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.

May 2020 Chapter Meeting
2020-05-17 14:30 - 16:30 | 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”

September 2020 Chapter Meetings
2020-09-20 14:30 - 16:30 | 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.

October 2020 Chapter Meeting
2020-10-18 14:30 - 16:30 | 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.

November 2020 Chapter Meeting
2020-11-15 14:30 - 16:30 | 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.

December 2020 Chapter Meeting
2020-12-20 14:30 - 16:30 | 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.

January 2021 Chapter Meeting
2021-01-17 14:30 - 16:00 | 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.

February 2021 Chapter Meeting
2021-02-21 14:30 - 16:00 | SC
“How to Find Old Maps for Free” – Part 1 of webinar by Lisa Louise Cook: How to Find Old Maps for Free at the DavidRumsey.com. Please CONTACT US if you would like to participate in this Zoom meeting.

March 2021 Chapter Meeting
2021-03-21 14:30 - 16:00 | SC
“How to Find Old Maps for Free” – Part 2 of webinar by Lisa Louise Cook: How to Find Old Maps for Free at the DavidRumsey.com. Please CONTACT US if you would like to participate in this Zoom meeting.

April 2021 Chapter Meeting
2021-04-18 14:30 - 16:00 | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
CHANGE IN PRESENTATION (due to COVID restrictions)
“Searching Scotland’s Statutory Registers” – a Zoom presentation by Chapter member Charlie Black about the Statutory Registers that came into use in 1855. The registers are digitally available through FamilySearch but are somewhat cumbersome to use, so Charlie will provide a few tips for using them more efficiently. Please CONTACT US if would like to participate in this Zoom meeting but are not yet a Chapter member.

May 2021 Chapter Meeting
2021-05-16 14:30 - 16:00 | SC
Larry Koger, author of “Black Slaveowners: Free Black Slave Masters in South Carolina, 1790-1860” will be our speaker for the May Chapter meeting. We can expect his presentation “Black Masters: The Misunderstood Slaveowners” to be quite informative. Please CONTACT US if would like to participate in this Zoom meeting but are not yet a Chapter member.
Afro-American slaveowners are misunderstood masters by the lay audience and even among many scholars. Yet they existed in small to modest numbers throughout the south and parts of the north. Many of these individuals purchased family members with the hope of protecting them from the stigma of chattel slavery and attempted to emancipate them. In South Carolina, many black masters were slaveowners for profit. They exploited the labor of their human chattel to work on their plantations, farms, and commercial businesses just like their white counterparts. Some of these individuals knew the yoke of bondage as they were enslaved but chose to enslave their own race. A few actually immigrated from West Africa as free people of color and transported African slaves into South Carolina to work their newly acquired plantations. The history of slavery in antebellum South Carolina is neither black nor white. It is written in many shades of grey where Afro-Americans played a small, yet significant role in the peculiar institution.

September 2021 Chapter Meeting
2021-09-19 14:30 - 16:00 | SC
An Introduction to DNA Clustering, presented by chapter member Nina Bruhns
Do you have a brick wall you can’t get past? Or perhaps you are searching for an unknown parent or grandparent due to adoption or an NPE? Using DNA is an awesome way to help you uncover new information that can aid in your quest to fill in those gaps and unknown ancestors. One of the very best tools available to sort out all those zillions of DNA matches is known as clustering. With clustering you can quickly and easily identify groups of matches who all share a common ancestral couple, and sometimes even a single ancestor, thus focusing your search to the matches that are most relevant. It is also the first step to take when starting a DNA chromosome mapping project. Join Nina’s presentation to learn about this super useful technique!
Please CONTACT US if would like to participate in this Zoom meeting but are not yet a Chapter member.

October 2021 Chapter Meeting
2021-10-17 14:30 - 16:00 | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
History of the Charleston Fair (now the Coastal Carolina Fair)
Our October speaker, Frank Shorter, will present a history on the Charleston Fair which has operated from 1872 to the present. The Exchange Club of Charleston is the owner and operator of the Coastal Carolina Fair. Mr Shorter is a 42 year member of the Club and will present a slide show of the fair’s history.
NOTE: This will be an “in person” presentation by Mr. Shorter at the Masonic Center but will also be available via Zoom. Please CONTACT US if you’d like to participate via Zoom but aren’t a Chapter member.

November 2021 Chapter Meeting
2021-11-21 14:30 - 16:00 | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
“The Wanderer” – author Erik Calonius will discuss his book about “The Wanderer” which sailed to the coast of Africa in 1858, loaded 471 Negroes on board and landed weeks later on the Georgia coast.
NOTE: This will be an “in person” presentation by Mr. Calonius at the Masonic Center but will also be available via Zoom. Please CONTACT US if you’d like to participate via Zoom but aren’t a Chapter member.

