This is the list of genealogy events in the Fort Worth area for Oct. 5-11. Some listings include links to the sponsoring organization’s website. This listing serves as a guide for events and activities. Always check the websites of genealogy organizations, historical societies, museums, libraries, and other groups for days and hours of operation.
Oct. 7: The Mansfield Historical Society meets the first Wednesday of the month at 11 a.m. at the Mansfield Historical Museum and Heritage Center, 102 N. Main. Everyone is invited to attend. Contact 817-473-4250 or mansfieldmuseum@sbcglobal.net for more information.
Oct. 8: Tony Hanson will discuss “Protecting Your Technology” at the Mesquite Historical & Genealogical Society meeting. Hanson is a retired AT&T electrical engineer and an avid genealogist with many years of technology experience. He uses his technology experience with his volunteer work with the Dallas Genealogical Society as webmaster and Technology Special Interest Group Leader. Hanson will share valuable tips on how genealogists can protect themselves and their information from identity theft, malicious damage, and other threats. The meeting will be 6:30-7:45 p.m., with refreshments served at 6 p.m., at the Mesquite Main Library Meeting Room, 300 West Grubb Dr., Mesquite, Texas 75149. The meeting is free and open to the public. Attendees to not have to belong to the society.
Oct. 10: The Billy W. Sills Lecture Series includes presentations each month, except for January, through May 2016. Lectures are free and begin at 10 a.m. Coffee and snacks are served at 9:30 a.m. Lectures are presented at Billy W. Sills Center for Archives, 2720 Cullen St., Fort Worth. For more information call 817-814-2040.
Oct. 10: Visit Heritage Park, 201 Cullum Drive in Euless. Free tours are offered the second Saturday of every month from 1-5 p.m. Group tours can be scheduled on a different day depending on staff availability. Tour the Fuller House, the first brick home in Euless which is now a museum; the Himes Log House, built in the 1850s; and the McCormick Barn, built in 1919. For more information call 817-685-1649 or email Ofa “Mary” Faiva-Siale, eulessinfo@eulesstx.gov.
Mark your calendar: Hispanic Organization for Genealogy and Research (HOGAR de Dallas) will present a genealogy research conference at the Latino Cultural Center, 2600 Live Oak in downtown Dallas, Sat., Oct. 17, from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. Beginners and experienced researchers alike will benefit from the information presented on Hispanic genealogy research. Topics will include DNA research, Spanish and Mexican records in the General Land Office, Spanish language naming customs, and more.
Mark your calendar: The Parker County Heritage Society presents “Talking Tombstones Tour XII: Snake Oil and Quackery in the City Beautiful,” a tour which begins at the gate of the Old Greenwood Cemetery, 300 Front St., Weatherford on Sat., Oct. 17. Docents will guide visitors to sites where they will be introduced to citizens of “Silent City” who were associated with “quacky” health practices in days gone by. The first tour is at 1 p.m. and the last tour is at 3 p.m. Tours begin every 15 minutes and each tour lasts approximately 70 minutes. Tickets will be sold at the cemetery front gate on the day of the event. Proceeds are dedicated to the maintenance and preservation of the Old City Greenwood Cemetery.
Mark your calendar: The Texas Society of the Dames of the Court of Honor will have a luncheon meeting Oct. 24 at 11:45 a.m. at the Lakewood Country Club, 6430 Gaston Ave., Dallas. The speaker is Diane Dyess, whose presentation will be about cemetery markers. Deadline for members to register is Oct. 17. Membership eligibility in this lineage society is granted to a woman who is descended from an ancestor who served in one or more of the American wars during the years 1607 through 1865 or who was a Colonial Governor who served in the Colonial Period 1607 to 1775.
