The Williams County Genealogical Society met Monday, September 19, 2016 in the Harmon Room of the West Annex, Bryan Public Library to start off the year with good food, friends and shared adventures from the summer researching.
The first family story was of two brothers who did not get along. One brother killed the other with a pitchfork. The courts ruled the death “accidental”. The second tale took place at Coney Island in the early 1900s. Two Civil war veterans decided to take a ride in a “car” which was part of the Loop the Loop the second looping roller coaster ever to be built on Coney Island and was one of a handful of early looping roller coasters built in the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s. After the ride one said to the other “I will never loop to loop again.”
A third member visited Woodland Cemetery in Dayton, OH, resting place of Wilbur and Orville Wright. It is one of the nation’s oldest “garden” cemeteries. Its chapel and office are on the National Register of Historic Places. The chapel has original Tiffany windows.
Saving the best for last, Roena Bayers presented WCGS with a binder containing photos and information about of the graves of Civil War veterans buried in Farmer Cemetery.
October is National Family History Month and in celebration of this event the Williams County Genealogical Society will be offering a series of classes for those who are beginners in the realm of family research (genealogy 101). The Saturday classes will be held in the Harmon Room of the Local History and Genealogy Center (West Annex of the Williams County Public Library) from 10 AM to 2 PM on October 1, October 8, and October 15. Each session will deal with different areas of family research from utilizing best genealogical practices, filling out forms, interviewing relatives, using the census, employing genealogical technology, pursuing land records, checking out probate, and more.
Pam Lash, WCPL library assistant, WCGS publications chair, and area genealogist, will be instructing these sessions. The cost per session is $5, which will cover the participant’s lunch. Call the WCPL, (419) 636-6734 ext. 275 or email Pam at pam@mywcpl.org to reserve a seat in these classes geared for those who wish to start a family history project.
On October 10, 2016, 6:30pm in the Harmon Room of the West Annex to the Bryan Public Library in Bryan, OH, Rex and Kris Kerr from Heritage Monuments will present information on how a stone becomes a monument. Please come and join us.
The purpose of the WCGS is the preservation of county records and family research. Monthly meetings are held the second Monday of each month, excluding July and August, in the Harmon Room of the West Annex of the Bryan Public Library. For further information concerning WCGS, email Pat Goebel wcgspg01@gmail.com, visit the Website at www.wcgs-orgs.com, or write to WCGS, PO Box 293, Bryan, OH 43506.
INFORMATION PROVIDED