Rockwall County Genealogical Society
2008-2024 Meetings, Projects, and Events

Scheduled Meetings
Held the first Thursday of the month from 6:00pm-8:00pm unless otherwise noted.

March 7,2024 Scheduled speaker: John Sellers

Topic: "Pending"

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December 7,2023 Scheduled speaker:

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July 6,2023 Scheduled speaker Barbara Coakley

Topic: "Digging Up Deeds"

U.S. Land records are some of the earliest and most complete records available. They contain clues to relationships, economic standing, migration, and much more.
Learn about transactions between individuals using case studies to demonstrate how to find and understand different types of deeds.
June 1,2023 Scheduled speaker Patti Smith

Topic: "Mothers: Generation-to-Generation."

Patti is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Dallas Genealogy Society (since 2017).
In December 2019, she was awarded, "Volunteer of the Year." She also holds membership at: Angelina County, Hill County, Johnson County, Navarro County, Central Texas (Waco), Texas State Genealogical Society and the National Genealogical Society. She's a member of the Coppell Historical Society and formed a monthly Coppell Genealogy Special Interest Group in January 2020.
Patti completed the 15-week Certificate of Genealogy Research through the Boston University - December 22, 2020
Also, she completed the YourDNA Guide - 5-week "The Academy DNA Skills Workshop" with Diahan Southard - February 2021
May 4,2023 Genealogy workshop

Topics and webinar presentation to be determined.
April 6,2023 "Fold3.com" By speaker and Dallas librarian Stephanie Bennett

Stephanie will be sharing information and research tips for records found on the site Fold3. Fold3 is a site dedicated to military records, including the stories,
photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served. An invaluable genealogical research tool, you can also combine records found on the site with what you already have in your own albums to create an online memorial for someone who served.
We will also go over general business and the bylaws as proposed at our past two meetings.
March 9,2023 (moved to following week due to library closure) Webinar presentation

One great presentation that we might watch is Rootstech videos on Familysearch images that have not yet been transcribed/indexed. There's a wealth of information to found buried in these images.
We will also be discussing some old business, including finalizing bylaws updates, and discussing updates on our projects, including our Facebook presence and our archived boxes.
February 9,2023 (moved to new date due to weather) Webinar presentation

We will be discussing plans for the year, the archived materials our group has stored at the library, with an eye to possibly making some of them publicly accessible if possible.
We also will be sending out copies of our updated bylaws to members, and discuss any further changes that might be necessary at our meeting.
January 5,2023 Webinar presentation

Many good topics to choose from, one short series on using tax records to reveal hidden gems will be a likely good candidate for the group.
   
December 1,2022 Holiday Break, no meeting
November 3,2022 Genealogy workshop

We will have a general workshop, and we will watch a group selected Webinar. We will also be voting on our new Officers that have already been nominated. So please join us as we all take a vote and make it official.
We'll also be discussing plans for 2023, get a feel for how many speakers everybody wants, and discuss ideas for member recruiting efforts.
October 6,2022 "Finding Your New England Ancestors" By speaker David Appleton

You can familiarize yourself with David by visiting his web page here: http://blog.appletonstudios.com
September 1,2022 We will have a Webinar presentation this month.

Topic to be decided by group members in attendance
August 4,2022 "Same Name, Same Location - Which one is mine?" By speaker Emily Coffman Richardson

Emily is retired from full time leadership in higher education, and now focused on her genealogy passion. Brought up by a genealogist who never used the computer, she understands the importance of finding original documentation to substantiate ancestors. Her geographic specialties are MD, NC, OH, PA, TX.
July 7,2022 Genealogy workshop

Two Webinars from RootsTech, First discussing military service records including Civil War pension records. Look at pension applications on Family Search, Fold3 and Ancestry. Pension records can contain a lot of information including birth dates, marriage dates, death dates, spouse and children's names and residences of the individuals who served in the military. The second Webinar from RootsTech, discussing migration patterns using military records.
June 2,2022 Genealogy workshop

Topic to be determined.
May 5,2022 "What Do You Mean It Burned?" By speaker John Sellers

One of a genealogist worst fears is to learn about the loss of public records, this lecture shows how to go beyond the disaster, various myths and fallacies are addressed, methodology techniques are presented, and supplemental records outside the courthouse are analyzed.

John is a fifth generation native of Hopkins County, Texas. Over thirty years of research experience, Twenty- Nine years of lecture experience. Four year president of Hopkins County Genealogical Society. National speaker both FGS and NGS. Regional speaker throughout Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas and Louisiana. Author of historical newspaper column called Hopkins County Remembered. Specializes in courthouse research with emphasis on land records and probate. Lecturer at IGHR, 2009-2010,2018
April 7,2022 "How Great Thou Art! How Great They Are! Church Records" By speaker Kelvin Myers

Underused and under utilized this vast group of records can be a challenge to the "un-churched".
Determining the denomination, in which your ancestor was a part, can be the biggest challenge.
The second challenge is to find those records. With these two things accomplished, many genealogical questions can be answered.

Kelvin has a very distinguished resume in the genealogy field, he's a published author, a past President of the Dallas Genealogical Society,
and was awarded the Lloyd Dewitt Bockstruck Distinguished Service Award by the Dallas Genealogical Society in 2019.
March 3,2022 1950 Census Release

We will discuss the 1 April scheduled release of the 1950 Census, and pick from several webinars to help us go over what data will be available for researchers.
February 10,2022 Meeting moved a week due to weather.

