A Visit to Conewago Chapel, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
May 5, 2024, 2 p.m. (note time and location)
Hosted by the Pastor of the Church, Fr. Dwight Schlaline
30 Basilica Drive, Hanover, PA, 17331

The Sacred Heart Basilica is a Roman Catholic minor basilica dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The church was built and founded by the Jesuit Order and opened in 1787. It has recently undergone extensive restoration of the ornate interior paintings and artwork. It is located in Irishtown near Hanover and McSherrystown in Conewago Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania. The church is now a part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg.

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.

For more details, see the Meetings page.

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.

For more details, see the Meetings page.

January 7, 2024
Show and Tell and Ask

This meeting will provide an opportunity for “education and enlightenment” with a program of sharing research findings and seeking assistance with research roadblocks. Come ready to talk about your latest genealogical discoveries or about some new, exciting source of information upon which you stumbled. Bring your research questions and problems to see if anyone in the group can offer helpful suggestions. Possibly you have an old family photograph or treasured heirloom that has an unusual story associated with it. Share that story with us! We hope that you will join us for an interesting and entertaining afternoon!

For more details, see the Meetings page.

October 1, 2023
Striking for Pennsylvania - The 1863 Pennsylvania Campaign
Presented by Scott Mingus

In the summer of 1863, 160 years ago this year, one out of every seven Confederate soldiers that fought at Gettysburg arrived there after marching or riding through York County. Nearly 10% of the Union Army of the Potomac also came through the county before engaging the Confederates at Gettysburg. Author Scott Mingus will discuss the three different Confederate commands that invaded York County (Jubal Early's division from June 28-30, Jeb Stuart's cavalry on June 30-July 2, and the lesser-known James Nounnan raid from Dillsburg to Dover on June 28-29). He will also relate the feverish efforts of the local farmers to protect their horses, livestock, and private property, as well as the desperate attempts of a motely collection of local home guard troops and state emergency militiamen to slow the Rebels. He will also briefly discuss the battle of Hanover and the defense of the world's longest covered bridge at Wrightsville.​
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For more details, see the Meetings page.

May 7, 2023
Tour of Saint Luke's Union Church Cemetery
Presented by June Lloyd and Jean Robertson

St. Luke Lutheran Church at New Bridgeville in Chanceford Township celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2022. As part of that celebration, Jean Robinson and June Lloyd put together a cemetery walk. The well-received tour is being repeated for the South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society. 

For more details, see the Meetings page.

April 2, 2023
​Researching Pennsylvania's Civil War Draft Records
Presented by Jonathan R. Stayer, President, South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society

Although thousands of men from Pennsylvania served in the Civil War, many others had no military service during that conflict. Some even purposely avoided service for religious or other reasons. Nevertheless, most males between the ages of 18 and 45 living in the Commonwealth between 1862-1865 were subject to conscription at some point. The resulting draft records can provide additional documentation of an ancestor’s life during that period. From a researcher who has been immersed in these records for almost forty years, learn about the implementation of the state and federal Civil War drafts and the records they produced. This program will review the available sources and provide suggestions for accessing them to uncover hidden details about your nineteenth-century ancestors.

Details, registration, and viewing options here:
https://www.scpgs.org/meetings.html​

February 5, 2023
African American Genealogy - Strategies, Tips, and Resources
Presented by Rodney Barnet

This program will focus on the unique challenges that African American researchers face in their genealogical research. Many techniques are the same for all researchers, but there are many more obstacles presented to the African American researcher because of their unique and often painful place in American history. There are some topics that are difficult to talk about but must be addressed in order to successfully research this area of genealogy. Whether you are a beginner or a more advanced researcher, there will be something for everyone. This presentation will also go into some more in-depth topics including DNA analysis and software tools that are also available.

Details, registration, and viewing options here:
https://www.scpgs.org/meetings.html