December 2021 Chapter Meeting
2021-12-19 14:30 - 16:00 | 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. 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, please let Doreen Larimer (dlarimer “at” comcast.net) know.

January 2022 Chapter Meeting
2022-01-16 14:30 - 16:00 | virtual via Zoom
Due to unforeseen circumstances, this month’s chapter meeting will be a Zoom presentation. Chapter member Charlie Black will review several recent changes to the FamilySearch website search tools that were implemented in 2021. Charlie is a long time volunteer at the local Family History Center and has devoted considerable time to understanding the “ins and outs” of finding records on the FamilySearch website.
Please CONTACT US if you would like to participate via Zoom but are not a Chapter member. Guests are always welcome.

February 2022 Chapter Meeting
2022-02-20 14:30 - 16:00 | virtual via Zoom
Chapter member Pat Kruger will provide us with the latest guidance concerning the 1950 US Census which will be released in April 2022. The release of a US census occurs only once every ten years, so this is an anxiously anticipated event for genealogists throughout the country.
The meeting will be conducted via Zoom (not in person). Guests are always welcome.

March 2022 Chapter Meeting
2022-03-20 14:30 - 16:00 | virtual via Zoom
Chapter member Lynn Baker will present Researching the National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration (aka NARA) is the original source for most of the U.S. Government information that is available to genealogists, including federal censuses, military records and many more collections. Learn how to use the NARA databases to search for these records yourself, including some images that are not identified in the databases of the “Big Four” genealogy web services. Also learn about how many government records are still waiting to be digitized.
The meeting will be conducted via Zoom (not in person). Guests are always welcome so please CONTACT US if you are not yet a chapter member and want to participate via Zoom.

April 2022 Chapter Meeting
2022-04-24 14:30 - 16:00 | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
Chapter member Lahnice Hollister will discuss her book, Resisting Jim Crow: the Autobiography of Dr. John A. McFall
Lahnice’s great-uncle John McFall was the eldest of eleven children born to a Black couple in Charleston and was also among the first generation of his family born into freedom. His writings provide insight into the state-sponsored segregation following Reconstruction whereby people of color were treated as second-class citizens in Charleston and elsewhere in the South.
We plan to meet in-person (assuming COVID doesn’t flare up again), but we also plan to make the meeting available via Zoom. Guests are always welcome – either in person or via Zoom – so please CONTACT US if you are not yet a chapter member and want to participate via Zoom.

May 2022 Chapter Meeting
2022-05-15 14:30 - 16:00 | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
Chapter member Lynn Baker will present Research in New England
New England is one of the best documented historical parts of the U.S. This presentation will give an approach to tackling all of this data and finding what you want for your family research. We will review various databases available to you both in the U.S. and in Britain.
We hope to meet in-person (if COVID doesn’t flare up again), but we also plan to make the meeting available via Zoom. Guests are always welcome – either in person or via Zoom – so please CONTACT US if you are not yet a chapter member and want to participate via Zoom.

Sep 2022 Chapter Meeting
2022-09-18 14:30 - 16:00 | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
Ruth M. Miller, well-known Charleston historian and author, will share her knowledge of cemeteries and graveyards, including the art and architecture of them, in her presentation, “Touring the Tombstones”.
We will meet in-person, but we also plan to make the meeting available via Zoom. Guests are always welcome – either in person or via Zoom. Please CONTACT US if you are not yet a chapter member and want to participate via Zoom.

Oct 2022 Chapter Meeting
2022-10-16 14:30 - 16:00 | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
Virginia Ellison, Vice-President of Collections and Chief Operating Officer of the South Carolina Historical Society, will present, “What’s In Your Attic?” She will discuss the procedures of donating materials to an archival repository or museum, how to navigate the donation process, which questions to ask, what factors to consider when giving your family’s treasure to an institution, and basic preservation tips you can do at home. Something in your possession may fill a gap in our state’s record!
We will meet in-person, but we also plan to make the meeting available via Zoom. Guests are always welcome – either in person or via Zoom. Please CONTACT US if you are not yet a chapter member and want to participate via Zoom.

Nov 2022 Chapter Meeting
2022-11-20 14:30 - 16:00 | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
Grahame Long, the Director of Museums for the Historic Charleston Foundation, will discuss the fascinating life of enslaved Charleston cabinetmaker, John Gough.
We will meet in-person, but we also plan to make the meeting available via Zoom. Guests are always welcome – either in person or via Zoom. Please CONTACT US if you are not yet a chapter member and want to participate via Zoom.

