September Genealogy Meetings, Upcoming Classes, and Fall Speaker Series

It feels like the summer has flown by, doesn't it? But fall is almost here, and we are excited about our remaining meetings, some new upcoming classes, and our hybrid Fall Speaker Series. All the details to get you started with our fall event schedule are below.

St. Louis Through the Ages: Exploring the City of Your Ancestors

Many of us have deep roots in St. Louis. Even if you don’t have ancestors who lived here, if you have lived in St. Louis for a good part of your life, you likely feel very close to the city’s history. For those reasons, we invite you to attend “St. Louis Through the Ages: Exploring the City of Your Ancestors,” our annual Fall Speaker Series, featuring Emily Jaycox and Dennis Northcott from the Missouri History Museum’s Library and Research Center. Emily and Dennis will present four lectures on Saturday, 16 September 2023, from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. (Central) at the StLGS office, 4 Sunnen Drive, Suite 140, Maplewood, MO 63143.

Our Ancestors' Killer Cures: Part Three of Three

Long ago, people’s knowledge of medicine was quite limited. Doctors, who were accessible mostly to the rich, were trained in the best way they could be, given no one really understood what was making people ill until well into the nineteenth century. For hundreds of years, most people never saw doctors; they relied on “wise-women,” monks and nuns, apothecaries, and barber-surgeons who understood and likely grew herbs and other plants that might or might not be effective in treating illness. People were extremely superstitious, believing in magic and witchcraft, so cures based on magic stones and charms and driving out evil spirits were popular. 

NGS Announces Continuation of War of 1812 Project

The War of 1812 began on the heels of the American Revolution and had the new nation scrambling once again for sovereignty over Great Britain. Having won their independence in 1783, the former colonists now found themselves facing British troops hoping to keep them from moving further westward into North America. Enlisting the help of several indigenous tribes also eager to keep the restless settlers from taking more land, Great Britain’s troops began an assault on America from both land and sea.