DALLAS GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

DNA Special Interest Group
2015-09-17 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | 5th Floor – Hamon Room, J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young, Dallas, TX-Texas, 75201, United States
This organizational meeting of the DNA Interest Group will provide a brief overview of the types of DNA testing, the companies providing the tests, and a recognition of the existence of genetic genealogy standards. More importantly, we would like to discuss the needs and interests of the attendees for future programming about DNA for genealogy.

TxSGS 2015 Award Submission Deadline
2015-09-15 | Texas State Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 7308, Tyler, TX, 75711-7308, United States
Today is the last day to submit nominations for their annual Volunteer of the Year, Writing and Website awards. See http://www.txsgs.org/awards-grants/ for full details.

General Meeting
2015-09-05 10:30 - 13:00 UTC | 1st Floor – Auditorium, J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
10:30 – Join us for hospitality (mingling, light snacks)
11:00 – Business meeting, including the election of the 2015 – 2016 Board of Directors. We were unable to hold the election at the May meeting due to low turnout… Please make every effort to attend this meeting so we can move ahead with important board business. We will be giving away one free seat for our Fall Seminar featuring Dr. Michael Lacopo to one lucky member! Review the minutes from last months meeting by clicking here….
11:30 (Approximately) – We will he hearing from Debra Polsky, Executive Director of the Dallas Jewish Historical Society
Debra will discuss the history of the Jewish community in Dallas, share information about a program her organization has initiated to discuss history and genealogy with Sunday schools and will tell us about a new initiative being planned to engage with the community using extant family trees to show relationships within the community
About our Speaker
Debra became Dallas Jewish Historical Society Executive Director in August 2012. Originally an elementary school teacher, a long career in Jewish Communal Service took her from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Omaha, Nebraska to San Francisco, California; Debra first came to Dallas as the Executive Regional Director for B’nai B’rith Youth Organization (BBYO). In addition to teaching in the Melton Adult Education program for 20 years, she has worked or volunteered for a variety of agencies including Dallas Holocaust Center, Congregation Kol Ami, Jewish Community Center of Dallas, Jewish Community Relations Council, Dallas Women’s Foundation, Girl Scouts of NETexas, Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas’ Center for Jewish Education and the Dallas Association of Directors of Volunteers. Debra received her Masters of Public Administration and Social Work from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Contact Debra Monday-Friday at dpolsky@djhs.org

Registration for the 2015 TxSGS Annual Conference Opens
2015-09-01 08:00 UTC | TX
Register at TxSGS.org

Summer Symposium: Researching In Texas
2015-08-07 10:00 - 2015-08-08 17:00 (America/Chicago) | 1st Floor – Auditorium, J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
The Dallas Genealogical Society invites you to join us for a two-day seminar focused on Texas Research featuring Teri Flack, a noted research with a deep background on the topic, as well as representatives from the University of North Texas Portal to Texas History, The University of Texas at Arlington Special Collection and the Dallas Public Library History Section.

Friday’s Topics:
Fundamentals of Researching Texas
Learn the essential techniques for uncovering your Texas ancestors in this primer on Texas research.

Finding Your Ancestors in the Republic of Texas
Researching Republic of Texas ancestors takes creative thinking and ingenuity. This presentation describes the variety of resources available to find your ancestors in pre-1846 Texas. Several case studies show how using a combination of these records can provide a picture of your republic ancestor.

Researching in the Texas General Land Office
Learn how to research your early Texas ancestors in the records of the Texas General Land Office. This presentation will include an overview of the various types of land grants issued by Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, and the State of Texas, as well as several supporting collections at the GLO that are excellent resources for genealogical research. Also included will be a highlight of the resources available on the GLO website, and a walk through of how to search the records of the GLO online.

Researching Texas Ancestors during the Civil War and Reconstruction
The time period between 1860 and 1876 offers Texas researchers unique opportunities for 19th century research using records created only during these years.

Bonus Session: Late Night At The Library
The Genealogy Division of the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library (selected by Family Tree Magazine as one of the Top 10 Public Libraries in the US for genealogy research) will remain open on Friday evening, August 7, from 5-10 pm, exclusively for Summer Symposium attendees to do family history research. Professional librarians from the Division and DGS volunteers will be available to offer assistance. A light supper will be provided by DGS.

