The Charleston Chapter of the South Carolina Genealogical Society

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.

February 2018 Chapter Meeting
2018-02-18 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Halifax) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
Chapter member Rorey Cathcart will present her “Irish In America” which she was unable to present at the Family History Center’s annual workshop this past October. Rorey’s presentation will highlight how to use arrival and distribution patterns as clues to places of origin.

January 2018 Chapter Meeting
2018-01-21 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Halifax) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
Chapter member, Lynn Baker will explain how genealogists can maximize the benefits of an Ancestry.com Autosomal DNA test.

December 2017 Chapter Meeting
2017-12-17 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Halifax) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
Join us for our annual holiday meeting – everyone is asked to bring a favorite finger-food. Several of our Chapter members will also give brief “show and tell” presentations about their genealogy accomplishments during 2017.

November 2017 Chapter Meeting
2017-11-19 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Halifax) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
Chapter member Charlie Black will provide an overview of the upcoming changes to the Find-A-Grave website and will also explain the website’s tools for creating new memorials.

October 2017 Chapter Meeting
2017-10-15 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Halifax) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States

September 2017 Chapter Meeting
2017-09-17 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Halifax) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States

May 2017 Chapter Meeting
2017-05-21 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Halifax) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States

April 2017 Chapter Meeting
2017-04-23 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Halifax) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States

March 2017 Chapter Meeting
2017-03-19 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Halifax) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States

February 2017 Chapter Meeting
2017-02-19 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Halifax) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States

January 2017 Chapter Meeting
2017-01-22 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Halifax) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States

Chapter Meetings
2016-05-22 14:30 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd, Charleston, SC, 29407, United States
Chapter Meetings of the Charleston Chapter are usually held at 2:30 pm on the 3rd Sunday of the month (with some exceptions for holidays). There are no meetings in July or August. We meet at The Masonic Center, 1285 Orange Grove Rd., Charleston, unless otherwise indicated.
