RELEASE DATE: MARCH 17, 2019
KINSEARCHING
by
Marleta Childs
P. O. Box 6825
LUBBOCK, TX 79493-6825
[email protected]
The 19th Annual Family History Fair will be held at the Tyler Stake Family History Center in Tyler, Texas, on 13 April 2019. Co-sponsored by the Tyler Stake Family History Center and the East Texas Genealogical Society (ETGS), the meeting will take place from 9:00 a. m. to 4:00 p. m. (Registration will begin at 8:30 a. m.) Keynote speaker will be William D. “Bill” Buckner, manager of the Genealogy Center of the Waco-McLennan County Library. In the morning sessions, he will discuss the use of periodicals and the future of genealogical research. In the afternoon, Andy Leath, Carrie Woolverton, Scott Fitzgerald, and others will present classes on how to build a research timeline; SAR/DAR/DRT/SRT and War of 1812 research; beginning and intermediate research, and other topics. During lunch, a panel of experts will be available for questions. Attendees can order a box lunch for only $10.00.
Registration and box lunch order payments must be received by April 5. Payment may be made via PayPal on www.etgs.org or by check, payable to ETGS and mailed to the society at P. O. Box 6967, Tyler, Texas 75711-6967. For additional data, e-mail Rochell McWhorter at [email protected].
In addition to doing research, getting young people interested in their family history is a goal—one often met by resistance—of many genealogists. After all, someone needs to continue tracing forebears and conserving important places and objects after older relatives are no longer able to do so. The College of Charleston periodically helps to remedy the situation by offering seminar classes in which students learn to evaluate their role in preserving family stories, heritage sites, material objects, and cultural traditions associated with their families while they conduct research on their ancestry. The term papers of several students enrolled in the 2018 spring semester form the nucleus of the book, WHAT IS YOUR HERITAGE AND THE STATE OF ITS PRESERVATION? VOLUME 3: PUTTING THEORY INTO PRACTICE edited by Barry L. Stiefel.
Utilizing conventional genealogical research methods in unusual ways, the students were able to elicit detailed family information about the daily lives—often related to work--of their ancestors and their customs. As a result, through individuals or a group of relatives, they became linked to specific times, places, and societies associated with their forebears. They then synthesized their newly-acquired knowledge, skills, and experiences to explain why and how family data and heirlooms, historic sites, and cultural practices need to be preserved. Chapter subjects pertain to sharecroppers and cotton farming in the Lincolnton, NC, area; the perpetuation of the “misplaced/neglected” surname MINICH; the cultural heritage of Mardi Gras in New Orleans; the relationship between family memories and place; the PILCHER family’s connection to the Elgin National Watch Company; and oral histories tied to specific material heirlooms.
Shedding light on family and local history, the term papers demonstrate how all people—whether rich, poor, famous, or common—contribute to the building of the United States. In addition, they show the part individuals play in the conservation of both material goods and historic places so future generations can find out about their past.
The stories are well-written and illustrated with interesting drawings and photographs. By examining both tangible and intangible traditions, WHAT IS YOUR HERITAGE AND THE STATE OF ITS PRESERVATION? VOLUME 3: PUTTING THEORY INTO PRACTICE may give even experienced genealogists some new ideas.
The 288-page soft-cover work has an attractive front cover, an introduction, illustrations, appendixes, and endnotes. The publication may be purchased for $33.00. To the price of the book, buyers should add the cost of shipping charges. For U. S. postal mail, the cost is $7.00 for one book and $2.50 for each additional book. The volume may be purchased by check, money order, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express from Heritage Books, Inc., 5810 Ruatan Street, Berwyn Heights, Maryland 20740. For phone orders, call toll free 1-800-876-6103; fax 410-558-6574; e-mail [email protected]; website www.HeritageBooks.com).