At the Olde Meck Holiday Party on December 2, President Jeff Houser made an official presentation to dedicate our research room to three former members who contributed greatly to the advancement of our society. The name of our facility is now the Sutcliffe-Ferguson Family Research Center. See more at Sutcliffe-Ferguson FRC Dedication.
Thanks to a wonderful response, we have sold over 250 books and taken in more than $1,800. We have found good homes for books we could not use and provided funds we can use for other needs.
Since the sale began, others have donated books to add to our sale. We have added over 100 books to our initial offerings. A recent donation from the Katawba Valley Land Trust includes a wealth of books from nearby counties in South Carolina as well as some signed copies of the works of Elliot White Springs, WWI ace fighter pilot, acclaimed author, and longtime head of Springs Industries.
There are also especially nice Civil War books now available and newly arrived copies of classic Mecklenburg reference books. There are still over 200 titles offered for sale, most in excellent condition. View the updated list to see what gems you might find for your own use.
If you would like to purchase any books, you may: come by the FRC; mail us at PO Box 32453, Charlotte, NC, 28232-2453; phone 704-568-1774, Ext.109; or email info@oldemeck.org.
Please list item numbers and titles in all requests. We can ship within the United States. Shipping charges will apply, but these are still wonderful deals! This is First Come, First Served ... so contact us soon!
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Tracing Your Family Tree
Check out the link below to see what Lynn Bancroft, Olde Meck Vice President, and others have to share about "Tracing Your Family Tree." This is an article written by Cailyn Domecq for the Our State online magazine.
For our August meeting, Olde Meck member and owner of Visual Story Media, Kimberly Melton, joined us to deliver a presentation entitled, “DIY Photo & Media Organization for Genealogists.”
Most of us probably have boxes of old photos and documents and a phone and computer full of too many photographs to count. It’s time to think about organizing all of that media so you can actually look at it and share it with others! It doesn’t have to be a daunting process if you break it into five easy steps:
Set goals and deadlines.
Select the items for your project.
Sort.
Save and scan your printed photos and slides.
Share your hard work with family and friends.
Refer to the DIY for the Genealogists cheat-sheet to help guide the way. Members may also view a recording of the entire program behind our Member Login tab.
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Blackwelder Files Offer a Wealth of Information
Olde Meck volunteers have completed the task of going through the impressive collection of genealogical materials donated by Linda Blackwelder. Linda has been a prolific researcher in the Steele Creek community of Mecklenburg County for many years. In addition to doing research for hire, she also compiled the book, Steele Creek, an Early History of the Steele Creek Community, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
Over the years many Steele Creek families have shared their information with Linda, in addition to her own research. We are grateful Linda has entrusted us with her files so that even more people can benefit from her efforts.
Here is a list of the folder headings from her files. If you find something you'd like to explore further, either come by the Family Research Center or contact us at info@oldemeck.org.
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Ferguson Errata
Mecklenburg County, NC, Will Abstracts, 1791-1868, Books A-J
If you purchased a copy of Herman W. Ferguson's Mecklenburg County, NC, Will Abstracts, 1791-1868, Books A-J, from Olde Meck, and it did not have a loose copy of the “Errata” in the front, you may wish to print this Errata page and insert it. Ferguson made these corrections in 2010, but some copies sold after that time may not have had the page of “Errata.”
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Organizing Your Genealogy Research
Does your genealogy area look anything like the picture here?
If so, you may want to view the recording of Olde Meck member Lynn Bancroft's talk Organizing Your Genealogy Research.
This is an updated program from one she gave to Olde Meck in 2019 and was presented at the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS) Black History Month Conference. Lynn discussed useful hints and presented a sampling of different charts which can also improve our efficiency. Based on ideas from many genealogy experts, she described how the following tips may be helpful:
Keep the big picture in mind.
Designate a workspace.
Take charge of paper files.
Establish an organization routine.
Go digital.
Use Additional Charts
Create a kit for on-site research.
We are sharing the recording here in the hopes it can provide some tips for all of us to better organize our research.
(1) Click Start Button below to begin. Be sure to view in Full Screen (icon at bottom right of video)
Katie Grafer presented our January program about how to use historic newspapers to assist in genealogical research. In her presentation, "Extra! Extra! Getting Clues and Context From Historic Newspapers," Katie shared many tips about how to look beyond the obituaries and wedding announcements to help guide your newspaper research. She explained the other types of useful information that can be found in old publications, including public notices, social columns, and even advertisements. She gave specific examples from her own research that allowed her to ‘connect the dots’ on elusive ancestors.
The following list of websites may help you find historic newspapers:
Deed records can provide a wealth of information to fill out our ancestors' stories but can oftentimes be difficult to access. We are excited to announce an addition to our website which will make the process of finding valuable Mecklenburg land records easier than in the past.
As part of her internship for a course in her Masters of Library Science program at East Carolina University, Ann Martin, now an Olde Meck member, has recently completed a helpful video tutorial to walk users through the process of accessing the Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds website. If you have Mecklenburg ancestors and have ever wanted to view old deeds and land transactions, this video will facilitate your journey.
Ann describes the basics of deeds, what they consist of, and how they can help with family research. She then provides easy to follow navigation through the Register of Deeds website using a specific example.
(1) Click Start Button below to begin. Be sure to view in Full Screen (icon at bottom right of video)
We hope you will find Ann’s video tutorial useful and search for the deeds of your ancestors. Please feel free to give us feedback on this new feature.
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Picture Formatting Suggestions
Below are links to YouTube videos created by Louise Nottingham, leader of the Olde Meck Writers' Group. They are designed to help you format photos and images of documents that you may want to include in a Microsoft Word family file:
The Loch Norman Highland Games is a traditional Scottish festival that takes place annually at Historic Rural Hill, located near the shores of Lake Norman. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the event. The festival celebrates Scottish heritage ...
Free Charlotte History Festival Featuring Local Artists, Live Music, Food & Beverages. Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation is turning 50 years old in 2024! Kick off the celebration at our first municipal park, Independence Park, at this Charlotte ...
Have you ever come across a valuable document about one of your ancestors only to discover that you could not read the handwriting or interpret the symbols used? Join us to hear Margo Fariss Brewer speak about handwriting from days ...
The theme for the 2024 National Genealogical Society Conference will be Expanding Possibilities. This conference will be virtual and will run from May 16-18, 2024. Sessions will be focused on innovation and finding new ways to solve problems in genealogy. ...
Our June meeting will feature John Horan from the NC State Archives Oral History Unit, who speak about how to conduct oral history interviews to preserve history for all.
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offerings. A recent donation from the Katawba Valley Land Trust includes a wealth of books from nearby counties in South Carolina as well as some signed copies of the works of Elliot White Springs, WWI ace fighter pilot, acclaimed author, and longtime head of Springs Industries. 
by Linda Blackwelder. Linda has been a prolific researcher in the Steele Creek community of Mecklenburg County for many years. In addition to doing research for hire, she also compiled the book, Steele Creek, an Early History of the Steele Creek Community, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
Does your genealogy area look anything like the picture here? 