The Tennessee Genealogical Society is extremely proud to announce that renowned genealogist, D. Joshua Taylor , MA, MLS will be the guest speaker for the Annual Fall Seminar to be held on Saturday, November 7, 2015.

D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS is the Director of Family History at Findmypast. Passionate about the future of family history, Joshua is a nationally known and recognized genealogical author, lecturer, and researcher and a frequent speaker at family history events across the globe. Active in the genealogical community, Joshua is the current President for the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) and the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including RootsTech’s Distinguished Presenter Award, the Federation of Genealogical Societies Award of Merit, and the Rubincam Youth Award from the National Genealogical Society. He holds an MLS (Archival Management) and an MA (History) from Simmons College and has been a featured genealogist on Who Do You Think You Are? with Sarah Jessica Parker, Kelly Clarkson, Ashley Judd, Reba McEntire, and Rob Lowe. At the present time Joshua can be seen taking America through their past as a host on the popular PBS series Genealogy Roadshow.

Be sure to mark your calendars now and set aside that date for an exciting genealogical adventure! The event Registration form contains times, topics and registration information can be downloaded HERE. Or register on-line HERE.

The Tennessee Genealogical Society has canceled today's lecture with Tina Sansone on "Forensic Genealogy" due to extreme flooding and bad weather conditions. We are truly sorry for any inconvenience. A rain date will be announced soon for the lecture. For any questions, please contact Tina Sansone at tinahsansone@gmail.com. 

The library will also be closed today. 

The Tennessee Genealogical Society is honored to present Diane L. Giannini, CG, who is scheduled to speak at the annual Spring Lecture Series on Saturday, May 3, 2014. The lecture starts at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. Lunch is included. The registration deadline is Friday, April 25, 2014. A registration form and the day’s schedule can be found here.

Diane L. Giannini is a Certified Genealogist (CG), who brings several years of experience in research and professionalism to each seminar she conducts. Giannini is a former Board Member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and also serves as the Webmaster for the Mid-Atlantic Germanic Society. She maintains memberships in a number of genealogical and lineage societies. Her Genealogical Research firm is Ancestry Sleuths.Societies and memberships that Diane has been involved in are:

• National Genealogical Society
• Association of Professional Genealogists
• New England Historical Genealogical Society
• Ohio Genealogical Society
• Arkansas Genealogy Society
• Virginia Genealogical Society
• Mid-Atlantic Germanic Society
• Ashtabula County Ohio Genealogical Society
• Northwest Arkansas Genealogical Society
  

The topics she will be discussing are: 

• Where’s the Proof? The Importance of Source Citations (How unsourced family trees create “Brick Walls”)
• I’ve Found a Clue: Now What? (Analysis of documents and ideas to move research forward.)
• Research Using Special Collections (Finding documents in these collections.)
• Tricks of the Trade (Tips and Tricks to aid in successful research.)
  

We invite all who are able to attend this great informative event. The Tennessee Genealogical Society will be selling books during the breaks and at lunch. For more information, please contact Carla Maitland via email at carla@tngs.org or the Tennessee Genealogical Society at 901.754.4300. Be sure to get your registration in as early as possible!

 

The Board of Directors of the Tennessee Genealogical Society is extremely pleased to announce the appointment of Jason Terrell as Cultural Adviser for the Board. Jason's expertise and love of history and family research along with his Native American ancestry will be a great addition to the Tennessee Genealogical Society. Please welcome Jason in his new position.

Jason R. Terrell is a storyteller. In fact, he comes from a family of storytellers and professes to be in the family business.

Jason’s parents were both journalists and his mother is a portrait artist, so he combined his love of art and journalism into a career as a graphic designer, art director and photographer.

His mother and her mother were also teachers, and he proudly teaches as an adjunct in the journalism department at the University of Memphis, his alma mater.

Jason’s father and grandfather were Cherokee. He is likewise enrolled with the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, where he currently sits as the Vice Chair of the Editorial Board for the tribal newspaper, the Cherokee Phoenix.

His love of family history goes back to his childhood. Consequently, he has been researching his ancestors for over 25 years, with a special focus on his Cherokee ancestors, Cherokee history and culture.

Jason is indeed a storyteller and is always on the lookout for ways to tell a great story.

We are excited to have him part of our team!

“The Irish are Coming!” is the call you hear these days from Carla Maitland, Public Relations Director and newly elected 2014 Vice President of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. The Ulster Historical Foundation is a ”non-profit organization founded in 1956 to promote interest in Irish genealogy and history, with particular reference to the historical nine county province of Ulster. The Foundation is one of the leading genealogical research agencies in Ireland and a major publisher of historical, educational and genealogical source books. It has also devised a series of ground breaking online historical and genealogical resources, which have helped to transform the availability of Irish records for family historians at home and abroad.”

The Tennessee Genealogical Society is excited to have the Ulster Historical Foundation come to do an all day Seminar featuring Fintan Mullan, Executive Director and Gillian Hunt, Genealogist, that will be FREE. More information on this seminar as well as a downloadable registration form can be found at www.tngs.org. Registration is on a first come, first serve basis, so reserve your seat soon! The date is Saturday, March 15, 2014!

Sack lunches will be provided for $7.50, so be sure to place your order now. Drinks and desserts will be provided. 

Here are the informative topics that will be covered:

• Introduction to Irish and Scots-Irish Family History Research
• Researching the Farming Community in the 18th and 19th Centuries
• The Ulster Plantation: Sources for 17th Century Families   
• Records Relating to the Different Churches in Ireland
• Emigration from the North of Ireland to North America in the Eighteenth Century (the Story of the Scots-Irish)
• Solving Your ‘Brick-Walls’- Practical Internet Tutorial and Resolving Research Queries

A review of their website can be found at  http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art182056.asp . 

For more information, please contact Carla Maitland via email at carlamaitland@yahoo.com or the Tennessee Genealogical Society at 901.754.4300. Hope to see you there! Make your Reservations today!

The Jonesborough Genealogical Society of Tennessee could use your help. If you are able to help them in this great project, see contact information below. Thanks!

On Saturday, October 19, 2013, the Tennessee Genealogical Society held its final Quarterly Business meeting of the year. At the beginning of the meeting, ballots were distributed for the election of the new Board of Directors. After the business meeting, followed by an outstanding presentation on researching court records by Tina Sansone, the ballots had been counted and the winners were announced.  A Book Fair was held after the Business Meeting.

The following people were elected to take office beginning January 1, 2014, for a two-year period (2014 – 2015):

PRESIDENT                                       Joe Burns

VICE PRESIDENT                             Carla Love Maitland

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY                 Sharron Bearly

EDITOR                                              Janice Ingram

BUSINESS MANAGER                    Charles Speed

TREASURER                                      Cindy Rodgers

RECORDING SECRETARY              Kathy Stafford

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY   Jean Belser

DIRECTOR OF SALES                      Byron Crain

DIRECTOR at LARGE                      Jim Bobo

Congratulations to all of the new Board of Directors for the Tennessee Genealogical Society. These officers have the honor of beginning their term as the Society celebrates its 60th Anniversary Year in 2014.

Submitted by Carla Love Maitland