May 2017 Volume 23 Issue 05

View this newsletter in yourbrowser

Next Meeting May 23 2017 Have You Found the Schatz in YourFamily Tree by Cindy Foreman andBeverly Herring

The process of seeking and finding a ldquoSchatzrdquo in yourgenealogy research can be both very rewarding andfrustrating at the same time This presentation willprovide two different paths on how to narrow yourresearch and focus on what you can find versus whatyou cannot find doing remote research Speakers Cindy Foreman amp Beverly Herring

Cindy Foreman

Cindy Foreman grew up in Michigan but moved to StPaul Minnesota in 1974 where she attained her BSdegree from the College of St Thomas in St Paul inHistory Education She moved to Texas and in 2003 shewas approved to be a Daughters of the AmericanRevolution (DAR) member She was President of theAustin Genealogy Society 2008shy2010 and VicePresident of the West Virginia Genealogical Society

Whats in the Maynewsletter Welcome new members Spring Survey Update From the Presidents Corner Time to Renew Upcoming Events AGS Contributes to AustinTejano Society TSBS Elects Mary Todd AGS Volunteers shy Can YouHelp Us Resources on the AGSWebsite CAR National Project April Meeting Recap Ahem Book Sale in August Meeting AGS Education Instructors AGS on Facebook AGS DNA SIG AGS Writing SIG AGS British Isle SIG 2017 AGS Calendar 2017 AGS Class Schedule Local Genealogy Meetings 2017 Board of Directors 2017 Officers Ethnicity Estimates

Clean out yourbookshelves We are planning a book salefor the August meetingMembers can donate books tobe sold at the meeting withproceeds going to the SocietyThere will be a table for thebooks priced modestly at $1to $5 for genealogy or history

(WVGS) 2011shy2015 She has been actively researchingher ancestors for the last 20 years and in 2014 shespoke at the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS)Conference in San Antonio Currently she and BeverlyHerring lead the Interactive Genealogy Group (IGG) aspecial interest group for genealogy

Beverly Herring

Beverly Herring was born in Baytown Texas has livedin Texas her entire life and couldnrsquot think of any otherplace to live other than Maui Hawaii She has spent over32 years in the real estate industry as both a realtor andloan officer Her interest in genealogy began 10 yearsago when she joined the Wimberley genealogy groupShe served as Treasurer of that group 2013 ndash 2015 andtaught beginner classes for 3 years In July 2015 sheand Cindy Foreman began the Interactive GenealogyGroup (IGG) which meets in various libraries andorfacilities in the central Texas area doing interactivepresentations and beginner genealogy classes

Social Time 630 pm Program 700 pm Highland Park Baptist Church

5206 Balcones Austin TX 78731

Welcome New Members Susan Fenner Becky Konen

Carolyn Riojas amp Lisa Toth Salinas

books that you no longer wishto keep Any left over bookswill be donated to a local thriftstore or used book storeunless you request we returnthem For questions contactnewsletteraustintxgensocorg

AGS 2017 QUARTERLY VOL 2 DEADLINE MAY 21 Click here for submission

guidelines

AGS EducationInstructors If you are interested inteaching or assisting with agenealogy related class eitherat a public library or for thenext session of LLI (LifetimeLearning Institute) pleasecontact Cari Taplin ateducationaustintxgensocorg

AGS on FaceBook AustinGenealogicalSociety shyPosts on this site includeinformation about the AGSmonthly programs the annualAGS Seminar and AGSclasses Austin Genealogical SocietyMembers Helping Members(private group) shy Posts on thissite include genealogyshyrelated topics such aswebinars websites andclasses not sponsored byAGS Members of the groupmay request help with anyparticular issue they areexperiencing with their ownresearch Austin Genealogical Society

