Welcome!
The Montgomery County Genealogical Society in Maryland is a venue for individuals to share their interests and projects and to learn new techniques. The society meets the fourth Wednesday of the month (except November when we meet the third Wednesday due to Thanksgiving) from 7:30-9:00 p.m., September-November and January-May. All meetings are virtual and some are held in-person as well. New members are welcome. Read HERE for details.
Yikes! WHAT DO I DO WITH ALL THE STUFF?
The Montgomery County Genealogical Society will present a workshop on how to use the FamilySearch Center's scanners on Saturday, December 7, from 1-3 p.m.. The scanners are available for free for individuals to digitize their photos and other memorabilia. Workshop participants will learn how to scan papers, books, photos, slides, and negatives. Patty Hankins, Susan Wilbur, and Mary Ossi will lead the workshop at the FamilySearch Center at 10000 Stoneybrook Drive in Kensington, Maryland. Registration is required. If your are interested, send an email to events@mocogensoc.org.
New: Members Listserv
The executive board has launchied a new Listserv for all dues-paying members of the Montgomery County Genealogical Society. Be on the lookout for an invite, to which you must respond in order to send and receive messages. This is an opportunity to receive regular updates about our programming as well as other upcoming genealogy-related events and activities. This platform has replaced the Gleanings. Members can also post information, pose questions, or seek advice from other members in the group about genealogy. Please remember to treat everyone kindly during discussions (they will be moderated) and refrain from selling business services. NOTE: If you would like to be on the ListServ but are not a member, please consider joining by clicking on the button "Online Join" at the left. If you are a member and have not received an invitation to join the list serve, please message guest@mocogensoc.org.
NGS Family History Competition Deadline: December 15, 2024
Members of the National Genealogical Society can enter a written family history into a contest if it covers three to four generations, has not been previously published, is between 4,000 and 10,000 words, and includes citations. The deadline is December 15, 2024. Click here for more details.
Directions for Accessing Maryland Vital Records
For several months Maryland vital records have been available at Internet Archive courtesy of Reclaim the Records. Finding the record for a specific person requires interfacing with vital record information at the Maryland State Archives and is not an easy process. Detailed directions for accessing Maryland birth, death and marriage records are now available HERE for download.
Mutual Fire Insurance Records Online
Montgomery History has released a collection of policy documents from the Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Montgomery County that date from 1849-1900. More than 3,300 documents representing 1,408 policyholders are available online. The policies describe properties throughout the county, as well as some properties in Anne Arundel, Howard, Talbot, Washington, Carroll Charles, Baltimore, and Queen Anne’s counties and Washington, D.C.
County School Documents Online
Policy documents of the Board of County Commissioners on black and white schoolhouse buildings between 1887 and 1913 are available via Montgomery History. The documents, which include physical and geographical descriptions of the schools, are digitized and can be searched.
More Maryland Vital Records Available
Reclaim the Records, a not-for-profit activist group, has obtained Maryland birth, marriage, death and naturalization records. Indexes and digital images of vital records are available. The date ranges of available records vary. Birth certificates between 1898 and 1922, marriage certificates from 1914 to 2007 (with length gaps) and death certificates from 1898 to 2012. The date ranges for Baltimore records differ. The last year of availability for bith and death records is based upon the one-hundred-year limit for access, so later years will become available in the future. For more information and to search the records, go HERE.
Discussion Groups
The Board of Directors would like to know if members are interested in any of the following discussion groups:
DNA discussion group. The FamilySearch Center already has two DNA special interest groups and this discussion group is not meant to replace either of them. Some members have said that they have found even the beginning group to be intimidating. The purpose of the MoCo group is to allow a place for people to informally discuss general DNA questions and specific questions about their matches. The group may be able to resolve the problem or may suggest bringing it to one of the FamilySearch SIGs.
AI discussion group. The National Genealogical Society is already offering courses on using AI in genealogy and Legacy Family Tree Webinars has a whole series scheduled for 2024. Like the DNA group, the AI group will informally discuss ways to use AI tools and learn from each other.
Writing discussion group. We all probably hope to write “the book,” or at least find an interesting way to share all of our research with family and others. This group will share ideas about how best to approach a narrative, various ways to display ancestry information, repositories for written materials, and more. The group also will be designed to help one another brainstorm each individual’s project and to help them find the scope, theme, and visual/design elements.
Interested in participating in one or more of the discussions described above?
Please let us know by sending an email with your name and specific interest to events@mocogensoc.org.
Research Resources
Members of the MCGS board have been compiling a list of resources to help anyone exploring their ancestry. Available under the tab "Research Resources" on the left, a new page includes profiles of early settlers in Montgomery County. We will continue to expand this list of biographies over time. Have something to add? Please let us know at info@mocogensoc.org.
Program Planning
The board of directors for the Montgomery County Genealogical Society is always brainstorming ideas for the coming year, and are lining up speakers. Have an idea for a topic, event, or speaker? Please message us at info@mocogensoc.org.
Library is Open
The Jane C. Sween Research Library and Special Collections in Rockville is open and scheduling research appointments.
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November 20
7:30 pm to 9:00 pm WW2 Research using Newspapers: Tips, Methods, & Strategies by KB Barcomb
Newspapers are a tremendous resource for discovering details about someone’s WW2 service. This program discusses effective search terms; the use of genealogical research methods ...
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