Saturday’s Topics:
Researching on the Portal of Texas History
The Portal is a gateway to Texas history materials. You may discover anything from an ancestor mentioned in a 19th century Texas newspaper to a rare historical map. Learn how to explore the site to discover more about your 19th century Texas ancestor.

Manuscript Collections
A Source of Hidden Gems: Many museums and universities house collections of original documents, such as diaries and journals; personal and family papers; financial, business, and legal records; maps, newspapers, pamphlets, and broadsides; and photographs reflecting the lives and activities of government officials, politicians, soldiers, bankers, jurists, planters, merchants, physicians, clergy, educators, slaves, and homemakers. Discover some of the riches to be found in materials from Texas repositories. This presentation demonstrates how to find manuscripts and original documents and the hidden gems, which can move your research forward.

Researching in Special Collections of the University of Texas at Arlington Library
UTA Special Collections collects historical materials relating to Texas, the U.S. War with Mexico (1846-1848), and the cartographic history of Texas and the Gulf of Mexico. Learn how to use these records in your research.

Researching in the Dallas Public Library Texas/Dallas Collection
The collection of materials at the Texas/Dallas History & Archives Division is one of the largest of its kind in the nation. Our holdings span many aspects of the diverse history of not only Dallas and the surrounding area, but the entire state of Texas. Hear how these resources can help you find and learn about the lives of your Texas ancestors

Schedule and Location
This event will be held at the Dallas Public Library: J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young Street Dallas, TX

Registration: 9:30 a.m.
Lecture: 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Lunch (Optional): Plate Lunch (Friday), Box Lunch (Saturday) – $12.00 each day. If you want to bring your own lunch, limited space will be available in our Hospitality room, or you may go out to lunch at one of the many restaurants close by the Central Library.
Parking: $1.50 (Discounted fee) each day – Payable at the event

Cost

Registration

About our Speakers
Teri E. Flack is a genealogy and historical researcher, consultant, and lecturer who has been researching family history for over 30 years. Teri chairs the Texas State Genealogical Society’s Records Preservation and Access Committee and serves as the Texas state liaison to the national RPAC. She is director of the Federation of Genealogical Societies. Teri was recently appointed to the Texas State Historical Resource Advisory Board, a state-level board dedicated to the preservation and use of Texas’ documentary heritage. She is the first genealogist to sit on the board in over a decade.
Teri is a member of the Travis County Historical Commission for which she chairs the Research Committee and serves as Travis County historical marker chair. Teri volunteers at the Texas State Archives processing over 1,000 volumes and 300 cubic feet of Galveston County records and creating finding aids to make them accessible to the public. Teri spent much of her career in Texas government working with the Texas Legislature on higher education and consumer protection issues. She used that experience in 2013 to work with the Texas genealogical community to prevent legislation from passing that would have further restricted access to Texas birth and death records. For her work in records preservation and access, Teri was recently elected a Fellow of the Texas State Genealogical Society. Teri holds a Master’s degree in History, with a concentration in Public History; MBA; Paralegal Certificate; and B. S. in Education from Texas State University.

Laurel Neuman works in the Archives and Records Division at the State of Texas General Land Office. She was born in Dallas and grew up in Arlington — her family has deep roots in Northeast Texas. She graduated from Arlington High in 2004 and went on to Texas State University, where she received her Bachelors of Arts in History in 2008. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Public History at Texas State University. She began working in the Archives at the GLO in 2008 as a summer intern in the scanning and duplication department. This initial exposure to the collection got her hooked, and she quickly fell in love with their collection. She was hired on full-time after her internship and has now worked in the Archives and Records program area for almost 7 years. She currently works in the Research Room, where she assists external customers with their research needs, gives in-house tours to the public, and works with fellow staff members to train them on the various parts of the collection. She also does several outreach events each year, traveling around Texas to spread the word about the wonderful resources at the GLO. She is passionate about Texas history, she loves the collection, and she enjoys getting to share the GLO records with the public!