Update on our Spring 2017 Membersurvey by AGS Member Nan Kilkeary Wow 92 members replied to our request for feedbackand insightThats practically unheard of in the surveyworld and is a testament to your involvement Well be reporting in more detail at the May meeting buthere briefly is what you said Families generate genealogists Most of you hadgenealogists in your family or became curious aboutyour family stories and got into genealogy You are much more interested in genealogy than inTexas genealogy Our board members said of course since so many genealogists had moved to Austin forAustin and not for Texas ancestors You want to know more about how to use Austin andTexas resources Most of our members are approaching intermediatestatus are intermediate or are somewhere betweenintermediate and advanced You come to meetings for the education You would liketo socialize more The meeting location the nighttime schedule driving atnight and driving on Austin expressways are problematicfor many members and inhibit their ability to attendmeetings You gave us a lot of ideas More research trips to distantarchives are at the top of your want list If this brief list shakes something loose in your head youwant to share email me (My email is in the membershipdirectory)

From the Presidents Corner

Writing SIG (private group) shyAGS Members interested inwriting a personal or familyhistory are encouraged to jointhis Facebook group andattend the monthly meetings(see below for details) ldquoLikingrdquo our pages helpsget the message out to morepeople on Facebook Pleaselike posts when you seethem to help market ourSociety

CHECK OUT OURCALENDAR

The latest schedule for AGSevents is always available on

the website here

AGS DNA SIG First Tuesday ofevery month Next meetingJune 6th 630 ndash 830 PM PokshyEshyJoes 2121 Parmer Lane Austin TX78727 Three blocks east of Mopacon Parmer Lane Meetings will be based on thebook Genetic Genealogy inPractice by Blaine T Bettingerand Debbie Parker WayneThe June meeting will focuson chapter 4 The book is available fromAmazon for $36 paperback or$999 for the Kindle edition Ifyou are a member of NGS itis available for $3006 or

Anne Mamiya AGS President presidentaustintxgensocorg We had an awesome seminar with Thomas Jones lastmonth I personally want to thank Dianne Holley for doinga tremendous job coordinating this event I also want tothank all the volunteers who assisted her in making itsuch a success An event like this does not happen byitself I witnessed many dedicated and hardshyworkingmembers pull together where needed and with a smile ontheir face while doing it What great members we have Nan Kilkeary has been working hard on the membershipsurvey she sent out in March and April You will find herinitial results in an article in this months newsletterThank you to all of you who took time to send in yourfeedback As always donrsquot forget to check out the calendar ofevents on our homepage wwwaustintxgensocorg That iswhere yoursquoll find information about our meetings SIGsand classes I hope to see you at our May meeting

Itrsquos time to renew if you havenrsquot If you (or someone you know) hasnrsquot renewed your AGSmembership for 2017 we miss you and we want you tobe part of the group Where else can you get all the genealogy help andhistory along with likeshyminded associates who think yourfamily search is fascinating Wersquove just had two wonderful workshops and a wholeday of inspiration from Thomas Jones renowned

$3606 for nonshymembers Everyone interested in DNAfor genealogy is welcome More information

AGS Writing SIG Second Thursday of everymonth shy no meeting inDecember Thursday June 8 630 shy 830pm Mimis Cafe 10515 N MopacExpy Austin TX 78758 (in theArborwalk) The group was formed tosupport members in writingtheir family histories We meetonce a month and havemember discussionspresenters and a place toshare our work and give andreceive critiques Oursuccesses thus far a selfshypublished book several blogentries several memoirs anda regular article published inthe newsletter Come and getinspired with the rest ofus Open to members of AGS More Information

AGS British Isles

genealogy teacher and author of the essential MasteringGenealogy Proof Next yearrsquos seminar speaker is Blaine Bettinger who isprobably the leading authority on using DNA ingenealogy As a special bonus he has a gift for makingthe subject accessible to folks who have just recognizedthat DNA can help them find their families Members geta discount to two days of his expertise Our programs continue to be outstanding Lookingahead wersquoll be focusing a little more on genealogytechniques and a little less on Texas ancestors since somany of our Austinshyarea immigrants love Texas but donrsquothave family connections here Our recent member survey indicated that more researchtrips to prominent archives are at the top of the want listWersquore looking for trip leaders and have started planningMembers only Let us put your name back on the membership rolls Alittle price for a lot of benefits

