StLGS Introduces New Registration Process for Meetings

We know that many of you have been thoroughly enjoying the chance to attend St. Louis Genealogical Society monthly meetings, Special Interest Group (SIG) meetings, and other events and classes online this past year via Zoom. As with many other groups learning to navigate this valuable digital platform, we started slowly and have been able to learn from the bumps in the road as we’ve gained more experience. One of the features of Zoom that we postponed trying is the ability to have participants register through the Zoom website; however, we are now able to offer that convenience to registrants for our free meetings and we think you will like the ease and simplicity it offers.

Locating Your Ancestor's Land on Modern Maps

If you have been working with land records as part of your family history research, you know that it is not always easy to discover the exact location of the land your family owned. First, you have to know how “chunks” of land were divided and where your family’s part fits in. Then, you have to understand the terminology: sections, townships, and ranges. A further problem is situating the property on a modern map as opposed to what the countryside looked like a hundred or so years ago. Wouldn't it be nice if there were a website that allowed you to see where your ancestor's property was in a modern setting?

Use City and County Directories in Your Genealogy Research

Long before the popularity of telephones and telephone books, urban communities listed their residents in city directories and rural communities often had county directories as well. For many areas, publication began in the early to mid-1800s and continued well into the twentieth century. City directories are especially helpful in tracking city dwellers, who often did not own property and may have changed residences more frequently than those who lived in the country. Like phone books, both city and county directories have multiple sections in which you can find listings of people, non-profit organizations and businesses, and many interesting paid advertisements. Best of all, directories were often issued yearly, so they can help fill in the gaps between censuses.

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!