The Williams County Genealogical Society (WCGS) hosted an Ancestry Celebration Luncheon at Parlor 1862 in Bryan, Ohio, Saturday afternoon, October 14, 2023.
After the pizza buffet, 15 members of the WCGS were inducted into the three lineage societies available.
First Families of Williams County (FF): Open to WCGS members with direct descendants of an individual who settled in the area designated as Williams County, Ohio as of or before December 31, 1860.
Williams County Centennial Families (CF): Open to WCGS members with direct descendants of an individual who settled in the area designated as Williams County, Ohio between January 1,1861 to 100 years prior to current year.
Williams County Civil War Families (CWF): Open to WCGS members with direct or collateral descendants of a soldier who served in a Williams County or Ohio Civil War Regiment, and either was born, lived, died, or buried in Williams County, Ohio. Both lineage and military service must be proved.
The following members proved new or additional ancestors into the lineage societies. Ray W Connin (FF), Deanne Beerbower (FF & CF), Mary Teeter (CF), Susan Knost (CF), Bill Priest (CF & CWF), Barbara Engelhardt (CWF), Jeff W. Thompson (CWF), Dee Cox (CWF), Caroll Lynn Monroe (FF & CF), Susan Marie Rose (FF), Patricia A. Goebel (CF), Marilyn L. Vonalt (CF & CWF), Jo Ellen Culbertson (CWF), Daniel P. Fay (FF), Charles Smethurst (FF & CWF).
Special guest speaker for this event was Brian Fritsch who is employed in the Williams County Engineering Department, as Drainage Engineer and County GIS coordinator.
Brian developed and demonstrated a special online interactive dashboard using GIS (Geographical Information System) documenting the location of military grave locations in Williams County.
This interactive dashboard provides not only the location of the veteran’s gravesite, but also provides information about each veteran’s military service.
Users of this dashboard are welcome to provide additional military information about each veteran. This interactive dashboard can be viewed on the Williams County, Ohio government website under the GIS Department.