Genealogy workshop, and review for scheduling out the years speakers and topics. Group chat about any recent genealogy discoveries or research techniques to share.
January 6,2022 Canceled due interim President COVID exposure precaution.
   
December 2,2021 Holiday Break, no meeting
November 4 We will have a Webinar presentation this month.

Topic to be decided by group members in attendance
October 7,2021 Scheduled speaker Bernard Meisner

Topic "You've received your DNA what now?"

Weather you've already had a DNA test or are thinking of diving in, it's always good to get insight on what to make of all the DNA tests and the information they provide. Seeing as how I've invested a lot of money in several tests, I'm looking forward to hearing what Bernard has to say.

Bernard is a genealogist and lecturer based in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. He began researching his family 30 years ago and enjoys sharing lessons learned from that experience, including his mistakes. Although he knew only one grandparent (his maternal grandfather) he has successfully identified all of his great-great grandparents, several triple- and quadruple-great grandparents, and his Meisner 9th great grandparents. He is a past president and current social media chair of the Mid-Cities Genealogical Society, a co-leader of the Dallas Genealogical Society's newly-formed German Genealogy Group of North Texas, and is a member of the National Genealogical Society and the Texas State Genealogical Society.

Bernard earned a B.S. in physics/German from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and an M.S. and PhD in meteorology from the University of Hawaii. He has attended the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh each of the last four years, completing courses in Irish research, German research and Digital Research Skills.
September 2,2021 Last months member background and research sharing discussion was very cool. Also, the 3 historical charts created 20 years ago by our former member Ray Holt was a hit, everybody in attendance enjoyed them and were impressed with the detail that Ray had put into them. The charts were donated to the library as they promised to display them in the genealogy room for all to appreciate.

For this months meeting we will have a viewing of one of the Genealogy Gems presentations we purchased a couple years ago. There are some topics that folks might not have seen and we can decide among attending members which one we want to view.
August 5,2021 We had a really good meeting once again last time, the open forum discussions have been fun with the sharing of ideas and research experiences.

We will again have an open forum following the same pattern as our last two meetings, We will have a presentation of old charts that were created by one of our former members Ray Holt. The charts are of a variety of items related to Rockwall County, such as cemeteries, schools, historical time lines etc. This month we wanted to also do member introductions with the group, each member will give some background on themselves and their surname research and success stories. Even though we've may have met for years there's still things about each of us that may be very interesting to the other members of the group.
July 1,2021 For our second meeting of our return to normalization, we will do another open forum talk, and sharing of ideas and research experiences. We will continue discussing growth opportunities and ways to become more visible and a well known group.
June 3,2021 "Welcome Back to in person meetings!"

With the beginnings of normalization in the air, and the fact that the library is fully operational, a few members have expressed a desire for us to return to having our regularly scheduled meetings. We will reacquaint, make plans for the remainder of the year, and share stories. One of the first orders of business will be to discuss a no-cost renewal of 2021 membership for members that paid for 2020. Also on the priority list for discussion is trying to arrange speakers as soon as possible, with preference to try and get the two we had to cancel from last year.

We have a very special year approaching, 2022 will be RCGS's 40th anniversary! It's a pretty major accomplishment that we've remained intact and would be very nice to see us grow to become more visible and well known, so of course we need input on how best to recruit and build up our society.
May 6,2021 (Canceled due to COVID-19)
April 1,2021 (Canceled due to COVID-19)
March 4,2021 (Canceled due to COVID-19)
February 4,2021 (Canceled due to COVID-19)
January 7,2021 (Canceled due to COVID-19)
   
December 7,2020 Holiday Break, no meeting
November 5,2020 (Canceled due to COVID-19)
October 1,2020 (Canceled due to COVID-19)
September 3,2020 (Canceled due to COVID-19)
August 6,2020 (Canceled due to COVID-19)
July 2,2020 (Canceled due to COVID-19)
June 4,2020 (Canceled due to COVID-19)
May 7,2020 Scheduled speaker Sandra Crowley

(Canceled due to COVID-19)

Topic pending.

Sandra Crowley is a genealogist and lecturer based in the Dallas/Fort Worth area who specializes in using technology for all aspects of family history. As a speaker at RootsTech, her presentation was selected to be streamed live via the Internet. She is President of the Dallas Genealogical Society, former Vice President of Membership of the Texas State Genealogical Society, Past President of the Mid-Cities Genealogical Society in Euless, Texas; and a member of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the National Genealogical Society, and several state societies. She is on the Webinar Committee for the North Carolina Genealogical Society, as video editor, and on the Technology Committee for FGS. She is Publicity Chair for the FGS 2014 conference in San Antonio, Texas.

Sandra has a B.B.A. degree in management with more than 25 years experience working with technology companies, including as a consultant for Hewlett-Packard. Sandra has taught PowerPoint, Online Genealogy and Family Tree Maker at Tarrant County Community College combining her 20 years of family research with knowledge of technology. She was named Volunteer of the Year by the Dallas Genealogical Society in 2011.
April 2,2020 Scheduled speaker Bernard Meisner

(Canceled due to COVID-19)

Topic pending.

