Tennessee Genealogical Society upcoming events

Event Education-Writing Your Family History SIG (Wednesday, August 12, 2026)

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Writing Your Family History SIG

Facilitator - Carla Maitland

Join us for four workshops this year in our GoToMeeting platform as we meet together, face-to-face, and discuss, share, and critique each other’s family history writing. Whether you choose journals, blogs, newsletters, books, or some other form of writing, we can all use the input of others. These sessions will be led by a facilitator, who will not directly teach, but who will guide the discussions, ensuring the involvement of everyone. Bring your pen, pencil, computer or whatever you use to write, and join the sessions with ideas to share with others as well!

These sessions are currently scheduled for one Wednesday morning every three months at 10:00 a.m. (CST), and will last approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours each session. YOU MUST REGISTER FOR EACH DATE SEPARATELY!

DATES FOR 2026

AUG 12, 2026

NOV 4, 2026

Event Education-Climatic Clues-Our Ancestors Weathering Their Lives (Wednesday, August 19, 2026)

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Climatic Clues-Our Ancestors Weathering

Their Lives by Ann Staley

THE RECORDING WILL BE AVAILABLE

FOR 90 DAYS AFTER THE PRESENTATION FOR MEMBERS ONLY

The weather plays a factor in how we handle our day-to-day activities. Our ancestors were no different. Hurricanes, tornadoes, coal inversions, ice storms, etc. played havoc with crops and lives. On the other hand, the sun and rain helped to produce the items necessary for subsistence. The weather, during certain time periods, could give you a clue as to why you can't find your ancestor; one reason - they may have moved. This presentation will examine the various ways our ancestors were affected by the weather including folklore, weather phenomena, climate driven migration, military conflicts, National Weather Bureau, on- and off-line resources, and more.

C. Ann Staley, CG®, CGL ®, has spoken regionally, nationally, and at sea. She is the Membership Chair for the Genealogical Speakers Guild; a volunteer of the Florida State Genealogical Society and the National Genealogical Society; and is on the faculty of The International Institute for Genealogical Studies. Ann is the compiler of the Jacksonville Genealogical Society, Inc. Quarterly Full Name Index, Volumes 1 through 4, 1973 through 1976, author of several articles for the NGS Magazine, and the co-author of the NGS Research in the States Series-Florida. She has been researching her family from Alabama, Mississippi, Indiana, and Virginia to France, England, Ireland, and Germany. Her specialties are methodology, vital records and their sources, computer research resources, and conference planning.

Access will be through GoToWebinar. Instructions and Connectivity Link will be forwarded via email to all registrants upon registration, six days prior and again 1 hour prior to the event. Making the connection is quick and easy only requiring a computer and Internet connectivity from wherever you chose to watch the event. Your questions help drive the meetings, and we will be there to help each other.

Event Education-Let's Discuss It! (Saturday, August 29, 2026)

Sat, 29 Aug 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Let's Discuss It! by John Ware

Join our popular discussion group and learn what is trending in Genealogy.

John is a retired Pharmaceutical Research Chemist and Project Systems Analyst. John has been married for over 50 years to his high school sweetheart and they have two children and two grandchildren. He began family research in the 60’s Investigating both his adopted and biological lines. He is a member of several genealogical societies. He has served as a board member of the Tennessee Genealogical Society in several capacities and is the current Director of Education and Vice President.

Event Education-Beyond the Census: Finding Your Ancestor in Federal Records (Wednesday, September 09, 2026)

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Beyond the Census Record: Finding Your Ancestor in

Federal Records by Sandy Rumble

One of the first record collections new genealogists access is the U.S. Federal Census. It identifies family units, residence, occupation, family relationships, home ownership, and marital status. What more could you want? Hidden in the vaults of the National Archives are first person, narrative, detail rich packets about our ancestors in the military, land, Congressional, State Department, and court records. The National Archives publishes finding aids (indexes) providing a way to easily identify our ancestors. Join us to explore these finding aids and look at examples of what can be found by asking NARA for these paper records.