Upcoming Events and Resources Texas General Land Office

Save Texas History and Get a TshyShirt Throughout the month of May individuals who donate$30 or more will receive a Save Texas History kitincluding a limitedshyedition tshyshirt bearing the phrase ldquoIsaved Texas historyrdquo More Information

AGS British IslesGenealogy SIG AGS British Isles GenealogySpecial Interest Group meetsvia email to exchangeinformation Contact JaneSchwendingerat janescaearthlinknet

AGS 2017Calendar Meetings are held on the 4thTuesday (no meeting inDecember) Networking 630PM Program 700 PM Highland Park BaptistChurch5206 BalconesAustin TX 78731 23shyMay Have You Found theSchatz in Your FamilyTree by Cindy Foreman ampBeverly Herring 27shyJune Forensic GenealogyFinding the Living by KelvinMeyer 25shyJuly Building a FamilyWeb Site by Sandra Crowley 22shyAugust The Importance ofMapping Cemeteries Not JustRecording the Names by DaleFlatt 26shySeptember More thanDaughters Using the DARrsquosGenealogical ResearchSystem (GRS) by AGSMember Teresa Devine 24shyOctober Ive Got My DNAResults But How Do I UseThem by Sara Gredler 28shyNovember Fall Fest TheArchives Wars by JamesHarkins

A new DAR Chapter is forming NOW in WilliamsonCounty Informational Meeting Sunday May 21 2017 at 230 pm in Cedar Park You may be eligible to join the DAR if you believe youhave an ancestor who participated in or contributed tothe Revolutionary War effort or if your mothergrandmother aunt or cousin was a member of the DARIf you believe you are eligible you are cordially invited toan informational meeting We will have members on handto answer any questions you might have Please call oremail Sally Hunt Organizing Regent to reserve your seatand get location information at 512shy868shy5369 orCedarParkDARgmailcom That She May Marry Again Private Laws of Federaland State Government Bastrop Genealogical Society Bastrop Public Library 1100 Church St Bastrop TX78602 Saturday June 10 100 Meeting 200 Program Guests welcome More Information JVFOA (Joseph Vick Family of America) Annual Meeting in Suffolk Virginia June 23 shy 25 In 2006 JVFOA started a DNA project and have tested 50their ancestors Theyve helped find adoptees parentsand corrected errors that had been previously publishedTheyve reached out and tested other Vickrsquos around theworld An important new finding will be highlighted atthe JVFOA annual meeting where the community andVick descendants will be educated on family genealogyand DNA test results More Information

AGS Website Did you forget your login or

password to the Members Only section Problems renewing a

membershipContact webmasteraustintxgensocorg

AGS 2017 ClassSchedule Information about our classesis available here All classesare free Saturday May 20 1030ashyNoon Using Googlersquos MyMaps shyCari A Taplin CG Little Walnut Creek BranchLibrary 835 W Rundberg Ln AustinTX 78758 Registration is required forthis class to insure there areenough handoutsRegistration will open on April20 Did you know you can createyour own maps usingGooglersquos My Maps Many ofus use Google Maps for travelor locating a place My Mapsallows users to create custommaps which makes it afantastic and easyshytoshyuseresearch and analysis toolMaps can be shared withothers making it a great wayto present your research tofamily and friends Thiswebinar will give an overviewof My Maps examples for whyand how it can be useful forgenealogy and will go inshydepth to demonstrate to theaudience exactly how tocreate custom mapsincluding inserting linesshapes images text andmore

38th Annual Texas Hispanic Genealogical and Historical Conference September 28 ndash 30 2017 Crowne Plaza Hotel 6121 North IHshy35 Austin Texas 78752 Celebrate 500 years of Tejano history More Information

AGS Contributes to the Austin TejanoSociety The AGS board at its last meeting approved a $500 grantto the Tejano Genealogy Society of Austin in keepingwith our mission of community outreach The money will belay advance costs for the their hostingof the Texas Tejano societies conference being held herein Austin September 28 to 30 this year All AGS members are invited to attend More Information

