The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Coming year will bring major commemorations
The coming year is a big one for commemorations.
The 400th anniversary of the landing of Mayflower and the pilgrims, in what is now Massachusetts, will be celebrated in 2020. The pilgrims arrived in 1620, 13 years after the first English settlers formed a permanent colony in this country in Jamestown in Virginia.
To check out some of the commemorative events planned, go to th e mayflowersociety.org, plym- outh400inc.org, and mayflower400uk.org. It’s a good time for anyone who can trace their lineage back to the pilgrims to join, if invited, the Mayflower Society. Next year also will be the anniversary of the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave women the right to vote. It will be a good time to learn who were the first women in your family to register and to vote, as not every eligible woman registered immediately.
Also in 2020, the next census will be taken. The first count of people in the U.S. happened in 1790. We hope everyone will comply and give accurate answers to the questions asked, as we hope our ancestors did in past centuries. While older census records through 1940 are available online for research, the 1950 Census is not due to be released until 2022.
Organizing genealogy records
Sue VerHoef, director of oral history and genealogy at the Atlanta History Center, will offer a class on January 11 from 10:30 a. m. until noon called “Organizing Your Paper, Digital and Web Research.” The cost is $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers. Reservations are recommended. For infor- mation or tickets, call 404814-4150, or go to AtlantaHistoryCenter.com and “programs.” There will be other genealogy programs offered throughout the year. Always check back.
Georgia film industry subject of Lunch and Learn
“The Explosion of the Film Industry in Georgia” will be t he L unch and Learn lecture topic January 10 at the Georgia Archives. Aaron Levy, director of academics for the Georgia Film Academy, will be the speaker. The free event is at noon. Bring your own lunch. For more information, go to GeorgiaArchives.org or call 678-364-3710. For more on the speaker’s organization, see georgiafilmacademy.org.