meetings previous

The quarterly meetings of the Huxford Genealogical Society are held on the second Sunday in February, August, and November and the third Sunday in May at 2:00 p.m. in the Huxford Library. The Huxford Library is located in the Municipal Complex in Homerville, Georgia. The meeting agenda includes business of the Society as well as programs presented by widely recognized genealogists and historians.

QUARTERLY MEETING	SPEAKER
February 14, 2010
November 8, 2009	Sudy Leavy
August 9, 2009	Martha Tootle Cain
May 17, 2009	Elaine Wallace
February 8, 2009	Ann Purcell
November 9, 2008	Dr. John Crowley
August 10, 2008	Mrs. Betty Ford Renfro
May 18, 2008	Chris Trowell
February 10, 2008	John A. Mitchell
November 11, 2007	Mrs. Gail Hughes & Mrs. Linda Meadows
August 12, 2007	Robert J. Robinson & Jessie H. Paulk
May 20, 2007	Wyman May
February 11, 2007	Vickie Montgomery Ashley
November 12, 2006	Marker Dedication at North Cemetery
August 13, 2006	Ken Sylvester
May 21, 2006	Paul K. Graham
February 12, 2006	Elmer Spear
November 13, 2005	Gail Hughes, Donald O. Davis, & E. L. "Boe" Williams
August 14, 2005	Jestern Hancock Drake & Luther Thrift
May 15, 2005	Tony Thompson
November 14, 2004	Sabina J. Murray
August 8, 2004	Dr. John Crowley

The Novenber quarterly meeting of the Huxford Genealogical Society will be on Sunday, November 8, 2009 at 2:00 PM in the HGS Library in Homerville.

Sudy Leavy from Brunswick, Georgia will speak about her new book. This new publication is about the Dent sisters, who were the original owners of the Hofwyl Plantation, located between Brunswick and Darien. Since this is the November Meeting, she will try to incorporate some Thanksgiving traditions.

The August quarterly meeting of the Huxford Genealogical Society will be on Sunday, August 9, 2009 at 2:00 PM in the HGS Library in Homerville.

Dr. Martha Cain from Streetsboro, Georgia will speak about the marvelous project in Tattnall County of restoring Old Shiloh Cemetery and identifying the early settler's graves.

They have also reprinted an early map with many of the settlers' property identified. The maps are for sale to help the Old Shiloh Cemetery Project. Many of these old settlers and their families moved down to southern Georgia and Northern Florida from the Carolinas.

Dr. Cain is a retired chemistry professor from Georgia Southern specializing in Nuclear and Bio Chemistry. She is in charge of the Archives and History of the United Methodist Church, as well as one of the Trustees of the Old Shiloh Cemetery.

The May quarterly meeting of the Huxford Genealogical Society will be on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 2:00 PM in the HGS Library in Homerville.

Elaine Wallace from Claxton, Georgia along with her daughter and sister will provide an "Entertaining Ante-bellum Southern History using the Would Sisters in Hoopskirts." They prepared this program originally for their mother, who was a Wood / Would. Elaine was a warden for a Men's Prison in Georgia. She once had an office in the old Homerville High School which now houses the Huxford Library.

The February quarterly meeting of the Huxford Genealogical Society will be on Sunday, February 8, 2009 at 2:00 PM in the HGS Library in Homerville.

Ann Purcell will be speaking on the Georgia Salzburger Heritage and the upcoming 275th anniversary of the Salzburger's coming to Georgia.

The first Salzburgers landed in Savannah, Georgia after a two months trip across the Atlantic Ocean to escape religious persecution in their native country of Salzburg, presently known as Austria. Since the arrival of the first Salzburgers in Georgia on March 12th, 1734, the Salzburgers and their descendants have played an important role in the history of the State of Georgia and the United States of America. They have distinguished themselves through their service and contributions to the economic, social, civic, religious, and political life of this country.

The Georgia Salzburger Society was established in 1925. It has a membership of nearly seventeen hundred throughout the United States including some international members. The Society’s activities are organized around preserving the history and traditions of the early settlers of Old Ebenezer and New Ebenezer as well as genealogical research of the descendants of those original settlers.