State Button Society Elects Austinite (andAGS Member) as New President Austinite and AGS Member Mary Todd is the newlyelected president of Texas State Button Society (TSBS)Before retiring Todd was Director of Public SectorCampaigns for Capital Area United Way and previouslywith the United Way of Tarrant County Her nonshyprofitwork followed a 30shyyear career in the United States AirForce which gave her the opportunity to travel and live invarious parts of the world Todd said ldquoDuring my twoshyyear tenure as TSBSpresident I hope we can increase the visibility of thesociety and of the 10 local clubs throughout Texas We

Monday June 12 1030ashyNoon Using FamilySearchorg shyDianne Holley North Village Branch Library 2505 Steck Ave Austin TX78757 Registration is required forthis class to insure there areenough handoutsRegistration will open on May12 FamilySearchorg ndash itrsquos allabout the records and thisgenealogy site is FREE ndash theworldrsquos largest free genealogywebsite is as close as yourinternetshyconnected computerIn this class you will learn howto begin to use this site tosupport your research Fromfamily trees to census recordsto church and tax records andmuch much more learn howand why this source is agenealogy researcherrsquos bestfriend Saturday July 1 1030ashyNoon Georgia Headrights andBounty Land Grants FromScandal to Settlement shyTeresa Devine North Village Branch Library 2505 Steck Ave Austin TX78757 Registration is required forthis class to insure there areenough handoutsRegistration will open onJune 1 The acquisition and control ofland has played a major rolein American history not onlyon a national level but forstates and individuals as wellOne of the earliest problemsfaced by Georgia was the

wish to inform the public about the joy of collecting theselittle pieces of art of displaying them in a variety of waysof discovering their history and of meeting others whoshare our hobbyrdquo Established in 1971 TSBS encourages and promotescollecting buttons for educational and historical purposesfor personal enjoyment and to preserve for futuregenerations all that is beautiful and historical in buttons

Photo by TSBS member Judye Stewart Burnetrsquos Bluebonnet

Button Clubrsquos Blue Ribbon ldquoInvertebratesrdquo entry Assembled by club

members from their personal collections I inherited hundreds of buttons from my mother HazelWitzel a collector for 70shyplus years I always loved herstories about the collections and was fascinated by theart of button design and manufacture After retiring in 2005 I discovered the Austin ButtonClub and the joy of adding to her collection I joined theclub and later the Texas State Button Society and theNational Button Society Button collecting blends well withanother hobby family history Both involve thoughtfulresearch and exciting discoveriesrdquo she added I amalso a member of the Austin Genealogical Society

inability to attract men whowere willing to settle on theland create homes andproduce crops Georgiapassed its first headright lawin 1777 which was intendedto facilitate the transfer of landownership to individuals toldquostrengthen the staterdquoHowever the headright grantprocess was fraught withproblems and after years ofscandal fraud speculationand political embarrassmentGeorgia passed the LandLottery Act in 1803 Sevenlotteries were held todistribute land from the Creekand Cherokee leavingbehind a genealogically richrecord Saturday September 161030ashyNoon Land Workshop Pt 1 ndashMetes and Bounds shy Cari ATaplin CG North Village Branch Library 2505 Steck Ave Austin TX78757 Registration is required forthis class to insure there areenough handoutsRegistration will open onAugust 16 Have you ever wondered howto draw those landdescriptions from the Metes ampBounds survey system Thissystem was used primarily inthe original thirteen coloniesand so is mostly found whendealing with land in the eastThis workshop will describethe system and then take thestudents through some realexamples teaching them howto draw the land shapes asdescribed in old deeds Saturday September 231030ashyNoon

Active clubs associated with TSBS are in Austin BurnetDallas Fort Worth Houston San Angelo San AntonioTemple Waco and Whitewright For more informationvisit the website texasstatebuttonsocietycom or contactMary Todd President 512shy892shy4265witzeltoddgmailcom

(TSBS photo) TSBS officers Secretary Judye Stewart (Llano)

Treasurer Sadie Jackman (Dallas) Vice President Barbara Hefner

(Llano) President Mary Todd (Austin)

