Thanks to everyone who attended our Open House this weekend (Saturday, 7 March 2026) and made it such a success! Our office was glowing with smiles and warmth in spite of the drizzly, cold weather outside, as our volunteers greeted dozens of members and visitors who came to spend a few hours learning about what we do and how we can help with your genealogy questions. We'll share a few photos here and hope to entice you to join us again in a few weeks for a fun night of trivia on Saturday, 21 March. We also want to share a beautifully moving recording that started as a telephone inquiry and ended as a feature segment on local television. Read on for more!
Our Open House began with a flurry of activity as our office volunteers arrived. Some set up coffee and sweet treats; others organized themselves in stations around our large workroom to meet and greet our visitors, and still others headed to their computers and began their data indexing work, as they usually do on Saturdays. People began to arrive well before our announced starting time and stayed until after closing, always a sign that guests are enjoying themselves. In the photos below, you can see a bit of how the day progressed.
From the top: 1. Our Irish, Jewish, and German SIG leaders sat at tables as visitors began to arrive; 2. Our First Families volunteers answered questions, while behind them, to the left, some of our technology team members were gathered; 3. It wasn't long before we were able to help an increasing number of guests; 4. Our front lobby was the spot for people looking to buy new and gently used books in our lobby store.
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Next Up, Trivia Night!
Our post on 23 February included all the details. In case you missed it, you can read about our upcoming Trivia Night here. We've received some outstanding items for our silent auction and raffle, and now that we are getting closer to the date, our Trivia Night Committee has begun creating beautiful baskets that we know you will want to bid on. Here are the two that we mentioned in the previous post; as you can see, if you are a Cardinals fan or a connoisseur of fine whiskeys, these baskets really can't be missed!
The Cardinals basket includes a certificate for four field box tickets as well as a collection of team memorabilia.
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StLGS Helps Local Reporter Find His Roots
We recently had the pleasure of assisting KMOV-TV reporter Damon Arnold begin his quest for discovering more about his enslaved ancestors. Damon called our office asking if we might be able to answer some questions about genealogy for a story he was preparing during Black History Month. StLGS Co-President Kathy Franke invited him for a visit, so he could see our office and meet with Kathy and our librarian, Judy Belford, both of whom are experienced researchers. Damon arrived with a camera crew, toured the office, and worked with Kathy and Judy. He continued his search with Linda Simms, president of the St. Louis African American History and Genealogy Society, who helped him find additional records. They discovered that Damon's ancestor, who had been living in Chariton County, Missouri, fought in the Civil War. With the records that Kathy, Judy, and Linda were able to provide him, Damon discovered that his ancestor served as a Buffalo Soldier, owned land after the war, and is one of the names engraved on the Spirit of Freedom statue in Washington, D.C.
Damon's essay and the digital recording of his discoveries are now on the KMOV website, and you can read his fascinating story and watch the recording here.
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