Visit the Site of Ebenezer, 2980 Ebenezer Road, Rincon, Georgia: tour the Salzburger home, stand on the shore line of the Savannah River, see the Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church (built in 1769), and browse in the Salzburger Museum and be taken back in time.

The primary surnames listed in the Georgia Salzburger Society are: Arnsdorff, Brander, Burgsteiner, Conrad, Dasher, Exley, Geiger, Gieger, Gnann, Greiner, Griner, Gugel, Gyger, Hack, Hague, Heck, Heidt, Heinle, Heirs, Limeburger, Lineburger, Mathias, Miller, Neidlinger, Öchslin, Oechsle, Remshart, Rentz, Sackinger, Schneider, Seckinger, Tahn, Treulen, Wisenbaker, Zant, Zeigler and Zipperer.

Ann Purcell is a published genealogist. She is a former teacher and real estate salesperson. She also served as a representative in the Georgia State House of Representatives from January 1991 until January 2005. Ms. Purcell serves on the Effingham County Adult Education Advisory Committee and the Georgia Art Commission Policy Committee. She is a member of the Effingham County American Society Board of Directors, the Georgia Genealogical Association, the Effingham Historical Society, The Georgia Salzburger Society, the Georgia Sheriffs Association and the Hope Scholarship Study Commission. Ms. Purcell was nominated for Who's Who of American Women in 2003, Who's Who in Medicine and Healtcare in 2004 and Who's Who in America in 2003 and 2005. She has also been honored by the Herald Staff and County Citizen as "One of the Top Women in Effingham County."

She is married to Dr. Dent W. Purcell and they have three children, Edwin, Mieke and Mikki and five grandchildren.

Georgia Salzburger Society
2980 Ebenezer Road
Rincon, GA 31326
912-754-7001
Info@GeorgiaSalzburgers.com

The November quarterly meeting of the Huxford Genealogical Society will be on Sunday, November 9, 2008 at 2:00 PM in the HGS Library in Homerville.

"How to Use Primitive Baptist Church Records in Family History: Their Availability & Location"

Dr. Crowley will be speaking on Primitive Baptist Church Records. He will tell about where to find them, how to use them, and what to expect from them, etc.

Dr. Crowley is from Sparks, Georgia and is an Associate Professor of History at Valdosta State University. He was a Primitive Baptist preacher for eight years and attends a Primitive Baptist Church. At Valdosta State University, Dr. Crowley teaches History of Religion in the South, Local History, and Genealogy. He is a long time member of the Huxford Genealogical Society.

In celebration of the Society's 35th anniversary, the Society will be hosting a book fair from 10 AM until 2 PM at the Homerville City Municipal Complex. All historical and genealogical societies, as well as individuals are invited to show and sell their historical books, including family histories; this however does include novels.

There will be a light and easy reception after the book fair and the Society Meeting. During the reception there will be book signings by Mrs. Sabina Murray for her new book, Tattnall County, Georgia, Loose Papers, Vol. 2 and by Mr. Jessie Paulk for his Coffee County, Georgia Marriage Records Index and his other books.

The Huxford Library will be open for research and for book sales from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM.

The August quarterly meeting of the Huxford Genealogical Society will be on Sunday, August 10, 2008 at 2:00 PM in the HGS Library in Homerville.

Betty is a native of Effingham Co., Georgia and attended schools in Effingham and Chatham County.

Betty worked as a full charge bookkeeper for several companies while pursuing her amateur genealogy passion for years. She and a girlfriend took their days off once a month to wander the cemeteries of south Georgia and South Carolina.

Betty has been married to R. Dale Renfro for over thirty years. He is her 'financial' supporter for history jaunts, etc. They have a blended family of three children, seven grandchildren, and one great granddaughter.

After leaving the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, she began working earnestly on her family genealogy. While on a cemetery search she met a lady who was on the Historic Effingham Society Cemetery Committee. She was doing some field work for a future cemetery book. Betty joined the Historic Effingham Society in 1991 and the cemetery committee as an avid assistant. After many diligent hours of field work and many more of typing the book, "Effingham County Cemeteries" was published in 1994. The first 250 books sold out and an update and reprint, "Effingham County Cemeteries, 1734-2001" was published in 2002.

