J. Mark Lowe, noted lecturer on genealogy research in the South, will be the speaker for the Augusta Genealogical Society’s annual Homecoming Seminar next month.
The theme of his Sept. 9 talk will be “Research: the Tie that Binds,” and his four topics are: “The Migration Triangle: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee”; “Out on a Limb: Trapped by Bad Research”; “Land Barons or Dirt Farmers: Finding Land Transactions”; and “Dower, Dowry and Detinue: Women and their Men’s Property.” Registration will be from 8-8:45 a.m., with Lowe speaking from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
The event will be held at the Wesley United Methodist Church, 825 N. Belair Road in Evans, Ga. Cost, which includes lunch and a syllabus, is $40 for AGS members and $45 for nonmembers before September 2. Afterward, the price goes up $5 per category. Send checks to the Augusta Genealogical Society, c/o AGS Homecoming, P.O. Box 3743, Augusta, Ga., 30914-3743. For further information, check augustagensociety.org or call 706-722-4073. This event will be a great chance to hear a nationally known speaker. If you can make it, it should not be missed.
101 free genealogy websites
In Family Tree Magazine’s September 2017 issue, on newsstands now, is the annual listing of 101 free genealogy websites. It’s worth using to discover some new sources that you may have know about. Some that look new to the list: the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court in Chicago (cookcountyclerkofcourt.org/NR), with 500,000 naturalization petitions therein. Meyers Gazetteer of German places names (meyersgaz.org), which lists every place name in the German Empire from 1871 to 1918; and Low Country Africana (lowcountryafricana.net), which includes records from the low country coast of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. At the magazine’s website (familytreemagazine.com) there are links to all 101 websites.
Poor schools
In Georgia records, we often learn that our ancestors attended a local, county-supported poor school. Professor Dan Knight has provided this explanation: “The teachers were paid from the county Poor Schools Fund. These schools should not, in any way, be regarded in a detrimental way. All children of age were eligible and attended these schools, except those of wealthy parents who could afford private tutors. A small tax was used by the county that was derived from the poll tax. This fund was administered by the Clerk of the Inferior Court.” Surviving lists of students who attended these schools can be found in the county records.
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