Meeting and Events
Monthly meetings are held in the Meeting Hall of the York County History Center at 250 East Market Street, York, Pennsylvania, unless otherwise noted. The business portion of the meeting begins at 2:30 PM, followed by the program. To register for in-person attendance or Zoom registration, visit https://www.yorkhistorycenter.org/event/south-central-pennsylvania-genealogical-society To attend via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YorkCountyHistoryCenter/ Our upcoming meetings are scheduled as follows ... February 4, 2024
Tracking the Migration of Black Families Presented by Samantha Dorm This presentation describes the migration of Black families, both forced during slavery and voluntarily once free. Samantha Dorm has discovered these migrations in exploring the lives of her ancestors and the many people buried at the historic Lebanon Cemetery in North York. Some forced migrations spread families who had connections to York over several of the former “slave” states. Manumissions of slaves prior to the Civil War and promises of a new life with freedom and work opportunities brought other Black families to York voluntarily. Samantha L. Dorm is a senior grant consultant with over 20 years of experience. Ms. Dorm has been instrumental in providing grant writing guidance to various public safety and non-profit agencies throughout the United States to enable them to obtain alternative funding as well as provide instruction on statistical compilation, analysis, and program development. Dorm has been a reviewer for several federal agencies and instructs grant writing workshops. Recently added to the Board of the York County History Center, Samantha L Dorm is one of the founders of the Friends of Lebanon Cemetery, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of African American cemeteries in York County, Pennsylvania by honoring the memory of those interred in their folds through historic research, documentation, education, preservation, restoration, and community engagement. She is an active member and participant in the Pennsylvania Hallowed Grounds Network, the Black Cemetery Network, consults with the National Cemetery Administration to promote the care of African American Veterans in private cemeteries. Ms. Dorm is an active contributor to the Veterans Legacy Program, highlighting the untold accomplishments of veterans. Dorm’s work has recently been featured on PBS station WITF, CBS Sunday Morning with Martha Teichner, USA Today, a novel by Neil King, Jr, former Wall Street Journal writer, and in a CNN article by Eliott McGlaughlin. March 3, 2024
How to Find a Needle in a Haystack Without Even Looking Presented by Lisa Woolfson Treasures, that’s what I call them. It’s those little pieces of information that we dig and dig for or those that show up unexpectedly are what keeps genealogists going back for more. You never know what you are going to find in the most unlikely of places. The beginning of this story starts at a house in Granite, Baltimore County, MD. Our second stop is the book table at the Baltimore County Genealogical Society. Next we will journey back in time to examine the exciting story of William Penn and his friend (my seventh great grandfather) William Buckman. The adventure ends up two graveyards in Carroll County, MD. You’ve probably been by them before and never knew of the deep American history that lies beneath the surface of those grounds. Lisa Woolfson is a genealogist who has been researching her family and the families of others for thirteen years. She has been writing and presenting her family’s history for the Granite Historical Society, Baltimore County MD, the Historical Society of Baltimore County, the Maryland Center for History and Culture, the Frederick County Genealogical Society, Heritage Frederick, the Bucks County Genealogical Society, the Bucks County Historical Society, the Spring Grove Area Historical Preservation Society. Before Lisa was a genealogist, she was a schoolteacher. She has a B.S degree from Towson University and an M.S. degree from McDaniel College (formerly Western Maryland College). She taught for private schools, Baltimore County Public Schools, and Carroll Community College in Westminster, MD. April 7, 2024
Research at the New Pennsylvania State Archives Building Presented by Aaron McWilliams The presentation will provide a detailed look at the new State Archives building and its search room operations. It will cover basic search room policies and procedures and, in general, what researchers can expect when visiting the new facility. The presentation will also cover new and proposed changes to onsite and remote reference services and updates on various Archives projects. Aaron McWilliams is head of the Public Services Section at the Pennsylvania State Archives. He is responsible for handling research inquiries at the Archives and frequently represents the agency at genealogical events. His areas of expertise include Pennsylvania state land records, Pennsylvania’s Revolutionary War militia, and genealogy. He has appeared on WITF’s Radio Smart Talk and contributed to both “Who Do You Think You Are?” and “Finding Your Roots.” Prior to joining the Pennsylvania State Archives, Aaron worked as a reference archivist at the Maryland State Archives and as a professional genealogist. May 5, 2024
Detail pending. June 9, 2024
Detail pending. |
PAST PROGRAMS ARCHIVE January 2024 - Show & Tell November 2023 - Catharine Ziegler and Her Defense after Being Accused of Witchcraft in 1829 in York County October 2023 - The 1863 Pennsylvania Campaign August 2023 - Pennsylvania German Language Heritage June 2023 - Unearthing Camp Security May 2023 - Tour of Saint Luke's Union Church Cemetery April 2023 - Researching PA Civil War Draft Records March 2023 - Pennsylvania Prison Records February 2023 - African American Genealogy January 2023 - Show & Tell & Ask November 2022 - Revisiting Online Research of German Ancestors October 2022 - Indian Languages Influence in the Susquehanna Region August 2022 - Using Online Deeds in Family History Research June 2022 - Henry James Young Awards May 2022 - Researching the History of Institutionalized People in Pennsylvania Apr 2022 - The Challenges Facing the Continental Congress in York Mar 2022 - 18th Century Gunsmithing in Eastern PA Feb 2022 - PA’s Celtic Language Heritage Jan 2022 - The Architecture of the Dempwolfs Nov 2021 - The Churches and Chaplains of York County During the Civil War Oct 2021 - Genealogical Resources of the York County History Center’s Library and Archives Aug 2021 - Pennsylvania State Archives’ Online Resources Jun 2021 -History of the Henry James Young Award May 2021 - MA & PA Railroad Heritage Village visit Apr 2021 - Cumberland County Records Mar 2021 - PA State Archives Moves Into the Future Feb 2021 - York County Coroner's Office Aug 2020 - Using Online Newspaper Collections in Research Oct 2020 - Genealogical Adventures During the Pandemic Nov 2020 - Using Oral History in Genealogical Research |