Bernard is a genealogist and lecturer based in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. He began researching his family 30 years ago and enjoys sharing lessons learned from that experience, including his mistakes. Although he knew only one grandparent (his maternal grandfather) he has successfully identified all of his great-great grandparents, several triple- and quadruple-great grandparents, and his Meisner 9th great grandparents. He is a past president and current social media chair of the Mid-Cities Genealogical Society, a co-leader of the Dallas Genealogical Society's newly-formed German Genealogy Group of North Texas, and is a member of the National Genealogical Society and the Texas State Genealogical Society.

Bernard earned a B.S. in physics/German from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in meteorology from the University of Hawaii. He has attended the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh each of the last four years, completing courses in Irish research, German research and Digital Research Skills.
March 5,2020 Genealogy workshop.

Group chat about any recent genealogy discoveries or research techniques to share.
February 6,2020 "Dealing with Record Loss: Fire, Flood, or Theft, Strategies to Overcome the Loss" by speaker Kelvin Meyers

We all face it: record loss. Whether the courthouse burned, the clerk tossed them, the relative, autograph hunter, lawyer or surveyor took them, they succumbed to heat, humidity, insects or fading ink or war or distance from the courthouse which was a barrier to their creation - the records that we want - the records that could answer our questions aren't there. The solution: In many cases it's possible to overcome the problem, but it requires diligence, perseverance, and willingness to look beyond the obvious.
January 2,2020 We will have a general workshop and meeting on organizational items to also include review of our Bylaws last updated in January of 2013.
   
December 2019 Holiday Break, no meeting
November 7,2019 "Genealogy by the Numbers" - a fun talk about dates, money, land measurements, generations by Lisa Reed

Lisa has a Master of Liberal Arts from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas and is currently working on a PhD in English and is interested in the diaries, journals, letters and writings of ordinary people in their day-to-day lives and business dealings. She teaches Business and Professional Speaking.

In 1997, Lisa won the Dallas Genealogical Society Writing Contest for the article "Coming to Understand Sources: A 'Proper' Genealogy." She also won the Texas State Genealogical Society award for reference book by a professional, "City Property" in 2014.
October 3,2019 Genealogy workshop.

Group chat about our genealogy discoveries for the year, any exciting finds or techniques to share. We will also go over some Society business and discuss what we want to do for 2020 with regards to meeting speakers and any other activities such as maybe a group day trip to the Dallas Central Library Genealogy Section.
September 5,2019 "Inspiring Ways to Captivate Non-Genealogists" By Louise Cooke of Genealogy Gems

The meeting will be a podcast presentation format and follwed by group discussion of the topic with fellow members.
August 1,2019 World War I "Navigating Domestic and International Records" By speaker Carol C. Taylor of Greenville, TX.

Carol is a genealogical and historical researcher with more than thirty years experience in the American South, primarily in Texas. She started with an interest in researching her own family history (an ongoing project that she still actively pursues) and found that she was as fascinated with the times in which they lived as she was with official records of births and deaths. That led to an extensive knowledge of Texas pioneer history that she used to help countless researchers flesh out the details of their family tree as the Research Assistant and Manager of the Northeast Texas History and Genealogy Center and through many private clients.

Carol has an impressive resume but some of her stand outs include co-authoring The Devil's Triangle: Northeast Texas, Ben Bickerstaff and the War of Reconstruction with Dr. James Smallwood and Dr. Ken Howell. She contributed an essay regarding cattle drives from Texas in The Seventh Star of the Confederacy: Texas During the Civil War, avail able from the University of North Texas Press. Her most recent book is a photo history of Greenville, Images of America, Greenville.

Carol is the current Chairman of the Hunt County Historical Commission. She is interested in locating small family burial sites throughout the county as well as working with Hunt County officials to make as many records available to the public as possible. Over the past thirty years she has personally researched and written at least six applications for historical markers, all of which were approved.

http://www.carolctaylor.com/index.htm
July 11,2019 "Counting Cousins in the County Sorting Out Families of the Same Surname" By speaker Marynell Bryant of Sulphur Springs, TX.

Know what county your ancestors are from, but can't figure out which family to connect them with? This session will help you put every piece of information about your ancestor into perspective so that you can determine relationships among several families of the same surname living in the same location. Be absolutely sure you have the right family before you claim them on your ancestor chart. Research in records beyond the census and court records will be emphasized. The genealogist will be challenged to analyze records and evaluate evidence.

Marynell is a retired journalism teacher. She is a past three-term president of the Texas State Genealogical Society and has served in various positions in her local Hopkins County Genealogical Society.

The meeting will be a podcast presentation format follwed by group discussion of the topic and personal experiences or tips to share with fellow members.
June 6,2019 "Newspapers Research"& "Cold Cases Brick Wall Strategies"By Louise Cooke of Genealogy Gems

The meeting will be a podcast presentation format and followed by group discussion of the topics of personal experiences or tips to share with fellow members.
May 2,2019 "How to Find Essential Apps for Genealogists" & "Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps" By Louise Cooke of Genealogy Gems

The meeting will be a podcast presentation format and followed by group discussion of the topics of personal experiences or tips to share with fellow members.
April 4,2019 "Google Search Strategies" By Louise Cooke of Genealogy Gems

The meeting will be a podcast presentation format and followed by group discussion of the topics of personal experiences or tips to share with fellow members.
March 7,2019 "Taking a Genealogy Trip: Ready, Set, Let's Go!" By speaker Patti Gillespie

Genealogy trips can be "the bomb" or they can explode like a bomb. An unsuccessful trip can most often be prevented by following the steps, cautions, and counsel in this presentation. A fun and lively presentation with stories of personal disasters and serendipity, this is a great way to get ready for that first (or second) genealogy research trip.