Mark your calendar: The Dallas Genealogical Society (DGS) will hold its Fall Seminar Saturday, Oct. 24 at the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library in downtown Dallas. The featured speaker is Dr. Michael Lacopo, who will present “Thinking, Assessing, & Storytelling: Genealogy Beyond Birth, Marriage, & Death” as the theme for his four lectures. The lecture topics are “She Came from Nowhere – A Case Study Approach to a Difficult Genealogical Problem,” “Deconstructing Your Family Tree: Re-Evaluating the “Evidence,” “Incorporating Social History Into Your Research,” and “Medical Genealogy: A Primer of Diseases That Killed Our Ancestors and the Epidemics They Lived Through.” Registration is $45 for members and $55 for non-members. Attendees can save $10 by registering before Oct. 1. Program details and registration instructions are on the DGS site,
Mark your calendar: The Central Branch of the Fort Worth Public Library will offer a free HistoryGeo.com Class, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Oct. 24. HistoryGeo.com is a database that the library subscribes to that specializes in mapping original land owners. The database is an ongoing effort to accurately map the original landowners of the 23 public land states and Texas. It enables users to zoom in and see landowner parcels overlaid on top of our modern U.S. map. It is surname searchable. There is an antique map component as well. Genealogists are encouraged to learn about this free software.
Mark your calendar: Texas author, historian and archaeologist William E. Moore will talk about the role that calabooses, small buildings used for jails in early 20th-century Texas, played in Texas history and culture. At one time there were more than 200 calabooses throughout the state. The presentation will be at 7 p.m., Oct. 26, in the Program Room of the Grapevine Public Library. The program is free and open to the public.
Mark your calendar: The Texas State Genealogical Society (TSGS) will host their 2015 Conference in Austin. The TSGS 2015 Family History Conference will be Oct. 30-Nov. 1. The conference is open to anyone, even if they are not members of TSGS. This three-day event will include research opportunities, insightful family history sessions for all skill levels, and a full exhibit hall. Visit the TSGS website for more information.
All year: “Preserve the Pensions,” presented by the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the National Archives, and the genealogical community, to digitize War of 1812 pension files through 2015.
All year: The City of Arlington Central Library, serving patrons for the last 40 years, closed permanently December 23, 2014. The closure is a key step in the transition to a new George W. Hawkes Central Library at a site across Center Street from its present location and scheduled to open in 2017. In the interim, Arlington library patrons will use a temporary downtown library service center named “Central Express” located at 200 N. Cooper Street. This downtown library offers computer access, Wi-Fi, new and high demand materials for adults and children and holds pickup. Hours of service at the Central Express Library will be 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday and Saturday. The genealogy collections will be divided among various library locations. Read about where the various collections are housed.
All year: The Euless Public Library has genealogy resources, including Fold3, which is an online military database, and Newsbank, which provides access to newspapers and other news sources. This library is also the meeting place for the Mid Cities Genealogical Society. Hours are 10 a.m- 5p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1-5p.m. Sunday. Address is 201 N. Ector Drive, 817-685-1480.
All year: The Fort Worth Public Library houses an extensive genealogy collection and has software and reference material available for genealogists. This location is also the meeting place for the Fort Worth Genealogical Society. Hours are 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Address is 500 W. Third St., 817-392-7701.
All year: The Fort Worth Public Library publishes Genealogy Success Stories about local researchers and their genealogy discoveries. The most recent success story is about Gerry Gieger and the research he did on his wife’s behalf before she passed away.
All year: Civil War Veterans Memorial, on property owned by Bedford Church of Christ, 2401 Bedford Road, Bedford, Texas 76021, next to historic Bedford Cemetery. Soldiers honored at this memorial served on both sides of the Civil War. The memorial is open from dawn to dusk, with free admission. Visitors may park in west parking lot of church.
All year: Mansfield Historical Museum and Heritage Center, open 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesdays-Saturdays. In addition to providing exhibits, museum staff and volunteers can help patrons with genealogy. Donations requested. Located at 102 North Main St., Mansfield, 76063, (817) 473-4250 or mansfieldmuseum@sbcglobal.net
All year: Texas Civil War Museum is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday, 760 Jim Wright Freeway North, Fort Worth, 76108. Adult admission is $6, students ages 7-12 are $3 and children 6 and under are free with adult admission. This is the largest Civil War museum west of the Mississippi. Contact (817) 246-2323, questions@texascivilwarmuseum.com
All year: Arlington Family History Center, 3809 Curt Drive, Arlington, 76016, 817-446-7088. Volunteers provide free genealogy assistance. Genealogists may use computers to view microfilm or to use genealogy software and online programs, including Ancestry.com and Fold3. They can also ask for help ordering microfilm. Hours of operation are Wednesday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and 6 p.m.-9 p.m., Thursday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
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