Moderators:  Carol Campbell, MVGS President, and other members of the MVGS Board

The purpose is to let members share their thoughts, comments and suggestions on MVGS operations and programs.

Topics will include, but not be limited to:

• Feedback on earlier MVGS survey

• Feedback on Social Media project

• Update on community outreach for new members

• Update on MVGS Budget

• Update on MVGS training program

• Upcoming Board nominations and elections

• Suggestions for next year's programs

 

There will also be time to talk about genealogical discoveries MVGS members have made this year and brick walls they have hit.

(Maybe others will knock those brick walls down.) We look forward to a lively discussion.

This meeting will be virtual via Zoom and in person.

Speaker: Gary Koblitz

My interest in tracing my paternal family began when I was

in my 60s with very little information to begin with, due to

family circumstances. I have determined that my paternal

lineage traces back many generations – probably centuries – in

an area that is now largely the State of Saxony. Also, I knew

very little about branches of my American paternal

relationships, who descended from my immigrant

grandfather and his brother. I have succeeded in

identifying them – over 50 persons spread over four generations.

What will genealogists learn from this presentation?

My goal is to convey some pathways to success in tracing

one’s ancestry and family descendants, even starting

late in life and with a plethora of unknowns. Most of my

formative years were spent in a small town in northeast

Connecticut. I graduated from Penn State in 1967

and immediately went to work for the federal government

as an intelligence analyst, where I had a 40-year career.

I have lived in Northern Virginia the entire time My wife and

I raised a son and daughter, and we have three grandchildren.

I was always actively involved in my children’s activities,

and I have played many civic roles in my communities.

SPEAKER:  Sharon Hodges

As researchers we download census records, but do we use them to their full potential? Census records

help us locate where a person was at a certain time and this leads us to where we should search for records.

In this session there will be a short discussion on census records and then a workshop to see if you can build

a family using census records and determine what you know, what you need to know, and where to look for

those records.

What will genealogists learn from this presentation? (1 sentence) – More about census records and another

way to use census records in their research.

 

For about 35 years, Sharon has been a professional genealogist, author, and teacher having lectured in

New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. She is a past grader for the

National Genealogical Society Home Study Course and a graduate of the National Institute for

Genealogical Research. Sharon is a member of numerous local and national genealogical societies,

past Secretary and Awards Chair of the Virginia Genealogical Society, and Past President of the

Mt. Vernon Genealogical Society.

Synopsis of Presentation: The panelists will give a short (about 10 minutes each) presentation about where MVGS members can get help in their research and how members can help MVGS (e.g., as a volunteer in the MVGS Research Library, as an officer, by coordinating with and teaching others, etc.). Among other topics, the panelists will discuss accessing a variety of genealogical research resources and how rewarding it is to find answers to your research questions in the MVGS Research Library with the help of our volunteers. The panelists will answer questions about resources, methodology, etc. 

 

What will genealogists learn from this presentation? They should get a better understanding of how the MVGS runs and how their participation in helping the society will open new opportunities to grow and become better genealogists. They will get ideas about how and where to go for records and information and assistance. They will find out what is in the MVGS Research Library and how important it is to share the work and how they can learn from that.

 

Biographies:

 

Janell Blue: Almost all of Janell’s ancestors came from Prussia and France and went directly to Texas, some as early as 1843. Most of the families settled and stayed within ethnically German pockets of the greater Houston area, where she was born and raised.

Always interested in genealogy, Janell was eager to become educated in the field of genealogy and eventually become certified. Over the last ten years, she has completed numerous institute courses and conferences in addition to the education offered by local societies.

Janell has been a fixture at MVGS since her retirement from banking in 2014. After initially joining the board as secretary, she served as president for a four-year term and past president for an additional two years.

Janell currently leads the Book Club special interest group and co-hosts with Chuck Mason the Fairfax County public access show Tracing Your Family Roots. She plans to spend her remaining years writing and publishing her substantial family research and plans to make it available at the Clayton Center for Genealogical Research in Houston.

Chuck Mason: Chuck specializes in Southern New Jersey and 19th and 20th Century Death Records. He served on the board of the Fairfax Genealogical Society for 17 years and 11 years on the board of the Mount Vernon Genealogical Society. He held various positions on both boards and is a past president of both societies. Chuck has lectured at many of the genealogical societies in the Washington DC area, Virginia Genealogical Society, the Virginia Beach Genealogical Society, Gloucester County NJ Historical Society, the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies annual conference, the National Genealogical Society, and the Federation of Genealogical Society’s annual conferences.

