January 2021 Genealogy Meetings and Classes

Well, we made it! Finally, 2020 is over and there is a glimmer of hope for a much happier, healthier new year. Now that the holidays are behind us and it's feeling like winter outside, it's time to get back to genealogy! We enter an especially important year in Missouri as we celebrate the state's 200th birthday! Look for special focus in our meetings, extra events, and our Quarterly journal on early Missouri history. Because it is still not safe to meet in person, we are continuing our virtual meeting schedule for the foreseeable future. We have had such positive feedback from so many of you, we can't wait until you see some of the exciting plans we have for 2021. Here's a start—stay tuned for a lot more!

A Little New Year's Eve History as We Welcome 2021

This coming Friday, we will gratefully usher in 2021, hoping for a much brighter, less tragic year, one in which we can see each other again without fear and collect those long overdue hugs and handshakes. As you Zoom-celebrate with your friends and family, you may adhere to some tried-and-true traditions. Many of us will sit in front of our televisions and watch the ball drop in Times Square. We may have a glass or two of something bubbly and sing either the Scottish or the English version of the song we most closely associate with ending an old year and beginning a new one, “Auld Lang Syne.” Do you know the origins of these beloved New Year’s traditions?

Bunches of Thanks Coming Your Way!

(StLGS president, Kay Weber, who will hand her gavel to Karen Goode on 1 January 2021, has written the first part of this week’s post. Kay has provided four years of excellent leadership to StLGS and has held us together with her calm efficiency and unfailing good humor through this most challenging of years. With Kay’s guidance, we have come out of the pandemic as strong and solid as we were when it started, and we owe her a huge debt of gratitude for steering us through this storm!)

Looking Forward to the StLGS Winter/Spring 2021 Schedule

We hope you are having a healthy and happy holiday season and staying safe. After you are finished celebrating Chanukah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa, it will be time to get back to genealogy! In a more normal year, StLGS would have the whole 2021 schedule ready for you by now, but due to the uncertainty of the times, we are taking it a bit more slowly this year. We have no idea when it will be safe to gather in person, but we are looking forward to bringing you the very best experience possible by continuing our successful livestreamed and digitally recorded virtual meetings and classes. Take a look at what's coming up . . .

2020 Holiday Gift Ideas for Genealogists

As the holiday season gets into full swing for this strangest of years, we are repeating one of our annual traditions: our list of gift suggestions for your favorite genealogist or historian. Luckily, you don't have to venture outside to purchase any of these items, as all are available online. So, go fill your coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or hot toddy cup, grab your credit card, and have fun working on the following ideas to make your genie-buddy's holiday just a bit brighter (or to gift yourself!)

StLGS Proposes Bylaws Changes

St. Louis Genealogical Society operates according to a set of bylaws that are drawn up by the board of directors and approved by the society’s members. The bylaws are periodically reviewed by committee and, if necessary, the committee proposes revisions. The bylaws that are currently in place were last revised in 2014. Late this summer, a bylaws committee met and submitted a set of proposed changes to the board of directors. The StLGS board of directors has agreed to these changes and now offers them to members for approval.

The original wording and the proposed changes are below. (You can read the complete bylaws on the StLGS website by clicking here.)

Time to Thank Some Special StLGS Volunteers

In a typical year, the St. Louis Genealogical Society office in Maplewood hums with activity three mornings a week as volunteers work together to process thousands of genealogical records, answer research questions, plan programs and events, prepare publications, maintain the website, and keep the day-to-day activities of the society flowing smoothly. Although the office is "officially" only open from 9 a.m. until noon, there are usually volunteers arriving early and almost always people are staying late. In addition, many work from home on "off days" or come into the office whenever they have something to do. In a typical year, we thank our volunteers with a brunch or small party and then with recognition at our annual Family History Conference in the spring. But this year has not been typical!