Sandy started her career as a software developer and trainer, and for over 30 years, she has designed curriculum for cutting-edge software products. Expanding on her interest in teaching, Sandy speaks about military research, Colonial Pennsylvania, lineage research, and research planning. Sandy has taught classes at genealogical institutes, GRIP, SLIG & TIGR, at conferences, as well as genealogical and historical societies. Sandy is coordinating Researching Penn’s Colony for GRIP in July 2026, has coordinated Documentation for Lineage Societies, and has co-coordinated Answering the Call of Uncle Sam, an exploration of 18th- & 19th-century American military records.

Event Education-Learn From My Mistakes (Wednesday, September 16, 2026)

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 15:00:00 GMT

LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES

BY NANCY WALCZYK

Genealogy presentations are full of tips, reminders to “do this, don’t do that.” But I have found I learn best through case studies and examples. In this presentation, I’ll share mistakes I’ve made researching my own family tree, why that likely happened, and what I could have done differently.

Nancy Walczyk is currently the editor for the TNGS quarterly Ansearchin' News. Prior to that she was the TNGS Director of Research for seven years. Nancy is a frequent speaker for the Society. You can find her presentations on our website. Past topics have included Tennessee Research, Creating a Locality Guide, City Directories and Research Logs. She also lectures during the bi-annual Genealogy 101 series-the Genealogy Tips and Techniques Class and the Source Citations class. Nancy enjoys helping people with their genealogy and has been researching her own family history for over 25 years. But sadly, she has no Tennessee ancestors.

Event Education-9/11 Memorials (Saturday, September 19, 2026)

Sat, 19 Sep 2026 15:00:00 GMT

9/11 Memorials by Mike Ellicott

On 9/11, terrorists attacked the symbols of America’s Economic and Military Power and attempted to attack the symbol of our Political Power. The attacks destroyed the World Trade Center in New York City, severely damaged the Pentagon, and changed a field in Central Pennsylvania forever. Immediately following those attacks, impromptu memorials appeared to commemorate the 2.977 citizens of the World we lost. Over time, America erected permanent and thought-provoking Memorials. Retired Army Colonel and Amateur Historian Mike Ellicott will discuss the history behind the 9/11 Museum and Memorial, The Pentagon 9/11 Memorial, and the Flight 93 Memorial, along with the surprising contribution of the former Fishkill Landfill on Staten Island.

Mike Ellicott is a retired Army Officer and a retired higher education facilities officer. He now has time to spend on his lifelong love of history and he and his wife Marilyn currently lead tours of the Gettysburg and Normandy Battlefields, Germany, where they lived for 14 years, and the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. He completed a twenty-six-year career in the Army Corps of Engineers, retiring as a Colonel and Commander of the Corps of Engineers’ Europe District in Frankfurt, Germany. He went on to a 16-year career in Higher Education Facilities Construction and Operations and retired again as the Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning and Construction for the Texas Tech University System in Lubbock, TX. He earned Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Mechanical Engineering and taught engineering at the Military Academy at West Point and at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA. He was a Registered Professional Engineer in Virginia. Mike and Marilyn live in Collierville, TN. They have two sons, Mike Jr., also a retired Engineer Colonel, and Randy, a Hospital Facilities Compliance Specialist, and three grandchildren. He is the Past President of the Friends of Morton Museum in Collierville and a Director of the Engineers’ Club of Memphis.

Event Education-Let's Discuss It! (Saturday, September 26, 2026)

Sat, 26 Sep 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Let's Discuss It! by John Ware

Join our popular discussion group and learn what is trending in Genealogy.

Event Education-How to Organize & Preserve Old & New Photographs (Thursday, October 08, 2026)

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Organizing and Preserving Old and New Photographs

by Melissa Barker

Many of us have them, boxes and albums of photographs, photo slides, negatives and even those countless digital photographs that we still haven't removed from our phones. Photographs are precious family history records and preserving them should be high on our priority list. Learn from a seasoned genealogist and archivist how to organize and preserve your original photographs, whether they are sitting in dusty boxes or hanging out on your digital device, so future generations can enjoy them.