AGS Volunteers shy Can You Help Us By AGS Volunteer Coordinator DebbeTipping dtippingattnet We have many opportunities for our members toparticipate in support of the Society and our events Forthis month letrsquos look at the research trip coordinatorpositions Our recent membership survey noted thatseveral members asked for more research trips Weneed people to volunteer to coordinate these trips Hereis a short description of the two types of trips we havesponsored in the past Within Texas Research trip coordinator(s) 2shy3 month commitment 20 ndash 30 hours over that time Duties We have great research libraries in Texas Wouldyou be interested in coordinating a day research trip toone of them You research the library pick a datesecure board approval advertise to AGS members andhave fun on the trip Long Distance Research trip coordinator(s) 6shy8 month commitment 30 ndash 40 hours over that time Duties We have great research libraries all over the US

Land Workshop Pt 2 ndashRectangular System shy CariA Taplin CG North Village Branch Library 2505 Steck Ave Austin TX78757 Registration is required forthis class to insure there areenough handoutsRegistration will open onAugust 16 Have you ever wondered howto draw those landdescriptions from therectangular survey systemThis system was used in theFederal Land states to surveyand sell the land to privatecitizens This workshop willdescribe the system and thentake the students throughsome real examples teachingthem how to draw the landshapes as described in olddeeds Saturday October 281030ashyNoon DNA for Beginners shyInstructor TBD North Village Branch Library 2505 Steck Ave Austin TX78757 Registration is required forthis class to insure there areenough handoutsRegistration will open onSeptember 28 This class will go over someof the basics needed to getstarted with DNA testing forgenealogical purposes Saturday December 91030ashyNoon How to Teach a GenealogyClass ndash Panel and Workshop North Village Branch Library 2505 Steck Ave Austin TX78757

Would you be interested in coordinating a week longresearch trip to one of them You research the librarypick a date work with the board advertise to AGSmembers and have fun on the trip I put (s) at the end of these positions because it isalways easier when two people work together It takesthe pressure off because you can help each other andcover for each other when life happens There are AGSmembers who have coordinated these trips in the pastand you can be put in contact with them for pointers Ifyou are interested please contact me Debbe Tipping atdtippingattnet or 512shy341shy7932 Please refer to our February Newsletter at this link formore information about the other volunteer opportunities

GreetersMeeting Desk CheckshyInPublications Review Team (proof readers)Newsletter (contributors)Set Up and Clean Up (snack table only)SnacksPublicity Chair(s)Publicity shy Austin Genealogical Society FacebookPage ldquoLikersrdquo and ClickersPublicity ndash Community CalendarsPublicity ndash Community Newsletter Liaison(s)Grant Coordinator(s)Message Board ModeratorsWeb page help(ers) with WordPress

Resources on the AGS Website By AGS Member John Marostica I have recently discovered that not many AGS membersare aware of the research information that can be foundunder the RESOURCES tab on the AGS website Overthe years AGS members have taken the time toresearch and compile historical Travis county and localinformation in order to make it available to everyone onour website The RESOURCES tab provides listings of LocalGenealogy Resources and Other Major Genealogy

Registration is required forthis class to insure there areenough handoutsRegistration will open onNovember 9 This will be a paneldiscussion and workshop foranyone interested in learninghow to teach their owngenealogy class There willbe a short lecture a paneldiscussion with localgenealogical speakers andthen a workshop period tohelp attendees develop theirideas for teaching a class orget tips on public speaking

Do You Have a Brick Wall AGenealogical Question

Feel free to send it in for thenewsletter to newsletteraustintxgensocorg or post itto our Facebook page ldquoAustinGenealogical SocietyMembers helping Membersrdquo

Local GenealogyMeetings andResources Austin Gen SIG meets from100ndash400 pm the secondSaturday of the month at OldQuarry Branch Austin PublicLibrary 7051 Village CenterDr Austin Part of theComputer Club ofAustin Click here for website Austin Legacy Users Groupmeets on the third Saturday ofthe month from 100shy300 pmat the Querencia at BartonCreek 2500 Barton CreekBlvd Austin Click here forwebsite Texas State Library is open

