Founded 1991
1500 Shenandoah Road
Alexandria, Virginia 22308
Telephone: (703) 768-4101 |
Inclement Weather
It's that time again when Mother Nature gets excited and decides to disrupt us humans. Did you realize our February monthly meetings for 2015 and 2016 were cancelled because of bad weather?
Let's presume you are scheduled for a SIG meeting or a census training session today at Hollin Hall, and when you get up it is snowing. Do you get dressed and prepare for the class or stay home and miss the class?
The answer is fairly simple – check the status of the Fairfax County Government HERE. If the Government is closed or delayed, all "scheduled" activities (that's MVGS and your SIG class) will NOT meet. Hollin Hall will be CLOSED.
I gave you the simplistic answer, but if you want to read the Hollin Hall inclement weather policy just click HERE.
If you are not sure, call the Senior Center at 703-765-4573 to verify closing information.
It looks like we will be having a cold winter... 2018 MVGS Writing Contest Winners
Congratulations to the 2018 MVGS writing contest winners. First place went to George McKittrick for his "Visiting God’s Mother;" second was Jim Drewery for "Doctor, Soldier, Founder;" and third was Chuck Gearhart's "Oat Farming in the Forties & Fifties." Pictured with their ribbons are Chuck, George and Jim.
October Monthly Meeting
 Testing your DNA for genealogical research is an ever increasing topic of discussion. However, most people do not know exactly what they could get from testing or which of the four major DNA tests to choose. In this lecture Shannon discussed the various DNA tests on the market, who sells them, and how you can use the results in your genealogy research. Various examples were discussed including a case-study. Shannon will also told the Society how to get maximum value from your DNA test and how you might benefit from an upgrade from the basic test package.
She also presented an introduction on "GEDMatch," a program that allows people who have had their DNA tested by various companies to come together and compare their information.
Shannon Combs-Bennett is an award-winning author, presenter and lecturer on topics ranging from genealogy methodology to DNA. She is a staff genealogist at the National Society of Colonial Dames 17th Century in Washington D.C. Shannon has a BS in Biology with an emphasis in genetics from Indiana University. She also has completed the Boston University genealogy certificate program and the Professional Learning Certificate in Genealogical Studies in American Records from The National Institute for Genealogical Studies. She is currently enrolled in the genealogy master’s program at Strathclyde University, in Glasgow, Scotland.
If you are a member and missed her presentation you my view it HERE. Library Catalog Now Online!
 The Mount Vernon Genealogical Society library catalog has now been ported to the website as a fully functional interactive on-line application. The cataloging system software in the Research Center was no longer supported by the developer.
You now have access to all the information in our library holdings from anywhere you have internet connectivity. A number of features, not found in the index system previously online, are now available to members and the public. Searches by “Subject”, “Location” and “Media Type” can now be made on almost 2800 holdings in the library. Further searches can then be done on “Title”, “Author” and “Call Number”. Once the desired list of records is found they can be “printed” to a PDF document by clicking on the “PDF List” icon. Additionally, each record can be viewed and printed by clicking on the “eye” icon. Clicking on the “Broom” icon will clear the information in the selection or search box. In addition to searching the database for individual records by "Call Number", "Title", and "Author", the entire database or any filtered selections can be sorted by "Call Number", "Title", or "Author" by clicking on the word at the top of each column.
Clicking on the “View Categories” icon provides another method of search for desired material. Categories of holdings can also be filtered by “Subject”, “Location”, and “Media Type”
The library catalog will always be current now because library accessions are available for viewing as soon as they are put into the online system. Previously the indexes were only updated periodically.
This additional Society benefit would never have been possible without the hard work of volunteers who planned and executed the library database conversion; thank you Jeanne Wilson, Anne Barber, and Gerry Ward.
You can find the library catalog HERE.
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November 19
German SIG: "My Trip to Posen"
Speaker: Janell Blue Janelle will present the results of her recent German genealogy research trip to Posen (now Poland). For further information contact Mark Lazaroff at mark.b.lazaroff@gmail.com
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November 20
The Germanic French: Researching Alsatian and Lorrainian Families
Presenter: John Philip Colletta, Ph.D. This lecture explains how a significant population of German-speakers came to reside in France and explores the peculiarities of researching ancestors of Alsace, Lorraine, and Elsass-Lothringen. It discusses when, why and how people from these ...
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December 3
WORKSHOP IS FILLED AS OF 15NOV - Using Family Search.org
Instructor: Linda MacLachlan Purpose of the workshop is to learn how to use the Family Search.org website more effectively. The class is limited to 12 people; 6 of those will need to bring their own laptops, etc. Note - ...
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December 5
MVGS Methodology SIG:
Instructor: Chuck Mason Subject To Be Determined. Contact Chuck M for details.
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December 6
New England SIG: Searching Journals on AmericanAncestors.org
Moderator: Linda MacLachlan NEHGS has made several important journals—the Register, The Mayflower Descendant, The American Genealogist, Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine, and The Virginia Genealogist to name a few—available as searchable databases on AmericanAncestors.org. Come to the class and learn how you can ...
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