Melissa Barker is a Certified Archives Manager and Public Historian currently working at the Houston County, Tennessee Archives & Museum and has been in these position for the past 15 years. She is affectionally known as The Archive Lady in the genealogy community. She lectures, teaches, and writes about the genealogy research process, researching in archives and records preservation. She conducts virtual presentations across the United States and other countries for various genealogy groups and societies. She writes a popular blog entitled A Genealogist in the Archives and is a well-known published book reviewer. She has been a Professional Genealogist for the past 22 years with expertise in Tennessee records. She has been researching her own family history for the past 36 years.

Event Education-Let's Discuss It! (Saturday, October 24, 2026)

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Let's Discuss It! by John Ware

Join our popular discussion group and learn what is trending in Genealogy.

Event Fall Seminar - Fall 2026 Seminar (Saturday, November 07, 2026)

Sat, 07 Nov 2026 14:30:00 GMT

Saturday November 7, 2026

David M. McCorkle is a land records expert with research experience in a wide variety of other records used by genealogists, including court records, probate, colonial records, and governmental records. He has an extensive background in computer software. He has been working on using Artificial Intelligence tools to help researchers process evidence from these records in a more comprehensive and less time-consuming manner. David is currently President of the NC Genealogical Society.

Please register by Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026

$25 for each TNGS Member – Virtual *

$35 for each Non-Member – Virtual*

ALL PROGRAMS WILL BE RECORDED AND AVAILABLE FOR 30 DAYS FOR REGISTRANTS

Session Schedule

8:30 a.m. CST Registration

9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.

Opening Remarks & Introduction

9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

Land Research in the United States

Genealogists often overlook land records for various reasons, one of which is they can be complicated. Learn how you can use these records in your research, how they vary in different parts of the country, and where to find them.

Break 10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

10:30 a.m. –11:30 a.m

rFinding, Understanding, and Using Deeds

Deeds are extremely useful in genealogical research for determining time and place, relationships, neighbors, wealth, occupations, and more. They are also the most voluminous records you’ll encounter dating from before the founding of this nation up to right now.

ood can provide many genealogical clues and evidence. Learn how to find those neighbors by following land ownership over time using a variety of rLunch 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Tracing Land Ownership Over Time: Forwards, Backwards, and from the Middle

Knowing your ancestor's neighbors and neighborhood can provide many genealogical clues and evidence. Learn how to find those neighbors by following land ownership over time using a variety of records.

Break 1:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

Using Maps and Mapping Software to Help Understand Your Ancestor's Time and Place

Land records can determine where your ancestor lived, but maps can provide clues to their lives, their church, business activity, access to transportation, and most importantly who lived nearby. Learn how to use websites and software to overlay old maps on top of modern maps to help extract this information.

2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Q&A & Wrap-up

Refund Policy: Full refund if request is received on or before Nov. 3, 2026. A refund of the registration fee less $20 will be given for requests received after Nov. 3, 2026. No refunds for requests received the day of the seminar or later.

*Deadline for Registration: Tuesday Nov 3rd

Virtual Doors will open at 8:30 a.m. CST

Event Education-Let's Discuss It! (Saturday, December 05, 2026)

Sat, 05 Dec 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Let's Discuss It! by John Ware

Join our popular discussion group and learn what is trending in Genealogy.

Tennessee Genealogical Society upcoming events

Event Education-Writing Your Family History SIG (Wednesday, August 12, 2026)

Event Education-Climatic Clues-Our Ancestors Weathering Their Lives (Wednesday, August 19, 2026)

Event Education-Let's Discuss It! (Saturday, August 29, 2026)

Event Education-Beyond the Census: Finding Your Ancestor in Federal Records (Wednesday, September 09, 2026)

Event Education-Learn From My Mistakes (Wednesday, September 16, 2026)

Event Education-9/11 Memorials (Saturday, September 19, 2026)

Event Education-Let's Discuss It! (Saturday, September 26, 2026)

Event Education-How to Organize & Preserve Old & New Photographs (Thursday, October 08, 2026)

Event Education-Let's Discuss It! (Saturday, October 24, 2026)

Event Fall Seminar - Fall 2026 Seminar (Saturday, November 07, 2026)

TNGS FALL VIRTUAL SEMINAR

David M. McCorkle

Saturday November 7, 2026

Event Education-Let's Discuss It! (Saturday, December 05, 2026)