The Charleston Chapter of the South Carolina Genealogical Society

January 2021 Chapter Meeting
2021-01-17 14:30 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | SC
“Ancestry Deep Dive” – a Zoom presentation by Chapter member Lynn Baker – will review some of the principles of using Ancestry.com, then dive into some of the new features or changes in Thrulines, StoryScout, Card Catalog and Hints. Also time will be spent on some approaches to handle hints.
Please CONTACT US if you would like to participate.

December 2020 Chapter Meeting
2020-12-20 14:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
December is our annual “Show and Tell” holidays get-together where we invite chapter members to talk about genealogy-related “news” from the year. This year we’ll share the news virtually via Zoom. Please CONTACT US if you aren’t a member and would like to participate.
Chapter members who want to present at this meeting should contact Karolea Lucas.

November 2020 Chapter Meeting
2020-11-15 14:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
“Holiday Projects” – a Zoom presentation by Chapter member Lynn Baker. Please CONTACT US if you would like to participate.
Lynn will share ideas for creating genealogy related projects that are suitable as holiday gifts and/or holiday entertainment.

October 2020 Chapter Meeting
2020-10-18 14:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
“DNA Basics” – a Zoom presentation by Chapter member Nina Bruhns. Please CONTACT US if you would like to participate.

September 2020 Chapter Meetings
2020-09-20 14:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | SC
“Slave Traders in the Family: Discovering my Roots” – a Zoom presentation by Chapter member Margaret Seidler. Please contact us if you would like to participate.
For 65 years, Margaret has believed her descendants were poor German immigrants living in Charleston’s Eastside from the 1850s. Then, she discovers much deeper Charleston roots, three additional generations, and a VERY different narrative. In truth, her family plays a large role in the slave trade business spanning more than 90 years. Like never before, Margaret’s family research shines a bright light on Charleston’s domestic slave trade business. Her 4th great-grandfather, William Payne, makes an entire career on Broad Street, brokering the sale of local enslaved people. Slave trading was big business both in her family and across all of Charleston. Margaret has two hopes as she reveals this groundbreaking research: first, telling a more complete history of Charleston’s business system and, second, offering a portal for African Americans to trace their enslaved ancestors from more than 1100 newspaper ads.

May 2020 Chapter Meeting
2020-05-17 14:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
Chapter member Harriet Little will be discussing her recently released book “Richardson-Sinkler Connections: Planting, Politics, Horses, and Family Life, 1769-1853”

April 2020 Chapter Meeting
2020-04-19 14:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
PLEASE NOTE – due to COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the City of Charleston, our April meeting is on hold. Please check our calendar once the restrictions are lifted.

** Chapter Meeting Cancelled **
2020-03-22 14:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
The March meeting has been cancelled because of virus concerns. We will try to reschedule Dr. Ellison’s presentation.

February 2020 Chapter Meeting
2020-02-16 14:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
“The Mayflower Society and How to Prove Your Lineage” presented by Bonnie Wade-Mucia.

January 2020 Chapter Meeting
2020-01-19 14:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
“Looking Around Us – A Tour of the Masonic Lodge” presented by Tom Lewis will be an informative tour of the place where we routinely meet.

December 2019 Chapter Meeting
2019-12-15 14:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
December is our annual “Show and Tell” holidays get-together. We invite chapter members to talk about genealogy-related “news” from the year – there’s always lots of tasty goodies too! Come join us and learn a bit more about what’s been happening with our members.
If you would like to present at this meeting, let Karolea Lucas know.

November 2019 Chapter Meeting
2019-11-17 14:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
Our presenter for November will be Jeff W. Grigg, author of “The Combahee River Raid: Harriet Tubman & Lowcountry Liberation” who will discuss the true story behind this Civil War raid in the South Carolina Lowcountry. In an attempt to remedy the Union Army’s inability to adequately fill its black regiments, Colonel James Montgomery led an 1863 raid up the Combahee River with the aid of famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman. The remarkable effort successfully rescued about 750 enslaved men, women, and children. Only one soldier was killed in the action, which marked a strategy shift in the war that took the fight to civilians.