Patti is a professional Genealogist & Personal Historian and the owner of "Family Lines & Stories" specializing in Wise County, Texas and U.S. Research with over 30 years' experience. Patti's resume is vast so to better appreciate her qualifications please review her "About" page here: http://familylinesandstories.com/about-family-lines-patti-gillespie/
February 7,2019 Webinar "Researching Institutional Records" by Lisa Louise Cooke

Establishing a work flow for institutional records research, conducting searches using various resources. Institutional records cover Asylums, Hospitals, Prisons, Schools, Workhouses etc.
January 3,2019 Genealogy workshop/review of 2018. How many of you found a living relative in 2018 that you never had contact with before now?
   
December 2018 Holiday Break, no meeting
November 1,2018 This month we will have a Round Table Discussion, so be sure and bring your questions, items to share, special projects you are working on, etc. We all like to see new things and get new ideas for projects. We will also be electing officers for 2019.
October 4,2018 Webinar "From the Heartland - Using Online Resources in Midwest Research" by Luana Darby

Reminder that October is the month we nominate for positions for 2019. We have one person interested in the President position, but we really need a VP to help out as well. Please consider stepping up to the plate to help out our group.
September 6,2018 Our speaker for this month will be Stephanie Bennett from the Dallas Public Library.

She will be advising us on how to navigate the genealogy section of the library, so bring any questions you may have.
August 2,2018 "Happy Home Without Husbands - The Women's Commonwealth of Texas" Presented by Kelvin Meyers
July 5,2018 Round Table discussion Q&A/help session

Please bring any questions you might have or bring anything you would like to share with the group. We all like to see other members projects no matter what it is. Also, if you have any friends or family that would like to come visit at our meeting, please feel free to bring them along..
June 7,2018 "Portal to Texas History and how to use it" Presented by Kathleen Murray.
May 3,2018 Webinar "Finding your Living Relatives" by Lisa Louise Cooke.

Followed by group discussion.
April 5,2018 "Between the Lines: What your Ancestors Didn't Tell You" by Patti Huff Smith.
DNA family research.
March 1,2018 Two 30 minute webinars "Brick Walls" and "Common Surname Search Secrets"

Followed by group discussion.
February 1,2018 "How to Find German Ancestors in Texas" Presented by Bernard Meisner

Hopefully this will remove some brick walls for those of you who have German ancestors that settled in Texas. If not, his ideas may also work in other states, so we will all learn some new research tactics.
January 4,2018 We will have a review session of our topics from 2017, so if you have any questions about any of those topics, please write down your questions. Also, if you have general questions about any aspect of genealogy, please come forward so that we can help you. No question is too small, too ridiculous, or unimportant. Remember, all of us are at different learning levels, and someone will have an answer to your questions.
   
December 2017 Holiday Break, no meeting
November 2,2017 We will have a short program, "Researching the JSTOR" , an online collection of more than 7 million articles in 2,000-plus academic journals, including a subscription service of particular interest to genealogists.

A vote on a dues increase for 2018 to offset cost for paying for our speakers, potential modifications to our By Laws to eliminate the quorum requirement since we are such a small group and the final item up for discussion is whether or not to allow voting by phone, text and/or email by members of the society.
October 5,2017 "Using Immersion Genealogy" A Family Legacy Seminar by Lisa Alzo

The process of discovering where and how our ancestors lived, worked and worshipped.
September 7,2017 Presentation on the 1940 census by member Jim Thornhill.

August 3,2017 Genealogy workshop.

July 6,2017 We will be watching an 1.5 hour "Google Earth" presentation and how using this tool can aid in our research.

June 1,2017 "Why Your Story Counts" by Mr. Thatcher Freund

He will cover why documenting "your" family story matters.
May 4,2017 "LDS church in Heath" by Vance Smith from the LDS church in Heath

Vance will be sharing some information about their research center
April 6,2017 "SAR and DAR" by Bill Watts & Margaret Anderson

Even if you don't have any Revolutionary War ancestors this will be a very informative meeting.
March 16,2017 "Back to Basics" by Jim Thornhill

Even though most of us have some experience with doing research, it's always good to review the basics. Sometimes the simplest things can be overlooked.
February 16,2017 "Social night at the Cotton Patch"

We will enjoy a dinner and get a chance to socialize amongst ourselves
January 19,2017 "Whiskey, Farming and the Choices to Move, Understanding Migration"

This will be via Webinar.
   
December,2013 Holiday Break, no meeting
November 21,2013 "Surname Variations and how they changed as people emigrated/migrated" by Lloyd Bockstruck

Our annual visit by retired Dallas Central Library Genealogy Section's Lloyd Bockstruck. This topic could help shed some light on your ancestor research, you may very well be researching some wrong names!
October 17,2013 "Building a Family From Circumstantial Evidence" presented by Judy Russell

This topic will be shown on DVD
September 19,2013 "Brick walls & Missing links" by Tamara Edwards

Tamara has some interesting insights to finding out information that will be beneficial for all of us. We still have members hitting "brick walls" in their research and Tamara can help us dig a little deeper in certain areas so that we can find that "missing link".
August 15,2013 "Meeting at the LDS church in Heath" by Mr. Ingram

Mr. Ingram is going to work on a presentation to show us what is available in the Center.
July 18,2013 "Genealogy workshop."

