Society Saturday – Fredericksburg Regional Genealogical Society Fall Schedule and more

Area genealogists are anxious for FRGS meetings to begin – I had a request yesterday for details on the when/where/who/what of the next Fredericksburg Regional Genealogical Society (FRGS) meeting. The meetings are held the second Wednesday of the month, 7:00 p.m. at the Salem Church branch library.

The FRGS 2013 fall schedule is:

11 September – Virginia Roots

Barbara Vines Little, certified genealogist and noted national speaker, will have a presentation on methods for researching Virginia records and repositories.

9 October – DNA

Shannon Bennett, club member and contributing writer to Family Tree Magazine and other genealogical publications, will discuss DNA testing and how results may be useful in researching your family.

  

13 November – Using Family Search

Ray Maki, club member, will present information on this website, demonstrate how to access it and show examples of using their Family Tree software.

 There is no formal meeting in December.

Genealogists should check out the newly upgraded website for the City of Fredericksburg.  From the department link, to circuit court, there is the link to the Archives which has a wealth of genealogy information.  Digitized marriage records 1976-present are now available through the circuit court.

Genealogy Using DAR Resources

Pat Milnes gave an informative presentation on the DAR’s genealogy online search features at the Fredericksburg Regional Genealogy Society’s June meeting. 

The DAR’s website is pretty straightforward, so I won’t go step by step, but I did want to share a few tips.

On the Home Page click on “Genealogy,” and you will come to “Collection Highlights.” Of course we want to find out if our ancestor is listed, so click “Online Research,” and then get right into the GRS (Genealogical Research System).  Clicking on “Ancestor” will bring up a simple form. Fill in your ancestor’s name, click the “Search” bottom at the bottom and wait for the information to unfold.  If you do have an ancestor in their database, a list will appear, with “Purchase” boxes alongside each. But …

Some warnings from Pat:

The blue question mark next to an “S” means Short Form – Don’t purchase this! It does not have the information you seek.

“EL” means there is an error in the lineage – Don’t purchase! 

A small “s” means there is supporting documentation - o.k. to purchase. 

Other notes: When doing research at the Washington DAR Library, cameras and scanners are not allowed; laptops are welcome.

The “Analytical Index” and GRC (Genealogical Records Committee) are in-house use only.

You can purchase records via credit card for $10 each; $15 for orders placed by mail or fax.  If you can’t get to Washington, the DAR offers a search service for an hourly fee.

Pat convinced us that the DAR has a wonderful genealogical research library just waiting for us.

The club’s next meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 11^th featuring noted national speaker Barbara Vines Little, who will be discussing methods for researching Virginia records and repositories. 

Society Saturday – The DAR for Genealogical Research

On Wednesday, 12 June 2013, at 7:00 p.m. the Fredericksburg Regional Genealogy Society (FRGS) will welcome Pat Milnes of the Washington-Lewis Chapter of the DAR.  This chapter was founded in 1922 in order to save Kenmore, the home of Betty Lewis, who was George Washington’s sister.  That house has been restored and is open to the public.

Utilizing PowerPoint, Mrs. Milnes’ presentation will demonstrate the genealogy search features located on the DAR website. 

FRGS meetings are held at the Salem Church Branch Library, Salem Church Road, Fredericksburg, VA; the public is cordially invited to attend this informative session.