Queen’s Jubilee calls to mind Georgia locations named for her ancestors

Georgia, created by a King George II-signed charter in 1732, was the 13th colony.

Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating her Platinum Jubilee this year. Many of her direct ancestors have their names firmly placed on the map of Georgia.

Georgia, created by a King George II-signed charter in 1732, was the 13th colony. James Oglethorpe, the founder of Georgia, named several places for members of the royal family, as well as British citizens and noblemen who were supporters of the colony. Sir Joseph Jekyll was the namesake of Jekyll Island. Frederica, the town and fort on St. Simons Island, was named for the king’s son, Frederick, Prince of Wales, who died in 1751. In June 1736, the town of Augusta was laid out and named for Frederick’s new bride, Augusta, Princess of Wales, direct ancestor of the current queen.

Cumberland Island was named for another son of George II, and Amelia Island, in Spanish Florida, was named for the king’s daughter. In 1771, Brunswick was created and named for the royal family itself. Many other states, cities and counties retain royal family names. Charlotte, North Carolina, was named in 1768 for the then-Queen of England, the wife of George III.

1950 census access

The 1950 census seems to have been indexed or linked at Ancestry.com quicker than expected. If you just search for someone, a link to his or her 1950 entry automatically pops up. Try this out for anyone you have not found. There are also reports that indexing at the National Archives and FamilySearch.org is moving along quite fast. Some smaller population states have been completely indexed.

Natural disasters your family faced?

Do your family stories include natural disasters that your ancestors faced, such as tornadoes, earthquakes or hurricanes? Our family was in a tornado in 1953 in Columbus. While in the U.S. Air Force in 1969, I was in Hurricane Camille on the Gulf Coast, which changed my life story due to a training delay and future assignment changes.