October 2019 Chapter Meeting
2019-10-20 14:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
Our October meeting will be a great SHARE-ATHON where we’ll divide up into smaller groups to discuss genealogical areas of interest and research opportunities around the United States. We’ve been canvasing our members about their wants and needs, so topics will be tailored to those of most interest. It should be a fun afternoon of sharing and learning.
Be sure to bring info that will help others with how to best conduct research in a particular state or region.

SCGS State Conference
2019-10-11 - 2019-10-12 | CAMBRiA Hotel, 84 Ripley Point Dr, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
SAVE THE DATE!
The annual SCGS State Conference will be in Charleston this year – two days of genealogy, history, and fun in the Lowcountry!
Friday, Oct. 11:
3:00pm – 7:30pm – Conference check-in at the new CAMBRiA Hotel.
7:30pm – 9:00pm – Opening session at the hotel – speaker, Grahame Long, Curator of history at the Charleston Museum.
Saturday, Oct. 12:
9:00am – 3:00pm – Charleston SC Family History Center Annual Workshop.
3:00pm – 4:30pm – SCGS Annual Meeting right after the FHC Workshop.
Registration: $35 (details forthcoming – includes all costs for FHC Workshop).
Click Here to learn more about the FHC workshop.
Host Hotel:
CAMBRiA Hotel, 84 Ripley Point Dr, Charleston, SC 29407 (843) 766-4322
Click Here to book your room NOW!

September 2019 Chapter Meeting
2019-09-15 14:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Chas County Main Library, 68 Calhoun Street, Charleston, SC, 29401
Our presenter for September will be DR. NIC BUTLER whose presentations are always fascinating and entertaining. The topic is still being finalized, so please back check for updates. For those of you who are new to the area, Dr. Butler is Historian for the Charleston County Public Library and has worked as Archivist of the SC Historical Society, as an adjunct faculty member at the College of Charleston, and as an historical consultant for the City of Charleston.
Please note the VENUE CHANGE as this meeting will be at the Charleston County Main Library and will be open to the public.

May 2019 Chapter Metting
2019-05-19 14:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States

Part II: Census Puzzle 1900 - 1940
2019-05-14 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Chas County Main Library, 68 Calhoun Street, Charleston, SC, 29401
“Part II: Census Puzzle 1900 – 1940: Do You Have All the Pieces?” is the second of two presentations by Chapter member Pat Kruger that will look deep into the Census Population Schedules to help you find clues for further research and identify sources to help you understand what doesn’t seem to make sense. This is not Census 101. It’s census details only a genealogist could love, and a bureaucrat could create.

April 2019 Chapter Meeting
2019-04-28 14:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
The program for our April meeting by Chapter member Pat Kruger will be “Part I: Census Puzzle 1790 – 1890: Do You Have All the Pieces?” This is the first of two parts that will look deep into the Census Population Schedules to help you find clues for further research and identify sources to help you understand what doesn’t seem to make sense. Focusing on the first hundred years (1790 – 1890), this session will review census changes and discuss what categories, questions AND answers might really mean? It will look at the early schedules that can be so hard to use and highlight some of the details hiding within.
This is not Census 101. We will get into the details. We will talk about the meaning of blank columns (yes, sometimes they mean something), the differences between ‘x’ and ‘=’ as answers, and even explore why your deceased ancestor might not be in the mortality schedule. It’s census details only a genealogist could love, and a bureaucrat could create.
Pat’s “Part II: Census Puzzle 1900 – 1940: Do You Have All the Pieces?” will be held TUESDAY evening, May 14 at 6 PM – Main Library (CCPL), Room B, and will focus on 1900 – 1940 when the details and hidden meanings really get interesting.

March 2019 Chapter Meeting
2019-03-24 14:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
Chapter member Jeff Castle will discuss the different forms of research that make up the exciting field of forensic genealogy. From missing heirs to military repatriation to unknown parentage and more, forensic genealogy utilizes traditional genealogical research skills in many different legal applications.

February 2019 Chapter Meeting
2019-02-17 14:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
Our speaker for February will be local genealogist and long-time chapter member Wevonneda Minis. Her topic will be “Enslaved Blacks in White Church Records: An Overlooked Resource.”
Genealogists tracing enslaved ancestors often limit their searches to slaveholders’ wills, plantation journals, and deeds. This presentation shows that many family historians would benefit from researching white church records, too. Pre-Civil War church records often include details about slave births, deaths, family members, sales, and more. A range of denominations and types of church records will be covered. Photography, videography or other types of recording will be prohibited.

