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Genealogy

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Ready to dive into the past?
Genealogists from Genealogical & Historical 
Organizations in attendance:
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Bulloch County Genealogy Society - Bulloch County became Georgia’s 21st county in 1796. Ancestors of the original settlers came from Northern Ireland, England, France, Germany, Scotland and Wales, and enslaved people mostly had West African heritage. The county was named for Archibald Bulloch, president and commander-in-chief of Georgia in 1776. The Bulloch County Genealogical Society was created in 2018 to promote genealogical education, research and collaboration in Bulloch and surrounding counties. 

bullochgensociety.org

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Georgia Salzburger Society - Rev. George Whitefield visited Ebenezer, Georgia to view the existing orphanage and used the plan as the model for Bethesda. March 11, 1734 the first transport of Salzburger’s arrived in Georgia. 

facebook.com/visitebenezer

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The Huxford Genealogical Society, Inc. was formed in 1972 when Judge Folks Huxford called a group of genealogy friends together for the purpose of forming a Society. The Purpose of the Society is to collect and preserve the genealogical information of the Wiregrass area in South Georgia and North Florida. In addition to the family history, immigration and state books, you will find information to assist you in joining Lineage Societies such as DAR, SAR, DAC, Colonial Dames, XVIIC, UDC,  Mayflower Society, etc.  A number of self-help books, genealogical periodicals and magazines are also found in the collection. What started as a small collection of genealogical resources led to a library of over 26,000 books and almost 4000 rolls of microfilm and several hundred sheets of microfiche.  In addition, there were about 14,000 files on families in South Georgia and North Florida. With the merger of two libraries, the Huxford-Spear Genealogical Library is now one of the largest privately owned libraries in the United States.

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Live Oak Public Libraries - Learn more about the past and discover your roots through Live Oak Public Libraries. Physical collections (Bull Street/Hinesville), email to ask questions, and numerous online links are among the available resources.  Call the library at 912-652-3697 or email genealogystaff@liveoakpl.org for current hours for the Kaye Kale & Local History Room (Georgia Genealogy Room).

https://liveoakpl.org/find/history

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Savannah Area Genealogical Association (SAGA) - Founded in 1983, meetings are held every fourth Monday of the month except December, 10:30 a.m.; John Knox Room (ADA accessible) of First Presbyterian Church, 520 E Washington Avenue, Savannah, Georgia with special guest speakers and updates on latest technologies available to help with your genealogy search.

Facebook.com/savannahareagenealogicalassociation

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Statesboro Regional Public Libraries Genealogy Department

There are in person meetings, online resources and approximately 8,000 books, magazines, bound periodicals (which include an oral history collection), census records, family histories, court records, marriages, land records, will abstracts, Civil War records, and cemetery records to search through. Included you will find county histories for most Georgia counties. There are also genealogy resources for North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Over 200 books to aid in Genealogy research are available to be checked out, with a valid PINES Library card.

AncestryLibrary can only be accessed within the library. HeritageQuest can be accessed from home, by logging into Galileo. The other 9 resources are free and open to anyone. FamilySearch does require you to create an account, but is free. 

https://strl.info/genealogy/

The Scottish Tartan Museum from Franklin, North Carolina has tartan swatches, research books and surname information on site to help you with your quest for both Ireland and Scotland!​ Want to research Scottish tartans, clans and the history/location of your surname in Scotland?

The Museum is focused on all things Scottish and to separate myths from facts. Surnames are researched, and, if clan associated, visitors are shown their tartan(s), clan crest, clan information and surname history. Approximately 70% of Scottish surnames are not associated with a clan, but to a district or town. The Scottish Tartan Museum has information on surname history, associated tartan(s) and the history of that area. If the associated clan or Scottish district association is in attendance, the Museum will point visitors to the appropriate clan tents. Tartan swatches and family/district history sheets are also available to purchase.

http://www.scottishtartansmuseum.org

Many genealogical societies have exciting resources that aren’t available online. On-Site today are local genealogical societies that can point you in the direction to research your specific family. Please visit with the on-site genealogists or look at our website links to help break down your brick walls, fill out your family story or obtain direction to source documents for your family tree.

 

Start With What You Know - The first step is to begin with what you know and what you can document. There are often gems to your family story within the records of the area your ancestors lived beyond census records, birth/marriage/death certificates. What documents do you have for yourself and your family? Do you have a copy of your birth certificate? If you are married, do you have a copy of your marriage certificate? What information is in these records?  What documentation do you have for your parents and grandparents? If any of them are deceased, do you have copies of their orbituaries or death certificates? 

 

Speak With Relatives - Living relatives, especially older ones, can be a wealth of information.  Consult siblings and cousins as well. These different memories may affect your research strategy. Remember to be careful with family information. Family stories have a way of changing and becoming embellished as they are passed on from one generation to another.  For this reason, tradition is not usually considered documentary evidence. Living relatives can help you extend your research farther back in time by providing names of deceased relatives and where they lived and died. They may also be able to provide you with copies of records they have in their possession. For example, they may have obituaries or the family Bible. After you do additional research, it is a good idea to share your findings with your relatives. Social media group conversations is a great way to have discussions with 'descendants of...' and share pictures that may or may not require identification. This may jog their memories and lead to additional stories and memories. A frequent problem encountered with talking to different people about the past is that people will remember past events differently. Such discrepancies can be troublesome. Is the information based on first-hand accounts?  It is important to keep an open mind and to consider all possible scenarios. Ask yourself what documentary evidence might there be to prove what information is correct?  Were vital records kept at the local or state level at the time of the event?  If not, perhaps newspapers and church records can fill in the gap. Be sure to ask your relatives about religious affiliation. Some religious groups keep very good records, such as baptismal, marriage and burial records. Religious newspapers can also be a wonderful source of information. Everything you gather is part of the story.

 

We have plenty of maps and reading materials about researching Scottish, Irish, Welsh, and English ancestors if you want to come into the Genealogy Tent and take a break!

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Genealogy Resources

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Where in Scotland is my family surname(s) from?

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Scotland's People

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Travel Tips: Million Miles Secrets

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Does my family have a tartan?

 

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National Records of Scotland

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Scottish Naming Customs

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Does my family belong to a clan?

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Scottish Archives

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Is there a castle associated with my family name?

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Scottish Emigration Database

The Ellen Payne Odom Genealogy Library in Moutrie-Colquitt County Library System, Georgia, USA has a large repository of records regarding the history of approximately 130 Scottish Clans and family associations. The various genealogical materials given by the clans and associations help provide a very valuable research source for Scots of all clans and families.

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