January 8, 2023 - ​"Show & Tell & 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 details - ​https://www.scpgs.org/meetings.html

​November 6, 2022 - Revisiting Online Research of German Ancestors
Presented by Richard K. Konkel, Esquire

This presentation will examine the vast number of original German genealogical records that are currently available online for the amateur or more advanced researcher. The primary websites examined will be archion.de, matricula-online.eu, familysearch.com, and ancestry.com , as well as websites of regional archives in France and Switzerland. Many of these websites have greatly expanded their records in recent years, and some are actively currently adding new records.

​Free Registration: 
​https://www.yorkhistorycenter.org/event/south-central-pennsylvania-genealogical-society

October 2, 2022 - Indian Languages Influence in the Susquehanna Region  
Presented by Charles "Chip" Kauffman

From the first inhabitants who migrated into the Susquehanna River area thousands of years ago to the period of European settlement in the 1600s to1800s, many American Indian languages were spoken by diverse tribes who made the area their home or passed through on trade or exploratory ventures. Although most early languages are dead, their legacy lives on in the Susquehanna Valley through place names from Iroquoian and Algonquian languages once spoken in the area. This presentation will cover 17th century European contact with the region’s early inhabitants and how those contacts shaped place names we take for granted in York and Lancaster Counties. Highlighting this will be origins and meanings of such names as Susquehanna, Codorus, Chickies, Turkey Hill, Conewago, Accomac, Tuckahoe, Conestoga. 

Free Registration: 
​https://www.yorkhistorycenter.org/event/south-central-pennsylvania-genealogical-society

August 28, 2022 - Using Online Deeds in Family History Research
Presented by Lynn Nelson, Certified Genealogist®
(Note: This presentation is an in-person only event and will not be available online or recorded)

Deeds are one of the most valuable but underutilized resources for family history research!  These days, with the wide availability of deeds online, you can research them from the comfort of your own home.  Learn how deeds can break down brick walls, reveal your ancestors’ stories, help you trace the history of your property, and more. An overview of deeds, tips for using them, and a live, step-by-step demonstration using York County deeds online will show how easy it is to use this wonderful resource to grow your family tree.

Free registration:
https://www.yorkhistorycenter.org/event/south-central-pennsylvania-genealogical-society

Join us as we honor the latest recipients of the Henry James Young Awards. This year, the honorees are Rebecca Anstine and Cindy Hartman (posthumously). Light refreshments will be served.

More details and free registration here.

May 1, 2022 - Researching the History of Institutionalized People in Pennsylvania
Presented by Tyler Stump, Pennsylvania State Archives.

Since the early 19th century, the state of Pennsylvania has operated nearly 50 different state institutions for people with intellectual and mental disabilities. Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians lived in these institutions. Today, the Pennsylvania State Archives holds the historical records created by these institutions, which are invaluable resources for researchers and genealogists. Join archivist Tyler Stump to explore this important part of Pennsylvania’s history and to learn more about what kinds of information can be found in the archives’ collections.

For details and free registration, visit ​https://www.scpgs.org/meetings.html

Tyler Stump has been an acquisitions archivist at the Pennsylvania State Archives since 2016. He mostly works with historical PA government records. He’s has published several pieces about the history of Pennsylvania’s prisons and state-run institutions, most recently an article in Pennsylvania History about Farview State Hospital, an institution in Wayne County. Tyler grew up in the Baltimore area, but his family has lived in the York Township/Dallastown area since the mid 18th century. He currently lives in Camp Hill, PA with his wife Andra (who is also an archivist at the PA House of Representatives Archives).

Sponsored by the DAR James Smith Yorktown Chapter and PA state regent Elizabeth Watkins, in honor of America's 250th anniversary.

Friday, May 6, 2022, 6:30 p.m.
York Colonial Courthouse
205 West Market Street, York, PA 17401

April 3, 2022 - The Challenges Facing the Continental Congress in Yorktown, Pennsylvania
Presented by Tom Gibson, Volunteer, York County History Center.

***Note: Held at the York History Center Colonial Courthouse at 205 West Market Street in York, at 2:30 p.m.***

It was a difficult time for our German-speaking ancestors in York when the congressional representatives and their families crowded into our small town, resulting in insufficient housing and a shortage of basic necessities. While George Washington and his Army were at Valley Forge, the Congress in York completed the drafting of the Articles of Confederation, our nation's first Constitution.

Please bring the kids to this family friendly, interactive program at the Colonial Court House. Leave your inhibitions behind and join Tom as we travel back in time to the year 1777, when the Continental Congress was meeting in our community.

​For details and free registration, visit ​https://www.scpgs.org/meetings.html

Tom Gibson is a retired educator and thoroughly enjoys volunteering at the History Center.  With significant colonial ancestry, he is a longtime member and officer of the Continental Congress Chapter of the United States Sons of the American Revolution.   Tom is a Vietnam veteran, thirty year Scout leader, bicycle enthusiast, and radio engineer.

March 6, 2022 - Eighteenth-Century Gunsmithing in Eastern Pennsylvania
presented by Brad Emig, Owner & Craftsman, Cabin Creek Muzzleloading

This program will present and share information pertaining to the gunsmith trade as practiced during the colonial period in eastern Pennsylvania.  Topics of discussion will include technology, materials, tools, and the tangible effects of diverse cultural influences on material products.  Tools and other objects will be on display.

For details and free registration, visit ​https://www.scpgs.org/meetings.html
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February 6, 2022 - Pennsylvania’s Celtic Language Heritage
Presented by Charles "Chip" Kauffman.

The richness of Pennsylvania history is seasoned uniquely by language contributions of immigrants to America from Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. This presentation briefly covers the early history of Celtic languages and concentrates mainly on Pennsylvania’s Celtic language heritage in expressions, names, and place names as derived from Welsh, Irish, and Scottish immigrants.

For details and free registration, visit ​https://www.scpgs.org/meetings.html