Field Trip to Old Jacksonborough Historic District
2019-02-16 09:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | SC
Our field trip to Old Jacksonborough (open to Chapter members and their guests only) will include six stops: Col. William Washington grave site; Old Jacksonborough Walking Trail; Pon Pon Chapel of Ease (The Old Burnt Church); Col. Isaac Hayne grave site; Willtown Bluff; and Stono Rebellion historical marker. See our latest Lowcountry Courier for more details.
We will rendezvous in the parking lot of the Publix Super Market at West Ashley Place (near Bees Ferry Road) and will leave promptly at 9:30 am. A $10 fee per person will be collected on arrival at Publix (to cover the cost of our docent from the Colleton Historical and Preservation Society) so bring $10 check or cash with you. Also bring a snack and beverage as our lunch stop will be late.
Please email Doreen Larimer if attending so that we know who to contact in case of bad weather.

January 2019 Chapter Meeting
2019-01-20 14:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
Chapter member Lynn Baker will discuss how to use Google to find your ancestors and research data. He’ll cover both basic and advanced search features, and how to set up automatic Alerts for queries and using Translate for foreign language sites around the world. Finally, we’ll dive into some specialty areas (Google Scholar, Google Books, and Google Patents) to help you expand your family story.

Board Meeting
2019-01-09 11:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Chas County Main Library, 68 Calhoun Street, Charleston, SC, 29401

December 2018 Chapter Meeting
2018-12-16 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Halifax) | SC
Mark your calendars now for the December 16th genealogy meeting. It is our annual “Show and Tell” meeting. If you would like to present something you have been working on, or if you have discovered something related to genealogy that would be of benefit to the membership, we would love to hear from you! Each presenter is limited to 10 minutes – and yes, I will have my stopwatch going. We will have basic audio-visual set-ups for you, with someone to help connect everything.
Please contact Karolea Lucas if you are interested or if you have any questions (see our membership list for her phone number & email address). She will need a title and a short synopsis of your presentation. Remember this does not have to be fancy; it is a time for all of us to relax and share something we have learned or done during the year.

November 2018 Chapter Meeting
2018-11-18 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Halifax) | SC
We are excited to welcome Cheri Hudson Passey, a professional genealogist and owner of Carolina Girl Genealogy, LLC, as our speaker for the November meeting. Cheri’s presentation “Reeling ‘Em in with a Family History Blog” will show you where to discover tools used to set up your blog, find ideas and see examples of what to write about, and learn how to use your posts to connect with others. Creating your own genealogy blog is a great way to share your research with your family and friends, and can be invaluable in helping to build your family tree. Do join us on November 18 for this very informative lecture.

October 2018 Chapter Meeting
2018-10-21 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Halifax) | SC
At our October meeting, Probate Court Judge Irv Condon will present an encompassing look at Probate Court. Judge Condon will discuss the history of the Probate Courts in South Carolina and the records of the probate court. There will be also an overview of the functions of the probate court and the need for proper estate planning.

September 2018 Chapter Meeting - CANCELLED
2018-09-16 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Halifax) | SC
Our Sep 16th meeting has been CANCELLED due to Hurricane Florence. Please join us for our next meeting on Oct 20th.

May 2018 Chapter Meeting
2018-05-20 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Halifax) | SC
Local scuba diving enthusiast Drew Ruddy will present “The Lewisfield Vessel – a British Casualty of the 1781 Dog Day Foray.” Drew will explain what he’s discovered while diving on this little known Revolutionary War wreck in the upper reaches of the Cooper River.

April 2018 Chapter Meeting
2018-04-15 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Halifax) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
Chapter member Doreen Larimer will review how land was granted and developed in South Carolina. Our Charleston County Public Library has an extensive collection of will and deed abstracts for SC counties, and Doreen will focus on how to use them to locate our ancestor’s land.

March 2018 Chapter Meeting
2018-03-18 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Halifax) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
Chapter member Pat Kruger will present “Using the Digital Public Library (DPLA).” This virtual library provides a wealth of text, video, objects and images in its vast and ever increasing collections; its resources are a great way to add context and events to your ancestral stories. Pat’s program will explore the genealogical value of the DPLA holdings and explain a variety of ways to search the new version (about to change) of the DPLA website.
