We are excited to announce a new feature of this site!
We have created a consolidated index of the entire set of abstracts compiled by renowned genealogist Herman Ferguson. Mr. Ferguson's works include Mecklenburg County Court Minutes, Deed Books, Will Abstracts, Tax Lists, and more. They are an essential source for anyone researching Mecklenburg ancestors.
You may search the indexes of all the Ferguson abstracts in one fell swoop here:
It may be helpful to use the Ctrl-F function to bring up a search box and enter the names you wish to search. If you identify any entries of interest, you can locate the appropriate volumes either at our Family Research Center, a local genealogy library, or contact us for more information at info@oldemeck.org.
Note: This is a large 34 MB PDF file with 653 pages. It will take a few seconds to download. You will also see a shortened title in the header at the top of each page.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY
AMERICA!
Take this time to celebrate
your ancestors who helped to
create our great nation.
Celebrating America's 250th Anniversary
and The Battle of Charlotte
In the 2025 Volume 43 Number 3 issue of the Olde Meck Quarterly, Editor Lois Stickell writes:
"This year marks the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War, which began in 1775 and ended in 1783. In the beginning, the war was fought mainly in the North. When the war ground to a stalemate there, the British refocused and launched the “Southern Campaign,” moving south in force in December 1779.
Over the next eight years, you will have the opportunity to see many re-enactments throughout North and South Carolina. Olde Meck plans to publish articles about local patriots and important events in the Revolution related to Mecklenburg and surrounding counties. We hope you will share any stories of your ancestors who fought, supplied, smuggled for, or supported the Revolution in any way."
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Olde Meck's New Home
The Encouragement Center at
St. Luke's Lutheran Church
3200 Park Road, Charlotte, NC
How to Find Us:
Travel to 32oo Park Road.
Enter the St. Luke's property either directly off Park Road or go to the back entrance off Marsh Road.
Park in the parking lot at the back of the property.
Approach the complex through the doors marked Parish Hall.
Email us when you arrive for access to the building.
Open House will Celebrate
A New Chapter for Olde Meck's
Family Research Center
Dear Olde Meck Members and Visitors,
We are settling in at The Encouragement Center at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church at 3200 Park Road and are now open to visitors! We are open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 am until 2pm and other times by appointment. Contact us at info@oldemeck.org to make plans to come by.
We also hope you'll join us for our Open House on Sunday, June 28th from 2:30 - 4:30pm EDT. We will have volunteers to show you around, refreshments, and a chance to 'talk genealogy' with other enthusiasts! Email us at info@oldemeck.org with questions about this event.
This location furthers our commitment to making family history research accessible to members and the broader community. The new space offers improved accessibility, meeting space, convenient parking, and a partnership with St. Luke’s Lutheran. The FRC will continue to serve as a FamilySearch Affiliate research library, offering access to our collections, special resources, and the guidance of knowledgeable volunteers. We hope to offer expanded hours, in-person events, and new projects very soon.
To our long-time members and volunteers especially: thank you for the countless hours, ideas, and encouragement you have given Olde Meck. Your dedication has carried us through this transition and made it possible for the Society to enter this exciting new chapter on strong footing. We look forward to welcoming you into our new home and continuing the work of preserving and sharing Mecklenburg County’s family and community history—together.
We look forward to welcoming members, our Writers Group, researchers, and curious visitors to our new home.
Email us at info@oldemeck.org with any questions or to make an appointment to visit.
Most of us know how valuable the Mormon Church’s genealogical records are. FamilySearch is the portal into billions of searchable records collected by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). However, you may have run into icons indicating that access for particular records is blocked from the computer connection you are using. The average user only has access to a small percentage of the total LDS online sources.
Olde Meck is thrilled to announce that we have just received LDS Affiliate Library Status at our Sutcliffe-Ferguson Family Research Center (FRC). This means that users in our facility have access to genealogical collections that are otherwise accessible only through a FamilySearch center or other affiliate location.
All you have to do is come in to the FRC and either use one of our machines or sign in to our network on your own laptop. If you’re unfamiliar with Family Search, we can help you get started.
Thousands of FamilySearch affiliate libraries are helping extend FamilySearch’s services to millions of patrons worldwide. If you are not local to Charlotte, you may find the locations of all Affiliate Libraries in the country in a directory at https://locations.familysearch.org/en/search.
The FRC is open on Tuesdays from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm or by appointment. Contact us at info@oldemeck.org or 704-568-1774, Ext.109 to set up time for YOUR enhanced research session!
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Steele Creek History is Back in Print!
Those of you who were disappointed to have missed your own copy of Linda Blackwelder's outstanding history of the Steele Creek community will be excited to learn the book is being reprinted!
Steele Creek, an Early History of the Steele Creek Community, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina will be available for purchase beginning on December 9
A prolific and meticulous researcher, Linda compiled this volume after years of doing research for hire in the Steele Creek community of Mecklenburg County. It covers the people and places of this region from the days of the earliest settlers and contains extensive photos and images throughout.
Purchase Linda's book beginning December 9 at the following site:
And don't forget, if you're researching the Steele Creek area, Linda has entrusted Olde Meck with her research files. Volunteers have organized this impressive collection of genealogical materials by topic and family. We are grateful that Linda has shared her work, so that even more people can benefit from her efforts.
Click here for 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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Help Support the Family Research Center
We have added an Olde Meck Wish List on Amazon if you would like to help the FRC in an easy way. Updates will be posted in the newsletter, and your donations are tax deductible. Thank you for supporting Olde Meck!
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Sutcliffe-Ferguson
Family Research Center
Dedication
December 2, 2023
George Sutcliffe
Lita Sutcliffe
Herman Ferguson
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.
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Program Gave Useful Tips for Old Photos
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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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 a 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, founder 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:
Ready to trade marshmallows for marriage records? Join the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library for a weeklong genealogy adventure at the ultimate adult summer camp for family history explorers. Whether you're starting your family tree or chasing down long-lost ancestors, Camp ...
Save the Date for The South Carolina Genealogical Society 2026, 53rd Annual Summer Workshop – In-person and Virtual! Occurring on July 17-18, 2026, this workshop is actually 2 events; one In Person, the second Virtual. The In Person conference will be ...
Presented by Wake County (NC) Genealogical Society, this free, virtual webinar will help you discover where a family moved into a state by using the statistical data recorded for all families. Learn to see where families were moving through the ...
Henderson County Luncheon – Twelve Who Didn’t Return
Make plans to attend the Henderson County Genealogical and Historical Society Annual Luncheon. The program will be presented by Bob Johnson and is entitled “Twelve Who Didn’t Return.” The Social Time starts at 11:30 am, and the luncheon buffet ...
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Does your genealogy area look anything like the picture here? 
