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.
Advocacy on Capitol Hill: April 9
The Records Preservation and Access Coalition will sponsor its annual Family History Hill Day on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, April 9. Attendees will meet members of Congress and their staff and advocate for support of the National Archives and Records Administration. Register HERE for advocacy training (provided virtually) and to attend the in-person visit to Capitol Hill. RPAC is sponsored by the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Society and the National Genealogical Society.
Sharing our Research Experiences Pot Luck Lunch
Twenty MoCo Gen Soc members and their significant others met in January to share their research over the last year including new tools and techniques and successes with traditional local resaerch A great opportunity to share both genealogy and food, a fantastic combination! A great time was had by all!
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.
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.
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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May 28
7:30 pm to 9:00 pm Organizing Genealogical Research for Today and Tomorrow by Christina Lyons and Lorraine Minor
One of the most difficult aspects of genealogical research is creating an organizational plan that allows for keeping track of research performed, documents retrieved, ...
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June 14
4:00 pm to 7:00 pm Genealogical Society Potluck Picnic
Join fellow genealogists for a pot luck get together on Saturday, June 14th from 4-7pm at the home of one of our members in Gaithersburg. ...
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