Libraries in Texas where you can find information forAustin and surrounding counties links for major Texaslibraries the German and Czech heritage and even a linkfor free useful genealogy forms Under CEMETERIES you will find the results of extensivework done by AGS members on the Travis CountyCemetery Project a work still in progress You will find analphabetical listing of persons buried in thesecemeteries PIONEERS will get you to a list of 55 or so persons thathave been awarded a Pioneer Certificate To earn acertificate a person must be a direct descendant of anancestor who lived in Travis County on or beforeDecember 31 1880 RECORDS contains so much information that I decidedto list the contents available on the opening page [seebelow] These are Travis county records that have beencompiled by AGS members and represent the countysearliest records Travis County is one of the oldestcounties in Texas created in 1840 and named for WilliamBarrett Travis Every one of these links opens to its ownset of page(s) There is a lot of information here Austin and Travis County Records Vital Records Birth Marriage Death bull Early Travis County Births bull Travis County Marriages 1846shy1882 bull St Maryrsquos Catholic Church Austin Texas MarriageRecords 1853shy1875 bull AGS Travis County Cemeteries bull Oakwood Sexton Records 1859shy1866 bull Travis County Obituaries Census amp Voter lists bull 1850 Texas Census Records bull 1860 Travis County Mortality Schedule bull 1870 Travis County Mortality Schedule bull 1873 Voter Registration List bull 1875 Austin Census bull 1892 Voter Registration List Church bull Baptisms and Burials for St Davidrsquos Episcopal

from 900 amshy400 pm thesecond Saturday of eachmonth1201 Brazos in AustinQuestions concerning SecondSaturdays may be sent hereClick here for website Williamson CountyGenealogical Societymeetings are held the thirdThursday of each month at theRound Rock Public Library216 E Main Street RoundRock Social time at 700 pmwith the meeting at 730 pmClick here for website Austin Public LibraryGenealogical Resources Click here for website

A genealogistrsquosfiling system usuallyincorporates the

floor

Did you know You can change your contactinformation or surnames onyour profile page on ourwebsite Click on theldquomembership accountrdquo buttonat the top right corner afteryoursquove logged in austintxgensocorg

Whats on the AGS Website Have you ever wanted to lookat a handout from a meetingyou attended but just cant findit Never fear shy we post themon the Members Only page ofour website austintxgensocorgmembersshyonlyhandout

2017 AGS Board of

Church Austin Texas Parish Register 1859shy1866 School bull The Texas German and English Academy 1876shy1902 bull Graduates of Austin City Schools Miscellaneous bull Travis County Naturalization Records bull Travis County Poor Farm Ledger bull Austin History Center Newspaper Index July 261871shyDec 21 1877 bull 1872 Austin City Directory bull 1903 Austin Confederate Veterans Lastly is the SURNAME tab This is an alphabetical list ofsurnames submitted by AGS members showing thearea of interest for the search and the name of who islooking for that surname Perhaps someone else islooking for the same surname you are ndash perhaps youcould compare notes and help each otherhellip You are encouraged to make use of this valuableinformation and let others know it is here

CAR Organization Inspires TodaysYouth Submitted by Heidi Slocum Membership Services NSCAR Headquarters Have you heard about the CAR (Children of theAmerican Revolution) CAR is a nonprofit organizationthat was founded in 1895 to instill patriotic values in ourcountryrsquos youth They are a membershydriven organizationwith members from birth to 22 years of age who aredescendants of Revolutionary Patriots CAR strives toteach children about American history public speakingand leadership They have approximately 600 localsocieties nationally and internationally for children to beinvolved with as well as state societies and a nationalsociety For each member position they have a seniorcounterpart to guide the member in leading the directionof their society

2017 AGS Board ofDirectors Terms ending 2017 Marcia Arn Teresa Devine Erin Garcia Jean Marostica Anne Mamiya Cari Taplin Terms ending 2018 James E Bridges Dianne Holley Nan Kilkeary Rob Richardson Jean Shroyer Debbe Tipping

