Augusta hosts genealogy symposium next month

AJC file photo

AJC file photo

Thomas W. Jones, a nationally known lecturer and author, will be the speaker for next month’s Genealogical Symposium and Workshop in Augusta.

The event, hosted by the Augusta Genealogical Society, takes place August 10 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., with check-in at 8 a.m., at the First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, 3500 Walton Way Extension. The registration fee is $50 for members and $55 for nonmembers, if postmarked before July 26. It’ll cost an additional if postmarked later. In addition to the lectures, the fee includes snacks, lunch and a printed syllabus. Checks, made out to the Augusta Genealogical Society, should be mailed to AGS Annual Genealogical Symposium, P.O. Box 3743, Augusta, Ga., 30914-3743.

Jones will present four lectures:

  • "Can a Complex Research Problem be Solved Solely Online?"
  • "Follow-up: What Can be Learned Offline about a Case Solved Online?"
  • "Systematically Using Autosomal DNA Test Results to Help Break Through Genealogical Brick Walls"
  • "Converting a Bunch of Information into a Credible Conclusion"

For more on the society, and the library’s new location, go to augustagensociety.org.

Tracing Irish roots

John Grenham’s “Tracing Your Irish Ancestors,” first published in 1991, has been updated in a 5th edition. This new edition has been expanded in many ways. Besides traditional sources, he includes a section on numerous online sources devoted to Ireland, and a bit on DNA.

Nearly 700 pages, the book is well worth having for anyone seriously trying to unravel Irish heritage. He is the expert and can guide you in the right direction, depending on what you know to start with. Published by the Genealogical Publishing Company of Baltimore, it is available for $49.95 plus postage at genealogical.com or call 800-296-6687. See catalog for many other titles.

Coffee County newspaper gleanings

Elizabeth Evans Kilbourne continues the work of her late father Tad Evans with more newspaper abstracts for Georgia counties. The full list of what the Evans family has contributed to Georgia’s research sources is long. But, if you go to the Georgia Archives, Macon’s Washington Memorial Library’s Genealogy Room, or other libraries, you’ll realize the impact of their work. The publication of many volumes was supported by the R.J. Taylor Jr. Foundation, Georgia’s great genealogical treasure. The two latest volumes are “Coffee County, Georgia, Newspaper Clippings, Vol. IV, 1908” and Volume V, for 1909. To order these or see the other volumes available, go to georgiagenealogy.net.