Gerry Ward: Gerry heads the MVGS Research Library. She loves old houses, history, and curiosity to learn new things and helping others.

Instructor:  Sharon Cook MacInnes, Ph.D. - Professional Genealogist

I’ll present a PowerPoint overview of federal land grants: the different types, what you can find online, and examples of the stories you can learn by getting the proof file from NARA (30 min.). Then audience members will pick up documents left by or relating to two of my interrelated families from 4 "stations" around the room. The stations represent: (1) a family’s attic; (2) online "libraries" or repositories including the BLM website; (3) NARA; and (4) a county courthouse.  Working in pairs or trios, participants will create an informal timeline and a credible story of the families based on the documents (about 40 minutes). After reassembling, participants will briefly share their stories based on the documents, whereupon I’ll continue the PowerPoint presentation and give the rest of the story. Participants will then award themselves points based on how many facts they included in their stories.  Participants will gain practical experience in correlating, analyzing, and assembling facts from documents to tell a story.

Instructor: Dr. Richard Bell of the University of Maryland

Most people know something about the American Revolution and about the Founding Fathers. But the full story of the Revolution requires us to look beyond their lives and expand its cast of characters. This lecture examines four other revolutionary lives: an immigrant propagandist, a female solider, a fugitive from slavery, and the grieving widow who became the most important Native American leader during the war. You'll hear stories from the American Revolution that you’ve never heard before.

• The second part of the research strategy to piece together your veteran's story.
• How to add to your timeline of service and expand the narrative.
• Explore various histories, journals, photos, and maps for all the military branches.
• You will learn about the most valuable foundational records to put your service member into context and write a richer story everyone will want to read.

These records help you write the narrative to your stories. They will also help you understand why your veteran was who they were after service, and probably bring up more questions for you to consider.

• Where to begin your research at home.
• What questions to ask.
• The first part of the research strategy to learn any veteran's story from any 20th century war and and military branch.
• What records you need to establish the foundation and where to locate them.
• How to create a timeline of service.
• How to begin writing the story.

I use storytelling along with the records to help you understand the deeper impacts of service. You might want a tissue for the story at the end of this session.

Presenter Name: Dr. Richard Bell
 

Presenter Name: Sharon Hodges
 

Description: “Little Germany” was the first urban foreign-language settlement in the United States. More than 250,000 Germans lived in New York City in the area known as “Little Germany.” This talk with explore the history of the area and what life was like living in Kleindeutschland between 1845 and 1880.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Presenter Name: Dr. Adam Rothman

 

Synopsis:   In 1838, the Society of Jesus in Maryland sold roughly three hundred men, women, and children (known today as the GU272+) to Louisiana. This presentation will explain the history of the Maryland Jesuit enslaved community, discuss recent efforts to trace their family histories, and demonstrate the utility of the Georgetown Slavery Archive for historical and genealogical research.

 

Bio:   Adam Rothman is Professor of History at Georgetown University and the Director of the Georgetown Center for the Study of Slavery and Its Legacies. He is the author of several books including Slave County and Beyond Freedom's Reach, and he is the co-editor of Facing Georgetown's History. He is also curator of the Georgetown Slavery Archive website.

 

 

Room 228, Hollin Hall Senior Center
 

Presenter Name – Chuck Mason

 

 

 

 

 

There will be no General Meeting this month. Join us at our Annual Conference on Saturday, March 25th.

Speaker: Dr. Megan Kate Nelson
Title of Presentation: The Three-Cornered War: The Civil War in the Southwest

Speaker: Dr. Janet Few
Title of Presentation: The Next Generation of Genealogist

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaker: Amanda Morris
 

Topic:  “What You Can Find In Railroad Records”

 

This talk will be about ways to identify and document railroad service, including helpful resources to check.  It will also provide some historical context for what our ancestors did on the railroad and help to make sense of some of the confusing terminology one may encounter.  Finally, there will be a brief discussion of the goals of this new lineage society and the membership process.

 

Amanda Morris is the founder of the National Society Descendants of American Railroad Workers.  She has been doing genealogical research for over twenty years.  She is an active member of several lineage societies including NSDAR, DUVCW, USD 1812, and NSDOAF.  Her specialties include the southern United States, Jewish Genealogy and of course finding those railroad ancestors!