2017 AGS Officers President Anne Mamiya 1st VP Nan Kilkeary 2nd VP Marcia Arn Secretary Debbe Tipping Treasurer Erin Garcia

Got something forthe newsletter Submissions arewelcome shy due thefirst day of themonth for eachsubmissionnewsletter

austintxgensocorg

2016shy2017 National CAR President Connor Jackson Each year they have a National Project This yearrsquosproject led by National President Connor Jackson iscalled Freedomrsquos Thunder with the goal to raise fundsfor the artillery firing station at the American RevolutionMuseum at Yorktown More details on this excitingproject can be found on their websitehttpwwwnscarorgDocumentsNationalProgramProject201617Packetpdf

April Meeting Recap Topic Who Were the Wends Speaker Weldon Mersiovsky PBD

AGS Treasurer Erin Garcia with speaker Weldon Mersiovsky who

Robert Ripleys tombstone shyBelieve it Or Not

Bonus Ethnicity Estimatesin Genealogy Research Our April speaker mentioneduse of ethnicity estimates ingenealogy research Here isa link to a blog written by JudyRussell the LegalGenealogist about ethnicityestimates httpwwwlegalgenealogistcom20170416stillshynotshysoup Judy is a supporter ofDNA use in genealogyresearch She has severalother blog posts about DNAthat you might be interestedin

is wearing a traditional Wendish costume Meeting in Review By AGS Board Member Rob Richardson The AGS monthly meetings are a great way to expandyour genealogical skillshyset while connecting with likeshyminded people The April meeting was a prime exampleof that Speaker Mersiovsky provided AGS attendees witha valuable case study of how genealogy was used as avital tool in the preservation of the culture and tradition ofa group of early Texas immigrants the Wends The presentation showcased exactly how a group ofdedicated people with a passion for genealogy andhistory can work together to preserve the story of theirancestors in this case a people who migrated togethersettled together and worked to sustain their old traditionsin their new Texas home The Wends original home was Lusatia in EasternGermany But the Wends are Slavic not German InGermany the Wends ethnic identity was constantlyunder threat from the dominant German culture As aconsequence they immigrated to Texas beginning in1854 in order to save their faith their language and theirculture Today the Wendish Society continues that goodfight Their museum is located a few miles south ofGiddings in Serbin Texas not too far from the primaryWendish church St Pauls Lutheran The results of theresearch done by Wendish genealogists and historianshave been placed on the website of the WendishResearch Exchange (wwwwendishresearchorg) Thanks to Mr Mersiovsky for a colorful and informativepresentation

Weldon Mersiovsky April Meeting Attendance 51 attendees with 4 visitors Leroy amp Frieda AndersonLori Anderson amp Jim Wukasch Thanks to our volunteers Signshyin table shy Judith Morris Thomas Morris amp JudithWilliamson Set Up shy Shelley Augustin Snacks shy Shelley Augustin Carolyn Cobb Teresa Devineamp Betty Jean Steinke Greeter shy Susan Shaw Clean Up shy Robin Raben

Sign in Table Judith and Thomas Morris (not pictured Judith

Williamson)

Ahem An amusing and somewhat judgmental articlesubmitted by Debbe Tipping She says I found thisarticle on a research trip before I knew how to properlycite newspaper articles It is a second run article I foundit in a Wisconsin newspaper Thanks Debbe

Copyright copy 2017 Austin Genealogical Society All rights reserved

Sign in Table Judith and Thomas Morris (not pictured Judith

Williamson)

Ahem An amusing and somewhat judgmental articlesubmitted by Debbe Tipping She says I found thisarticle on a research trip before I knew how to properlycite newspaper articles It is a second run article I foundit in a Wisconsin newspaper Thanks Debbe

Copyright copy 2017 Austin Genealogical Society All rights reserved

Want to stop receiving these emails Unsubscribe from this list

This email was sent to ltltEmail Addressgtgt why did I get this unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences Austin Genealogical Society middot PO Box 10010 middot Austin TX 78766shy1010 middot USA