Betty served as Secretary and as President of Historic Effingham Society, 1999-2001. The Society opened its Effingham Museum in 1994 and she served as Co-Chair of the museum and enjoyed reading all the information donated to the library. She has been involved in producing the "Images of America, Effingham County" and "War Stories and School Days Incidents for Children."

Betty is the author (along with other contributors) of "River to River, From the Savannah River to the Ogeechee River", the History of Effingham County," published in 2005.

The May 2008 quarterly meeting of the Huxford Genealogical Society will be on Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 2:00 PM in the HGS Library in Homerville.

Mr. Chris Trowell is a very popular speaker. He is retired from the faculty of South Georgia College and is an Okefenokee expert, historically and botanically. He has provided the following information on his topic for the May 18th meeting.

People live in places - farmsteads, towns or cities. They live in houses. To know people well it is necessary to know their relationship to places. There are several ways to study places. One may study place names, their locations and origins. One may study the history of places, including the history of towns or cities, or streets and neighborhoods. One may study houses or farmsteads, churches, banks, or court houses. These studies enrich family histories; they stimulate and satisfy personal curiosity.

This talk will suggest some sources of information on places in South Georgia. I will use several places I have studied over the years as examples. These include the Okefenokee Swamp, Fort Gilmer and Traders Hill and the early history of Douglas. I've studied several places for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, including Floyds Island Hammock and the Chesser Island Homestead. An interesting study of a neighborhood, now in progress in Douglas is the Gaskin Avenue Study.

Mr. Chris Trowell is an Associate Professor Emeritus of Social Science at South Georgia College in Douglas. He grew up in Oliver, Georgia, served in the U.S. Army, and is an alumnus of Georgia Southern University. Before his retirement in 1992, he taught history, geography and anthropology at South Georgia College. Trowell's research includes publications on South Georgia history, archaeology, and geography, including papers on Okefenokee archaeology, the history of the Suwannee Canal Company, Okefenokee railroads, settlements and settlers, the history of exploration of the Okefenokee, the Indian Wars in the Okefenokee, the history of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Kolomoki Mounds State Park, the Dodge Land Troubles, and Douglas, 1855-1905. He has compiled a substantial file of information on the wiregrass region, particularly relating to the 19th and early 20th centuries. His wife, Frances Register Trowell is also retired. Mr. & Mrs. Trowell have three children; Nan, Tina and Sam plus six grandchildren.

The February 2008 quarterly meeting of the Huxford Genealogical Society will be on Sunday, February 10, 2008 at 2:00 PM in the HGS Library in Homerville.

John A. Mitchell graduated with a BA in history in 1980, from the University of New York at Plattsburgh. His graduate study at the University of New York at Albany, New York consisted of Historic Agency Administration, Civil War History and Museology (museum studies). He was employed by the National Park Service for 20 years, 10 of those years he has served at Cumberland Island National Seashore as collections manager. He has worked at the Adirondacks Center Museum and John Browns Farm in Lake Clear, New York. Other federal sites are the Saratoga National Battlefield, a Revolutionary Soldier site in Saratoga, New York, Martin Van Buren National Historic Site in Kinderhook, New York, Roger Williams National Memorial in Providence, Rhode Island and Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Pine Springs, Texas. He has over site at Cumberland Island Museum and museum work and 1200,000 piece collection consisting of archival and artifacts and archaeology objects.

Mr. Mitchell will be discussing the use of acid-free storage materials, which is causing documents to deteriorate so quickly, and why. He will bring examples of materials, including storage boxes among other things.

The November 2007 quarterly meeting of the Huxford Genealogical Society will be on Sunday, November 11, 2007 at 2:00 PM in the HGS Library in Homerville.

Mrs. Gail Hughes of Adel, Georgia is the Regent of the Levi Sapp Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Secretary of the Huxford Genealogical Society, and the President of the Dixie Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Mrs. Linda Meadows of Adel, Georgia is a National Certified Teacher at Cook County High School, serves as the Governor of the Brushy Creek Chapter of the Daughters of Indian Wars, a Dixie Chapter Member and a Levi Sapp Chapter Member.

Mrs. Hughes and Meadows will be speaking on the various wars and our veterans of today. They will provide ideas of things to do for our veterans.

The August 2007 quarterly meeting of the Huxford Genealogical Society will be on Sunday, August 12, 2007 at 2:00 PM in the HGS Library in Homerville.