If you have a laptop, please bring it. We're going to share our Ancestry, Fold Three, and whatever programs you have, so that we can help our fellow members who don't have these available. Please bring all the information you'll need to search these websites, i.e. birth dates, death dates, marriage dates, military information, etc. Also, if you have organization ideas that are different than what was discussed at our June meeting, please bring an example for "show and tell". If you have worked on a subject that was a topic from any of our previous speakers, please come prepared to share your findings, "or lack thereof" so that the rest of us can benefit from it. We're here not only to promote genealogy in general, but to offer help to others in need.
June 20,2013 "Organizing all our documents" by Lisa McKinney

May 16,2013 "Church records" by Kelvin Meyers

Some of the most underused groups of records out there. Kelvin will teach us how to determine our ancestor's denomination and how to find those records.
April 18,2013 "British Migrations to the American Colonies" by Don Raney

Plus Don
will also give a short session on genealogical DNA testing.
March 21,2013 Genealogy workshop.

Webinar "Military Records: Civil War", Bring any questions or things of interest you would like to share with the group.
February 21,2013 Genealogy workshop.

Webinar "Thinking Creatively About Research Problems", Wrap up Bi-Laws, Discuss ideas for flyers locations for increased Society membership, Get input on interests for the Society and meetings.
January 17,2013 We will be celebrating our 30th Anniversary at Luigi's Italian Restaurant! Please come join us at 6:30 pm for dinner and social time. If you have any special memories, crazy stories, etc. that you would like to share, please feel free. Also if you have any old pictures that would be of interest to the group, please bring those as well.
January 10,2013 Our annual visit by retired Dallas Central Library Genealogy Section's Lloyd Bockstruck moved to January due to a scheduling conflict. Topic to be "What to do when you hit a brick wall in your research." This is the only meeting of the year that will be held on the 2nd Thursday of the month.
   
December, 2012 Holiday Break, no meeting
November 8, 2012 Genealogy workshop.

We are going to spend our evening Thursday going over some Society business and discussing what we want to do for 2013 with regards to meeting speakers and other activities.
October 11, 2012 "The Heralds Visitations, an Often Overlooked Genealogical Resource" by David B. Appleton

David has been researching and teaching about heraldry for more than a quarter of a century. This on-going interest has taken him all across the United States and Canada and to Europe on numerous occasions to participate in and speak at congresses and symposia on the subject. He is a long-time member of the American Heraldry Society, the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada, The Heraldry Society (England), The Heraldry Society of Scotland, the American College of Heraldry, and the International Association of Amateur Heralds. He regularly participates in a number of heraldry, lineage and genealogy-related on-line groups, and is a member of three lineage societies (the Society of Mayflower Descendants, the Blaisdell Family National Association, and the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War). In addition to his illustrated lectures and presentations, he has written several books and numerous articles for a variety of publications on the topic of heraldry.
September 13, 2012 "1940 is Here: Now What?" by Lisa McKinney

Lisa has spoken on the topic of the 1940 Census to the East Texas Genealogical Society and the Van Zandt County Genealogical Society. In addition, she writes the "Ask the Ancestors" column that appears in the Rockwall Enterprise Success, which is sent by mail to every household and business in Rockwall County on the first and third Fridays of each month.
June-August, 2012 Summer break, no meetings
May 10, 2012 Genealogy workshop. Bring all the questions you've been needing to ask.
April 12, 2012 "Susannah Dickinson, Messenger of the Alamo" by Marynell Bryant
March 8, 2012 "Footnote.com & NARA Digitized Records" by Judy Knight
February 9, 2012 "Separating Online Fact From Fiction" by Betsy Mills
January 12,2012 Our annual visit by retired Dallas Central Library Genealogy Section's Lloyd Bockstruck moved to January due to a scheduling conflict. Topic to be "Revolutionary War Era Family Research."
   
December, 2011 Holiday Break, no meeting
November 10, 2011 "How to Find Your Ancestor's Maiden Name" by Don Raney

By law and by custom, the individual identity of your female ancestor before 1900 is very often hidden within her husband's identity. Women were not allowed to own property in their own name, sign a deed, leave a will, vote or participate in government. Men owned the property, paid the taxes, left wills and their surname was carried into the next generation by the children. As a result, your female ancestors are often neglected in genealogies and family histories and they are listed with only a first name. Discovering the maiden name of your female ancestor is often difficult and challenging but not impossible. Don will speak on strategies tol guide you in your search for your maternal ancestors.

