The Georgia Genealogical Society’s December 5 educational lecture has a holiday theme.
The talk, by Georgia Archives Education Specialist Penelope Cliff, is entitled, “God Bless Us Every One: How Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol Influenced Our Christmas Traditions.” This will be a Zoom virtual meeting, from 10:45 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.
Cliff, a native of England, will discuss how Dickens’ work, published in 1843, revived the Christmas traditions of gift giving and family gatherings, and influenced which foods are now associated with the holidays. The lecture begins with a check-in and a business meeting. The lecture starts at 11:15 a.m. for session one, breaking for lunch, and the second session is at 12:45 p.m. The cost is $10 for GGS members and nonmembers. If you register via PayPal, the deadline is midnight December 2. Go to gagensociety.org to sign up for the Zoom link. Email is required. This interesting talk will show the impact Dickens has not only on us, but had on our ancestors.
Fire Department subject of Lunch and Learn
The Georgia Archives virtual Lunch and Learn lecture for December 11 will feature Joseph Tolbert, deputy chief of the Atlanta Fire Department, speaking on “A Brief History of the Atlanta Fire Department.” The free talk is at noon. Sign up via the Georgia Archives website georgiaarchives.org. Records kept by fire departments can, depending on the city, offer interesting research sources and photographs of firefighters through the years.
Mexico Genealogy Research
“Mexico Genealogy Research,” by Debbie Gurtler, is the latest in the “Genealogy at a Glance” series by the Genealogical Publishing Company. Since little exists about researching in Mexico, this could be useful to those with roots there. She covers naming patterns, civil registration, Catholic parish records and websites, census, immigration and language aids. Websites include FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com and others. To order, go to genealogical.com or call 800-296-6687.
Contact Kenneth H. Thomas Jr., P.O. Box 901, Decatur, Ga., 30031 or kenthomasongenealogy.com.
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