. Young
Happy New Year! 2017 promises be an exciting year to be a member of the North Carolina Genealogical Society. Whether you plan to attend society workshops this year, the National Genealogical Society’s Annual Family History Conference in Raleigh in May, or simply hope to apply new strategies learned from resources discussed in the NCGS News, the NCGS Journal, or presented through our many webinars, may your year be filled with lots of successful research and new ancestor discoveries!
Please join me in welcoming Linda Lawson to the board as a Director and co-Chair of the Program Committee. Linda has spent twenty-five years working in the field of software engineering and spent most of her career at Hewlett-Packard Company in Santa Clara, California, where she managed a software R&D division. She holds a BS in Education from Bowling Green University in Ohio, and an MS in Computer Science from the University of California Berkeley. Linda has been doing genealogy research for the past fourteen years and has concentrated on Ohio and Pennsylvania German research. Having spent her career in technology, Linda has a special interest in new technologies being applied to the field of genealogy, especially in the area of genetic research. I look forward to working with Linda this year in developing great workshop programs through NCGS.
During the NGS Conference, Family History Lives Here (10-13 May 2017), NCGS will host a booth in the convention center Exhibit Hall. The board is soliciting a qualified and interested individual willing to serve as Booth Coordinator during the event. Compensation includes a full conference registration and duties include overseeing booth volunteers. An online signup program for booth volunteer opportunities will begin at the end of this month. Working in the NCGS booth is a fun opportunity to meet many genealogists from around the world and to become more involved in the genealogical community. If you have an interest in serving or any questions, please contact me at president@ncgenealogy.org.
Best,
Vickie |
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