Donald Raney is a sixth generation Texan who has been an active genealogist for over 30 years. He has been a frequent speaker at many genealogical society meetings in East Texas, Houston and the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. On the national level, Mr. Raney has presented sessions at GENTECH, Federation of Genealogical Societies, Angelina College Genealogy Conference and The Genealogical Institute of Texas. He is a life member of the San Jacinto Descendants and past director of GENTECH and the Dallas Genealogical Society’s Computer Interest Group. A registered professional engineer, Mr. Raney graduated from SMU with a BS in Civil Engineering and completed a long professional career with Lone Star Gas Company before retiring in 1997 as Chief Engineer. He is currently teaching Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced Genealogy courses in at Richland College.
Don published the book “Martin Varner, Texas Pioneer; 1785-1844” in September 2009. This book describes the life and adventures of his GGG Grandfather, Martin Varner, in Colonial Texas.
October 13, 2011 "Documentation in Genealogical Research" by Janet Paulos Khashab

Janet Paulos Khashab is a third generation American of Anglo/Mexican descent. Her father was born in San Antonio, Texas but grew up in Dallas. He married her English mother while serving in World War II in England where Janet was born. After a brief family reunion in Dallas, Janet and her parents spent five years where her father worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Mexico as an interpreter. Her family returned to the Dallas area before she was seven but her Spanish language skills did not survive the transplant causing her to relearn them as an adult. Janet graduated from Garland High School and then from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor’s degree in History. She taught English as a Foreign Language to university students for eight years and then worked at various university libraries as a research assistant for thirteen years before taking an early retirement. She has been tracing her Hispanic and English roots since 1998 and received her accreditation from the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists® in Mexican research in 2009. She was President of the Dallas Genealogical Society 2010-2011 and had previously served two years as Vice President for Education in the same organization. She also served four years as secretary of HOGAR de Dallas (Hispanic Organization for Genealogy and Research).
September 8, 2011 "Genealogy 1 (Introduction)" by Tom Crowe

Tom Crowe is an amateur genealogist with approximately 30 years experience, he is also a speaker with a series of Genealogy sessions that he's presented to over a dozen general public groups including the Eastfield Seniorfest, Sons of the American Revolution, as well as many teacher retiree meetings.
June-August, 2011 Summer break, no meetings
May 12, 2011 Genealogy workshop. Bring all the questions you've been needing to ask.
April 14, 2011 "Finding Your Revolutionary War Ancestor" by Don Raney

Donald Raney is a sixth generation Texan who has been an active genealogist for over 30 years. He has been a frequent speaker at many genealogical society meetings in East Texas, Houston and the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. On the national level, Mr. Raney has presented sessions at GENTECH, Federation of Genealogical Societies, Angelina College Genealogy Conference and The Genealogical Institute of Texas. He is a life member of the San Jacinto Descendants and past director of GENTECH and the Dallas Genealogical Society’s Computer Interest Group. A registered professional engineer, Mr. Raney graduated from SMU with a BS in Civil Engineering and completed a long professional career with Lone Star Gas Company before retiring in 1997 as Chief Engineer. He is currently teaching Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced Genealogy courses in at Richland College.
Don published the book "Martin Varner, Texas Pioneer; 1785-1844"in September 2009. This book describes the life and adventures of his GGG Grandfather, Martin Varner, in Colonial Texas.

March 10, 2011 "Organizing your Tons of Documents" by Barbara Lancaster Tsirigotis

Born and reared in East Texas, Barb grew up surrounded by three generations of family members.  She was exposed to the stories of her grandparents and their siblings coming to Texas in a covered wagon, moving from county to county, the heavy rains that caused the caisson bearing her great grandfather to get stuck in mud at the cemetery, great uncle John who killed his brother, and cousins Karl and Hugh Farr who played with the Sons of the Pioneers.  In 1985, a friend introduced her to genealogy; and, it quickly became her passion. Since that time she has helped friends and extended family look into their family history.  As a learning experience, she took on these challenges for a son-in-law who wanted to know if he had any Confederate soldiers in his family; for a family friend who had no idea where her late husband and his family originally came from; and, for a cousin who thought his late brother was illegitimate, he was.

Barb has combed through and published the old records of the Delta County Courthouse.  In addition she has published two books on her own families (Bishop & Lancaster) and a historical abstract of Hunt County land records.  

She enjoys traveling and takes along her research notes whenever she leaves home, stating, You never know when you might come across a library or cemetery. Cemeteries are one of her favorite places to research.  Barb has compiled rules, tips and clues on researching in cemeteries and is ready to share them with other researchers.

Memberships
Irving Genealogical Society
               United Daughters of the Confederacy
Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society
   Texas State Genealogical Society
Wayne County TN Historical Society
     Fannin County TX Genealogical Society
February 10, 2011 "Funeral Practices in 18th and 19th Century America" by Carol Taylor

Carol is active in the Hunt County Historical Commission where she served as chairman for twelve years and led the 150th Anniversary Celebration for the creation of Hunt County.  She is Manager of the Northeast Texas History and Genealogy Center at the W. Walworth Harrison Public Library in Greenville.  She is a member of the Texas State Genealogical Society and the Association of Professional Genealogists.  Carol completed the NGS American Genealogy, A Basic Course.  She has attended two national genealogical conferences and several week-long sessions of the Institute of Genealogical Studies twice.
January 13, 2011 Genealogy workshop, member Candy Petersen providing mini workshop on research and documentation tips.
We will also have idea discussions regarding future workshops and the possibility of having future meetings at the Rockwall library.
   
December, 2010 Holiday Break, no meeting
November 11, 2010 "The Huguenots" by Lloyd Bockstruck

Our annual visit by retired Dallas Central Library Genealogy Section's Lloyd Bockstruck.
October 14, 2010 Meeting canceled due to member/speaker scheduling conflicts
September 9, 2010 "Research in the Texas Land Records" by Don Raney

Don Raney has been an active genealogist for over 25 years. He has been a frequent speaker at many genealogical society meetings in East Texas, Houston and the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. On the national level, Mr. Raney has presented sessions at GENTECH, Federation of Genealogical Societies, and the Genealogical Institute of Texas. He is currently teaching Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced Genealogy courses at Richland College.
August 12, 2010 Genealogy workshop, member Nancy Freitas has provided a story to share on the Zollner Hobo Ranch, with a show and tell handmade table using parts of the barn from the ranch.
July 8, 2010 Bad weather, meeting canceled
June 10, 2010 "Portal to Texas History" by Tara Carlisle

Tara Carlisle is project development librarian in the Digital Projects Unit at UNT and is responsible for coordinating digitization projects for the Portal to Texas History.

