Montgomery County Genealogical Society

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. New members are welcome. Read HERE for details.
 
Come Gather in Person!
Our first hybrid meeting (in person and Zoom) will be held April 24, when Carol Petranek, assistant director of the Family History Center in Washington, D.C., presents an update on the newest features of the website FamilySearch. Participants are welcome to attend the meeting, 7:30 to 9 p.m., at the FamilySearch Center at 10000 Stoneybrook Drive in Kensington, Maryland.
Can’t attend in person? You may still enjoy the program via Zoom. See details HERE.
 
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.
 

April 24
7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
What’s New At FamilySearch by Carol Kostakos Petranek
FamilySearch is the world’s largest free website for genealogy records and hosts the FamilySearch Family Tree—the world’s largest collaborative tree. FamilySearch works with partners ...

May 22
7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
The Many Maps of Google by Susan VH Fabian
In this presentation, we will explore several of the features of Google Maps, take an overview of Google Earth, and learn how to use Google My Maps ...