Jacob Mangum is the Project Development Librarian for the Portal to Texas History at the University of North Texas Libraries. He earned both his BS in Information Science in 2013 and his MS in Library Science in 2014 from the University of North Texas. Then in February 2015 he became the Project Development Librarian for the Portal to Texas History at the University of North Texas Libraries. In this role he works with partners in the creation and digitization of collections for the Portal. As an additional function of his role at UNT Mr. Mangum performs outreach to various organizations and associations. These include genealogical societies, museums, libraries, and private collectors.

Brenda McClurkin, C.A. is the former Historical Manuscripts Archivist at the University of Texas at Arlington Library Special Collections and Archives, and now heads that department. She holds an undergraduate degree in history from Colorado Woman’s College in Denver; a MLS from the University of Arizona; and an archival administration certificate from the University of Texas at Arlington. Brenda is a member of the Academy of Certified Archivists and a past president of the Society of Southwest Archivists.
She has contributed articles to the Special Collections’ newsletter, The Compass Rose; Southwestern Archivist; and Legacies, a Dallas history journal; and coauthored Weatherford: The Early Years and Fort Worth’s Quality Hill, both recent titles in Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series.

Brian Collins grew up in Baton Rouge and graduated in 2000 from Louisiana State University with a B.A. in journalism. He then enrolled in the graduate history program at L.S.U. and received his M.A. in 2002. While conducting research for his thesis, he became intrigued with the “stuff of history” – i.e. archives – and started to work on his MLIS at L.S.U. After receiving this degree in December 2003, he joined the staff of the Dallas Public Library as an archivist. While remaining in this role, he attained and renewed his status as Certified Archivist. He also became a member of Texas State Library and Archives Commission review panel for the TexTreasures Grants in 2013. He has served in various capacities in the Society of Southwest Archivists, most recently completing a term as member of its Executive Board.
Additional Information

Press Release
Flyer
Tri-Fold Mailer

General Meeting
2015-07-15 10:30 - 12:30 UTC | 1st Floor – Auditorium, J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
Our speaker this month will be Rusty Brenner from Texas Cemetery Restoration.

General Meeting
2015-05-02 10:30 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | 1st Floor – Auditorium, J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
Agenda

10:30 – Coffee, Snacks and Conversation
11:00 – Business Meeting

Review the minutes from the previous meeting
Election of Officers

11:30 (Approximately) – Educational Presentation

Title: ‘Ancestors of Mexican American Leaders Who Helped Shape Dallas‘

Speaker: Susan P Vega

Susan will present a genealogical summary of three prominent Dallas Hispanics whose family trees were published in the Hispanic Organization for Genealogy and Research (HOGAR) journals. In the 2013 journal, HOGAR published the family tree of the Honorable Anita N. Martinez, the first female Mexican American on the Dallas City Council, in 2014, the late Pancho Luna of Luna’s Tortilla and in the 2015, Mr. Pedro Aguirre, FAIA, CEO, Aguirre-Roden, Architecture.

Susan will focus on the ancestral lines of these three native Dallasites who can trace their family roots to the conquistadors that accompanied Hernan Cortez and to those core families who arrived in North American shortly after the conquest of Mexico in the early 1500s eventually migrating to Northern Mexico and Texas.

A Dallas native and a eleventh generation Texan, Susan has joined the research efforts of her mother, Jo Ann Cantu Valentin, President of HOGAR, and her aunt, Gloria Cantu, Secretary of HOGAR as historians for their family. With over 20 years of experience in the escrow industry, Susan currently is an Escrow Officer with the Law Office of Kyle Coleman PC. She is also the secretary of the DMAHL – Dallas Mexican American Historical League; 2014 Ambassador Council – President, 2013 Ambassador Team Lead Award of the Frisco Chamber of Commerce; Board Member of the Little Elm Chamber of Commerce; Board Member/Ambassador of the Prosper Chamber of Commerce.

African American Genealogical Interest Group
2015-04-18 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | 1st Floor – West Room, J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, 75201, United States
AAGIG member Darlene Warren Rothwell will present ‘Tips on Writing and Publishing a Family Genealogy Book’