Mr. Robert “Bob” J. Robinson is from Quitman, Georgia and serves on the Board of Directors

here at the Huxford Library. Bob has compiled and published several family history books including the Coward-Cowart Chronicles.

Mr. Jessie H. Paulk is from Salem, Florida and also serves on the Huxford Board of Directors. Jessie has compiled family history books, as books on marriages and cemeteries including: Taylor County, Florida Marriages; Survey of Irwin County, Georgia Cemeteries; Paulks of America and Hendry of Clan MacNaughtan, to name a few.

Bob and Jessie will be speaking on how to compile and publish books. They will tell all about the ups and downs, expenses of publishing books, when to self publish or go to a professional printer and much more.

Bob and Jessie look forward to giving you the information and encouragement to publish your family history or other historical data.

The May 2007 quarterly meeting of the Huxford Genealogical Society will be on Sunday, May 20, 2007 at 2:00 PM in the HGS Library in Homerville.

Mr. Wyman May was born at Taylors Creek, Liberty County, Georgia in 1929. The federal government forced his family, and about 2,000 other families, to give up their homes in 1941, for the establishment of Camp Stewart, an anti-aircraft training center. His family moved to Hinesville, Georgia, where they have remained.

Wyman is a graduate of Bradwell Institute High School and Southern Business University. He retired from Midway Oil Company after being employed there many years. He has been active in his community, serving eight years in Hinesville Bank (now Heritage Bank). He has served on the boards of Hinesville Housing Authority, Chamber of Commerce, Liberty Memorial Hospital, Taylors Creek Cemetery Association, the Fort Stewart Cemetery Council, and the Hinesville Historical Preservation Committee. He served on the Governor’s Staff during the administration of Governor Carl Sanders.

Wyman has been interested in local history and genealogy for many years. He has published several books and put together the family records in Taylors Creek, a more than 700 page book on the history of Taylors Creek community which was published in 1986.

He has been married for 56 years to the former LaFayne Hodges who is a retired public school principal with 48 years in the field of education.

The February 2007 quarterly meeting of the Huxford Genealogical Society will be on Sunday, February 11, 2007 at 2:00 PM in the HGS Library in Homerville.

Vickie Montgomery Ashley will be speaking on "Genealogy and the Internet." Vickie is a native of south Georgia and has been actively engaged in historical and genealogical research for over 25 years. She has taught for 13 years and currently teaches in the computer lab at Cook Middle School. Vickie holds membership in several genealogical and historical organizations. She is a sponsor of the Cook County Jr. Historians, an auxiliary to the Cook Historical Society. She stresses that she is "in no way an expert, but has much to learn" when it comes to genealogy, but enjoys utilizing the internet as one tool of research. Vickie hopes her enthusiasm will rub off on novices, and make them more comfortable with its use, and looks forward to sharing and exchanging information with others who have reaped the benefits of the Internet research.

The November 2006 quarterly meeting of the Huxford Genealogical Society would normally be on Sunday, November 12, 2006 at 2:00 PM in the HGS Library in Homerville. No meeting will be held this month, however, the Huxford Library will be open as usual for research.

In lieu of the regular quarterly meeting, members and guests are invited to attend the Marker Dedication at the North Cemetery in DuPont and the reception immediately following the dedication.

Markers will be dedicated at 2:30 PM on Sunday, November 12, 2006 for an Indian War Veteran, Capt. John J. North, who had his own militia unit during the time period of fighting the Indians in the Okefenokee Swamp and his son, Edward North, who served with Co H 29th GA during the War Between the States.

A reception will follow the marker dedication at the home of Mrs. Hazel Lee in DuPont, Georgia. This was the historic home of Mr. John P. A. DuPont who was a businessman in Savannah during the 1850s and 1860s. The home in DuPont was his summer home.

Jewel Coverdale
904-289-9579 or write to: 306 North Road, Jacksonville, FL 32234

The August 2006 quarterly meeting of the Huxford Genealogical Society will be on Sunday, August 13, 2006 at 2:00 PM in the HGS Library in Homerville.

Mr. Kenneth "Ken" Sylvester of Waycross, Georgia formerly of Manor, Georgia will be our quest speaker at the August 2006 meeting. Ken has been doing genealogy for about 40 years. He has had an interest in genealogy for much longer than that. Ken has entered about a quarter of a million names to his database. He has at least 125,000 names in his cemetery database.

