At the 2025 Holiday Meeting on December 10, President Katie Grafer announced two special Olde Meck awards for 2025.
1. GREENLEE LILLY AWARD
The Greenlee Award, in recognition of a member who has contributed significantly to the society within the past year, was presented to Jane Benton.
2. ORDER of 1775
The highest society award is the Order of 1775, bestowed each year in appreciation of long-term service to the practice of genealogical research in Mecklenburg County. The recipient of this award was Lovenia Summerville, our long-time member who is a former librarian at the Atkins Library at UNCC, volunteers at the Family Research Center to catalog our collection, and assists researchers with her vast knowledge of Mecklenburg families.
2026 BOARD of DIRECTORS
The new Board of Directors for 2026 was also installed at this meeting.
The 2026 Board of Directors are:
President............................Katie Grafer
Vice President....................Lynn Bancroft
Treasurer............................Debby Arnold
Membership Secretary.......Lois Stickell
Recording Secretary...........Sandra Andrews
Past President.....................Jeff Houser
Director 2025-2026............Marilyn Jones
Director 2025-2026............David McCorkle
Director 2026-2027............Jane Benton
Director 2026-2027 ...........Laurel Brown
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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."
Have you checked out our Used Book Sale? Thanks to many generous donors, we have nearly 200 used books of genealogical and historical interest that we cannot add to our society library. They may be duplicates or just don't meet our collection criteria. We are offering them to the public at rock bottom prices! We continue to add more volumes to our offerings thanks to donations from individuals who have books they are no longer using. Click on the link above to discover the many interesting titles from a variety of categories.
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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Where Did the MeckDec Signers Live?
This map shows the general location where the signers of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence lived in 1775.
This map was adapted from one researched by E.H. Smith & H.S. Linton with artwork by J.J. Scancarelli.
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:
Voices of the Freedmen: Exploring Freedmen’s Bureau & Freedman’s Bank Records
This beginner-friendly class introduces you to two essential resources for African American genealogy. Learn how Freedmen’s Bureau records, including labor contracts, marriages, school reports, and community disputes, can reveal family relationships in the years after the Civil War. You ...
Sources for African American History & Genealogy Research in WNC – Archives
Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society introduces the 828 Digital Archives for Historical Equity & Buncombe County Enslaved/Free Persons of Color Database. Ellen Holmes Pearson, UNC Asheville Professor of History, will discuss the Archives, an initiative that centers the voices of ...
If you would like to round out your historic book collection or look for old maps from your ancestors’ areas, plan a trip to the Atlanta Rare Book Fair at Oglethorpe University. Showcasing thousands of books, maps, prints and ...
African American Heritage Festival - Honoring Black Heroes in Service and Sacrifice
This year’s Charlotte Museum of History African American Heritage Festival explores the theme Red, White, Blue, and Black, highlighting the often-overlooked stories of Black military service throughout American history. In honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States, we’ll ...
In conjunction with the Atlanta Rare Book Fair, plan to hear Kermit Roosevelt discuss how we can interpret America's 250 year history. Kermit Roosevelt III is the David Berger Professor of the Administration of Justice at the University of ...
The Greenlee Award, in recognition of a member who has contributed significantly to the society within the past year, was presented to Jane Benton.
The highest society award is the Order of 1775, bestowed each year in appreciation of long-term service to the practice of genealogical research in Mecklenburg County. The recipient of this award was Lovenia Summerville, our long-time member who is a former librarian at the Atkins Library at UNCC, volunteers at the Family Research Center to catalog our collection, and assists researchers with her vast knowledge of Mecklenburg families.
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Does your genealogy area look anything like the picture here? 
