‘Georgia Days’ honor state’s founders

This week, the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah will hold the “Georgia Days” celebration in honor of the founding of the colony of Georgia on Feb. 12, 1733, when James Edward Oglethorpe and a hardy band of immigrants landed at what is now Savannah.

A few families that descend from those on that original boat still have the surname of their ancestors, notably the Jones family, whose home site was Wormsloe, and the Milledge family, one of whose descendants was governor.

This year’s Georgia Days has as its honoree Savannah native Johnny Mercer (1909-1976), the noted songwriter. A collection of his papers and music can be found in Atlanta at the Special Collections Division of the Georgia State University Library.

One of the new programs of GHS at this annual celebration is to induct new “Georgia Trustees” to honor those men who served on the original board of trustees in London during the colony’s early decades. This year, in conjunction with the office of the governor, they have announced new trustees, Bernard Marcus of Atlanta, and the late Marguerite Neel Williams of Thomasville.

For further information, times and dates of the Georgia Days activities, see the society’s Web site, www.georgiahistory.com.

Obituaries on request

If you are searching an unusual surname and want to find out if anyone who dies anywhere in the U.S. either has that name or is related to someone with that name, you might consider subscribing to “ObitMessenger” a service of Legacy.com.

You can get a free, 30-day trial subscription, or go for an annual subscription by registering for the various areas of interest. It could help you find some missing kinfolks. See the Web site www.legacy.com and then go to “explore” and then to ObitMessenger.

Killed in the line of duty

An article in the February 2009 issue of Family Chronicle magazine covers the early history of law enforcement in the United States, including the U.S. Marshal’s service, the first law enforcement officers authorized by the government.

The first to die in service was Georgia’s own Robert Forsyth of Augusta, honored recently by a Georgia Historical Society marker.

The roll call of honor at www.usmarshals.gov/history/roll_call.htm lists more than 200 who died but does not say much about them. The Officer Down Memorial Page at www.odmp.org lists the names of more than 19,000 U.S. local, state, tribal, federal and others in law enforcement who died in the line of duty since the 1790s. You can search by various ways, including by state and county, to see who is listed.

Remember to check by city and county, as well as by state agencies, as many have separate forces. Most have biographical information and can be added to.

The article also includes information on London’s police forces and on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The magazine can be found at chain bookstores or at www.familychronicle.com.

Address correction

The metro Atlanta chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, mentioned recently, has a new P.O. box. The new address is AAHGS, P.O. Box 54131, Atlanta, GA 30308.

Contact Kenneth H. Thomas Jr. at P.O. Box 901, Decatur, GA 30031, or the Web site www.gagensociety.org