May 13, 2010 "Unlocking the Pre-1850 Census" by Carol Taylor

Carol is active in the Hunt County Historical Commission where she served as chairman for eleven years and led the 150th Anniversary Celebration for the creation of Hunt County.  She is Manager of the Northeast Texas History and Genealogy Center at the W. Walworth Harrison Public Library in Greenville.  She is a member of the Texas State Genealogical Society and the Association of Professional Genealogists.  Carol completed the NGS American Genealogy, A Basic Course.  She has attended two national genealogical conferences and several week-long sessions of the Institute of Genealogical Studies twice.
April 8, 2010 Meeting canceled due to member/speaker scheduling conflicts
March 11, 2010 Genealogy workshop. Bring all the questions you've been needing to ask.
   
December 2009 - February 2010 Winter break, no meetings
November 12, 2009 "Hereditary Societies" by Lloyd Bockstruck

Our annual visit by retired Dallas Central Library Genealogy Section's Lloyd Bockstruck.
October 8, 2009
Was Grandpa "His Brother's Keeper?" by John Sellers

A study of the Masonic Fraternity and what records may be valuable for genealogists. A short study of the history and development in the United States. Records and their access will be reviewed. Terminology and recognizing symbols of the fraternity will be discussed. Using records for proof of residence and possible death dates will be reviewed.

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John A. Sellers is a fifth generation native to Hopkins County, Texas. He graduated from Texas Tech University, with a degree in advertising/public relations and received his teaching certificate in history from Texas A & M, Commerce.

He has been doing genealogical research since 1985. His favorite area of research is in the courthouse. He has visited courthouses in several southern states and has conducted extensive research in Texas and Louisiana. He is active member of the Hopkins County Genealogical Society and served thirteen years on the executive board and as President, 1997-1998. He was a speaker at the FGS National Conference in 1997 and 2004, and NGS in 1994. He has been the featured speaker for over 50 all day seminars located in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. He was the featured speaker at the DRT Genealogical Conference at the Alamo in 2002 and 2003, and the Louisiana Historical and Genealogical Seminar in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 2007. He has been a faculty member for Angelina College Genealogy Conference, since 1999 in Lufkin and was a featured speaker at Dallas Texas Summer Institute, 2006 John has given several programs at both local and regional conferences. He has completed both Genealogy as a Profession, and Advanced Methodology courses at the Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research, Samford University. John, was a lecturer at the Institute of Genealogical Research, Samford University, 2009 and has been invited to return in 2010. He compiled an addendum to the 1850 Census of Hopkins County. John is currently serving as 1st Vice President of the Hopkins County Genealogical Society .

He is an AVP- Director of Marketing with City National Bank of Sulphur Springs.
September 10, 2009 Meeting in the Rockwall County Library Genealogy room, getting better acquainted with our library resources.
August 13, 2009 Genealogical Workshop, bring your hard to figure out issues and we'll put the collective heads together and try to get you on track.
July 9, 2009

"War of 1812 Records and Resources" by Marynell Bryant

Marynell is a professional researcher & lecturer, Editor and publisher of a family surname publication, Rainey Times, for 22 years, Administrator for the national Rainey/Raney DNA Surname project, President of Texas State Genealogical Society, third term, Librarian for Hopkins County Genealogical Society Research Library, Past President of the Hopkins County Genealogical Society, 3 years, Member of Daughters of the American Revolution, Daughters of the Republic of Texas, United States Daughters of 1812, Daughters of American Colonists, Colonial Dames of the 17th Century, United Daughters of the Confederacy

June 11, 2009

"Interlibrary Loan Resources for Genealogists" by Judy Knight

Learn how to take advantage of little known resources, and what is available beyond the normal interlibrary loan program.

May 14, 2009 "Using Libraries Online" by Tami Glatz

Finding Hidden Treasure in Online Library Websites.

Tami brings her excitement and infectious enthusiasm for genealogical research to all her lectures. Her presentations are based on sound genealogical standards and principles, as set forth by both BCG and APG. Covering much, much more than the usual suspects (ie,Ancestry, Rootsweb, FamilySearch), if its out there on the internet, she will show you ways to find it.
April 9, 2009 "Reconstruction Texas" by Carol Taylor

Reconstruction Texas and what our ancestors went through during that time in North Texas
which made that time period so difficult for everyone.  It was a time of horror for everyone concerned. Covers the period from the spring of 1865 until the summer of 1869, focusing on Cullen Montgomery Baker, Ben Bickerstaff and Bob Lee.

Carol is active in the Hunt County Historical Commission where she served as chairman for ten years and led the 150th Anniversary Celebration for the creation of Hunt County.  She is Manager of the Northeast Texas History and Genealogy Center at the W. Walworth Harrison Public Library in Greenville.  She is a member of the Texas State Genealogical Society and the Association of Professional Genealogists.  Carol completed the NGS American Genealogy, A Basic Course.  She has attended two national genealogical conferences and several week-long sessions of the Institute of Genealogical Studies twice.

