Where: Harvey Hill and the Chapel Event Center at Dix Park, 1030 Richardson Drive, Raleigh
Enjoy the afternoon celebration and make sure to stop by and visit the Wake County Genealogy Society table to learn about two county cemetery projects inclusive of early African American burials. Meet others who share your interest in family history. Get involved, volunteer for the day and learn how your participation in the Wake County Genealogical Society can help with your own exploration of family past. Remember, the Capital City Juneteenth Celebration represents more than only black history; it is part of our collective American history.
If you are interested in getting participating in our table for a spell on this day, please contact Saundra Cropps, our volunteer coordinator. Network with fellow genealogists! Pursue your common interests.
Tuesday, June 28
Wachovia, where German Moravians Became Slaveholding Americans and Avid Confederates (Meetings)
6:30 pm to 8:15 pm
Zoom
Speaker: Dr. Larry E. Tise, Author, Educator, and Historian
I grew up as a Methodist in the Moravian religious preserve originally denominated as Wachovia in 1753. Despite the demise of its best-known homemade namesake Wachovia Bank and Trust Company, the metes and bounds and symbolic power of the name Wachovia has remained a looming presence in the land where Moravian ideas, ideals, and customs were established. Some of those traditions can still be observed in Winston Salem today. We grew up listening to Moravian bands, eating Moravian buns and cookies, and flocking to Moravian love feasts. Austerity, love, and religious ceremonies set the Moravians apart for us. The story of how they came into the backcountry wilderness to practice their gentle religion set them apart from all other Christians for us. We were in awe of their gentle ways and their spirituality. They were pacificists during the American Revolution.
Moravians were for us a holy people. Thus, imagine how difficult and shocking it was for us as citizens of an imperfect nation and a complicated world to learn that our beloved Moravians were slaveholders. Not just owners of slaves, but adroit managers of enslaved peoples. Sometimes traders in flesh. Embracers of the notion that white and black Christians should be separated one from the other. Proud employers of black slaves in every trade and in factories fabricating uniforms for Confederate soldiers. Even progenitors of well-clad young men who volunteered enthusiastically to defend the Confederate States of America from Bull Run in 1861 until the surrender of Confederate officers and beleaguered warriors at Bennet’s Place near Durham Station in North Carolina in 1865. This is the story of how this transformation began in colonial America and flourished in the land known as Wachovia from its Moravian founders until the emergence of the Old South.
Tuesday, July 26
Preserving Family Heirlooms (Meetings)
6:30 pm to 8:15 pm
Zoom
Speaker: Dr. Adrienne Berney
Outreach Coordinator for the State Archives of North Carolina
Learn about six preservation dangers constantly threatening your family heirlooms and important documents. In advance of this virtual presentation, WCGS encourages members, and non-members alike, to share images and questions about at-risk items in your own homes (send images to program chair George Thomas at geothos@bellsouth.net). Preservation specialist Adrienne Berney will discuss your examples and the cause of damage, while suggesting cleaning and storage tips to prevent further degradation. So, dig into your collections and let’s put our heads together to strategize better preservation.
After working as a museum curator, Adrienne joined the staff of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources in 2010 as a preservation specialist. In her current role, she enjoys working with history organizations statewide and highlighting fascinating stories from the Archives’ vast collections.
Saturday, August 6
A SATURDAY WITH DANA LEEDS (Meetings)
10:30 am to 3:00 pm
Live In-Person and Zoom
SAVE THE DATE!!!
Saturday, August 6, 10:30am - 3:00pm ET
Where: St. Raphael Catholic Church, 5801 Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh, NC. Offered live in-person and Virtual.
What: Join us for morning and afternoon sessions on the LEEDS METHOD and its use in solving a riveting case study.
Wake County Genealogical Society is proud to host the one and only Dana Leeds, who will present a day of genealogy:
The Leeds Method of Organizing Your DNA Matches
Dana will introduce participants to the nuts and bolts of her “Leeds Method” during a morning session.
One Man, Multiple Names: An Unexpected DNA Discovery
In addition, Dana will provide an exciting afternoon presentation on an application-based case study aimed at solving a Bedingfield family mystery occurring in early Wake and surrounding counties.
We will tour the Bedingfield Family Cemetery adjacent to the church during our mid-day lunch break, so bring your walking shoes!
Mark your calendar for this exciting event! Maybe even plan your summer trip to nearby State Archives of North Carolina around this exciting learning opportunity hosted by the Wake County Genealogical Society.
Learn more about the Leeds Method of working with your family DNA here. More on the Wake County Genealogical Society here. Questions? Email George Thomas, Program Manager for the Wake County Genealogical Society.
Advanced registration and a nominal fee will be required.
Stay tuned for more information!
Tuesday, August 23
In Her Own Words - Lives of Women Through Diaries, Journals, Correspondence, and More (Meetings)
6:30 pm to 8:15 pm
Zoom
Speaker: Diane L. Richard
Women are traditionally challenged to document in historical public records. Personally written diaries, journals, correspondence, and more can help fill in gaps about female ancestors. This talk goes well past journals and diaries as “women” had voices in myriad ways.
Tuesday, September 27
Discovering Our Mixed-Race Heritage (Meetings)
6:30 pm to 8:15 pm
Zoom
Speaker: Dr. Arwin D. Smallwood
Historian, Writer, and History Dept. Chair at North Carolina A & T State University
This lecture explores the History, Origins, and Persistence of Tri-racial Isolates and Mixed-Race Peoples. Special emphasis will be placed on the question of creolization in early North Carolina and how the mixing of Africans, Native Americans, and Europeans has led to hundreds of mixed-race communities and millions of mixed-race peoples all over North Carolina and through migration, the United States. Though many of these people remain clustered in well-known communities, a large number live autonomously today without any knowledge of their mixed-race heritage. Reflecting on a time when people struggled to survive negative changes in the world around them, from this talk, Dr. Smallwood hopes the participant will walk away with a broader appreciation for what it means to be American
Dr. Smallwood will discuss tax lists, indentures, and other forms of legal documentation providing what may be a first glimpse into family and their history of early racial mixing. Join us and have your eyes opened to this often hidden past born of American Society as influenced by its evolving laws.
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