Mr. Sylvester will be speaking on cemetery surveying. He has a lot of experience in this field and will explain entering the information from headstones into a computer program. He will also talk about projects he and his group are currently working on.

The May 2006 quarterly meeting of the Huxford Genealogical Society will be on Sunday, May 21, 2006 at 2:00 PM in the HGS Library in Homerville.

Paul K. Graham will be speaking on Understanding Georgia’s Land Lotteries. Georgia’s eight land lotteries from 1805-1833 are unique events in American history. His talk will help us develop a better understanding of the motivations for holding land lotteries and the processes used to carry them out. Learn about land lottery history and its impact on the participants, on county formation in Georgia, and on modern genealogical research.

Paul is 27 years old and spent the first half of his life living in the mountains of North Carolina, then his family moved to Atlanta which is where he went to middle and high school. He has been doing genealogical research since he was 20. At that time, his mom's sister took him to the place where his grandmother grew up, showing him the house, church, family store, and cemeteries.

Paul is a professional historical researcher specializing in Georgia land history and African American family history. Paul is a graduate of the George Washington University and previously worked as a title examiner in Georgia, gaining valuable knowledge of property and probate law and records. During the past two years, he has published two reference books on Georgia’s 1805 Land Lottery, documenting the participants, winners, and grantees of the first of eight Georgia land lotteries. In December of 2005, the Georgia Genealogical Society recognized Paul’s land lottery research by presenting him an award for “Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Genealogy.”

The February 2006 quarterly meeting of the Huxford Genealogical Society will be on Sunday, February 12, 2006 at 2:00 PM in the HGS Library in Homerville.

The November 2005 quarterly meeting of the Huxford Genealogical Society will be on Sunday, November 13, 2005 at 2:00 PM in the HGS Library in Homerville.

The speakers for the November meeting will be Gail Hughes, Donald Davis and Boe Williams:

The August 2005 quarterly meeting of the Huxford Genealogical Society will be on Sunday, August 14, 2005 at 2:00 PM in the HGS Library in Homerville.

A reception will be held at this meeting from 11:30 AM until 2:00 PM for the introduction of the new HGS publication: "Tattnall County, Georgia Loose Papers", 1801-1845, Volume One, abstracted by Sabina J. Murray, and compiled by the HGS.

The May 2005 quarterly meeting of the Huxford Genealogical Society will be on Sunday, May 15, 2005. The program for this meeting will be presented by Mr. Tony Thompson of Metter, Georgia. Mr. Thompson has authored three books:

Mr. Thompson will talk with us about the early days of Tattnall County, when court was held along the river at the Ohoopee Saw Mills, as well as his efforts to record and preserve the history and genealogy of the Tattnall area. He will bring copies of his books for sale to our members. Mr. Thompson's website is: Kinfolks Across the River.

The November 2004 quarterly meeting of the Huxford Genealogical Society will be on Sunday, November 14, 2004. The program will be presented by Sabina J. Murray and her topic will be "Saving The Tattnall County, Georgia Records". Thirty years ago, Mrs. Murray found many old original records in the attic of the Tattnall County Courthouse that had pigeons roosting on them. Sabina was able to abstract the information in these records and the Huxford Society has received a grant to publish them. She will tell the Tattnall County story and show copies of some of the records and relate stories concerning some of the people found in the records. Also she will present information how everyone can participate in a free DNA project.

Sabina J. Murray is a member of the Huxford Genealogical Society Board of Directors. She is an Accredited Genealogist who has enjoyed a love of family history since the age of twelve. Mrs. Murray is a retired school teacher and a volunteer librarian at the Family History Center in Jacksonville, Florida. She is also the mother of four children, thirteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

The August 2004 quarterly meeting of the Huxford Genealogical Society will be on Sunday, November 8, 2004. Dr. John Crowley of Sparks, Georgia will speak about DNA testing in support of genealogical research. Dr. Crowley provides a very interesting journey concerning his family research and why he needed to have DNA testing to assist in the search for his family roots.

Dr. Crowley is an associate Professor of History at Valdosta State University and also teaches an upper division history course in genealogy. He is the author of Primitive Baptist of the Wiregrass South.