March 12, 2009 "footnote.com, A complete presentation of this excellent genealogical resource site" by Judy Knight

North Texas area genealogical speaker and teacher with over 30 years experience researching family history.

Teacher of Genealogy at Tarrant Community College, Southeast Campus
President of Historic W.V.S. Allen Cemetery Association
Past President of Mid Cities Genealogical Society in Euless, Texas
Past District 11 Representative of Texas State Genealogical Society

   
December 2008 - February 2009 Winter Break, no meeting.
November 13, 2008

"Researching Tax Records" by Lloyd Bockstruck

Our annual visit by Lloyd Bockstruck. Lloyd has been with the Dallas (TX) Public Library since 1973 and currently serves as the Supervisor of the Genealogy Section. From 1969 to 1971 he served in the Missionary Journeyman Program of the Southern Baptist Convention with assignment to the Baptist Mission of East Africa where he served as teacher and librarian in the Mombassa (Kenya) Baptist High School. He has been on the faculty of IGHR since 1974 and was the first recipient of the Institute's Outstanding Alumni Award.

Mr. Bockstruck is the author of many books including 'Bounty and Donation Land Grants in British Colonial America'; 'Denizations and Naturalizations in the British Colonies in America, 1607-1775'; 'Naval Pensioners of the United States, 1800-1851'; 'Virginia's Colonial Soldiers; Genealogical Research in Texas; Revolutionary War Bounty Land Grants Awarded by State Governments'; and most recently 'Revolutionary War Pensions, Awarded by State Governments 1775-1874, the General and Federal Governments Prior to 1814, and by Private Acts of Congress to 1905.' Lloyd also wrote the 'Family Tree' weekly newspaper columns for the Dallas Morning News from 1991 to 1996, and has been a contributing staff writer for Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter for several years. In 1982 the National Genealogy Society recognized him with its Award of Merit, and was named a Fellow of the society in 1993. In 1989 the Daughters of the American Revolution gave him the History Award. In 1999 he was named the first recipient of the "Filby Prize for Genealogical Librarianship" offered by Scholarly Resources and the National Genealogical Society. In 2003 Mr. Bockstruck was recognized by the North East Texas Library System with the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2004 he was named an Honorary Member of the Hereditary Society Community. Active in numerous hereditary organizations, he has been the Librarian General of the National Society, Sons of the American Revolution; and the Registrar of both the Order of Americans of Armorial Ancestry and the Order of Founders and Patriots of America. A sought-after public speaker on a number of topics, Mr. Bockstruck is widely recognized as one of the nations leading authorities in regards to genealogical research on the American Revolution.

October 9, 2008 "Cemetery Research" by Barbara Tsirigotis
 
 You may know where your ancestors are buried, but there are far more clues in a cemetery than names on a tombstone.  Clues can be found in those buried nearby, in the material the tombstone is made of, and its artwork.

Barbara is a native Texan, she began researching her family history in the late 1980s.  As the years past, she became more & more passionate about her research, and focused on cemetery research. She learned that burial practices have changed over time and that much can be learned from a grave site, the grave stone, stone carvings, position of the grave and more. It is these hidden clues that bring out the Sherlock Holmes in genealogy researchers
September 11, 2008 First familiarization visit to the brand new Rockwall library, we will have a short meeting from 7:00pm-8:00pm in the genealogy room.
August 14, 2008 Genealogy workshop. Bring all the questions you've been needing to ask.
July 10, 2008 "PERILS, PARADOXES AND PITFALLS IN PROBATE RECORDS"  by   GLENN KINKADE
 
Probate records can be the most valuable records a genealogist can find: however, they can also be misunderstood, scattered in several places, and confusing.  This presentation will cover the probate process from the colonial period to the mid-19th century.  Participants will learn techniques in locating, reading, understanding and analyzing probate records.  Examples of unusual, humorous and misleading wills will be reviewed.
 
Glenn Kinkade is an experienced genealogical researcher, lecturer, author, and college instructor.  He graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Wichita State University.  After serving as an officer in the United States Air Force, he joined IBM in 1960 in Kansas City. Mo. In 1990 he retired from IBM in Dallas, Texas.  Since his retirement he has been an active volunteer in several community organizations.  His hobbies include travel, photography, and genealogy.  Glenn and his wife Ann live in Dallas land have two married sons.

June 12, 2008

"Was Your Grandmother a Relict?" by Barbara Wylie

What Do Those Old Words Mean?  If your ancestor had a "good sister," were his other sisters bad? How could a woman have a father-in-law if she never married? Some terms describing kinship, legal status and occupations don't mean now what they meant then.

 

Project (currently on hold until such time we have enough volunteers to assist)

Pioneer's of Rockwall Book

This project was meant to be a published book of the names and stories of individuals obtained from the Pioneer Certificates project that began in the mid 2000's. These are Pioneers that created Rockwall County from 1900 and prior. RCGS member Mary Keene was heading this project but upon her passing the project was put on hold. We have many stories that were submitted but need a new individual to carry on the torch and make this book a reality. If interested please email jeff @txlowe.net <-(remove space when emailing)

 

Events

In the news! Rockwall's "Blue Ribbon News"

Local resident Erin Neill named Pioneer of Rockwall County