January 2023 Chapter Meeting
2023-01-15 14:30 - 16:00 | virtual via Zoom
Dr. Shelley Murphy will present an overview of the Center for Family History at the soon-to-open International African American Museum (IAAM) in Charleston. As Coordinator of Genealogy Education for the Center, Dr. Murphy developed the staff and public genealogy educational programs for them.
Please note that this will be a Zoom meeting; we will not be meeting in person at the Masonic Center. Please CONTACT US if you would like to participate via Zoom but are not a Chapter member. Guests are always welcome.

Feb 2023 Chapter Meeting
2023-02-19 14:30 - 16:00 | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
Our guest speaker for February is chapter member Jayne Larion who will speak on her “Mayflower Adventure.” Genealogy is her true passion. In fact, a first cousin named it “Jaynealogy” when she first began and that name stuck. Jayne was hooked!
Several years ago, she joined the Mayflower Society with ancestors, Francis Cooke and Mary Chilton. She is active in the South Carolina Mayflower Zoom Book Club, having read and studied about ten books. It intrigued her enough to go to Plymouth,MA, last July.
We will meet in-person, but we also plan to make the meeting available via Zoom. Guests are always welcome – either in person or via Zoom. Please CONTACT US if you are not yet a chapter member and want to participate via Zoom.

Mar 2023 Chapter Meeting
2023-03-19 14:30 - 16:00 | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
Our speaker this month is chapter member Doreen Larimer who will speak on land ownership in South Carolina. The principles of land ownership have been in place in South Carolina for over 300 years. After a brief review of how land is transferred by a chain of title Doreen will explain Charleston County’s records of ownership using the Charleston County web site.
Doreen will also review the ownership of several cemeteries in Charleston where the ownership is known and others that are considered heirs property. Some of the cemeteries to be discussed are:
Third Presbyterian Church inside Riverview Cemetery on Azalea Drive
Grimball Farms Cemetery on Grimball Road
Scanlonville Cemetery on 4th Ave in Mt Pleasant
Friendly Union Cemetery on Skurvine Street
McLeod Plantation cemetery on Country Club Drive
Unnamed cemetery on Dunlap Street in North Charleston
We will meet in-person, but we also plan to make the meeting available via Zoom. Guests are always welcome – either in person or via Zoom. Please CONTACT US if you are not yet a chapter member and want to participate via Zoom.

Apr 2023 Chapter Meeting
2023-04-16 14:30 - 16:00 | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
Our speaker this month is chapter member Pat Kruger who will highlight alternative approaches to tackle research challenges. We all have research challenges – stumbling blocks, dead ends, brick walls, whatever you call them. If you don’t, you just haven’t been doing research long enough. If you are out of ideas and stuck, this session will discuss ways to approach brick wall research. It will include suggestions for breaking through those walls, ideas to focus your research strategy and solutions for those family puzzles.
Pat will highlight alternative approaches to tackle research challenges, building on the descriptions and links in the most recent “Sites and Bytes” columns of our Courier newsletters. If you haven’t read “Sites and Bytes” recently, we advise you to do so.
Pat has been a member of CCSCGS since the early 1990s (with a three year break back in Chicago). Since her return to Charleston in 2000, she has written Courier newsletter columns, coordinated programs and served as Chapter President. After retirement, she spent five years at the South Carolina Historical Society in her “Hobby Job” working in their library.
We will meet in-person, but we also plan to make the meeting available via Zoom. Guests are always welcome – either in person or via Zoom. Please CONTACT US if you are not yet a chapter member and want to participate via Zoom.

Apr 2023 Board Meeting
2023-04-27 19:00 - 20:00 | virtual via Zoom
The Charleston Chapter Board of Officers will meet via Zoom. Please contact an officer if you want to participate via Zoom or if you have an issue to present to the board.

May 2023 Chapter Meeting
2023-05-21 14:30 - 16:00 | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
Our speaker this month is chapter member Patrick Harwood whose talk is titled, “Tales of a Taphophile: From Magnolia Cemetery to the Churchyards of Charleston.” Harwood, a communication professor at South Carolina State University and formerly at College of Charleston, has researched and written about hundreds of old Charlestonians in two of his books, “In the Arms of Angels: Magnolia Cemetery – Charleston’s Treasure of History, Mystery and Artistry” and his newly published “Stories from the Underground: The Churchyards of Charleston.” He will trace his journey to becoming a taphophile and the genealogy tools he has used in these two major works.
We will meet in-person, but we also plan to make the meeting available via Zoom. Guests are always welcome – either in person or via Zoom. Please CONTACT US if you are not yet a chapter member and want to participate via Zoom.

May 2023 Board Meeting
2023-05-25 19:00 - 20:00 | virtual via Zoom
