Luncheon features Civil War diary editor

Holiday event at Georgia Archives to be held Dec. 8.

Jan Croom, editor and transcriber of “The War Outside my Window: The Civil War Diary of LeRoy Wiley Gresham, 1860-1865,” will be the speaker on December 8 at the Georgia Genealogical Society’s holiday luncheon at the Georgia Archives.

Gresham (1847-1865), whose diary is the subject of the lecture, was an invalid teenager in Macon during the war, and the book is his observations of the South, the war and many surrounding events. He died at age 18, shortly after the war ended. He was a member of a very wealthy family, and he gave great insight into the issues of the day. A biographical sketch on him with other links and reviews is on Wikipedia.

Registration for the luncheon begins at 10 a. m. The business meeting, including annual awards and installation of officers, starts at 10:30 a.m. Lunch is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by the speaker at 1:15 p.m. Registration is $25 for GGS members, $35 nonmembers. Checks to the Georgia Genealogical Society should be mailed/ postmarked by November 30, to GGS, P.O. Box 550247, Atlanta, Ga., 30355-2747. Registration forms and PayPal information can be found at gagensociety.org, with the PayPal deadline being midnight December 4. For more information, see the website or call Maggie at 678-800-8456.

The Georgia Genealogical Society, founded in 1964, holds four membership meetings a year. In 2019, the meetings will be March 16, June 1, September 21 and December 7. The organization offers free webinars every month on a variety of genealogy subjects, not all necessarily related to Georgia. The society now sponsors the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, now held annually in Athens, with the next one scheduled for July 21-26.

Charlotte Library reduces hours

The Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library System holds one of the nation’s greatest genealogy collections. Effective December 1, the library, located in downtown Charlotte, N.C., will no longer be open after 6 p. m. or on Sunday or Monday. It’s a great place to do research. The library also offers a lot online. Go to cmlibrary.org/ services and then “History & Genealogy Services.”

DNA sites changes and discounts

Ancestry.com’s DNA matches page has been updated to include the centiMorgan (cM) number visible before you click on a match, as well as several additional ways to “compare” results. FamilyTreeDNA has recently changed their chromosome browser feature, allowing seven (rather than five) people to be compared to each other. From now until the end of the year, these and other DNA companies will offer various discounts — always a good holiday gift idea — so look out for them.